Schedule of Current LVMG Services

We enjoyed our three-month trial of bi-monthly Thursday evening meditations but due to low attendance, we are eliminating those services for now. Also, we are reverting back to just three-hour meditation services every Saturday morning. The new weekly service schedule is here.

Christmas Tree Decorating

On Sunday, December 3rd, just following our Sunday Readings Service we will decorate our two Christmas trees for the holiday season! Light refreshments will be served for volunteers.

All-Day Christmas Meditation!

Many years ago our guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, began the custom of devoting one day of the Christmas season to divine communion with Christ by holding a special All-Day Christmas Meditation. Since then, this inner celebration of Christmas has become a cherished tradition in all Self-Realization Fellowship ashram centers, temples, meditation centers, groups, and circles. Devotees throughout the world have found their lives uplifted and transformed through the blessings that flow from God, Christ, and Gurus during this sacred and joyous day.

This year's All-Day Christmas Meditation will be held on Saturday, Dec 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Please plan to stay at least until the intermission at approximately 2 p.m.) Similar to recent years, our Christmas meditation will be livestreamed on the chapel TV, and led remotely by SRF monastics – this year from the SRF Fullerton Temple. We have found from past Christmases that there is a special blessing in joining this livestreamed event in our chapel, with other striving devotees. But, if you are unable to attend in person, please join the livestream from your home, along with thousands of other devotees.

To help you prepare most effectively for this wonderful event, it is very important to read the Christmas Meditation Instructions from Mother Center; and it is also helpful to review some additional suggestions that Brother Bhumananda would send out when he was the minister-in-charge at Encinitas Temple. It is important to note that no one is allowed to enter the inner chapel once the meditation begins, so please arrive early so that you may be comfortably calm and settled by the 10 a.m. start time.

Christmas Eve Potluck Social!

On Christmas Eve Day, Sunday, December 24th, just following the special Christmas Readings Service "Happiness Through Attunement With Christ," we will hold our annual Christmas vegetarian potluck social. So, please dress in your best Christmas finery and join us for this festive social event.

Yoganandaji Special Services

Paramahansa Yogananda Birthday Service*: On Friday, January 5th, we will hold a special service commemorating the birthday of our Guru, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. This event will include the traditional birthday cake celebration following the service, just as in the Master’s lifetime!

*Please bring your favorite flower(s) as a symbol of devotion to God and the SRF Gurus. Remember not to smell the flower, thus “taking” for yourself a part of the gift meant for God. Also, please bring a donation in a sealed envelope as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness to the cause of SRF. The donations are sent to the SRF Mother Center and used for sharing these sacred teachings with other truth‑seeking souls.

Yogananda Commemorative Meditation: Continuing the SRF tradition begun in 1993 on the centennial anniversary of our Guru’s birth, a special six-hour meditation will be held on Saturday, January 13th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, in our chapel and conducted by one of our readers. The format and preparations are similar to the all-day Christmas meditation (see the link to those instructions, given above). Please plan to stay at least until the intermission at 1:30 p.m.

Online SRF Events

December 9 – Christmas Open House: Join the SRF monks and nuns for a special Online Christmas Open House. This virtual Christmas Open House follows in the many-years-old tradition of welcoming SRF members and friends to the Mother Center for a joyful gathering of divine fellowship and upliftment in the sacred vibrations of the Christmas season.

December 31 – New Year's Eve Meditation: Join us for a special meditation to bring in the New Year. The meditation will be held in person at the SRF Encinitas Temple and also livestreamed worldwide. Paramahansa Yogananda instituted the practice of ushering in the New Year with a special meditation on the night of December 31st from 11:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. Following this tradition, congregations at SRF temples as well as many individual devotees meditate at that time.

Elections and Business Meeting

Annual elections for our Group’s Managing Team and for service readers are scheduled for January 21st. There are two corresponding nomination sign-up sheets on our bulletin board in the Events Room near the water cooler. If there is someone you would like to nominate for the Group Managing Team, you may write their name on the sheet. Similarly for the service reader nominations. Group finances will also be discussed at this meeting, as well as other organizational matters.

Movie Night in February!

Our previous "spiritual movie night" this past June was a great success, with 25 devotees in attendance. We plan to hold another spiritual movie night and accompanying potluck social on Saturday, February 17th, from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m., so please bring your favorite vegetarian dish and join in the fun and inspiration.