Our close-knit community is rooted in the teachings of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) and came together informally in Elfrida, AZ in 2009. Led by lay disciples who share a common goal of seeking God together, we've grown into a supportive family over the years.
We place great importance on "plain living and high thinking", leading a simple yet meaningful life, as well as embracing the other precepts laid out in Paramahansa Yogananda's Aims and Ideals.
Community Model
Up to now, we have existed as an informal community, with homes situated on privately owned parcels—a model we're changing to improve our ability to grow the community, expand its spiritual focus, and enable the community to continue into the future.
Our in-home chapels provide a sacred space for Meditation Circle services.
To better accommodate long meditations and retreats, we're extending our Community plans to include a dedicated chapel building and a retreat center.
Chapel Services
For the schedule of Chapel services, Click or Tap the following button.
We officially established our nonprofit organization, Golden Lotus Living, Inc., in January 2024.
We submitted our application for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as a religious and charitable organization and are awaiting IRS confirmation.
Into the Future
We're creating more website content to keep you updated about our nonprofit's progress and our exciting projects. This includes plans for a new dedicated chapel for services, a serene meditation garden, and the development of a spiritual retreat called "Light of the Valley Retreat Center." Stay tuned for more updates!
Community-Owned Property
We are currently embarking on these projects on a 5-acre parcel of land within the boundaries of our 40-acre informal community.
We're actively considering the idea of incorporating affordable housing for SRF devotees, both for independent living and assisted-living needs.
Additional Information
You can discover more about the history and possibilities for the future of our Community by watching the video presentation below:
Hints: For the clearest view of the video, click or tap the settings cogwheel in the player and set picture quality to 4K (the default is "auto"). You can also choose "Picture-in-Picture" and resize it, or "Fullscreen", before starting to play the video — otherwise, it will play in the small player window.
