"Celebrations such as Christmas are mankind's songs of awakening. Occasions like Christmas, Deepavali and Onam remind us of sacrifice, compassion, humility and firm faith in God and the need to put them into practice in our life." - Amma

Plastic Awareness at a young age helps kids grow to be more responsible and conscious of their impact on the environment.

Join us for this fun, educational and interactive PowerPoint Presentation (15 minutes) on Zoom, hosted by the AYUDH Seattle Chapter. This presentation and activity is geared toward elementary and middle school aged youth, however everyone is welcome to attend.  Kids from throughout the PNW Region are encouraged to participate. Participation for this event is free.

Win prizes!  Stay online after the presentation to hear about a fun opportunity to create upcycling projects from your own home.

Date:Saturday, December 5, 2020
Time: 11:30am-11:50am

Please register to attend by emailing:  vaid_sonali@outlook.com
Parents-please include the attendees name and age.  Once you have registered, a Zoom link will be emailed to you. Feel free to send questions or comment to Sonali.

Deadline: Send a photo of your project by December 19, 2020 to be entered into the competition and have a chance to win a prize.

AYUDH Seattle aims to contribute to the Seattle community based upon the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030. To learn more about AYUDH, please click here.

Enjoying Green Holidays means making conscious choices that are environmentally friendly in an effort to help protect the environment for future generations.

Donations From the Heart

• Give the gift of a donation, in the name of your favorite person or deceased loved one, to a charitable organization.
• Support your local community food banks, homeless shelters, animal shelters and environmental non-profits.
• PNW Fall 2020 Fundraiser for Embracing the World Wraps Up December 31, 2020" Consider supporting Amma's humanitarian organization, Embracing the World (www.embracingtheworld.org), with a generous end of the year donation at amma.org/donations.

Shop Locally

• Support local artists, shop owners, farmer's markets and seasonal pop-up shops.  Buying locally-sourced products not only helps keep money in your community, it also helps cut down on waste and carbon emissions.  

Gifts For and From Mother Nature

• Give a tree.  Plant a tree.  Buy a living tree and plant it after the holidays.
• Make bird feeders out of pinecones and peanut butter.  Hang garlands of berries and apples. 
• Make homemade gifts such as jams, jellies, candy, cookies, salted nuts. 
• Knit or crochet warm hats to give away to your local homeless shelters.

Seva-Selfless Service (Please follow all Covid-19 guidelines and be safe.)

• Volunteer at Mother's Kitchen or local food banks and holiday meal preparation groups.
• Pick up litter and send your hours to Green Friends.  (Please wear protective gloves and stay safe.) 
• Sing Christmas carols over the phone to an elderly or housebound person.
• Send holiday cards to your local senior housing programs, letting folks know you care.

(Save-a )Save energy

• LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lights.   Consider using solar-powered or rechargeable-battery-powered lights to create a holiday spirit.
• Candles made from beeswax, soy or natural vegetable-based wax are more eco-friendly because they biodegrade and are smoke-free. Did you know that paraffin candles are made from petroleum and create indoor air pollution?

Reduce Waste

• Avoid plastic packaging when possible and cut back on scotch tape
• Reuse wrapping paper and gift bags.  Consider using fabric to wrap gifts or reuse old maps, newspaper comics pages, magazines or your children's artwork.
• Make your own cards by cutting up used cards and other materials.
• Go through your closets and donate unused items.

Protecting Mother Nature
Through Action, Education and Awareness

"Nature is God made visible."  - Amma

Amma asks each of us to take more responsibility for serving nature.  Within the parameters of Amma's green initiatives, https://amma.org/global-charities/green-initiatives, what are you doing to make positive changes in your own life?

Water Conservation - Iswari

In 1994 Amma said: "The point is that there is a limit to everything, and crossing that limit is equal to destroying Nature....The legendary dinosaur and many other living species have been completely wiped out from the face of the earth, because they could not live in the changing climatic conditions. In a similar manner, if man is not careful, when his selfishness has reached its peak, he too will have to succumb to the same fate." From Man and Nature pgs 25-26 1994

Hearing Amma say those things in 1994 I began limiting my use of water. She asked that we consider paying attention to what we need and not what we want. Therefore, I started by using the length of the 1987 version of Amma Amma Taye as the timing for my shower/bath. Additionally, I started to slow down the water flow when I washed my hands, brushed my teeth or used water from the tap.  It is a small thing but it is what I can do to follow Amma's direction to use water and everything that nature provides in a Dharmic way.

Reuse, Recycle, Reduce - Jovanna Casey

I like reading other people's brainstorm lists- it's a great reminder and gives me new ideas!

I rinse out Ziploc baggies a bazillion times to reuse them. Wash and reuse the foil from to-go slices of pizza. I keep the water on low (turned way down) when taking a shower. I take partial used notepaper and cut it and staple it together for scratchpad notes. If it's yellow, let it mellow. (or is it… If it's pee, let it be?)

Land Restoration - Surabhi and Jayanand

A few years ago we purchased the vacant lot next door.  At that time it was full of weeds and mud.  Since then we have planted dozens of trees (including a few fruit trees), native shrubs, and put in some raised garden beds and a squash patch.  But there was a big hole toward the back – "a very deep ditch" – that we didn't quite know what to do with. We had talked about filling it in or making a pond, but then got inspired by one of Amma's live broadcasts when we heard mention of the benefits of tree planting and a pond in the yard.  So that tipped our decision and we made this our Autumn COVID-19 project. It is definitely a work in progress:  the good news is that it is filling up with water, but the bad news is that this is before we've been able to put in the pond liner!  We plan to plant some flowers and shrubs nearby, and are looking forward to having frogs and dragonflies visit in the spring.

Amrit Ganga

Amrit Ganga is a 20 minute show that comes out every Sunday on YouTube.  It features a brief talk by Amma, Amma singing a bhajan and then on tour with Amma.  Episode 13 & 14 feature the Seattle Tour in Everett in 2016.  There are many familiar faces filled with the light of love!

Episode 13 www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5fFV8WehM

Episode 14 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoDYLettEAM

PNW Fall 2020 Fundraiser for Embracing the World
Wraps Up December 31, 2020

As Amma cannot travel to see us, we can touch her hand and leave our mark by donating generously to Embracing the World, her charitable network of outreach programs.

Please take the time today to visit  www.embracingtheworld.org and donate.

In order to track participation, please send the details of your donation and company match if applicable, to Visala (vhohlbein@msn.com)

Jai Jai Ma!

Ongoing Events

Please see the PNW Events Calendar and the Virtual Events Portal for the latest events happening around the Pacific Northwest.

IAM Courses – December 2020/January 2021
Bring peace and joy into your life for the holidays
with an upcoming IAM-20 Meditation class.
 
Virtual IAM®20 - Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique

3-hour Course - Don't miss this opportunity to experience a powerful meditation technique created by Amma. The IAM®-20 Meditation is a unique integration of gentle yogic stretches with an effective and easy to practice sitting meditation. It can be comfortably performed by anyone in just 20 minutes per day.
 

December 2020
When:  Sunday, December 20th, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm PT
Where:  Your Home! Connect with Zoom.
To Register: Please contact Sreemayi at dania@netidea.com

January 2021
When: Saturday, January 2nd, 2021 @ 9:00 am – 12:30 pm PT
Where:  Your Home! Connect with Zoom.
To Register: Please click on the link below. When filling out the form, please enter "IAM" in the subject line: sacredsoundhealing.com/contact-us/

For upcoming IAM-35 courses and Guided practice sessions visit: amma.org/groups/north-america/projects/iam-meditation-classes

Contact us at ammapnwregion@ammagroups.org. You can catch up on missed emails at Amma's PNW Newsletter Archive.
#FOOTER#
Aum Amriteshwaryai Namah!