March 2007

Dear Friend,

Greetings and much love to you! I hope this letter finds you well and happily engaged in the Siddha Yoga focus of study given by Gurumayi for this year: to study, practice, assimilate, and implement the teachings in Gurumayi’s book Sadhana of the Heart.

As you may know, on January 1^st, Siddha Yogis around the world came together for a Global Audio Satsang—to discover the study focus given to us by Gurumayi and to launch the Silver Jubilee. The Jubilee is a celebration of the 25^th anniversary of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda as the Siddha Yoga Guru and our spiritual master. I had the good fortune to serve as the teacher for that Global Satsang, and I’m writing to you now to let you know more about the Silver Jubilee and how you can take part.

During 2007, the way we can participate in the Silver Jubilee is by studying, practicing, assimilating, and implementing Gurumayi’s teachings in Sadhana of the Heart— the collection of Siddha Yoga Message talks from 1995-1999.

We can come together throughout this year in Siddha Yoga learning and teaching events, and engage with the precise and practical guidance Gurumayi has given us on how to discover and bring forth the light and joy of our own divine Heart. What better way to honor Gurumayi and her teachings than by putting them into action, moving forward in our sadhana, and letting our great Heart shine!

This October is also the 25^th anniversary of Baba Muktananda’s Mahasamadhi, the time when he left his body and merged with the Absolute. The Silver Jubilee will span 2007 and culminate on Baba’s Mahasamadhi next year, in October 2008—as we celebrate and honor Gurumayi and Baba, and their profound spiritual legacy.

Here are some of the events in which we’ll be celebrating the Silver Jubilee during 2007:

• There will be a Siddha Yoga Global Audio Satsang, beginning on May 8 and available through June 15, in which we’ll celebrate Gurumayi as our Guru by further exploring the focus of study she has given for us this year. This satsang, taught by Swami Indirananda, will take place in Siddha Yoga meditation centers and ashrams, and will be available on the Siddha Yoga Website. More information will be available soon.
  
  
• Starting in April and continuing through December, many Siddha Yoga meditation centers will be offering Practices Retreats on Sadhana of the Heart. At the core of these 1½-day retreats are three learning sessions, focusing on Gurumayi’s Message talk for 1995, Blaze the Trail of Equipoise and Enter the Heart, the Divine Splendor.
  
  
• On Gurumayi’s birthday, on Gurupurnima, and on other Siddha Yoga holidays, there will be celebration satsangs held in Siddha Yoga meditation centers and ashrams around the world. These satsangs, newly created by the Siddha Yoga Philosophy and Culture area of the SYDA Foundation, are an opportunity to celebrate the greatness of the Siddha Yoga practices and tradition throughout the year.
  
  
• In October, there will be the crest jewel event of 2007, the Global Siddha Yoga Shaktipat Intensive in honor of the 25^th anniversary of Baba Muktananda’s Mahasamadhi.
  

As we celebrate the Siddha Yoga path, it’s very natural for us to think about contributing to that which we cherish. The practices of seva and dakshina are ways that we can tangibly contribute—at any time, now and in the future. To find out about local seva opportunities, you can contact a Siddha Yoga meditation center near you, and for seva opportunities with the SYDA Foundation, you can visit the Seva Opportunities section of the Siddha Yoga Website.

The Siddha Yoga Monthly Dakshina Practice is a wonderful way to practice dakshina regularly. The financial offerings made in this way directly support the Siddha Yoga path through the work of the SYDA Foundation. You can make offerings online in the Giving to the Mission section of the website or by completing a dakshina card, available at Siddha Yoga meditation centers and ashrams.

If you’d like to receive regular updates by email about the Siddha Yoga calendar of events, and don’t already, please do subscribe to the Siddha Yoga email list via the website.

As you participate in this auspicious Silver Jubilee Celebration, I’d like to invite you to contemplate and write down your experiences, and to send them to siddhayogastudy@syda.org. May you find great joy in your study and practice, and may your steady effort lead you to the sublime experience of your own great Heart.

With love and best wishes,

Swami Ishwarananda

Siddha Yoga Meditation Teacher
on behalf of the SYDA Foundation

View the artwork for the Silver Jubilee.

To listen to Swami Ishwarananda share information about the Silver Jubilee, and to hear other communications, on the SYDA Foundation Communications Line,
dial (USA) number: 845-306-5472.