Rajanaka Newsletter April 27 2023

 Thursday, April 27, 2023

 

Aho’ Rajanaka,

 

I hope you’re doing well.  The end of University classes is a time of reflection, relief, and, yes, some alarm consternationdismay dread excitement: no one could possibly find grading other than a job-in-the-pejorative-sense-of-the-word.  I liketo say that I look forward to reading the final examination papers.  (N.B, they didn’t believe a word of that.)  You know how you feel when the dental hygienist is doing fine work and you forgot to take that second bong hit?  I mustn’t complain about my job.  Some people still work for Fox News.  You could be Tucker Carlson Ron DeSantis.  I hope your “problems” are as inconsiderable.  Plenty of things in life warrant real concern but a little this being very little comedy does a soul good.  Zhuangzi the great Daoist philosopher reminds us, one good laugh is worth 10,000 serious thoughts.




INDIA.  Well, now’s the time.  If you’d like to go on pilgrimage, see the temples, meet the gods, goddesses, and maybe yourself, come with us.  It’s real, we go places that are worth it all, this will change your life.  We are going in December and registration is now.  NOW is the time.   The dates, costs, details are below.  If you’re interested write to Greg or Kim.  We got this.

 

CAMP.  Rajanaka Summer Camp is reallyreally fun.  Starts Thursday July 6th through Monday July 10th, our house in Bristol, New York.  Details below, and YES, there is a ZOOM Option and Recordings!!  (Tuition for Zoom/Recording is $225.)

 

TONIGHT. Thursday, April 27th is our final Six Temples of Muruga and we are headed deep into the mountain jungle to find a little peace, reflection, and good good company.  That could be you.  Zoom in, this Session will be très tout seul beaucoup cool.

 

Sunday Mahabharata is on vacation this weekend because we’re having students to the house for an end of the year celebration.  We’ll see if they remember to come.  Results will be posted on Tik-Tok. (<-that bit was a joke)

 

 

Summer Sessions are coming.  But not today.  Today is the day you decide to come to India, come to Camp, Zoom in, or ask for the recordings, and then  come to the last Thursday Muruga.  So’kay?

Suz this morning told me that putting a period at the end of a sentence can nowadays be considered aggressive.  Aggressive periods?  This was to demonstrate that question marks can also be aggressive.  But in a nice way.   Talk soon.  Write to me about anything: douglas@rajanaka.com

 

Saprema, /d

&&&

 

 

INDIA DETALS AND REGISTRATION

MEET GREGG AND KIM SHAND

 

Hello Rajanaka Peeps,

 

First, for those of you who don’t know us, please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Kim and Greg Shand and we have volunteered to help with the coordination, planning and logistics for December’s trip to Tamil Nadu.

 

There are some changes in the sign-up process from previous years, so please review the information in this email carefully. If you’ve never been to India with Douglas Brooks, it’s hard to imagine what the experience will be like. You will have inside access to the temples and their priests. It will be a trip that is entirely different from any experience booked with a travel agent. When you travel as a “Poonai” (the Tamil word for “cat”) you will not be a spectator observing the culture of south India…you will be a participant. 

 

It is humbling to find that so many new and veteran students want to continue to learn and share by attending this trip. We only bring 30 people on this trip so that: 1) the temples are not overwhelmed by our presence, and 2) you are better able to enjoy the direct, up-close and personal experience that is ahead. To meet these priorities, we will have to take reservations on a first-come/first-serve basis. When we reach 30 attendees, we will close registration and start a waiting list

 

THE BIG NEWS! We are turning back time and offering this trip at the same price that was charged in 2019! The total cost will be $5500 per person w/double-occupancy rooms*. The price could increase by $100-$200 if we are unable to purchase the plane tickets quickly! $5500 includes airfare from JFK to Chennai**, all in-country transportation on an air-conditioned bus (with WiFi and an almost unlimited cache of bottled water), lodging, daily breakfast and welcome and farewell dinners. You will need additional money for all other meals, souvenirs, temple offerings and tips. We will provide you with more details on the amount of spending money that you may want to bring. 

 

* Single Occupancy rooms are available for an upcharge of $1000. 

** You will be responsible for getting to JFK on time. Our flight, Etihad Airlines, Flight 102, will be departing at 2:00 PM to Chennai on December 28th. Please plan to arrive at JFK at least 3 hours before the 2:00 PM departure time. If you live outside of the US, contact us for an airfare credit. You will need to coordinate your travel to and from Chennai so that your arrival and departure schedule does not impact the larger group’s arrival and departure times. We will land back at JFK on January 13th at 3:50 PM

After we receive your deposit, there will be a lot of information coming your way…how to apply for a visa, what to pack, the itinerary, timelines, what to expect when we arrive, etc. Through conference calls and emails, we will help prepare you for the journey. We will also be on the trip with you to help you with any questions or concerns that may arise. For now, by filling out, signing and returning the contract that is attached, a seat will be reserved for you on the trip. However, your first payment must be received no later than April 23rd to secure your place. Since we need to make various deposits and (most importantly) purchase the airline tickets immediately, to receive group rates, flight costs are non-refundable and will not be transferable by Rajanaka Yoga. Travel insurance is a good option if an emergency arises preventing your attendance. We will send you information on how and where you can purchase trip insurance. Contract and Payment Plan: Name Home Address Email Address Cell phone Emergency Phone Date of Birth Passport number and expiration: Roommate: (If you don’t have one, no worries, we will match you up) Payments Payments can be made by check and debit/credit cards, through PayPal. Paypal transactions will incur an additional 2.9% fee. PayPal payments should be sent to: douglas@rajanaka.com If you need assistance with facilitating a PayPal transaction, please contact: greg@rajanaka.com and he will be happy to assist you. Make Checks Payable to: Rajanaka Yoga Please send all checks to: Douglas Brooks, 7296 Gregg Road, Bloomfield, NY 14469 Payment Schedule The total cost for each participant is $5500. With the exception of the first payment, please note all payments are due by the 10th of each month. 

$1500* 

$1000 

$1000 

$1000 

April 30 – Payment #1 May 17 – Payment #2 June 17 – Payment #3 July 17 – Payment #4 August 17 – Payment #5 $1000 final payment** 

*The 1st payment will NOT BE REFUNDABLE as it is for the purchase of plane tickets and other deposits. If you cancel before Sept. 1st, payments 2-5 will be refunded if a replacement is found. Cancellation after Sept. 1st will result in forfeiture of all previous payments. **The final price of the trip will be determined at the time of airline ticketing. Airline taxes can vary $100-$200. You are also welcome to pay in full at anytime.

 

&&&

NEXT,

Rajanaka Summer Camp, Bristol, New York
*Dates: July 6th-July 10th    

*Venue: Bristol Valley Vineyards, 7235 Lane Road, Bloomfield, NY 14469 (Note: The Town of Bristol is so small that it uses several other town addresses.  Really.  This is the correct mailing/maps address.)  YES to wifi on site and two brand new bathrooms!

*Cost: $600, deposit of $200 is due now; complete payment due by June 1st via Paypal (friend and family only, use svcourses@gmail.com for the PP address) or Venmo (douglas-brooks-8).

*Facebook Group: Rajanaka Summer Camp 2023 is up and running.  Just search FB and you will find a host of folks with whom you can talk to about Camp, logistics, details, whatever you like.
*Camp includes Sessions, lunch, tea, water, and snacks all day, and Curry Night Dinner.  It does not include accommodations, travel, or transportation.  The nearest airport is Rochester.  The nearest towns with hotels are Naples, South Bristol, and Canandaigua.  Air BnB is a good bet.  If you are flying and need a ride the best place to find some help is on the FB group---we can’t provide transportation.  This is a mom&pop operation that has worked well for 20 years and we’re here to help every way that we can.
*Topic has only rarely been mentioned in previous years.  However this year the plan right now is to learn the Heart of the Matrka, The Puja of the Little Mothers. This may mean little to you but it’s an important and incredibly fascinating part of the Great Goddess tradition and the theories mantra contemplation and analysis.  This is both theory and a practice that we will learn and study in detail for our entire Camp: it is rich, useful, complex, and doable.  No previous experience is required or expected.  No preparation is required.  We will learn this together every step of the way and I will provide the materials you need when you arrive.
*For all other queries send me an email: douglas@rajanaka.com  I’m happy to help.  




&&&MORE

So much more.  NEW FREE ONE HOUR, A Conversation About the Goddess Aranyani, The Wild One of the Forest, on the Archive here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fzcqc48pzzlilxa/AAB6LMj-WGPpjEBuEp6eqjz5a?dl=0

 

THURSDAYS IN MARCH & APRIL at 7pm Eastern

SIX MURUGA MYTHS: THE NONBINARY ARCHETYPE

You may not be much familiar with Ganesha’s brother Murugan.  He is really only “important” in south India where his temple cult is significant.  But in this archetype of the Tamils resides one of the great body of stories and imagergy.  One of Muruga’s names is Shanmukha, Six Faces, and for each there is a temple and a very particular story.  We will go on mythic pilgrimage together to the six temple myths of Muruga.   (In December we are visiting these very temples on India Pilgrimage.  This would be a great opportunity to make these trips. 

Tuition is $15 per Session, or $90 for all Sessions to PayPal or Venmo (svcourses@gmail.com) .  If you can’t make it live, the Archive recording will always be available.  

The Zoom for all Thursdays at 7pm is always the same. ZOOM LINK: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/98183733328

 

You can find all of our Newsletters on the Kalliyam Blogspot here:

https://kalliyam.blogspot.com/2023/01/rajanaka-newsletter-january-10-2023.html

 

And so much to read on the Rajanaka Sammelana, Rajanaka Adesa, and the Contraiety [SIC] Blogspots, links here:

 

https://rajanaka.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-story-in-news-rajanaka-past-and.html

 

https://rajanakadesa.blogspot.com/2023/01/vrata-resolutions-and-new-year.html

 

https://contraiety.blogspot.com/2022/08/what-you-havent-earned-is-more-important.html

 

What will you find?

Six Sessions and PDF to aid in study.  Write to me if you need help.

Description: No form of Hanuman is more important or less understood and studied than the great Pancamukha.  Here Hanuman bears the visage of Varaha the Boar, Garuda the Raptor, Hanuman the Monkey, Narasimha the Lion Man, and Hayagriva the Horse.  We will bring this character to life in mythos, mantra, and mudra, in theory and practice, and there will be new stories and work that extends far beyond what we have done before with the Tantric Hanuman.  Everyone is welcome.  We start at the beginning and we go deep.

Tuition for Six Sessions is $150, payable over time if you need, use PayPal (svcourses@gmail.com or nallapaampu@gmail.com) or Venmo (douglas-brooks-8 or svcourses@gmail.com) If you can’t afford full tuition, talk to me.  Your access is guaranteed.  Tuition further promises unlimited access to the Recorded Dropbox Archive that will allow you to listen whenever you like.  Registration for all is by attendance and tuition is on the honor system.

  • Saturday CORE: Rasa in Theory and Practice.

Time: Six Sessions on Saturday Evenings, 5pm Eastern

Dates: January 14 we begin!  Jan 14/21/28 then February 11/18/25

ZOOM link for all Saturdays: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/95057662268 

ARCHIVE is HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/d4uwwjw17seca2livd6r2/h?dl=0&rlkey=nh4g7xj6x7skeghw4x6tcsk2c

Description: Rasa means essence, taste, liquidity, flavor, sentiment, elemental feeling and emotion.  At the heart of the study of poetry, Rasa Theory is a remarkable, rich, and complex method of analysis and appreciation of artistry and aesthetics.  But rasa is also a roadmap, a process and practice, a method for understanding and exploring our most elemental feelings.  Rajanaka has among the most developed and useful rasa traditions of yoga.  At the center of every yoga is engagement with feeling and the development of “taste”: rasa is the core of our being and here we learn the way through that labyrinth of essence.

Tuition for Six Sessions is $150, payable over time if you need, use PayPal (svcourses@gmail.com or nallapaampu@gmail.com) or Venmo (douglas-brooks-8 or svcourses@gmail.com) If you can’t afford full tuition, talk to me.  Your access is guaranteed.  Tuition further promises unlimited access to the Recorded Dropbox Archive that will allow you to listen whenever you like.  Registration for all is by attendance and tuition is on the honor system.

 

  • SUNDAY MAHABHARATA.  

EVERY Sunday is a new story, every bit of it makes sense no matter when you choose to attend!

Time: Sessions on Sundays at 5pm Eastern.
Dates: Every Sunday unless we announce otherwise!

ZOOM link is the same for all Sundays: 

 https://rochester.zoom.us/j/314987250

Tuition: $15 per Session or $20 and all goes to India causes. Your call. Complete Archive INCLUDING a free Audio book is here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bfqt15y3n0uglir/AAAB_89LiCOob0hJI1w8BK7_a?dl=0 

 

Tuition for any of these Archives is $150 for complete access. You are on your honor to access them as you please and offer tuition via PayPal (svcourses@gmail.com or nallapaampu@gmail.com) or by Venmo (svcourses@gmail.com or douglas-brooks-8).  

 

Gayatri Mantra

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/r58rwnp3ryxgi6a6y8yme/h?dl=0&rlkey=59kbd7hjdrl8n809zv8becmdi

 

Lalita 1000 Names

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/18o5rtle7p91hz2/AADQnph8ofpPAX5mtW7mX-L4a?dl=0

 

OM Autobiography

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/11jd30d14ibjjtv3wauaj/h?dl=0&rlkey=1wugbag9m7myo1c50gt6qoa6d

 

Shakuntala for India

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/osx5n6i9vrz5vi5ek9vch/h?dl=0&rlkey=pa7akqysgrauu07mw9te61yb1

 

Pancamukha Hanuman

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/d62llefrjvyidefn3uequ/h?dl=0&rlkey=p774e7zbme37d8cc49ocysog2

 

Rasa Theory

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/d4uwwjw17seca2livd6r2/h?dl=0&rlkey=nh4g7xj6x7skeghw4x6tcsk2c

 

Free Saturdays in 2023

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rm505c2fcy04y3upn5abv/h?dl=0&rlkey=6gk1d5rzyypn0r37100wzv5hk

 

Sricakra Puja Appa Svadhyaya

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi7z70589ztuak4/cakra%20puja.wav?dl=0

 

Religion 270 The Meaning of Life

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ab5ioprn7bk2qgsd8800i/h?dl=0&rlkey=k9g4xukvctff91fkye1wo5mdr

 

Poised for Grace Audio Book

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iw0za7jwml6m7mc/AACjDhxf9owOXjbkzT2r2k-Ra?dl=0

 

Patanjali Essential Core

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2qd7wc5qroiva3v/AAAaZPvnc9I2JQSrO88Iv1exa?dl=0

 

Sivakamasundari Practicum

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ifddb0hglwrm5hx/AABGyYYfSJ9B_KHhU1LgdsT3a?dl=0

 

Mahabharata Sundays
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bfqt15y3n0uglir/AAAB_89LiCOob0hJI1w8BK7_a?dl=0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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