Thursday June 20, 2013
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7:00 PM
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A Spiritual Pilgrimage from Lyme to the Kumbha Mela
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Contact: Theresa Conley 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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A Special Book Club Meeting presented by Debbie Mandel.
After visiting the Kumbha Mela in 1895, Mark Twainwrote:
“It is wonderful. The power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.”
In February of this year, I had the privilege of going on a spiritual pilgrimage with Svaroopa Vidya Ashram, the Yoga group to which I belong. Led by Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati, who lived in India for many years studying Kashmir Shivism (a branch of Hinduism) and Siddha Yoga, we visited two of Hinduism’s holiest sites. The Village of Ganeshpur is the home for thousands of years of the lineage of Kashmir Shiviism. The Kumbha Mela, in Alhalabad, is the largest gathering of people in the world. Hindus come by the tens of millions to bathe in the Ganges River in order to purify themselves of their sins. An event that has taken place every twelve years, for the last 5,000 years, it is spectacular; aesthetically, culturally and spiritually.
The major event of the festival is the ritual bathingat the banks of the river Ganges, at the Sangam(the confluence of Ganges, Yamunaand the mythical SaraswatiRivers) in Allahabad. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. The Kumbha Mela is one the most sacred of all the pilgrimages in the world and by far the largest. Tens of thousands of holy men and women (Sadus) attend. But also millions of men and women, families, children, also come. Walking for miles and miles, the women dressed in saris, everyone, children included, carrying their possessions on their heads in suitcases, baskets, wrapped in cloth, all for their religious devotion.
Please join our book group on June 20th at 7:00 pm as I share my journey to Ganeshpuri and The Kumbha Mela with a slide show and some short videos. Refreshments will be served. A suggested reading for the evening, in order to help you get a sense of the extreme dedication the Sadus have for their faith is Nine Lives; in Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple. – Debbie Mandel
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Friday June 28, 2013
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2:00 PM
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4:00 PM
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Reading Group
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Contact: Theresa Conley 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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A member of the group will review a book of particular interest. The Reading Group meets on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 2:00 at the library. Drop-in guests or new members are always welcome to hear a book review and have a cup of tea.
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Saturday June 29, 2013
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1:00 PM
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3:00 PM
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Tablet & eReader Help
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Contact: Theresa Conley 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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Our drop-in Technology sessions are now by appointment. There are four 30 minutes slots available for each date. If you would like help learning how to use your tablet computer or ereader, call to schedule a time. Library staff will assist you in learning how to access library resources from your devices and can give some basic help to get you started. If you can’t make these sessions, give us a call and we will try to find a mutually convenient time to help you.
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Tuesday July 2, 2013
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7:00 PM
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Summer Reading Kickoff - Dig Into Reading
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Contact: Barbara Carlson 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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Due to the late ending of the school year, this year’s summer reading program will begin on July 2. Kristen Thornton will lead four programs over the summer on Tuesday evenings that will inspire the children to read and learn more. All programs are at 7 P.M. Dates are: July 2, July 16, July 30, and August 13. Each session is limited to 12 children. Please call or email programreg@lymepl.org to register. Summer reading is not only fun, it is an essential part of every child’s educational success
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Friday August 23, 2013
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7:00 PM
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Dr. Robert Ballard
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Contact: Theresa Conley 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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Deep sea explorer and oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard will speak at the Lyme Congregational Church at 7 P.M. His presentation will be geared toward families. The program is the second in the Lyme Library Centennial Lecture Series. Check back for more information as the date approaches.
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Friday September 6, 2013
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7:30 PM
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Mystery Author Panel
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Contact: Theresa Conley 860-434-2272 programreg@lymepl.org
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As part of the Lyme Public Library’s Centennial Celebration, four local mystery writers discuss the reading public’s ongoing fasci-nation with crime fiction and how writers adapt to the ever-changing world of publishing. Participating authors include David Handler, Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib), Eugenia West and James R. Benn.
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Number of Events Matching Selected Criteria = 6
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