A Safe Haven

Written by Anshu Voruganti

Usually, for Mount Shasta kids' activities, I dance with children of all ages living near me. But this year, I was presented with the opportunity to dance with the Sai Blossoms girls, whom I talk to every Sunday. When I heard about this idea, I was extremely excited. Leading up to the long weekend Satsang, I spent time learning the meaning of the song and choreographing the dance. This gave me a beautiful outlet to express my love for Baba and Guruvugaru in the way I knew best. Once we all arrived at Mount Shasta, we started practicing the dance together. Even though we had not met each other in person before, we quickly became friends. Since dance is one of the most important things in my life, spending the weekend dancing was the greatest experience. I worked with the other girls to come up with ways to engage the audience while simultaneously learning more about Baba and Guruvugaru. Performing the dance twice, once in the satsang hall and once right in front of Mount Shasta, was an incredible feeling. Seeing all the Gurubandhus connect with our movements and understand our expressions was joyful.

Mount Shasta is believed to be the center of the universe. Many cultures have recognized its spiritual nature, with some even considering it “the sanctity of human life.” For me, Mount Shasta is my favorite place to meet people I relate to most. I have experienced a beautiful community of people who share similar values and interests. Visiting Mount Shasta since I was a kid has been the biggest blessing. Once or twice a year, I drive up to the mountain to feel a deeper connection with Baba and Guruvugaru. I get the opportunity to dedicate an entire weekend to experiencing their love, and one of my favorite ways to do that is through dance.

Another part of Mount Shasta I thoroughly enjoyed was sitting with all the kids and talking about Baba and Guruvugaru. We were given a platform to ask any questions we had or raise any discussions we wanted. Hearing kids ranging from the ages of 5 to 25 was such a unique experience. We could ask and talk about Baba and Guruvugaru without judgment, resulting in everyone learning a lot. We discussed various topics, and hearing everyone's interpretations opened many people to different points of view. Experience sharing was another beautiful part of Mount Shasta. Hearing each person share vulnerable moments when Baba and Guruvugaru helped them instilled so much pride in everyone there. It created a sense of community and support. Listening to people feel supported at different stages of their lives showed me that no matter what, Baba and Guruvugaru will always have your back.

Mount Shasta Satsang has given me a beautiful community that I have been lucky enough to experience from a young age. Now, I get to experience the community of Harithachala as well. The Sai Blossoms teen girls have the opportunity to spend two weeks in Harithachala with Sruti Akka. These two weeks will focus on many things we have never experienced before. We are all extremely excited to form an even deeper connection with Baba and Guruvugaru and learn more about ourselves and the people around us. For this to take place across the world from Mount Shasta makes it even more special. I am immensely grateful and excited for all these blessings.