Harvest of Peace Celebration 2023

December 19, 2023 by St. Johnsbury Center

Our Harvest of Peace celebration was held at Karmê Chöling on October 1.

St. Johnsbury Shambhala Center members planned and staffed it with support from the Karmê Chöling staff.

The morning started with a Lhasang invoking Gesar and his ministers.  It was lovely to stand in a circle around the fire and watch the smoke rise in the cold air while we chanted together.

Then we sang the White Tara practice in the main shrine room.  After that, Betsy Rialla took her resignation oath.  Suzanne Duquette had some fine words on Betsy’s achievements as KCL Director.  Then Bill Brauer administered the Director’s Oath to J T Buck and Vegan Aharonian.  Bill said that this proves that it takes two men to do the work of one woman.  

Then Allie Smith, who is now our regional representative to the Shambhala Global Community Council, stood up and gave thanks to Betsy and talked a little about her new role.

Next on the agenda was conviviality and brunch.  This was a joint project of SJC and KCL.  SJC requested a Celebratory Harvest Feast, and we worked together – joint staffs in the kitchen – to produce  a lovely meal.  You can have a glimpse in the picture.  It was suddenly a warm midday, and many of us enjoyed sitting and eating together outside.

After lunch, a smaller crowd gathered for music on the front lawn.

So many thanks to:

  • Grace Gershuny for arranging kitchen crew— Ella Reznikova, Joan Klappert & Caroline DeMaio, and coordinating the fabulous brunch with Fernanda Alberran, Greta Aiken and Jonathan Zissman
  • Caroline DeMaio for taking part in that as well as the gorgeous flower arrangements on the shrine
  • Paul Fixx and Mary Beth Furr for coordinating the local crew, interfacing with the KCL staff and multiple bits and pieces
  • Vicki Giella for chopponing the Lhasang along with Vegan Aharonian, being umdze in the shrine room to the tune of Greg McNally drumming and staying to the end of brunch dishes along with several KCL stalwart staff
  • Candlin Dobbs, Tune Faulkner, Caroline, again, for yummy harvest style desserts
  • Tom Berthoff for teaching MBF & Bill Wooding how to make the chemar offering and how to choppon the lhasang
  • James Lamar, Victor Caamano and Linda Waarner for bringing your songs and instruments
  • Grace DiNapoli for once again making your juniper and cedar available for the lhasang fire and Mike DeGive for his transmission on gathering said greens and firing them up
  • Bill Brauer for officiating the Oath of Office for the new directors
  • Suzanne Duquette for officiating Betsy Riella’s Director retirement oath
  • JT Buck and Vegan Aharonian, the new Co-directors of Karme Choling for inviting the St J sangha to take this on while they were busy arriving
  • Dan Schriebman for registering folks (numbers are always so useful!)
  • Emily Forse and Joseph Pascutazz for all the arrangements throughout the house, all of which came from Jan Enthoven’s magical garden. 
Musicians playing on the lawn

Its likely that I’ve missed someone, even though the thanks were long. As good authors say, errors & omissions are all my own. Yet….look at the village it took to put on one fine show of a day. 

Final thanks to Mother Nature for the glorious sunshine, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche for showing us how this can happen and reminding us why, and all of you for taking part. Cheers one and all!

To paraphrase what Bugs Bunny once said….That’s all for now folks!