Creative Sanga

We had a lovely interview with Sitala devi today. We asked her everything from what inspired her to write about Narottam das Thakur, to her first experience seeing Srila Prabhupada! It's well worth a listen

Today, in our little reading group we came across an important insight which really struck me as being more relevant than ever. Narottam's father tells him that, "If you learn to take guidance from sadhus and serve the Vaisnavas nicely, you will be a very good king when you grow up." Immediately I thought this is what is missing from our leadership today! No matter how many policies we change, or how many leaders we elect. We are doomed without the guidance of saintly personalities. A saintly being is categorised by 'arishadvarga' or their ability to overcome the six enemies of the mind by God's grace, which are: kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (pride), moha (delusion), and matsarya (jealousy). 

Fyi next session we will be joined by the author herself, Sitala devi! Otherwise, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 10 am GMT live on Zoom (write to us on [email protected] to get the secret codes). Recordings will be saved wherever good podcasts are found. Tune in, share the love, and be happy!

Fun Links: linktr.ee/balaramperez

Beatrice Anobah is an award winning writer who has been nominated for 5 national writing awards. She is a regular contributor to the Ed Anobah podcast and enjoys mentoring young professionals in her spare time.  

Ed Anobah has been practising Bhakti Yoga for over 25 years, and began while studying at the London School of Economics, where he graduated in Philosophy and Economics. While at university, his interest in eastern philosophy, meditation and personal development drew him towards this deep spiritual tradition. For decades, he has engaged in speaking at many leading institutions including Cambridge and University College London. The demand for his insights then expanded within Europe, India, Canada and across the US. 

Edward's presentations have a unique flavour because he is a product of many rich and diverse cultural and intellectual influences. Through studying under various mentors, he gained access to rare systems of knowledge from the eastern Vedic tradition, with a special emphasis on leadership, relationships and personal development.

As a result of this unique training, he has developed an exceptional ability to marry insights from  eastern wisdom with cutting edge modern thinking in order to assist people in achieving greater fulfillment. Edward's trademarks include his penetrating insight, clarity of vision and lucid delivery. He is also a mentor to a number of professionals, both in London and globally, many of whom, he has trained and guided for many years.  

Podcast info: 

"I started The Ed Anobah podcast in August. It's about sharing a deeper understanding of life and love that can be practically applied. Please do check out our TEAM personality model and our unique self esteem spectrum framework for understanding self value and how to develop it." — Ed

Fun Links: linktr.ee/balaramperez

We all need a hero in life. Especially in our spiritual lives. Narottama Dasa Thakura is such a hero. We love his story so much. It is sweet, full of adventure, mysticism and so much devotion. Find out what happens in his life by tuning in to our book club. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 10am GMT. 

The Glorious Life of Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura

In the words of my wise friend @rasarani, "Books! Patient teachers, quiet friends, and wise counsellors. They transport us to new worlds, open up new avenues of thought and can inspire us in deep life-altering ways. Though many of us live busy lives, it’s important to find the time to read. That's why we are starting a book club. There's this book that we love, about this epic personality with the most amazing story. We'd love to share it with you." 

That's right, we're starting a book club! I'm so excited to share this news with you. Especially since I've been yearning to offer some service—in gratitude for all the support we’ve received over the past couple of months. I would also like to dedicate these sessions to my friend Sarah, whose enthusiasm for the glorious life of Narottam Das Thakur (in our past book clubs), inspired me in my own devotional reading. And lastly I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to Rasa, for so kindly agreeing to lead these sessions with me. The more the merrier as they say! We hope that this book club, like a candle, will shed a little light in times of darkness, and like a box of chocolates, a little joy in times of sorrow. Bringing clarity into the complex world we live in.

Tentative info: Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 10 am GMT live on Zoom (write to us on [email protected] to get the secret codes). Recordings will be saved wherever good podcasts are found. Tune in, share the love, and be happy!

Kirtan by Nadiya Mani devi

Fun Links: linktr.ee/balaramperez

What follows is an interview with the one and only Orissa Kelly! Here are three things you need to know about her: 1) She is an avid peanut butter lover. 2) She began foot archery by training without any teachers, before becoming a viral sensation on Britain's Got Talent. 3) When she’s not performing, Orissa trains on average 6 hours per day! And if I could add a fourth, it would be that even though she's become a megastar—that's never stopped her from being a kind human being and fun friend to have a cup of tea with.

I've just re-listened to the entire 42-minute episode, and I've got to tell you it's absolute gold! From speaking about what inspires her—to special moments with her now passed father, @orissakelly truly is an incredible person. And I'm so grateful we managed to fit in this lovely conversation amid her packed schedule. Hope to see you soon Orissa 🙏 🤗

You may wish to watch this episode on my Youtube Channel 🎙 🎞

linktr.ee/balaramperez

As I write this description, I feel stuck. Perhaps I want to rewrite it over and over again. Or perhaps, I may even feel blocked from the very beginning and not write anything at all. Once I've written it, recorded it, edited it and published it. Still I may feel unsatisfied. And I may end up deleting everything, like I've done so on various occasions. "Being Creative" can be a very difficult thing when we get in our own away. And I've actually spent this entire year in "Creative Therapy." But I have not given up. My biggest inspiration—Nature. We have so much to learn from Her. I've been fortunate to have had incredible company (Sanga) my whole life—even this year during the pandemic. And so this creative offering is here to share everything I've learned with you, in the hopes that this insight may transform into realisation some day. Thank you for being so patient with me along this journey. 

My dear friends < A candle stays bright when it doesn’t avoid the night. What hurts you, blesses you. Let darkness be your candle > // Rumi writes. In this way, this year has brought upon us much variety of blessings in disguise. Creativity has been one such blessing and presence has been another. Today, I am grateful to share with you a little snippet from 'The Being Present' in conversation with my good friend Sarah Pike. She helped me pick the title for the podcast and gave me the confidence to launch it. What a special soul. So without further ado—check it out wherever you find good podcasts. Happy Diwali!

The other day I had the good fortune of visiting the ancient Castlerigg Stone Circle, in Keswick—said to be around 4.5 thousand years old. To my surprise, there weren't too many tourists and the sun shined with so much warmth. So long story short, I decided to record a little welcome video for our new series 'The Being Present.' I hope the footage of this stunning place encourages you, as much as it did for me in real life. May these insights bring you some awareness to a more meaningful life. Enjoy being present! In my humble opinion, the only way to live

The Maṅgalācaraṇa Prayers, are sacred invocation prayers for the purpose of seeking blessings. And there's no better way to start your day then with a little help! To acknowledge a higher power, whether it's someone Divine like Radha-Krishna or someone apparently closer like a teacher, or even elements of our being like the Sun, Prana (oxygen) and Mother Earth—is an eye opening experience. It checks our ego, helps us from getting in our own way, and fills us with so much gratitude. This is the way. No one wants to be around a self-centred person. We may find that by adding these prayers to our daily morning routine, all of a sudden aspects of our being and relationships that seemed so full of darkness—now have a little illumination, because of the strong foundations laid and filled with respect, gratitude and so many loving blessings.