April 1, 2016
Dear all,
Welcome to the month of April, when the seasons are shifting in many parts of the world: spring is arriving in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
From where you are standing right now, on Earth and in the circumstances of your own life, what direction are you heading in? Is it a beneficial one? Studying and practicing Gurumayi’s Message for 2016 can help each one of us to find the answer to this question.
Gurumayi’s Message is:
Move with steadfastness
toward becoming
anchored
in Supreme Joy
On the Siddha Yoga path, the focus of study this month is the word toward. In the context of Gurumayi’s Message, the word toward is translated as felé in Hungarian. In German it’s darauf zu, and in French it is jusqu’à, in Italian, per, and in Spanish, para. In Dutch, it is translated as naar.
In the English language, toward connotes more than the simple preposition to that might be used instead. Toward means “in the direction of.” Toward indicates movement that is charged with intention. To reach a destination, a goal, one must move with intention in the desired direction. One must go toward.
For me, then, the word toward suggests a journey with a clear destination. Toward provides us an orientation, like a compass. Toward determines where I end up! Gurumayi’s Message has strengthened my resolve. I want to keep my inner compass pointing in the direction of the Self.
In the Siddha Yoga sadhana circle I participate in, we are studying the Commentaries on the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam on the Siddha Yoga path website. As we do so, we are discovering new insights about Gurumayi’s Message and exploring how we can put them into practice. This can be very practical. I have been experimenting with going toward bliss while engaged in mundane daily tasks. For example, while washing the dishes, I chant silently to myself. When I do, instead of experiencing boredom, I find my heart is reoriented toward feelings of love and happiness.
Another example is when I take a walk. A walk can simply be a bit of exercise outdoors—or, combined with the intention to recognize Consciousness taking the form of this beautiful world, it becomes a walk toward God. Such walks are particularly delightful in April, when Nature’s beauties are revealed in spring or autumnal colors, depending on where in this world we live. This is the month of Earth Day (April 22), when we are invited to acknowledge the value and sanctity of Nature.
April is when we will begin one of the most significant celebrations on the Siddha Yoga path this year: the 108th birthday of Baba Muktananda, Gurumayi’s Guru. Be sure to stay connected to the Siddha Yoga path website as we approach this auspicious time to honor Baba Muktananda and study his teachings.
By engaging in a regular daily meditation practice, by reciting Shri Guru Gita, by experiencing grace in hearts shaped by passing clouds, by engaging in satsang with fellow seekers, by sharing the abundant love in my life with others, and by offering seva, I feel I am heading in the right direction, toward the highest joy within my own Self.
Every day, every activity, every moment is an opportunity to turn toward the Self within.
Cada dia, cada atividade, cada instante é uma oportunidade para se voltar para o Ser interior.
During April, the focus of our Siddha Yoga practice is svadhyaya, the recitation of sacred texts, such as Shri Guru Gita, which is an integral part of the Ashram Daily Schedule. Svadhyaya supports us in maintaining the direction we choose to follow in our sadhana. These scriptural texts teach us about the aspects of God, Guru, and Self. Recitation of these texts also imparts the experience of the divine. As I engage in this practice I find that by increasing my focus on the words of the text, rather than letting my active mind take me into my thoughts, I build my capacity to move deeper into the awareness of who I really am, the Self of all.
In pursuing our journey inward, we can take inspiration from Shri Hanuman. He is the deity who took the form of a strong and powerful monkey, and is known for his dedicated seva, or selfless service, to his Guru, Lord Rama. On April 21 we will acknowledge Hanuman Jayanti, the birthday of Shri Hanuman.
I invite you to dedicate time to contemplating the word toward in Gurumayi’s Message this month. Throughout April, let’s continue heading in the right direction: toward the Self, our essential nature.
Warm regards,
Sudama Sitkin
Siddha Yoga Meditation Teacher
When I reflect on the word
toward in Gurumayi’s Message for 2016, I experience compassion and promise. I do not feel an expectation that I should already be there, at the finish line. What I understand is that I am to head in the direction of the goal of human life. In this, I feel tremendous compassion.
During meditation, when I hold the word
toward in my awareness, images of different modes of transport have come up for me: a conveyor belt, downward spiral steps, and a vine. In each case, as I follow the path before me, I land in the presence of That which lives in my heart, That which is irrefutably and exceedingly grand, beautiful, and lovable.
I find that as I reflect on the word
toward, I inch my way past the layers of busy thoughts, doubts, and concerns of life. I begin to touch plenitude and the taintless, absolute purity of the core of my being.
Virginia, USA
At first I didn’t understand the significance of the word
toward, but this inspiring April letter reminds me that every word is important. The letter comes at the right time for me, when I am wondering which direction to take in my life. It reminds me to “keep my inner compass pointing in the direction of the Self,” to go “toward the highest joy within my own Self.” For me, the letter puts all other decisions and questions in perspective.
a Siddha Yogi from Guadalajara, Mexico
My husband and I are in the midst of a major transition in our lives, and reading this letter inspired me to adjust my attitude and embrace this change with a focus on gratitude—for the varied experiences life brings and also for Gurumayi’s Message for 2016.
My intention is to take time everyday to reflect on Gurumayi’s Message and ask myself, "How can I practice Gurumayi’s Message today, in this moment, right now?" and to allow her Message to be the guiding light that takes us through this transition.
California, USA
As I read this letter, I remembered a recent hatha yoga class. As I was holding a pose, I felt the instructor gently touch my back. That touch gave me the awareness: this is where you are headed in this posture. Since then, when I hold this posture, I have been able to find an alignment where I feel a great flow of loving energy. Sometimes I will feel a pressure and discomfort when I am not in that alignment, and with a very subtle movement, I can find the perfect place where I experience energy flowing abundantly.
I am thankful for the many ways in which the Guru’s guidance is revealed.
California, USA
After reading this letter, I was inspired to paint a watercolor of the word
toward, which I placed on my
puja. Then I sat to meditate. I watched as a reel of negative thoughts about a past event started to play out, streaming on my left—while my body spontaneously began to lean in the opposite direction. It leaned out to the right toward something positive, toward the present, toward where I am now and where I want to go. I was elated by this movement of the
shakti.
As I then very naturally eased back into my upright meditation posture and returned to a peaceful awareness of my breath, I knew that this was another example, for which I’m very grateful, of how bringing Gurumayi’s Message into my meditation practice puts me in the right relationship to how I want to be each day.
Massachusetts, USA
As an alpinist, I have long understood the vital importance of always knowing where I am, and where I am going towards. Yet, I realize that in daily life, the needle of my compass sometimes jumps around!
Thank you, Gurumayi, for being a clear and strong magnet for my life’s compass. Thank you, for bringing me back on track again and again. Thank you for guiding me towards the love and joy in my heart.
Bern, Switzerland
After reading Sudama’s motivating letter, while engaging in my regular daily practice of silently whispering
swadhyaya (the chanting or reciting of a sacred text) on the train, the word
toward arose in my awareness. It took the form of a beautiful and brilliantly shining sword—shaped by the letters of the word—and I knew it was pointing in the right direction. This filled me with delight, and I felt reassured that my practice of quietly reciting
Shri Guru Gita on the train is, indeed, taking me where I really want to go.
Later, I realized that holding tight to the sword of
toward cuts away limitations. With the support of grace, I can take up this sword and choose the direction of the “good.” This experience is re-tooling my commitment to daily engagement with the so very blessed Siddha Yoga practices.
New Jersey, USA
April 1 is a day I commemorate and celebrate each year. It is the day, in 1997, when I received
shaktipat. So I was delighted when on my "spiritual birthday" I found this exploration of the word
toward in Gurumayi’s Message for 2016. As I read the letter, I was delighted to feel a lively sense of warmth and kindness.
I took a fresh perspective and a renewed focus on the word
toward into my morning meditation. As I silently repeated Gurumayi’s Message, this word became alive for me. It amplified and echoed in my awareness, then gradually transformed into a field of pulsation, enveloping my being. I became transfixed on this pulsation, as it seemed to pour energy into my body. This happened again during my evening meditation.
These experiences have given me a new and personal understanding of the statement in verse 76 of
Shri Guru Gita: "The root of mantra is the Guru’s word." I feel much gratitude, wonder, and a deep excitement to continue in this study of Gurumayi’s Message.
Arizona, USA
Reading about “going toward bliss while engaged in mundane daily tasks,” I am reminded of when, long ago, I was a mother of four small children. Following Baba’s guidance, a vast amount of housework became a sustained opportunity to practice mantra repetition. I gently sang the words out loud so my children could hear them as well. As I walked with the children to the shops to buy food, each step was taken with a mantra. When we cooked together, vacuumed, folded laundry, washed dishes, and worked in the garden, gently chanting the mantra held me in a state of living in Shiva’s Paradise.
Mantra Japa was so uplifting and helpful to me as a mother. It became my most constant practice. I saw that having children did not hinder my progress on the path to my life’s goal.
New York, USA
Thank you for this letter, which has thrown so much light onto a single word. It offers so many possibilities for exploring the meaning of the word
toward and its importance in our
sadhana. I like the way Sudama has made it clear how we can purposefully put to use every aspect of our life in service to our journey to the Self.
The reference to washing dishes particularly resonated with me. In 2014, I spent a month offering
seva in Gurudev Siddha Peeth. After each meal, I would pause to take in Baba’s quotation on the wall in the dish room: “Do the dishes with all your heart.” Baba’s words became so ingrained in my heart that when I returned home at the end of my stay, I developed the habit of singing it to myself while doing dishes. It transformed this activity into a practice of deep satisfaction and joy.
Heckmondwike, United Kingdom
This letter about the word
toward—the word for contemplation for this month—reminds me of hearing Baba speak of self-effort as being about remaining aware of the Self all the time.
For me, this means that I can always make an effort to remain aware that no matter what things I am experiencing through my senses, they are all different forms of the Self. So heading
toward the supreme Self is, for me, to make the effort to remain aware of the Self, all the time, through all of my activities.
Bangalore, India
Today, with April 1 as my starting point, I have resolved to chant the
Guru Gita every day. As I chanted this morning, I felt as though I was home—that place, both outside and inside, which brings me rejuvenation and contentment as nothing else can. It’s a cavern where the heart and mind come together in stillness.
As we focus our study on the word
toward this month, I intend to keep going home, into this cavern, to unearth its gems.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for taking us on this path.
California, USA
“What direction are you heading in?” As soon as I read Sudama’s question, I felt my awareness collect and sharpen, as if I was looking at a horizon to see where I was and how I was oriented. Right away, I felt the power this simple question has to remind me to take notice of whether or not any particular activity is moving me in the direction I truly want to go in — toward the love and joy of the Self. I can’t wait to work with this question in April!
Vermont, USA
The words "
Toward determines where I end up!” stood out for me.
I realize that when life is especially busy, I don’t always remember to pause and set a clear intention before beginning each practice.
Reading this letter reminded me of the benefits of doing so. In meditation, when I take a moment to simply remember the goal, I feel myself settle right in. When I begin my offering of
seva with a short
puja and set an intention for the day, I feel the support of grace, and I am energized for the tasks at hand.
During April as we study
toward, I am planning to set a clear intention before beginning each practice. I look forward to returning to this letter for inspiration throughout the month.
Massachusetts, USA
This letter itself is like the compass that the writer mentions, orienting me toward the direction I want to head in. I’m grateful for the practical ideas the author shares for bringing my focus to the experience of the Self amidst the various activities of daily life. I so appreciate these monthly letters that remind me of my highest intention—to know the Self—and support me in ever-new ways to practice Gurumayi’s Message in my life.
And it feels all the richer knowing that as Siddha Yogis and new seekers around the world are reading this same letter, each of us is being inspired to move ahead in our own unique way toward the same great goal.
California, USA
This letter came at a particularly valuable time for me. I have been working for some time on a significant project, which is about to enter a new and exciting phase. However, along with excitement, I have experienced some anxiety about the challenges ahead.
This letter teaches me that as the "seasons" of this project are shifting I need to keep a clear and unwavering focus, oriented toward my deepest, truest goals.
I am very grateful for this letter, which will certainly continue to benefit me in my study of Gurumayi’s Message for 2016 and also as I apply its wisdom to the adventures just ahead.
Illinois, USA
