South LA Spiritual Leader

Celebrates 27 Years of Service

By Edith Billups

 

 

On September 26, 2012, Shri Natha Devi Premananda Mataji, founder of Eagle Wings of Enlightenment Center, a Los Angeles-based Center dedicated to World Peace, non-violence and uplifting consciousness, celebrated 27 years of selflessly serving, and being a shining ray of light in South Central Los Angeles and throughout the world.

A Universal Teacher for World Peace, Mataji founded the Eagle Wings of Enlightenment in 1985, and under her loving guidance, the Center has grown from its humble beginnings to drawing people from all over the world who come for blessings, healings and make prayers for World Peace.

The Center’s 27th Anniversary Celebration was attended by long-time center members and an extended spiritual family who participated in devotional songs, listened to a Divine Message from Mataji, and dined on a delicious vegetarian meal. A highlight of the event was a Vedic puja officiated by Babu Ghandi. Vedic pujas are traditionally performed during holy festivals and auspicious events.

Many attending expressed a deep sense of appreciation for the Center that has become a haven in the South Los Angeles community and expressed delight about the upcoming yoga classes and the new Wings of Wisdom Magazine soon to be distributed by the Center.

According to Sonia Bernard, a Santa-Fe based nurse and long-time Center-member, “I am happy that this Center continues to survive in the South Los Angeles area. It is a refuge for so many people in time of need and in crisis. Mataji’s door is always open. She is willing to help and serve in whatever capacity the residents need her.”

Bernard noted that, “She does a monthly ceremony on the Full Moon with women, and facilitates ceremonial dances for the healing of the Earth. She may lead a ceremony on the West Coast, but it affects the Earth worldwide. In this day and time, it is important to continue giving back to Mother Earth because She has been so depleted and we need to help to revive Her.”   

For the spiritual leader, “Only the grace of God has carried us all through many years, and His grace is hope for all of humanity. Through His grace, we have put into action our motto of ‘Changing the world with one prayer at a time; one ceremony at a time; one scripture at a time; one day at a time.’”

She said that the center’s mission has been unity and diversity in action, “and it is time for all religions and creeds to come together and pray in sisterhood and brotherhood. It is also time to take part in the ancient ceremonies for Mother Earth, the ocean, the West Coast shoreline, and Japan, to aid the Mother Earth in Her healing. At the same time, it is to receive healing for one’s self, our family and our ancestors.”

On world peace, Mataji stated, “World peace is inevitable if we all do our part. We recently went to the Himalayas to offer The World Peace Dance for humanity. We were warmly welcomed by indigenous people of northern India. We danced, prayed, and offered each step for harmony, unity, healing of Mother Earth, and the coming together of all people as a universal family. While we were there, we also bathed in the holy Ganges River.

“The villagers were very hospitable, supporting us through prayer and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. We were completely surrounded by the Himalayan mountain range, with spectacular views of the holy Ganges River below. The great mist came in each morning, and we were so fortunate to gaze upon the many eagles that came every day, making circles of light. The fact that they usually are not visible during that season was proof that the ceremony offered was indeed, auspicious. This was confirmed by the appearance of a rainbow at the end.”

As a part of the Center’s mission of service, members visited a Sadhu ashram nearby the Ganges and took offerings to the priests, including rice, flour, lentils, and sugar. For a rural village of 900 people, members brought school supplies for the children and purchased sacks of flour, rice, potatoes, beans and sugar that were equally divided among the villagers.

Harold Byrd, a participating Center member said, “The journey was a calling to assist the healing of India, the world, and all creation at this pivotal time in the healing of Mother Earth. It was truly one of the most sacred blessings of my life to travel to the Himalayas and make the sacred offering of prayer and ceremony. The Earth is our Mother. We must take care of her.”

In South Los Angeles, Mataji remains a force in the community, teaching both adults and youth to equally embrace all of the world’s great religions and philosophies, along with valuable human values, such as self-respect and unconditional love. She has counseled thousands and holds daily prayers for peace and harmony, a regular Sunday service and meditation, and a Native American sweatlodge for the healing of individuals and Mother Earth.

The Center conducts annual health fairs, regular Bible Study and Rites of Passage classes for youth, and conducts outreach programs to clothe and feed the poor. On the property is a Peace Pole sanctioned by the United Nation along with a Tibetan Prayer Wheel for healing of South Central Los Angeles.

In Joshua Tree, California, Mataji oversees Our Lady Queen of Peace Sanctuary, a beautiful and serene Retreat Center dedicated to Mother Mary. Pilgrims can come and walk on a nearly one-fourth-mile-long universal rosary made out of white marble along the mountainside.

Mataji has traveled the world sharing unique wisdom and conducting many ceremonies for World Peace, and has gained the respect of numerous high spiritual teachers who have, in turn, come to her Center to share their teachings in a diverse, cultural exchange.

She has been featured in two documentaries, including one where she was quoted with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was also mentioned in a documentary after hosting a 9-day ancient Vedic ceremony for World Peace after 9/11.The Center houses a 9-foot icon of Our Lady Queen of Peace which has a significant impact on those who have come over the years in need of refuge. In South Central L.A., Mataji has guided a men’s circle, as well as a women’s circle, and since 1988, she has taken men and women to the Pacific Ocean to make offerings for the healing of the waters around the world.

Mataji has been recognized by Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Los Angeles Mayor Anthony R. Villaraigosa. She has also been presented a letter of recognition for her outstanding service signed by President Barack Obama.

For more information on Eagle Wings of Enlightenment Center, visit: www.eaglewingsofenlightenment.org or call (323) 779-0210.

Edith Billups is a media relations consultant and travel writer who has traveled the world over the past 12 years offering prayers and ceremony for the healing of the Earth. She works part-time as a Biogenesis practitioner (http://www.biogenesisglobal.net/), working with spiritual energy to assist individuals and the environment. Email: eybillups@thegabrielmediagroup.com