The night wind blows in gusts so strong the earth shakes.
And my tent-home billows and wavers under its continued impact.
The darkening sky is shot with lightning and thunder shouts from the heavens.
But not even the monstrous wind beating at all of Creation
Can sweep away the kiss of God, the rainbow,
Which embraces the sky from one end to another.
It comes forth silently, gracefully, to stand immovable in the heavens, yet joined with the earth.
Ever present, it manifests and becomes known,
Only when God calls it forth to stand as an example, a thing of beauty, awe-inspiring.
The vibrant delicacy of its colors,
The purity of its radiance,
Glow as a gift from God.
Read: "Khalsa – Rainbow O’er the Earth"
Categories: Our Stories, Poetry
Tags: Beads of Truth, Beads of Truth - 1976-Fall, KWTC
Every second of the day in camp was utilized. We ended our sadhana with a mile run. We breakfasted fast and dashed off to swimming and tennis. We tilled the land in the garden that provided our food. We clambered over the five foot wall and crawled on our bellies through the dirt of our obstacle course. We learned the noble art of Gatka (Indian sword fighting). At the sound of the bell, we raced to our karate class. Muscles that hadn’t even been thought of in years were restrengthened. We were tested at every turn. The initial trauma of learning to fire the five rounds of bullets turned into a feeling of confidence and power, respect and poise.
After our physical activities, we had intensive Gurmukhi classes; each day we read our Bhanis with more speed, accuracy, and comprehension. Our daily Gurbani classes gave us time to sing and chant together. We lived together, stood together and marched in formation together, through the streets of Espanola while the populous looked on in awe and wonder. We daily marched under the rising sun, learning to command each other as well as to be commanded by each other.
Read: "The First Khalsa Women’s Training Camp in 1976"
Categories: 3HO History, Our Stories, Women's Teachings
Tags: Beads of Truth, Beads of Truth - 1976-Fall, KWTC
Nearly six years ago, Yogi Bhajan began working with the young people of this country, to give them an alternative to drugs, to give them a means of keeping their bodies healthy, to give them values of life and to rebuild the structure of family life. He struck at the root of the problems facing the entire western societies today: the lack of respect and reverence for woman, the devaluation of the function of raising children, the breakdown of the family structure and the pollution of the basic vibration – the WORD.
Read: "Dedicated to Woman"
Categories: Our Stories
Tags: Beads of Truth, Beads of Truth - 1975-Summer
The story of the first American Sikh enlisted in the U.S. Army who stood by the rights of the 1st Amendment to pave the way for Sikhs to practice their religious beliefs, including the wearing of beard and turban
Yes, there is a place for Sikhs in the United States Army. For this achievement, we can be grateful to those who went before us and who accepted the harassment and went through the Court Martials, who were forcibly shaven, but who ‘kept up’ in order to see that our basic human rights were upheld: the right to practice our chosen religion and to live actively in all aspects of society and the community without discrimination.
Read: "You’re in the Army Now!"
Categories: 3HO History, Our Stories
Tags: Beads of Truth, Beads of Truth - 1975-Spring