June 1, 2015

Dear Siddha Yogis,

Welcome to the month of June—the glorious month of Birthday Bliss on the Siddha Yoga path.

The birthday of our beloved Guru, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, is on June 24. Each day of this month, each day of Birthday Bliss, we can reflect on the many ways Gurumayi’s grace and teachings have enriched our lives and supported our sadhana. We are all so blessed to have Gurumayi’s guidance in our lives, whether we are new to the Siddha Yoga path or have been practicing the Siddha Yoga teachings for decades.

Gurumayi’s teachings, her love, and her grace are the foundation on which my life is built. I love this month of Birthday Bliss because it gives me continual opportunities to reflect on Gurumayi’s presence in my life, to study Gurumayi’s teachings, and to focus on how I can further align my life with these teachings.

One way I plan to celebrate Birthday Bliss is by building on my understanding and experience of Gurumayi’s Message for 2015:

Turn
Inward
Meditate
Easefully

Meditation is a key practice for me. I have meditated every day for the past thirty-three years, and this daily connection to my heart, to the light of my own Self, always sustains and nourishes me. Since January 1, when Gurumayi gave her Message in A Sweet Surprise satsang, I have been setting aside even more time to meditate. I feel I am on a voyage of discovery, sailing ever closer to the bliss of the Self, with Gurumayi beckoning me onward. During this month of Birthday Bliss I intend to further my practice by studying the main themes from Gurumayi’s Message talk, and also by re-visiting the definitions for the words of Gurumayi’s Message which were published on the Siddha Yoga path website in January.

For me, the website is like a temple, a sanctuary, to which I can make a daily pilgrimage. When I visit the website, I experience my connection to Gurumayi, to the Siddha Yoga teachings and practices, to the global sangham, and, most wonderfully, to my own heart. I am really excited about all the teachings that are on the website this month in honor of Birthday Bliss: the exquisite yantra Gurumayi has created as a gift to all of us, which we can meditate on daily; the beautiful nature galleries; the inspiring Reflections on Gurumayi, and so much more.

Gurumayi is so generous; everything she does is for the upliftment of humanity, the protection of nature, and the encouragement of peace. Every year, at this time, I ask myself: “How can I thank Gurumayi for all she has given me?” I am sure that many of you have asked yourselves the same question. One answer I have found is to live my life in harmony with Gurumayi’s teachings—and a wonderful way to do this is by cultivating the divine virtues. The virtues, such as patience and kindness, are qualities that come forth from the Self, and it has become a tradition on the Siddha Yoga path to study them during the month of Gurumayi’s birthday. In a satsang on June 24, 1993, in Shree Muktananda Ashram, Gurumayi said:

This seems like a very appropriate time to take a closer look at the virtues that lie hidden within us, our God-given gifts, to explore them, to cherish them, and to share them with others.¹

Each day this month, we will have a divine virtue to study on the Siddha Yoga path website. We can polish the light of these precious virtues within ourselves, and reflect them back to our world. In my own life, I have experienced the great benefit of this practice. I have been polishing the virtue of patience within myself for many years, and I have learned to slow down, to stay more in my heart, and to not rush on to the next event. I am much more able to stay in the present moment—and to be present for whomever I’m with.

As I begin to reflect, in this month of Birthday Bliss, on all that I’ve received from Gurumayi, and on what Gurumayi’s presence in my life has meant to me, I am filled with gratitude. One experience comes immediately to mind. During the winter of 2014, I was a visiting sevite in Shree Muktananda Ashram, offering seva in the SYDA Foundation Content Department. I had not been in Gurumayi’s physical presence since 2002. Each year, however, as I studied Gurumayi’s teachings and put them into practice, I felt my connection to her deepen. The power of Gurumayi’s words, and of the practices she has given us all, forged a divine bridge from my heart to her heart.

On Christmas Day, as Gurumayi was leaving Shri Nilaya Hall after the Celebration Satsang, she stopped to speak to me. A fellow sevite, knowing I had not seen Gurumayi in more than twelve years, started to introduce me. I recall Gurumayi putting her hand up, smiling, and with great love saying—

“Oh, I know her. We know each other very well. We have known each other for a long time.”

My heart has been pulsing with bliss ever since that darshan. I have complete faith that when we align ourselves with Gurumayi’s teachings and love, we can experience her presence in our hearts.

I wish you all great joy in celebrating Gurumayi’s birthday throughout this month.

Happy Birthday Bliss!

With love,

Rashmi Smith
Siddha Yoga Meditation Teacher