January 2024 - Creativity in Chaos
“Protection is active and can be effective only with faith on your side, absolute and constant.”
~The Mother (CWM 15:47)
After a beautiful end to 2023 with a Ganesh puja and temple visit, it was an intense start to the new year with the sound of trees being cut and falling to the ground on both sides of A Sunlit Path. And on Jan 6th, we lost our beloved Big Boy to a dog attack. He is buried on the back of the property for those that wish to say goodbye.
Amidst this feeling of grief and disorientation from the seeming shifting of reality in this world, we rose and created uplifting music and dance. Somehow within the gates of A Sunlit Path, we are still protected. For as long as it lasts, we are grateful and beyond that, may we carry it within us through an absolute and constant Faith.
Music, Movement, Massage
Music and dance continue to permeate the earthen walls of our space and reverberate in us a primal way of being in this world. We closed the month with a spinal therapy training by our dear Fabrice Montange which we anticipate will be the first of many.
It was a joy and blessing to start 2024 with an intense musical journey by Niloy Ahsan, Aparajita Chakraborty and Roman Das. You can see the full concert videos on http://youtube.com/@sunlitpathcommunity
Our Sangeet Retreat was a new and unique offering that brought together three talented musicians and had us singing together for almost 8 hours a day, eating together and connecting through our love for sound as offered by these gem teachers.
Learning and growth is meant to be joyous and full of beauty, as is life itself. With Vithya Arasu leading us in Indian classical dance, we are reminded of just that. We were sweating and struggling but smiling and laughing our way to a short choreography complete with rhythm from Shamitha Hettige.
From the way the table came to him to the way the training came to A Sunlit Path, Fabrice Montange reminds us of the power of faith and the joy of flowing with it. It was an honour to host his generously offered spinal therapy training which has healed countless people over the decades. We look forward to more trainings and slowly building a community of healers through his FaOM Methodology.
Regular Offerings
The regular offerings of yoga (3x/week), hindustani vocal (2x/week), and thiruvasagam satsang (1x/week) provide a rhythm and grounding for anyone that seeks it.
With participants from our various retreats and classes staying upstairs, it’s been a delight to see people cooking and sharing food, dropping by the center to say hi and getting to know each other on the terrace.
This sense of community is deeply healing for all. Thank you for making this space what it is.
Community Gatherings
We closed the month with some magic time under the gaze of the moon. This year’s first full moon followed a massive shift in the stars and in the collective as Pluto moved into Aquarius. It was meaningful to gather, reflect and prepare for what this shift meant for us personally. We walked in silence barefoot on the earth and communed around the fire as we have done for ages, listening to our breath and the crackling of the fire.
Looking Ahead
Thank you for an intense and beautiful start to 2024! We are curious to see what is in store for us and how the music and dance will unfold within us as we journey together in faith and surrender.
The offerings are A Sunlit Path are many but the intention is one and clear: connect to the silence, truth and beauty within.
Our regular offerings of yoga, hindustani vocal and Thiruvasagam satsang continue and our monthly Dhrupad retreat is the spine of our space. We breath together through gatherings: full moon gathering, a kirtan and a rudra veena concert.
This month we offer you SoulSkin that uses arts for inner process work, we bring back FaOM Methodology training and introduce Lakshmi’s Hindustani Vocal as an intense weekend retreat.
Donate
Please consider making a tax-exempt donation to help us spread the Light. We are grateful for any amount that comes from your heart.
A Sunlit Path is a unit of Pappammal and Muthugounder Trust established and registered in India on Feb 4, 2010 under both 12A and 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961..
https://www.asunlitpath.org/donate