Announcements for December 8, 2024

Following the service today, we will adorn our Christmas tree and the fence and gate with lights and other decorations. All are welcome, including children, to join in to help decorate the Center for Christmas. 

One of the highlights of the year-end holiday season for Self-Realization Fellowship members and friends around the world is the All-Day Christmas Meditation, a tradition inaugurated by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1931 and which he personally conducted for many years. The all day, 8 hour, Christmas meditation will be held next Saturday on December 14th, from 10 am to 6 pm. Instructions for how to prepare, and what to bring as devotional offerings (a fruit and a donation), are listed on our website at srfseattlecenter.org.

There will be a Christmas potluck the following day, on December 15. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. 

There will be a Christmas-Eve meditation from 7 – 9 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, and a midnight  New Year’s Eve meditation on Sunday, December 31 from 11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

All are welcome to join in these events. 

There is a special announcement from the Managing Council:

We are pleased to announce that Anand Balachandran has joined the Managing Council as a member-at-large. We are grateful for his willingness to join for his second stint of service on the Council, bringing administrative skill, devotion, and SRF experience to this important service role for the Center. Anand has previously served as secretary on the Managing Council about 15-20 years ago. 

We would also like to announce a change in leadership of our Sunday School Committee – after serving as the Committee Chair for over 10 years, Anand has vacated the position. We wish to deeply thank Anand for his many years of service in that capacity, and for his passion for serving Guruji’s youth at our Center. We are grateful to let you know that Urmila Joshi-Phadnis has agreed to take on the role of Sunday School Chair, effective this month. She has been serving as a Sunday School teacher for several years, and it is a joy to welcome her in this additional capacity as Committee Chair. We look forward to her positive and devotional spirit flowing into this new service capacity, and facilitating continued success for our Sunday School committee which introduces children to Guruji’s How-to-Live teachings.

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: Understanding the Unreality of Matter

Printable PDF of December 8, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for December 1, 2024

We will have our final Pre-Christmas 4 hour kirtan meditation held next Saturday on December 7 as we look forward to Christmas.

Following the service next Sunday on December 8, we will decorate our Christmas tree. All are welcome, including children, to join in this joyful event.

One of the highlights of the year-end holiday season for Self-Realization Fellowship members and friends around the world is the All-Day Christmas Meditation, a tradition inaugurated by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1931 and which he personally conducted for many years. The all day, 8 hour, Christmas meditation will be held on Saturday, December 14th, from 10 am to 6 pm. There will be a Christmas potluck the following day, on December 15. All are invited to attend these events.

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: How to Attune with Divine Will.

Printable PDF of December 1, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for November 24, 2024

Pre-Christmas 4-hour kirtan meditation

We will have a Pre-Christmas 4 hour kirtan meditation held next Saturday on November 30, and again on Saturday, December 7 as we look forward to Christmas. The all-day Christmas meditation will be held on December 14, followed by a Christmas potluck on December 15. All are invited to attend these events. 

Reading Service

The DVD Service for today is: The Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, by Brother Anandamoy. 

Printable PDF of November 24, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for November 17, 2024

Pre-Christmas 4-hour kirtan meditation

We have 3 Pre-Christmas 4 hour kirtan meditations held on Saturdays coming up shortly as we look forward to Christmas. These kirtan meditations will be held on November 23, November 30 and December 7.

The all-day Christmas meditation will be held on December 14, followed by a Christmas potluck on December 15. All are invited to attend these events. 

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: Inner Resources of Health and Energy. 

Printable PDF of November 17, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for November 10, 2024

Note of Gratitude

Thank you to all the volunteers who met for Day of Service yesterday to organize, clean and perform maintenance tasks at the Center. As Guruji said, “When in service you forget the little self, you will feel the big Self of Spirit.”

Pre-Christmas 4-hour kirtan meditation

We have 3 Pre-Christmas 4 hour kirtan meditations held on Saturdays coming up shortly as we look forward to Christmas. These kirtan meditations will be held on November 23, November 30 and December 7. 

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: The Scientific Art of Living.

Printable PDF of November 10, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024 – Diwali Potluck Social

You are all invited to join in the potluck social following the Service today, to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and the inner awakening of Divine Light. Thank you all for bringing such wonderful dishes to our potluck! When we wrap up, we kindly ask everyone to take their empty dishes with them without waiting for our small volunteer crew to wash them due to limited kitchen and counter space. If there is food left, there will be plastic wrap available to seal your dish. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Maintenance Projects

The fence on the north end of the grounds was taken down and replaced fully this past Friday. You may recall that it was damaged two winters ago, and a temporary fix was placed to hold it up until we had the ability to replace it. We expect this new fence will last us another quarter century. Thank you for your support, both in prayers for our Center and your monetary donations

November 9, 2024 – Day of Service

Our next Day of Service this year will be held on Saturday, November 9, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This follows the morning meditation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided. All are welcome to join in the joy of fellowship and service in cleaning, gardening, and carrying out maintenance projects. For those who wish to come and meditate prior to the 1 p.m. lunch, you may enter the chapel during the noon chant, or meditate in the Sunday School room. All are welcome, including children, for any length of time.

Pre-Christmas 4-hour kirtan meditation

On November 23 and November 30, we will have a Pre-Christmas 4-hour kirtan meditation leading up to Christmas.

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: How to Read Character.

Printable PDF of November 3, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for October 27, 2024

Diwali Potluck Social

You are all invited to a potluck on November 3, following our Sunday Service, to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at our Center. Feel free to come dressed in your Indian finest to mark this special occasion and share in a meal with others. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share if you are able. 

Maintenance Projects

The fence on the north end of the grounds will be replaced this upcoming week. On Tuesday, the present fence will be brought down and new posts will be placed. The full fence will be installed on November 1. Thank you for the generous donations we received towards funding this project and moving it to completion. 

DVD Service

The DVD Service for today is: The Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, by Bro Anandamoy, Part 1. 

Printable PDF of October 27, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for October 20, 2024

Special announcement

This is a special week for the Seattle Center of SRF. 100 years ago this week, our Guru, Paramahansa Yogananda visited Seattle for the first time on his way to Alaska. There is a framed photo in the front foyer that was taken on October 17, 2024 with those he visited in Seattle. Paramahansa Yogananda would return again in 1925 and 1933 to our city. We have placed some flowers and a candle in the foyer in front of the framed hanging to highlight this memory. Please visit the foyer to view the photo. 

Diwali Potluck Social

You are all invited to a potluck on November 3, following our Sunday Service, to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at our Center. Feel free to come dressed in your Indian finest to mark this special occasion and share in a meal with others. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share if you are able. 

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: Healing Body, Mind and Soul.

Printable PDF of October 20, 2024 Announcements

Announcements for October 13, 2024

October 19, 2024 – One Day Retreat

There will be a one-day retreat held at the Seattle Center of SRF on Saturday, October 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be periods of group meditation, Energization Exercises, readings, kirtan, a lunch break, and free-time to walk the grounds, read quietly, or meditate.

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: Live in Constant Remembrance of God

Printable PDF of October 13, 2024

Announcements for September 29, 2024

Lahiri Mahasaya Commemorative

We will have a commemorative service tomorrow, September 30, in honor of our param-param Guru Lahiri Mahasaya’s birthday. There will be a meditation from 7:00 – 7:45 p.m., followed by a service at 8:00 p.m. Please bring a flower and donation to offer during that service as symbols of devotion and support for the work of our Gurus. All donations made during the Commemorative Services are forwarded to the International Headquarters, known as Mother Center, in Los Angeles. 

Monastic Visit:

We greatly look forward to welcoming Brother Devananda and Brother Bhimananda to our Center from October 3 to 6. The itinerary during their visit will include group meditations and services, a tea social, outdoor walk, and a workshop on Introspection that you are all invited to attend. The schedule is now posted on the website at srfseattlecenter.org, and in our quarterly schedule that you can pick up from the Information Table. You can sign up for a walk next Friday around Green Lake with the monastics on the signup sheet at the Information Table. Please see Urmila Joshi Phadnis or Lynnie Dhanak if you have any questions about the Green Lake outing. We are in great need of questions for the satsanga on Thursday evening at 7pm. I had a pad and pencils here, and will be accepting questions for the satsanga right here after service. You can also email them through the address on our website: info@srfseattlecenter.org. 

We will also be hosting a potluck luncheon after Sunday Service next week during their visit. Please feel free to bring a vegetarian dish to share. Since we expect a large turnout, we are in need of volunteers to help with cleanup and washing of the dishes after the potluck, so if you would like to offer service during the monastic visit, next Sunday is the ideal opportunity. 

And the final announcement: There is now a way to donate electronically for service offerings. You will find this postcard on the back of the chairs. You can scan the QR code with your phone to make a service offering or donation through credit card, Paypal or Venmo. If you’d like help in learning how to do so, please see a volunteer after the service. 

Reading Service

The Reading Service for today is: A Yogi-Christ and His Way to Salvation.

Printable PDF of September 29, 2024 Announcements