Gurumayi has directed Siddha Yogis and new seekers, since 2016, to dedicate the month of September to the practice of assimilation. Over the years, Gurumayi has given a great emphasis to the practice of assimilation. She has taught that, through assimilation, we are able to hold the shakti within ourselves and experience the fruits of our practices. In light of this, Gurumayi requested that her Message for 2026 be featured on the Siddha Yoga path website, one line at a time, throughout the month of September for the ease of our reflection and to support our immersion in the power of the Message.

When I was speaking to Gurumayi about how I will be sending this “Invitation into the Month of September,” Gurumayi looked at me and said, “Do you want to hear a story?”

I said, “I definitely want to hear a story!” Gurumayi told me the story, and this is what I have retained in my memory:

During his third World Tour, one of the places Baba Muktananda visited to hold satsangs, darshan, and Shaktipat Intensives was Santa Monica, California. Gurumayi was Baba’s translator for this teachings visit. During this time, Baba and the tour staff stayed at an inn that faced the Pacific Ocean.  

One early morning, well before dawn, as Gurumayi stepped outside and looked at the western horizon, she became transfixed in awe at what she was seeing. There in the distance was a humongous, golden disk, shining brilliantly and illuminating the water below.

It was unbelievable. Gurumayi had never seen anything like it. She thought, “I have this experience in meditation, so I must be in meditation!” She couldn’t imagine that such a vision could be real in the waking state.  

After what seemed like an eternity, Gurumayi finally walked down to the garden where she encountered some other sevites. She asked them to come and see what she had beheld and confirm that it wasn’t arising from her state of euphoria. When Gurumayi noticed everyone’s delight and excitement as they too caught sight of the golden orb on the horizon, she realized that it was—veritably—the moon!

This was Gurumayi’s very first experience of seeing the full moon over the Pacific Ocean. And Gurumayi distinctly remembers someone exclaiming, “Whoa! It looks like the harvest moon!”

Gurumayi also shared that this vision has been etched in her consciousness ever since.

When Gurumayi said that the full moon she saw was like the harvest moon, I had an “Aha!” moment. I realized that the annual practice of assimilation on the Siddha Yoga path takes place during the harvest month of September. So I became eager to look up the significance of the word harvest.

The modern English word harvest derives from its precursor, the Old English word haerfest, meaning “autumn.” To uncover the etymology of certain modern words, historical linguists search for clues about ancient civilizations and their languages. From their research, we learn that the original root of harvest is believed to be kerp, meaning “pluck” or “gather.” Over four millennia, as the languages of the world underwent extensive changes, the sounds of kerp evolved, with the k sound shifting into an h sound, and the p sound into an f sound. By approximately the eleventh century AD, the word haerfest was in use. Over time, the meaning of haerfest—and eventually, harvest—came to encompass not just the time when crops are gathered, but also the crops themselves and the act of gathering those crops.

When I was listening to Gurumayi’s experience of the full moon, I found myself going to a place of ease. I felt I had become immersed in that vision. I had a certain realization about the connection between assimilation and harvesting, and I wanted to check with Gurumayi whether I had understood her correctly. I asked, “Is this story portraying that there are times when a seeker needs to allow the experience to come to them?”

Gurumayi said, “Yes. People get very involved in ‘efforting’ and they miss the experience.”

I responded, “So the experience is always available, and seekers need to allow it to happen?”

Gurumayi said, “Yes. And then, when such an experience does take place, it’s like magic. These celestial bodies of light—they give you a very tangible experience of what magic is.”

Now let’s return to how this month of September is going to play out for all of us. It is certainly the right month for us, as seekers, to reap a bountiful harvest from the efforts we have put forth in our Siddha Yoga sadhana throughout this year. Gurumayi imparted her Message in Sweet Surprise on January 1, and since that satsang we have continued to reflect on her Message and perform the Siddha Yoga practices.

And so, in the month of September, what I understand Gurumayi to be saying is, “Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your sadhana.” By guiding us in this way, Gurumayi is directing us to appreciate all we’ve done so far. Let us take time in this month of September to revisit Gurumayi’s Message for 2026 with the understanding that we are experiencing the fruit of the Message—we are seeing its felicitous beauty, tasting its delightful flavor, inhaling its beguiling fragrance.  

This month, as we practice assimilation, let us do something kind to ourselves, let us be gentle with ourselves. How will we do that? I want to share a practice that I have: when my mind gnaws at me with thoughts such as “I could have done this,” “I could have done more of this,” “I should have done that,” “I should have done more of that,” I hear Gurumayi’s voice in my head saying, “Rohini, that’s not necessary. Just let it go.”

What I understand about this month of September is that we are no longer planting the seeds or tilling the land during the practice of assimilation. We are harvesting!

As I was writing this invitation into the month of September on the Siddha Yoga path, a visualization arose for me that I want to share with all of you. When revisiting each line of Gurumayi’s Message for 2026, you can visualize looking at a field that’s abundant with your favorite bounty—be it corn, wheat, rice, tulips, lavender, sunflowers, a superbloom of wildflowers, or an abundant fruit orchard. The sky’s the limit! Allow yourself to experience the expansiveness of that vista. Enjoy the deep release that takes place in your breath. Allow your heart to experience gratitude for all the sadhana you have been doing throughout this year. Watch how your whole being finds fulfillment as it immerses itself in the wonder of the fruit of your sadhana.

While we are assimilating Gurumayi’s Message for 2026, we will also have the opportunity to receive Gurumayi’s darshan through a gallery on the Siddha Yoga path website. Each week there will be a new array of scenes from Shree Muktananda Ashram, from between January and August 2026. This gallery is titled, “In the Company of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.”

This invitation is for you to take full advantage of this month of September. And how? By harvesting the fruits of your sadhana and visiting the Siddha Yoga path website daily.