My name is Megan Van Niekerk. I am a 24 year old Youth Fellowship devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj. I am a South African, and am currently living in Cape Town studying a Eurythmy BA degree at the Centre for Creative Education. I am currently in my third year of study.
I have been a formal devotee in the Youth Fellowship for over a year now and I would like to make my transition into the Second Congregation this year. I have been invited to travel up to the European Danda to meet the community living there and to make my transition. I would like to travel up at the end of June 2024 as this is the best time to do so during my college holidays.
It my heart’s desire to travel to a space that has been Empowered by Adi Da, and to experience the living quality of a community devoted to Him. There are only five South African devotees and we are scattered across the country, far away from each other. So I have not yet experienced Guruvaras or Celebrations with other devotees, despite having taken part online. I would love to experience what it is love to collectively invoke and praise Adi Da!
Unfortunately, I am not earning an income at the moment due to my studies and am living on a simple student allowance. And due to the short amount of time between now and June, it does not feel possible for me to save up the amount that I need to make this journey happen.
I’ve sung Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to Beloved Adi Da many times over the years — at the Manner of Flowers, at Adi Da Samrajashram, at First People / Great Food Dish, etc. (as one of a small group of singers, and usually also as the keyboardist) — and I’m singing it to Him again (and all of you!) here. It is one of my favorite songs at this time of year.
For me (starting with Judy Garland's original film version), it has always been an emotion-filled song, by turns joyful, playful, nostalgic, and wistful — so that is how I sing it here.
This song as a bridge to God. In Beloved Adi Da’s Company, everything (from Mickey Mouse to cookie-making) becomes “a bridge to God”.
ADI DA: “You must Awaken and discover the Divine World wherein everything is a bridge to the Infinite, One Being.”
And so for me, the words of this song have always taken on a significance beyond the usual secular understanding of the song. They lead me through a consideration that I’ll share with you here.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the Yuletide gay From now on our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
That wistfulness: Raymond’s problem. On the surface, the words of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas are purely joyful — "faithful friends" coming together each year in a joyous Christmas celebration. And yet, one of the emotions I feel when I sing this song is wistfulness. So where is the wistfulness coming from? It's that big "IF" in the song: "if the fates allow". In fact, as every one of us knows (more and more, with each passing year), fate (conditional existence) only allows such reunions for a limited number of years. As I sing, I have a vision of a photograph of a gathering of friends, from a Christmas or Danavira Mela many years ago, and, in this vision, each face in the photograph — one by one over the years — turns "ghostly", either through our circumstances (high school, college, living near each other) no longer being shared, or life paths that have moved in different directions, or the passing on of that person. My awareness of that inevitable reality is the source of the wistfulness and nostalgia. The inevitable disappearance of the (mortal) loved one is “Raymond’s problem”, a phrase Adi Da uses, based on the central character of The Mummery Book.
Danavira Mela: A Divine Celebration in the midst of a conditional universe. The joy and playfulness of the song comes from the celebration we can still have together, even in the midst of an ever-changing, conditional universe. One of my (and many other devotees’) favorite quotes of Beloved Adi Da has always been this extraordinary prayer, from “Death is a Perfect Insult” in The Enlightenment of the Whole Body:
“Let us surrender into Infinity with all our friends and hold on to no thing or condition that ever appears. Let us forget all things in present Happiness, and so forgive the universe for all its playful changes. Let us always love one another, and so forgive one another for appearing, for changing, and for passing out of present sight. So be it.”
When I sing this song, I hear it giving further guidance for just how to do this.
Let It Snow! poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 01:39 date added: December 23, 2020 language: English views: 897; views this month: 16; views this week: 6
Chris Tong sings the holiday classic, "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", one of the (many) songs he played (on keyboards) and sang for Avatar Adi Da during the Celebration of Danavira Mela during the years of His human lifetime.
Musical arrangement and performance by Chris Tong. More about the musical arrangement here.
The Universal World-Prayer poster: AdiDaVideos speaker: Jacqueline Clemons length: 03:32 date added: April 28, 2015 language: Finnish views: 8112; views this month: 75; views this week: 27
Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart, donotLet our human hearts be broken by our merely mortal suffering here — but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free to an unconditional love of You, that we may, Thus, love all living beings with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.
Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.
The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.
Adi Da's Universal World-Prayer coincides with His Instructions to not "live the Law backwards": trying to love others (or attempting to bring about world peace), while failing to first love God (and have our love of others be the overflow of our communion with God).
We live the Law backwards. Instead of living from the point of view of Happiness, love of God, submission to the Transcendental Reality, we live in submission to others, objects, relations.
Light-in-Everybody poster: AuraBakkerMedia length: 02:42 date added: December 31, 2012 event date: 2012 language: English listens: 6643; listens this month: 61; listens this week: 27
Light-in-Everybody is a song written for the Celebration of Light-in-Everybody, with Love and Light and Joy, and Gratitude to Heart-Master Adi Da Samraj.
Devotees describe the beneficial impact of sacred music on their practice of the Way of Adidam, during the Celebration of Da Purnima on Adi Da Samrajashram, in July, 2014. The music was performed by John Wubbenhorst and Peter Van Gelder (sitar), on many different occasions.
John writes: "It was a very full Celebration of Da Purnima at Adi Da Samrajashram in Fiji. Peter Van Gelder (sitar) and myself (bansuri flute) came for music service and we were very busy every day. Each morning we would sit for several hours practicing the most refined compositions from Peter's music guru Ali Akbar Khan and we would chose what we felt would be the best gifts for our Guru, Adi Da, that day. Almost every day there would be offerings and also many chanting occasions. It is very tangible the difference between playing at Adi Da Samrajashram and playing music anywhere else. The island is so full of Beloved Adi Da that as soon as we would start to play, we would feel the music coming from a deeper place and that would in turn help everyone to drop into deeper communion with Beloved, which would then allow the music to be deeper — and on and on."
Divina.com: Dante/Adi Da/Florence poster: Daplastique length: 05:05 date added: August 6, 2015 event date: July 9, 2015 language: English views: 4586; views this month: 48; views this week: 19
The Florence Dance Company’s performance of Divina(dot)com (on July 9 – 11, 2015) in celebration of the 750th anniversary of Dante’s birth, in the Bargello National Museum courtyard, featuring Adi Da Samraj’s art, and performed in association with The Ascent of Orpheus exhibition at the Bargello Museum.
Above The Clouds poster: DawnHorsePress length: 03:14 date added: October 21, 2013 event date: November 2010 language: English listens: 5078; listens this month: 45; listens this week: 23
"In November 2010, a group of musicians traveled to the sacred hermitage island of Adi Da Samrajashram (Naitauba, Fiji) for spiritual retreat. We played daily at many of the holy sites on the island. We particularly fell into a blissful mood when playing on the veranda of our Guru's house."
"There, in the open air, with fresh breezes blowing, gentle waves washing, and birds chirping, we fell into deep devotion as we played. The music on this recording was spontaneously created on these occasions." —John Wubbenhorst
In celebration of the month of Da Naitauba (October), this album is currently on sale from the Dawn Horse Press at 40% off through October 31.
Da Hridayam poster: DawnHorsePress length: 05:54 date added: November 15, 2017 language: English listens: 3116; listens this month: 68; listens this week: 26
This audio excerpt is "Da Om, Om Da" — track 5 on the CD, Da Hridayam.
Da Hridayam is a collection of devotional chants from longtime devotee, JoAnne Sunshine. These new chants invoke the Divine via the Names and Declarations of Divine Realizer Avatar Adi Da Samraj. The CD beautifully explores a vast array of cultural styles and instruments. It is uplifting, absorbing, and inventive — a sublime celebration.
"True Water—cool, clear, and surprising." —Ray Lynch, composer and 3-time Billboard Award winner
JoAnne Sunshine has devoted many years to studying and practicing the art of sacred devotional singing in the company of Avatar Adi Da Samraj. JoAnne has written compositions for Broadway star Laura Theodore, opera singers Crane Kirkbride, Mel McMurrin, and Elizabeth deBrine. Crane Kirkbride commissioned the song “I Am Who You Are”, which was first produced by Ray Lynch and subsequently by John Mackay. She recorded and sang “I Am With You Now” with Ray Lynch, a devotional song familiar to many devotees.
On July 22 and 23, 2012, the Florence Dance Company presented a multimedia spectacle entitled Not-Two Is Peace. The performance at the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy brought together image-art by Adi Da Samraj, original ballet by the Florence Dance Company, and live music — a dynamic exploration of the principles of world peace and prior unity as described in Adi Da's book, Not-Two Is Peace.
Part Two of the performance featured music for solo piano, composed and performed by Naamleela Free Jones, and presented here in this commemorative recording. The CD also features photographs from the performance as well as the city of Florence.
Ode to Divine Joy poster: DawnHorsePress length: 04:19 date added: May 9, 2015 event date: November 2, 2013 language: English listens: 6254; listens this month: 53; listens this week: 25
On November 2, 2013, the eve of the seventy-fourth anniversary of Avatar Adi Da’s Birth (Da Jayanthi), a live concert was held at The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary in Northern California to celebrate His Eternal Blessing of all. The recording of this concert is now available on a CD, Ode to Divine Joy.
This audio clip contains a sample medley from the CD, featuring the voices of devotees JoAnne Sunshine ("Made by Your Hand"), Mel McMurrin ("Mary Don’t You Weep"), and Crane Kirkbride ("Ode to Divine Joy"), the voices of the Adidam Choir, and the piano-playing of Naamleela Free Jones. You can also hear the Choir singing devotee and Billboard Award-winning composer Ray Lynch's song, "This Is the Great Gift".
The rendition of Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" (retitled "Ode To Divine Joy" with new, devotional lyrics) performed during the concert was a unique fusion of two performances: the live performance and a 1990 studio recording played as accompaniment. This unique amalgam of both studio and live performances of Ode to Divine Joy, as well as all of the other pieces of the live concert included on this CD, are offered in the spirit of celebration and gratitude.
Keith Ferrone, director of the Florence Dance Company, introduces the ballet, Quattro Maggiore ("Four Seasons"): Adi Da Samraj for Vivaldi, in a packed auditorium with 1,300 guests, on January 30, 2010. Music by Vivaldi, art by Adi Da. The performance is in celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the newspaper, 'Il Resto del Carlino'.
Facing East Productions and Adidam Bay Area Present a Sacred Offering - A Celebration of Music & Art to benefit Naitauba, Fiji for Hurricane Relief. July 17, 2010 at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA @ 7:15pm.
For three days in mid-March, 2010, Adi Da Samrajashram (the sacred island of Naitauba) and many neighboring islands in Fiji were battered by Cyclone Tomas, a category 4 storm. After 27 hours we emerged from shelter to a scene of staggering destruction. We urgently need your help!
Naitauba Island is the Hermitage Sanctuary of His Divine Presence Adi Da Samraj, spiritually empowered by Him, as the primary place from where His Divine Blessing flows perpetually to the world. For 25 years, Adi Da worked to establish the island of Naitauba as a unique esoteric and ecological treasure. Adi Da Samrajashram is devoted to the principles of green living, sustainable energy, cooperation, tolerance, and peace, and Adi Da's devotees and the local Fijian and Indian staff live together harmoniously, serving and protecting the sacred environment of the island. It is a uniquely pure and untouched sanctuary in the world today.
Saturday July 17th, 2010 7-9:30 pm St. John's Presbyterian Church 2727 College Avenue Berkeley, California
Featuring the Facing East group, with John Wubbenhorst (bansuri), Steve Zerlin (bass), Rishabh Dhar (packhawaj), Kit Walker (keyboards), and Samrat Kakkeri (tabla). Also music from Adi Da's daughter, Tamarind Free Jones (vocal), and a performance by Peter van Gelder (sitar) and Tim Witter (tabla).
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