Category: Announcements

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.

Schedule For Pravrajika Vivekaprana and Swami Yogatmananda

Aug. 30th – Sept 2nd: RETREAT 1: “The Relationship Between Sri Ramakrishna and Narendranath”. Text for study The Great Master, Part V: Chapters 6 -7 by Swami Saradananda.
Sept. 4th – 5th: SYMPOSIUM: “Inspired to Action: Western Women and Swami Vivekananda”. Guest speakers are Pravrajika Vivekaprana who will speak Sunday morning on “How Sister Nivedita Presented the Message of Swami Vivekananda in The Master as I Saw Him” and Swami Yogatmananda who will speak Monday morning on “Swami Vivekananda and Western Women Disciples”. The Symposium ends after lunch on Monday.
Sept. 8th – 11th: RETREAT 2: “Action or Karma as a Path to Freedom”. Text for study Action or Karma as a Path to Freedom by Pravrajika Vivekaprana.
Sept. 12th: Open Forum: “Conversation with Pravrajika Vivekaprana” All are welcome.

Sept 12: Open Forum “Conversation w/Pravrajika Vivekaprana”
Sept. 14th – 17th: RETREAT 3: “Vishwarupa – The Universal Form And The Path Of Devotion”. Text for study by the same name, by Pravrajika Vivekaprana.
Sept. 18th: Open Forum: “Conversation with Pravrajika Vivekaprana” All are welcome.

Sept. 18 Open Forum “Conversation w/Pravrajika Vivekaprana”

There are no overnight spaces here or anywhere in the area for the Labor Day program. You may attend as a day visitor. There are a few spaces left during the retreats being held 9/8 through 9/17. All programs begin at 10am.

Retreat w/Swami Sarvadevananda Sunday, Aug. 21 10am-4pm

Swami Sarvadevananda, the Minister-in-Charge of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, will be giving a one-day intensive on meditation and other spiritual practices. There will be talks alternating with different types of meditation . PLEASE NOTE: The time has been changed from 9am to 10am. There will be tea and snacks but no lunch will be served. You must bring your own lunch. This is an intensive retreat. That means we are trying to really spend time in practice and study. We find that food and its preparation is a huge distraction, so we are requesting that you bring all your food with you, fully prepared.  If you wish to stay overnight for this retreat you must remember to give us at least 5 days advance notice. All are welcome. You don’t need to be familiar with meditation to join us.

April 15-17, 2016 Retreat w/Swami Sarvadevananda “Katha Upanishad”

We are happy to announce that Swami Sarvadevananda, Head Minister of the Vedanta Society of So. California (and also Ridgely), will be visiting us in April. He will be givinga retreat on the Katha Upanishad. This upanishad is unique, consisting of a single storyline: the young boy Nachiketa taught about the Self by Yama, King of Death. Many of you know and loveSwami Sarvadevananda ; we hope you will be able to attend all or part of this retreat.

Here is a schedule for the retreat.

Friday, April 15  

7:30pm Session #1

Saturday 4/16

10:30am Session #2
1:00pm Lunch
3:30pm Session #3

Sunday 4/17

10:30am Session #4

All are welcome to attend this retreat. If you wish to stay overnight, please make reservations soon. The retreat is free. For the overnight suggested donation, please go to ridgely.org

August 30-Sept 17, 2016 Pravrajika Vivekaprana, Sri Sarada Math at Ridgely

Please Register by March 15, 2016

We are very happy that Pravrajika Vivekaprana will once again be visiting Ridgely. She is a senior sannyasini of Sri Sarada Math and is presently the head of the retreat center Ramakrishna Sarada Mission at Pangot, located in the Himalayas. While here at Ridgely she will give 2 retreats and also, in conjunction with Swami Yogatmananda, a symposium over Labor Day weekend. Here is the schedule:

Aug. 30-Sept.2 2016 – Retreat 1

Pravrajika Vivekaprana RETREAT 1: “The Relationship Between Sri Ramakrishna and Narendranath” based on THE GREAT MASTER, Part V: chapters 6-7

Sept 4-5, 2016 – Symposium

Pravrajika Vivekaprana and Swami Yogatmananda:

SYMPOSIUM: “Inspired To Action:Western Women and Swami Vivekananda”

Swami Yogatmananda will join Vivekaprana and other speakers to discuss the role Western women played and continue to play) in the work of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Yogatmananda is the Head Minister of the ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Providence. He visits us every year during the Labor Day weekend. We are very happy that he has agreed to be part of this symposium.

Sept. 8-17, 2016 – Retreat 2

Pravrajika Vivekaprana RETREAT 2: “Action or Karma as a Path to Freedom”

 

VERY IMPORTANT INFO:

If you wish to attend any of these retreats as an overnight guest YOU MUST REGISTER BY MARCH 15. Why? Because we already know that there will not be room at Ridgely to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. We are considering renting additional space close by if needed. To do that we need to know how many people are on the overflow list.

Please be aware that we will most likely give preference to those people coming from a long distance. As of today, THERE ARE ONLY SHARED ROOMS AVAILABLE, NO SINGLES.

All are welcome to attend these retreats as day visitors. We will be announcing the details again as the year progresses.

Swami Sarvadevananda Retreat Nov. 28-29 : “The Nine Types of Devotional Practice”

Swami Sarvadevananda is the Head Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, which also includes Ridgely as one of it’s sub-centers. Most of you already know him as he has visited Ridgely many times. He will be accompanied by Swami Atmajnanananda, the Minister-in-Residence of the Vedanta Society of Washington DC. The two swamis will share the talks on this wonderful topic.

Our topic, the nine types of devotional practice, comes from the Srimad Bhagavatam (7.5.23). These practices are important for anyone following a spiritual path and essential for those practicing the path of devotion to the Divine in any form. Do you know the list? It begins with shravanam/hearing about the Divine, and kirtanam, offering praise. We will keep you in suspense for the rest!

We will follow our usual retreat schedule. Saturday the retreat will be from 10:30am to 4:30 pm, lunch included. Sunday the retreat will begin at 10:30am and last until lunch. As always all are welcome to attend all or part of this retreat. If you wish to stay overnight, please fill out the online form found at ridgely.org and send it to us asap. Spaces will fill up fast as this will be Thanksgiving weekend.