Author: thakur

Pravrajika Sevaprana Retreat Sunday, June 25 10:30-4:00

please join us for this one-day retreat with Pravrajika Sevaprana, a senior nun of the Vedanta Society of Southern California. Here is her description of the retreat:

Why do we Suffer?    Can suffering actually broaden our hearts and lead us to compassionate action whichin turn can free us from our isolation?

We see so much suffering in this world and
much of it seems inexplicable, yet on closer
scrutiny we see that this very suffering can
lead us to a Compassionate Heart, an awareness
that we are all One. This Unitive Awareness
can broaden our perspective and
bring us to a state of mind that is so inclusive
that we are freed from suffering itself.

Ridgely 2017 Calendar of Events

We have been organizing our 2017 schedule. Here it is as it stands today. There will be additions. This is a work in progress.

May 13   Swami Sarvapriyananda retreat “The Heart of Awareness”
June 25  Pravrajika Sevaprana retreat “Swami Vivekananda’s Ideal of Service”
July 4     Vedanta Society of New York Annual Retreat
August   Pravrajika Satchitprana, Sri Sarada Math (details to be announced)
Sept.       Labor Day retreat Swami Yogatmananda
Sept 24  Durga Puja
Oct. 19   Kali Puja
Nov.       Swami Sarvadevananda

In addition we always have our weekend classes:
Saturday 2:30 Svetashvatara Upanishad
Sunday 10:30 Bhagavad Gita

We will have volunteer Saturday mornings 2 days in April- 4/15 and 4/29. We would love it if we had some help with some of our outside tasks during the “on season”.

Retreat w/Swami Sarvapriyananda: May 13 10:30-4 THIS RETREAT IS NOW CLOSED TO FURTHER ENROLLMENT

Many of our local friends have not met Swami Sarvapriyananda, the new Head Minister of the Vedanta Society of New York,recently transferred from the Vedanta Society of Southern California where he served as Asst. Minister.He is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order who has held many posts in India, including serving as teacher at the monastic training center at Belur Math in Kolkata. Swami Sarvapriyananda is renowned as a speaker on Vedanta, traveling to many centers and university campuses worldwide to give lectures and talks, mostly on Advaita Vedanta. You can find his talks on YouTube.

Because Swami Sarvapriyananda is such a popular speaker, our overnight accommodations began to fill up when his coming to Ridgely was only a rumor. There are still a few places left.
If you wish to stay overnight for this retreat DO NOT WAIT AND THINK ABOUT IT. We guarantee your place will be gone! Please apply by visiting ridgely.org and filling out the online application in the Visit section. As always, we cannot accommodate children under the age of 17. At this time, you will most likely be sharing a room. Alternatively, you can book a room at a local motel and attend during the day.

DAY VISITORS PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS RETREAT. WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY WILL BE JOINING US AT LUNCH THAT DAY.

All are welcome. There is no charge although we appreciate it when people give donations to help with the costs of the retreat.

Swami Sarvadevananda Retreat “Life After Death” March 28 and 29.

Ridgely will be open with a retreat given by Swami Sarvadevananda on Life After Death. WITH A HUGE CAVEAT: IF THE WEATHER IS SNOWY OR ICY, WE WILL CANCEL SO CHECK THE WEATHER AND CHECK WITH US IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND.

Here is the schedule:

March 28 7:30pm    Session 1

March 29

10:30am Meditation

10:45     Session 2

12noon Session 3

1pm lunch

2:30 Session 4

All are welcome to attend. If you wish to stay overnight you must apply via our website application no later than Thursday, March 23.

New Schedule For the Retreat This Year

We have modified our weekly schedule for this year.

 Saturdays 9:30-1  VOLUNTEER MORNING

One of the reasons we are doing this is to try to encourage our friends who visit us to consider volunteering on Saturday morning here at the retreat. We will work as a team, usually on one of 2 never-ending projects: prepping and painting sections of the outside of our 3 houses, and working in the various gardens. These are actually simple jobs that anyone can do. Please consider joining us. We are giving so many tours that we are not always able to get to our work here. If you do intend to help, PLEASE come dressed appropriately. That means long pants socks and good shoes, not sandals.If you have helped us that morning then please join us for lunch!

2:30-3:30pm  SVETASHVATARA  UPANISHAD CLASS

This will be an intensive, verse by verse study of the Svetashvatara Upanishad with Gitaprana, including group discussion and other activities. We may be podcasting this class.

SUNDAYS 9:30-10:30am CHANTING-DEVI MAHATMYAM AKA CHANDI

We will resume our Sunday activity of chanting/reading the Devi Mahatmyam and commentary.

10:30-12  BHAGAVAD GITA CLASS

Our ongoing Bhagavad Gita class is led by Gitaprana. It is a group-oriented study rather than a lecture series that moves verse by verse in an in-depth manner, focusing on what each verse has to say for people living today.

Vivekananda Retreat Will Open Saturday March 11

Weather has kept us from opening the retreat. We hope to open on March 11. Please see our calendar section and blog for schedule information. Please remember: YOU MUST CALL US TO SCHEDULE A VISIT.  Ridgely is our residence as well as a retreat. It is not a museum where one can walk freely through the buildings. You need one of us to take you on a tour! We are more than happy to do that if tours are scheduled in advance.

Ridgely will be closed starting December 16

Dear Friends,

Every year the winter weather creates conditions that make it necessary for us to close the retreat to all visitors. Right now we already have snow and ice building up on our roads. Another snow followed by ice is expected this weekend. WE ARE CLOSED TO ALL VISITORS. Please do not try to come anyway. Right now I am not sure about our Christmas Eve celebration. We will post again if we are going to re-open.

Nov. 8-9 Retreat w/ Swami Sarvadevananda and Swami Atmajnanananda on Inner Peace

Join us for a 2-day retreat on finding inner peace, a topic we chose specifically because of election day! Here is the schedule:

Nov. 8 10:30 -4:00

10:30-12:30   Swami Sarvadevananda-talks on finding inner peace, session 1

12:30 Lunch

2-4  Session 2

Nov. 9 10:30-4:00

10:30 Swami Atmajnanananda-talks on finding inner peace

12 noon- mini puja in honor of the goddess Jagaddhatri

1pm  Lunch

2-4 final session w/ both swamis

As always, there is no fee for the retreat unless you wish to stay overnight. Please remember that we require several days notice for overnight stays and that we cannot accommodate children under the age of 17.

Kali Puja on Saturday, Oct. 29 10pm

This is our big, elaborate, all-night traditional worship of the Mother in Her form as Dakshina Kali. And the good news is, this time it’s on a Saturday night! So please come one and all! As always, we will provide places to rest after the puja, waiving the usual overnight fee. We hope to see you here!

The worship will begin at 10 when Gitaprana will explain a little about the process and the symbology of the puja. The worship itself usually requires 3-4 hours to complete. It will be followed by a homa fire and prasad. Again we invite all our singer/kirtan wallah friends to make offerings of music. And again, you may also bring other offerings-food (which you cooked at home or bought), flowers, perfume,make-up, jewelry. During this ceremony we offer these items to the Mother.

PLEASE NOTE: WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO USE OUR KITCHENS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BRING FOOD, YOU MUST PREPARE IT AT HOME.