Skip Barrett

Skip Barrett first became interested in spirituality when he was in his late teens. At first, his spiritual life was nurtured with six years of tae kwon do, a Korean martial art that resembles karate, in which he earned a black belt. Today, he manages East West Bookshop.

Q: How did you find Ananda?

A: I read Autobiography o a Yogi and immediately recognized the truth it contained. I wrote a letter to Yogananda and put it on my altar, asking him to be my teacher, and within a week I had found Ananda in Seattle. I felt a wonderful presence at the services and in the teachings there, so I wrote a letter to Swami Kriyananda, and he answered right away, wishing me well in my spiritual search. One thing led to another, and I threw some things in the car and drove down to Ananda Village.

I was blessed to spend time working with Kriyananda while at Crystal Clarity, the company that

publishes his books, Now I feel I can share those experiences with others. Lord knows, it brings me great joy to do so.

Q: What do you remember most vividly about Swami?

A: His way of working with people. There were times when everyone, myself included, would be saying A What is it with this person? They= re doing it all wrong!@ And, unfailingly, Swami Kriyananda would stand up for them, even at great cost or material inconvenience. Once, when absolutely everyone was complaining about someone, Swami said, A Very well, if you= re not able to work with them, then I will.@ What struck me was his undying loyalty and devotion to each soulC to God in each of us.

Sometimes we= d get a call after work, and my wife, Elizabeth, and I would go to his home on an errand. Each time, he= d greet us: A Hello. Welcome. Would you like some tea? Could I make you some tea?@ He never presumed or imposed on anyone.

Q: Asha Prayer said that in the 12 years she was his assistant, he unfailingly asked, very humbly, if she= d care to fix his dinner. He never presumed, not once, even though cooking was part of her job.

A: That was our experience. He would always ask. He would never say A Do this. Do that.@ Never. Even when I felt he= d be perfectly within his rights to say something, he would never say anything harsh, or direct people to do something in any way that wasn= t appropriate. It was always with respect for the soul. Certainly, he has sharp opinions at timesC don= t we all? But I never heard him express them in a way that was hurtful for anyone.

Q: Where have you worked at Ananda?

A: I lived at Ananda Village for six years. When I arrived, I served at Earth Song, Ananda= s health food store and restaurant in Nevada City. Then I managed the market side of Earth Song for four years. Later, I went on the road doing product sales for Crystal Clarity and served as the sales manager for about a year.

Q: What spiritual principles are you applying to your work at

East West?

A: The most important thing is the staff and our connection as

devotees. That= s something Swami Kriyananda told me last spring. I had managed several Ananda businesses, and he said, A This time, just be a devotee. Think of the people first, not the profits.@ Of course, you have to work with the bottom line, but if we take care of each other, and if we= re devotees first, then spiritual principles come into play, and the profits take care of themselves. I do believe that if we treat each other with respect, and with a recognition that God dwells in each of us, then the natural result is that we= ll succeed.

Q: Does it make for a different atmosphere in the business?

A: It seems to. The staff at East West typifies the Ananda experience, because we= ve got people who are willing to sacrifice their personal viewpoint for others= well-being. And yet we make allowances when someone needs to work on something that they= re going through.

Q: Has East West been a radical change for you?

A: I spent several years working outside Ananda as a traveling distributor for a health supplements company, and I feel nothing but joy to be able to work with people like these again. It= s wonderful to be around devotees. You sometimes don= t know what you have until you step away. Working in other environments deepened my awareness that what we have here is special.

Q: There aren= t a lot of stores where the checkout person is praying for you.

A: Isn= t that true? We have pictures of the masters behind the register; often we= re praying for people and giving them spiritual energy.

Q: Do you see yourself being a businessman forever?

A: I don= t see myself as a businessman now. I used to think of myself that way, but I= m happier now that I don= t. That= s one thing I= ve learned in my life, that I= m not afraid to make changes, in myself, where I live, or what I do.

Q: Do your spiritual practices help you in the job?

A: The most important thing was my training from Kriyananda. Any abilities I may have brought over from prior lives were deepened and enriched by my time with him. I feel his presence more deeply now than ever, even though he= s living across the sea, in Europe. I= ve always felt that I was his child, his chela, and that he was my teacher. I= ve never expressed those words to him, but the deepest communication has been unspoken.