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First Steps of the Agni Yoga Society in America: the Beginning by Nataliya Fomin (May 2017)

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First Steps of the Agni Yoga Society in America: the Beginning by Nataliya Fomin (May 2017) OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER • 2017 • VOL. XXXIX / NO. 4 Inside This Issue The Sacredness of Daily Life The Sacredness of Daily Life Agni Yoga, 1929 ence of the Teaching in the midst of daily life. Page One Agni Yoga, 169. Just as Fire is the all-embracing Answer: by the smallest things, by every action, principle, so does Agni Yoga permeate the whole every touch. Denial and habit deprive some stu- Networkers Letter of life. One can notice how one’s consciousness is dents of a great deal. Page Two gradually sharpened, how the real values of one’s Supermundane, 1938 The First Steps surroundings become clear, how one’s understand- Supermundane, 324. Urusvati knows how people of the Agni Yoga ing of the immutability of the cooperation of worlds reveal themselves in everyday life. Biographers Society in America: grows. Thus life fills with the signs of highest under- make the mistake of thinking that the value of a The Beginning standing. Truth as reality enters one’s daily life. person can be measured only by exceptional deeds, By Nataliya Fomin Hierarchy, 1931 and because of this they miss the truth. Celebrities (May 2017) Hierarchy, 176. Verily, if you realize your- are often characterized by the glory of their activi- Page Three self as being constantly in ties, their sparkling eyes and powerful, eloquent speech, the solemn presence of the Approach To Lord, you are already on the but entirely different person- alities are revealed by these Discipleship: shortest path to Us. People “Be aflame in “Rhythm” loathe especially the routine people in their everyday life. of daily life; for them it is heart and create They should be observed in Page Nine the symbol of weariness and their routine work and in descent, whereas for us the in love!” the company of their near ones. Their true mentality, as daily routine is perfectment Welcome and ascent; it opens the gates manifested in thoughts and to Infinity. One can learn to love this daily routine dreams, should be properly understood. For discussions because it tempers the spirit and gives one courage Above all, We value the achievement of har- and posts on the to contemplate the endless chain of the ages of labor. mony in everyday life. Most of human life passes Agni Yoga For some, these ages are a menace, but a refined in such routine, and people should be evaluated Teachings, consciousness will accept them as the source of by how they stand this test of daily life—whether please visit our endless creativeness. Beautiful cults become dulled they can preserve harmony in their domestic “Agni Yoga – on account of daily routine, but how wondrous is environment, resist petty irritations, and rise the realization that daily devotion and a flaming above boredom. Living Ethics Community” site love are offered to Hierarchy. If I shall say, “I love Many unseen circumstances are hidden in on Facebook: Thee, O Lord, and I am devoted to Thee, O Lord, daily life, and one must find in them the joy and I reverence Thee, Teacher,” by what a mighty that elevates one into the Supermundane. May https://www.facebook.com/ choir will this song of praise be transformed on you all remember that you build your human groups/Agni.Yoga.Living. the far-off worlds! Thus, in each act of devotion dignity amid daily turbulence. This awareness Ethics.Community one can open new locks; and how wondrous it is will make your achievement permanent.... to feel the inexhaustibility of great concepts. The and WMEA on Ordainment can be concise: “Be aflame in heart The Thinker taught that awareness of the and create in love!” resounding of space comes when least expected. the Web: “No human measure can determine when http://www.wmea-world.org Heart, 1932 the harmony of the Supermundane becomes Heart, 508. People will ask how to feel the influ- accessible.” 2 Agni Yoga Quarterly NETWORKERS LETTER Dear Friends, n New York City, the Nicholas Community Roerich Museum staff has been “Begin to build the community as a I busy at work these past few home of knowledge and beauty.” months with offerings that I would – New Era Community, verse 229 like to share with you. Rev. Joleen D. DuBois First, the NRM archive depart- ment has begun to digitize their archival materials, beginning with https://www.amazon.com/Agni-Yoga- ▪ Adamant their library. You can now go to their Society/e/B01MV46SA7/ website and find the section entitled “Museum’s Archive,” which includes ePub format: books from their digital library, bro- https://www.smashwords.com/books/ chures, and periodicals in different byseries/27789 languages. More materials will even- NICHOLAS ROERICH: tually be added. Here is the link to COLLECTED WRITINGS the “Museum’s Archive”: http://www. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B06Y49SJ8P roerich.org/roerich-museum-archive.php. The Nicholas Roerich Museum’s proj- Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) is ect of publishing the improved versions known first and foremost as a painter. of N. Roerich writings and Agni Yoga His paintings, of which there are thou- books is in progress. These books are sands around the world, explore the available for many readers in English and mythic origins, the natural beauty, and ▪ Altai-Himalaya Spanish. Books in English now are avail- the spiritual strivings of humanity and able in an inexpensive paperback version of the world. But Nicholas Roerich that can be ordered through Amazon. was as prolific a writer as he was a painter. He wrote books, poetry, and Agni Yoga in Spanish almost-daily essays on life and events Kindle format: (called Diary Leaves). https://www.amazon.com/Sociedad- Many of these writings have been Agni-Yoga-Hispana/e/B072C3C2SJ/ unavailable for decades. They will, ePub format: therefore, be new to many of you. It is https://www.smashwords.com/books/ the Museum’s hope that bringing these byseries/27791 volumes to light again will expand awareness of the vast range and depth Agni Yoga in English of Roerich’s interests and insights into Kindle format: human nature and cultural history. continued on page 11 Agni Yoga Quarterly Copyright 1982–2017 Vol. XXXIX No. 4 White Mountain Education White Mountain Agni Yoga Quarterly can be found Association – All rights reserved. on the Internet World Wide Web Any reproduction in whole or in Education Address: part without written permission is Association http://www.wmea-world.org prohibited. Email: [email protected] Agni Yoga Quarterly 3 The First Steps of the Agni Yoga Society in America: The Beginning by Nataliya Fomin (May 2017) n far-away 1980, I had and a few were translated into a Call, and I became Latvian, Bulgarian, and Polish. acquainted with amaz- In every case, the Russian lan- ing books that struck me guage editions came first. Iwith their wisdom and depth of Also, a center was estab- thought. In these books, I found lished in the Kullu Valley, in the the answers to all the questions Indian Himalayas, where the that had arisen during my life, Roerichs lived. and was given explanations to These three centers formed complicated issues. Indeed, these a triangle of power and energy books helped me philosophically through which much was to realize life in its entirety, open- accomplished over the years— ing the way to penetrate into the not just in publishing and depth of human nature and prove teaching Agni Yoga but also the necessity of self-improvement in developing progressive and and self-consciousness. Meeting with the builders of the Master Building, New York, 1929 forward-looking cultural and I knew practically nothing educational activities, and pro- about Roerich, having only seen was a necessity. I was struck by the fact that moting the Roerich Pact and the a TV show about his paintings. The show all this colossal work had been done by a Banner of Peace, which was an important was short—about five minutes—not long small group of people. This is an example achievement in the efforts to protect the enough to make an impression on me about of how much can be done by a few people cultural heritage of the world. These were this painter. united by the belief in High Ideals and devo- the main three centers, but there were oth- At that time, I didn’t even think about the tion to their Teachers. ers that flourished in many places. Activ- achievements of Elena Ivanovna, Nikolay ities developed in Latin America and in Konstantinovich, and their sons. No one, It was in New York that the Roerichs Western Europe. taking these books in their hands, could found and gathered around them their But there were few books. Those who realize how much effort, inspiration, and first students. From the evidence in Hel- could read Russian could find some. But, it creative power were invested in these books. ena Roerich’s notebooks, it is clear that was only after 1924 that some of the books I realized that only when my fate brought these first students had been connected began appearing in English. The books in me to the Roerich Museum in New York with the Roerichs in one way or another English contained material that was added and I had the opportunity to learn about long before and had by fate been brought by Helena Roerich, when it was decided the documents of these times in detail. I saw together in one place. These people were that the Teaching was intended not just for the whole picture of the Grandeur Project of carefully chosen to help them fulfill the Russia but for the entire world.
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