When I look back on this year, I realize I went through a period when everything around my professional life seemed to be changing at a very fast and decisive pace. Whenever I felt uncertain about how to approach each day, I would return to the second line of Gurumayi’s Message. I would remind myself to “observe” throughout that day and to focus on “upholding my dharma.”

These four words became a guiding principle for me, helping me to navigate that period. More recently, exploring this same line has led me to renew my commitment to, and enthusiasm for, offering seva.

California, United States

When I heard and then read the second line from Gurumayi’s Message at the beginning of the year, I thought it encouraged me to “observe” the outside world—what life offered me—in order to best respond to it in a dharmic way.

Then, after I had contemplated the same words throughout the year, another understanding arose: to “observe” my inner world and how it responds to what is happening in the outer world; to “observe” the thoughts that get repeated, the emotions and the “inner enemies” (such as anger or jealousy) that may arise; and to welcome them into my awareness. As a result of doing this, I see their power weakening and sometimes even disappearing.

Doing my sadhana cleanses my inner world, and to me, that’s my dharma.

Saint-Etienne-de-Crossey, France

I consider that one part of my dharma is to follow the Ashram Daily Schedule since I now have the great fortune to live in a Siddha Yoga Ashram. Each day during the seva periods, my dharma is to offer seva under the mentorship of two elders.

I devised a way to pin all the tasks that need attention onto a corkboard. They are organized in lists for different people and with different levels of timeliness. For me, looking at this each day is a way to “observe” what is needed. Then, carrying out the tasks with love and teamwork is one way for me to “uphold my dharma.”

California, United States

In my sadhana, I have learnt that when I protect dharma, dharma protects me. That is why it is important for me to live, and fulfill my obligations, in accordance with my dharma.

Part of my dharma is to visit my mother regularly at the care home where she lives. When I entered my mother’s room today, she was lying on the bed with her hands folded; she said to me, her eyes shining, “I prayed so deeply to God that you would come and visit me today.”

Because I fulfilled my dharma, I was there just when she’d hoped, and I feel that is why I received so much love from my mother at that moment.

Konolfingen, Switzerland

Today the sky where I live was the same blue as the background color for the second line of Gurumayi’s Message. And suspended in the blue was a heart-shaped cloud. Because of Gurumayi’s teachings, whenever I see a “heart in nature,” I remember what I understand to be my highest dharma—to love the Self in all.

This evening, I reflected on my day as I sat outside beneath the stars. I acknowledged myself for having taken a genuine interest in a loved one’s story, and recalled how the many teachings on the Siddha Yoga path website in 2026 have taken me deeper into my experience of seeing God in others.

Warrnambool, Australia

The word observe has meaning beyond “see, watch, perceive, or notice.” It also means “celebrate, show regard for” as in “to observe a holiday.”

In addition to “upholding my dharma” and “observing” to ascertain what it is and what faces me, I am also learning to celebrate my dharma—what I have upheld, what has presented itself to me, what has occurred, and that which faces me—now.

New Mexico, United States

When I first read this second line of Gurumayi’s Message, I wondered why Gurumayi chose “Observe!” in relation to “Uphold your dharma.”

Contemplating this, I then remembered seeing signs in public libraries: “Please observe silence.” I understood silence as a necessity in a library, as an action that benefited me as well as my fellow library-goers. Likewise, “upholding my dharma,” my right action, is something I do not only for myself but also for the benefit of all.

Aracaju, Brazil

I savor reading the Message in the silver font. I enjoy feeling the cooling breeze on my mind.

Deggendorf, Germany

I looked up the etymology of the word observe and was surprised at what I found: ob-, as a prefix, means “toward,” “in front of,” or “over.” And servāre means “to watch,” “to keep safe,” “to guard,” or “to pay attention to.” From this, I realized that observation is an active, alert process. It requires great care and vigilance, like keeping an eye on a night fire or making sure a child remains safe. 

So, if to observe means to practice paying loving, watchful attention, then doing this can reveal to me what action to take that best serves the needs of the moment. This also underscores to me that my dharma is not like an inanimate block of stone or a specific set course of action that must be followed. It is a very active, constantly unfolding, moment-to-moment practice. 

California, United States

Observe has become such a key word for me. It inspires me to find out what it is I am to do in this world and then to take the steps to do that, without rushing or procrastinating. I am learning to stay close to God’s will, wait for clarity to come, and then move forward.

California, United States

As I contemplated this line of Gurumayi’s Message for 2026, a quiet feeling arose within me. I felt as though her words were inviting me to pause and look within, rather than trying to change the circumstances around me.

Often, when I sit for meditation, I repeat the mantra and try to “observe” the thoughts, emotions, and reactions that arise within me. Sometimes my mind is peaceful and sometimes it becomes restless. Yet I am learning not to suppress or fight with whatever arises, but simply to watch with awareness.

For me, to “observe” means keeping the light of awareness alive within myself. The remainder of this line, “Uphold your dharma,” reminds me that right action should not be abandoned according to circumstances but should be sustained with love and steadiness. It has now become a daily practice for me to “observe,” understand, and then choose the right action.

My heartfelt prayer is that Gurumayi’s grace will keep me steady in my dharma and give me the strength to bring greater awareness, love, and surrender into every action.

Ahmedabad, India