Hi Everyone, It has been an amazing Spring here at Ananda Village. It was very long and wet, but the result was a very vivid wildflower season, a very long tulip season and some great clouds and luscious flowers and skies.
I have been pretty busy with all kinds of stuff, just like everyone else I know, but also have been able to get outside and photograph Ananda Village in all kinds of light.
I have also been soaking up the colors of Spring: purples, yellows, peach, pink and infinite shades of green. Summer time will bring a very different palette to enjoy. The more color I look for, the more I find.
One morning started out very gray and overcast (the first photo) and then while I was in the garden taking pictures of some of the young people in the Living with Spirit program (see Maria’s post) the clouds began to part and we were treated to this spectacular scene.
The Expanding Light has been one of my favorite destination spots lately. The morning and evening light on our beautiful gardens have given me lots of opportunity to try and capture the magical feeling of being at the retreat.
A lot of energy has been going into the gardens at The Expanding Light, and it really shows. They are very lush, and new sitting areas are being creating to allow quiet enjoyment of this peaceful place.
To get the best light I have been trying shoot first thing in the morning and then later in the evening. With the summer solstice near that means getting up early. In the mornings, the land and the air seem to be meditating.
We are also preparing for Swami Kriyananda’s visit. He is scheduled to arrive July 1 and participate in the July 4th festivities. I am hoping that his arrival also means that I will be seeing lots of my friends (you) from all over, here at the village. Bless you all!! And happy summer – which is just around the corner. Love, Barbara
A view of the sunset from Rajarshi Ridge.
26 Comments
Such beautiful pictures of Ananda Village. The sky is just breathtaking, and the grounds beautiful. Thank you for sharing these with us. Much love, Nancy
Gorgeous, Barbara, thanks so much! :)
Barbara,
Lovely! Amazing! Whenever a beautiful scene presents itself, I think, “If I were Barbara, I could capture this and share it with everyone.”
Thank you so much for being a joyful channel for beauty and light,
Lorna
Barbara,
your pictures are like a life line being thrown out us in the world. You give us hope that soon we too will see the beauty of ananda and all our dear friends.
Blessings,
Hanuman
Barbara,
I appreciated the opportunity to show these photos to my daughter Sadie, to give her a sense of the village; we are headed there to see Swami and experience the Village for the first time next month.
Your pictures of the grounds and the skies are breathtaking. And to see so much sun! We are looking forward to more of that.
It is so lovely to see the natural beauty surrounding such a spiritual place.
With Gratitude and Blessings,
CAtie and Sadie
Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for sharing with us the opportunity to look through your eyes, and to see Ananda in all it’s splendor. Namaskar.
beauutifuull!!!
Thank you for posting all those breath-taking pictures, Barbara. The pictures of the meadows are simply amazing! Though geographically so very far from Ananda Village, your pictures made me feel like I was actually there, enjoying the beauty of it all.
With gratitude
Vidya
Wow Barbara!
Thank you so much for sharing the beauty.
It is really lovely to tune into the beauty of God’s
love for us and our planet.
Have a beautiful day!
Blessings,
Brenda
Thank you so much for the lovely photos. I especially appreciated them because I’ll never be able to visit The Expanding Light again,(very little, if any, handicapped access), and so this was for me, like taking a trip there. I’ll look at them often.
I hope you do more!
Gratefully,
Gloria Kasdan
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for taking us on a visual journey of LIGHT(both of the beautiful grounds of Expanding Light & Ananda Village) and your inner illumination which shines through your work. I have your Crystal Hermitage Gardens book on my coffee table. Sometimes when I need a spiritual boost and a reminder of all the Beauty and JOY and Inner Peace I have experienced in Ananda Village over the years, I pick up your book and am transported to a little slice of heaven on earth again. I look forward to seeing you all in July and experiencing the magic essence that Ananda offers to visitors and devotees.
Namaste…joycee
Thankyou , Barbara for sharing thes breathtaking photographs, specially the last one. Through you I felt part of the Ananda Village. Hopefully shall visit one day to meditate with you all!
Kamini Bhasin
Bangalore
Hi, I’m a student from Ananda.These photos are really beautiful. God bless you!
Tks