New Year's Day sacred ceremony

I started the new year off right, with a sacred ceremony beginning at 6:30am. These particular sacred ceremonies are called havans, and I do them every time I come to India. Gurudevi tells us that what you do on the first day of the year sets the tone for your year. I like the tone I've set for 2026!

Taking some selfies while the priests finish setting up

The view from my seat before we got started

This is an Abishek, or ritual bath. The murti (sacred statue) gets bathed with water, milk, honey, yogurt (curd), and sugar.

The end of the Abishek

Arati is the act of waving the candle flame to honor the divine

After the Abisheks were completed, I adorned the statues with offerings of flowers, tulsi (holy basil), fruit and money. These ceremonies took place before the fire ceremony.

My Guru, Gurudevi Nirmalananda Saraswati. This picture lives at the pooja house, where the sacred ceremonies take place. I dedicated my ceremony to honoring Her.

The fire ceremony

Pradakshina is the act of walking in a circle around something sacred. Check out that fire!

We ended with joyful chants, including this one. Nityananda Guru Tuzya Paduka, my favorite!