I'm only going for the retreat, and as such I'm leaving Tuesday June 24th at 11:45am and returning Friday June 27th (after Devi Bhava ends) at 12:55pm. The other nice thing about southwest right now is that they've got a sale going on. My round trip ticket was 127.50, about 49-59 bucks each way. Last year, if I recall correctly, my aunt and I paid almost double that. And the other nice thing about flying is that you don't have to drive at all while in Albuquerque. We took a shuttle to and from the airport for a reasonable fee, which was such a blessing after Devi Bhava as I was a total zombie. lol Jai Ma!
-Katie

I wanted to clean all of these posts up and put them under a new topic, though for whatever reason the system for this tribe is not letting me post anything new right now so for now I will post them all together here So here is a newly updated and edited version.

Amma's Public Programs, Retreats and Devi Bhava



Public Programs




Morning Program:

Amma arrives usually about 10 am, guides everyone thru a mini meditation. Then She starts giving darshan maybe at about 10:15 am and continues till the afternoon, just never know how long that will go, just depends on the tokens given out to recieve darshan. sometimes She has been known to leave at 5:30pm to only come back at 7:30 pm.

During the morning program there is still a question line available and a name line available. And there is still beautiful bhajans in the morning from Amritatmananda Swami etc..

Once Amma is finished she leaves to come back at 7:30 pm.




Evening Program:

Amma arrives at about 7:30 pm. There is a Satsang (spiritual talk) given by either a Swami, Swamini,Brahmachari /Brahmacharini etc.. and usually followed by a satsang from Amma. uless She is observing silence. Also sometimes there is a question answer session at a public program instead of satsang. After satsangs their are glorious and ecstatic bhajans ;o) ;o) ;o). (divine music that totally rocks the house). Followed by Arati (champhor offering to Amma), short meditation followed by closing prayers. All of this i believe end at about 10 pm or so. And then Amma is off again giving darshan, which goes till the morning hours. Usually anywhere from 2 am till 4 or even 5 am (at times).

During the evening darshan time there are bhajans sung by either Swami Amritaswarupananda or Rama Krishnananda Swami also the local satsang groups sing( sometimes they sing in the morning programs too.

sidenote:
There is food that is offered in the morning/day/ evening, which requires a fee.
There is also a snackshop with yummie pizza and cakes cookies etc..and India food snackshop etc.. with yummie fine indian foods, sometimes a sprout wrap shop, and many other coffee bar, smothie options etc..which also require a fee.

Then Amma finishes darshan for the night/ morning and leaves for the next day..

So that is pretty much the typical public program experience. It is very full and offers alot for anyone who cannot attend a retreat.




Retreat: 1st day:

Retreat falls on an evening, there is an orientation etc.. given.

Evening program with Amma, satsang, bhajans, meditation darshan all remain the same as the evening program from a public program.

Tokens are given out and there is no cutoff, anyone who wants darshan is able to get a token, at a public program sometimes there is a stop and you are not able to get a token, and you may be asked to come back the following program. etc.. With newcomers i think you can still get a token if you have never recieved darshan, though you may also be asked to come back, not totally sure on that one, maybe someone else can answer that better.




Morning Program 2nd day of retreat:

First there is breakfast offered that is included in the retreat fee between certain morning hours. Yummie oatmeal, granola, yougart etc... if you can peel yourself from your pillow to get there in tme. ;o)

Before Amma comes in the morning there is a satang given by Swami Amritaswarupananda usually about an hour or so before Amma arrives. Really great satsangs.. If you miss this morning satsang you can purchase a copy of it in the bookshop and it is also offered for view usually after darshan, ask someone for specifics if you are interested.


Morning meditation and darshan with Amma remains the same..

After morning darshan ends there is the morning satsangf video offered, there is also a bhajan practice class. which is nice. One of the Swamis lead you thru learning how to sing a new bhajan.

Later this day Amma gives another guided meditation followed by a question and answer session, which is really sweet. Sometimes She will also sing a bhajan or two..

Then there is prasad dinner given. Amma hands EVERYONE a special cooked indian dinner for all to enjoy. Then She sits by the children after handing out dinner and sits with them, feds them, giggles with them, eats a few bites of food Herself and then leaves to go get ready for the evening program..




2nd day of retreat: Evening Program

So the evening program satsang, meditation, arati and closing prayers followed by darshan all remain the same as the evening public program.

Though on this night is when there are special dramas and performances held. Skits, dances, comedies.. really fun times filled with lots of giggles. Every once in a while Amma will turn to watch the performances, and sometimes She will giggle uncontrollably, great moments.

Darshan carries on as usual. One of the nice things about the second day is that there are only a certain number of tokens given out due to there only being a certain number of people attending the retreat so.. their is a nice sense of relaxation to get darshan etc..




Retreat: 3rd day Morning Program

Everything remain the same as the 2nd retreat morning, breakfast, Swami talk, Amma arrives, offers a guided meditation, the darshan starts. This morning program seems to go by a little quicker then other morning programs, whether retreat or public because this is the day where Amma takes on the Bhava of Devi..

If you are part of the retreat you are accomidated with the beautiful option of getting to sit closer to Amma for the Atma puja (offering of the self), you are also given a free dinner that evening and 1 free chai (indian spiced tea), which really comes in handy for Devi Bhava is an almost endless night of Devi's love and grace, something definitely worth staying up for ;o).. If you are not part of the retreat, you can still attend the puja, you may not get to sit close but the grace is still completely there. Dinner and chai is offered for a fee as well as snackshop items.




Devi Bhava:

Devi Bhava is a incredible night filled with just about the highest bliss available, no intoxicants needed, just Amma's most radiant intoxicating love who has taken form as Devi Herself. We are very lucky to still be in the presence of Devi in the west, for Amma no longer dreeses as Devi in India.

So before Amma takes on the Bhava of Devi, a few things happen prior. I believe the Atma puja (offering of the self) starts at about 5:30 pm. There is a token line that is started prior to the puja so if you wish to get a low number i recommend arrive early, if you do not care what token you recieve then you can still get a token later in the night after the puja and after Devi Bhava has officially started. If you wish to recieve darshan you must get a token, which are usually distributed at the back of the hall. If you have never been to the puja and are interested in being in the hall where the puja takes place, make sure to get their early enough. Try not to bring a lot of bags and ofter stuff with you for the puja, the space gets very crowded very quickly, by bringing less stuff, you will most likely feel less crowded ;o)
If you aren't able to get in the hall for the puja, now-a-days it is overflowed into other rooms via TV screen so you can still see and hear Amma. Before the puja starts Amma offers specific rituals in blessing water and stting the tone for the puja. After the water is blessed, water containers will be distributed throughout the hall. After the puja is over the water is invibed with supreme energy. Some people drink their whole cup in that moment some people keep it and add it to a bigger vessel later. Every single drop of the water is Amma's prasad so.. however you choose to cherish it, is completely up to you ;o) After Amma has blessed the water and before the puja starts Amma gives a satsang about key points She wishes to share with all of Her children.

After the satsang has taken place, Amma and Swamiji then guide everyone thru the Atma puja. Their are specific rituals that wash away impurities that we carry around with us, which are performed as part of the puja process. It is an incredible experience, many upon many feel totally cleansed and sooo much lighter after doing the Atma puja.

After the puja is completed you will be asked to sit and meditate for a few moments and then someone at this point will announce what is to happen next. There is a lot of rearranging of the audio equipment and people that takes place after the puja is complete so make sure to listen to the announcement. The space gets a little crowded and hectic at moments because many people gather to see Devi. At this point also Amma gets up from the puja and goes behind the silk curtains to get ready for the Bhava of Devi.

While Amma is getting ready the Swami's gather around the sound system which is right in front of the stage and start off the night with the first ecstatic bhajan. ;o) This is a great time to get yourself situated somewhere. Within a few minutes later the curtains open.. this happens for about 30 seconds or so and if the crowd is quiet enough you can hear Amma's sweet voice singing Ambike Devi..

Ambike Devi Jagannayike Namaskaram
S'armadayike S'ive Santanam Namskaram
Ambike Devi Jagannayike Namaskaram

~O Mother, Goddess of the Universe, I bow before Thee.
O Giver of happiness, I bow before Thee.
(Bhajanamritam vol. 1 pg. 29)

Amma sings this as She is humbly sitting on the floor facing the crown, sari and garland of our beloved Devi.

After She sings this the silk curtains close again as Amma now adorns Herself with Devi's attire. During this time the swami's sing another bhajan or two and then the moment arrives. The curtains start to move again as the swami's excitingly open them.

There sits upon Her thrown, our Most beloved Queen of the Universe, Devi!!

Shimmering with such beauty and delight adorned with the most beautifully colored silk sari and jewel studded crown, Devi then showers flower pedals as Arati begins. At this point the first person waiting in line approaches Devi for the first Devi Bhava darshan of the night...such sweet bliss!!

And for the rest of this night folling into the morning hours the mood is just like this, Devi embraces hundreds upon hundreds, sometimes even thousands for the whole entire night of Devi Bhava. And the bhajans.. WOW!!! Cannot say enough about these most ecstatic bhajans... they go on and on and on, one after the other after the other.. soooo supreme!! If you have bhajan books and you love to sing along, make sure to bring your bhajanamritams, they are a must have !!

Throughout this most blissful night snacks, chai and other goodies are offered just outside the hall. The Amma shop is also open if you wish to make any last purchases before the night is thru.

One just never really knows just how long Devi Bhava will go until.. it could go all the way until 1pm. You just never know!

After Devi has embraced everyone who came up for darshan, She then will perform specific ceremonies. These ceremonies include:

~First feedings for infants. Devi feeds them a very yummie sweet rice pudding. reallly sweet!!

~Rice Ceremonies: For children who are going into school. Devi will take their hand and draw certain things on a bed of rice, blessing their schooling.

~Wedding Ceremonies: Where Devi will perform a traditional indian wedding ceremony for the couple getting married.

These are the three main ceremonies that take place. It is rare though sometimes Devi will also give new colors to a brahmachari, though i have only seen this done once.

After the ceremonies are finished, everyone is the asked to form a line because at this point Devi will get finally up from Her chair, the same chair She has been sitting in the whole entire night, She will then come to the end of the stage, grab a handful of flower pedals, and She will then shower Her children with pedals as they walk passed Her. After the pedals are complete Devi stands at the end of the stage, beaming with such divine radience.. looks at everysingle one of Her children in the hall. It is one of the most amazing things to witness. It is almost as if She gazes with a thousand lotus-pedaled eyes as She lovingly glances at each and everyone person. Still blows me away thinking about it..

While She stands their as radiant as the morning sun, She takes a handful of pedals and moves Her hands as some of the pedals drop to the floor. She does this a few times and closes Her eyes a few times and in that moment the silk curtains close one last time...

Many cry and call out to Her.. In this moment certain mantras are chanted to end this most auspicious night. One mantra chanted is Amritesvari Mangalam:

Amritevari mangalam
pranamatam muktiprade mangalam
bhuvanesvari mangalam
sukritinam ekasraye mangalam
(repeat)
hrdayesvari mangalam
hridilasa tejomayi mangalam
mrdu bhasini mangalam
vijayatam prema krte mangalam (3x)

O Amritesvari, may there be auspiciousness,
O bestower of Liberation for those who surrender to You, may there be auspiciousness.
O Goddess of the universe, may there be auspiciousness.
O Mother the sole refuge of the noble hearted, may there be auspiciousness.

O Goddess of the Heart, may there be auspiciousness.
O Effulgent One who shines in the heart, may there be auspiciousness.
O Mother who speaks softly, may there be auspiciousness.
Victory onto You, the embodiment of Love; may there be auspiciousness.

(bhajanamritam vol. 3 pg. 278)

After Devi Bhava the hall is filled with Devi's unconditional love and supreme grace along with many many touched hearts. ;o) The floor is covered in flower pedals that Devi had previously showered, which you may collect for yourself or to share with others. Sometimes after this most blissful night, Amma will come out from behind the curtains dressed in Her whites again and either leave the hall or sometimes She will even stay to help clean up afterwards..Her love grace and selflessness is truly endless...!!