Baisakhi 1997 Khalsa Council Meetings
SS Dr. Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsa, Chief Whip of the Khalsa Council
Espanola, New Mexico, USA
This was the final meeting of the two year focus by the Khalsa Council on "Leadership." The meetings were an amalgamation of the direction as defined by the Siri Singh Sahib and the membership of the Khalsa Council. The planning and tone of the meetings were developed by the Executive Committee, which meets four times a year; and the Secretary General’s Adhoc Committee which has met weekly and included the Chairman, MSS Daya Singh Khalsa, MSS Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa, SS Guru Roop Kaur, Khalsa and myself.
It was unique for these meetings that both the Secretary General, MSS S Guru Amrit Kaur Khalsa, and the Chairperson, MSS Daya Singh Khalsa, were unable to attend the meetings due to demands of work at Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar and Akal Security respectively. The Siri Singh Sahib requested SS Siri Ram Kaur Khalsa, Deputy Executive Secretary, to sit in for the Secretary General, and SS Sat Jivan Singh Khalsa, Vice Chancellor, to fill the role of Chairperson. The Bhai Sahiba was also serving in India, developing Miri Piri Academy, and was represented by the Bhai Sahiba section. All answered the call and served the meetings admirably.
There were many high points in these meetings. Members were very grateful for the blessing of the Siri Singh Sahib Ji’s powerful daily addresses, the agenda themes he gave for each day, and his workshop on "Breaking Through Our Barriers," after which individual members asked questions in terms of their personal experiences with leadership.
The membership was educated through interactive Tours of Dharmic/3HO and KIT offices and Yoga West, along with information on ways to participate. For members, this enhanced their identities as members of Khalsa Council, and created an experience of ownership, excitement about the mission, a commitment to reach out and share this with their sangats, and to help open up ‘Avenues of Participation.’ Members asked for a video to be made to facilitate sharing this with their sangats.
Through Ministerial Peer Counseling training, the identity of the Ministry was repositioned and new skills were gained.
The Ministerial Peer Counseling presentation, titled "Model for Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Change," was developed by SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa and SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, derived from the teachings of the Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan. It focused on taking feelings and emotions to the level of our beliefs, practicing active listening, and building relationships of trust. It was very effective, and members asked to continue this type of training at the next meeting.
There were many accolades for the multi-media presentation called "Morning of the Age of Aquarius," put to computer by SS Guruka Singh which was the finale for the leadership Agenda. It was very apropos for bridging from the Leadership focus into our next focus of "Sikh Panth." At one point, members took turns sharing ‘what they are doing in their lives, communities, businesses, and leadership.’ It ended with a beautiful quote, of the Siri Singh Sahib’s: "Let the pages of tomorrow say your glory and the folks tell your story. There shall not be a greater miracle than the existence of you. So with best wishes, lead your way unto your destiny."
Looking ahead to the next meetings, members expressed wanting to involve more of the Sangats on a grass roots level, to develop the connection between Shabd Guru, Raj Yog, and Kundalini Yoga to unite Sikh Dharma and 3HO in their worldwide impact, to expand our relationship with the larger Indian Sikh community, to expand the membership of Khalsa Council, and to develop Sarbat Dharam, one world religion.
SS Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa, Vancouver, BC, was elected as the new Chairperson, and SS Haribhajan Kaur, Los Angeles, as the new Speaker of the House for the next two years.
These meetings were very heart centered, with many opportunities for open communication, exchange of ideas, identification of resources, and further developing the network. The closing ceremony was a highlight -- a circle of connected, smiling, joyful Khalsas singing and moving to "Song of the Khalsa."