September Nature Gallery Part I

Thank you for this most bountiful autumn tour, causing my heart to sing and my head to bow again and again. This series of photos brought the Ashram to me with so much love, like a gift tied with beautiful ribbons.

Colorado, USA

This morning I was transported viscerally to the experience of walking around Lake Nityananda in the fresh, crisp, beginning of fall, when the leaves are just beginning to turn. I could actually feel the cool morning.

Thank you for this vivid experience!

California, USA

The picture of the rock against the night sky seems an ancient image. Its face is illuminated, and at the same time the rock is so firmly established on the earth.

Looking at it, I become aware of the inner stambha, the central pillar, and the ancient, luminous Truth that the Guru awakened in me with shaktipat—“I am the Self.”

Thank you. This image will stay with me for a long time.

Melbourne, Australia

Ahh! The beginning of Navaratri! The Devi is coaxing the autumn leaves to turn their infinite array of colors. The deer are healthy and happy. The geese are beginning their migration. That is a sign for me to truly go deep inside where it is silent and still, and these photos help bring me there.

I am so grateful to Gurumayi for giving us so many gifts in so many forms.

Shubh Navaratri!

New Mexico, USA

Thank you for posting these beautiful pictures of the Ashram and nature. As I was looking at the rainbow today, I really had the feeling of the Ashram in my heart. I also experienced the magnificence of receiving grace and blessings.

Over the past weeks, I’ve been noticing how gazing at the photos in the Nature Galleries invokes the feeling and appreciation of nature and all her creatures. I realize how this aligns me with the generosity and natural rhythms of the earth—and how necessary this is to my health, balance, and spirit. Exquisite harmony within and without!

California, USA

Wow! I'm in Brazil and could feel all the shakti, all the energy and blessings from this absolutely gorgeous rainbow!What a blessing!

Thank you!

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This is the most exquisite rainbow I have ever seen. A double rainbow in a perfect arch over Shree Muktananda Ashram!

Seeing it, I was reminded of the fact that a rainbow is considered to be a bridge––a connection between heaven and the earth, between this loka and the next. How perfect and significant it is that this extraordinary rainbow appeared right towards the end of Pitru Paksha, the two-week period when we honor our ancestors and pray for their liberation, and the beginning of Navaratri, when we worship Kundalini Shakti in the form of Mahadurga, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasarasvati for nine days. Seeing this rainbow, I felt that it shone with the radiant joy and blessings of the ancestors and the Devi. I am so grateful for this divine vision!

California, USA

As I look at the rainbow photos—an aura of love filled with colors—I feel that my being is protected by the Guru’s grace and guidance and I am in her care.

Thank you, Gurumayi! Thank you, website team.

Bhusawal, India

It was dawn on Monday, September 22, 2014, and the sun had not yet cleared the berm beside Lake Nityananda. The early morning light caught my eye, and I glanced out the window to the southwest. A sheath of rainbow-colored stripes was striking the trees at the horizon. I caught my breath and ran outside to see.

When I reached the Anugraha parking lot, I could see both ends of the rainbow and the entire arch in between. The two ends were dazzling-colored beams, flowing down from above to the horizon. They looked like three-dimensional curtains framing the arch across the sky. And on the stage below this brilliant horseshoe of light were the autumnal colors of the forest.

And then I realized it wasn’t raining. I could feel a spray of mist now and then, but no rain and the ground was dry. A rainbow at sunrise without rain! Inside I felt that upsurge, that sense of the rightness of everything that comes from experiencing grace and blessings. The beneficent showers of light and color were bathing the Ashram and the earth with love. Anything is possible!

With thanks to Shri Gurumayi.

Shree Muktananda Ashram

Early in the morning as I was driving along the road to Anugraha, the largest, most exquisitely perfect rainbow I have ever seen appeared and took my breath away. One of the sevas I offer is as an Ashram photographer, so I quickly pulled over to capture it with my camera, expecting the gorgeous colors to fade at any moment. But they didn’t!

This rainbow was such an anomaly—so thick it was like a wall of vibrant color beaming down from above, so tangible it seemed that I could run over and touch it, and so persistent that it lasted for half an hour. From my perspective, with Bade Baba’s Temple directly beneath the apex of the rainbow arch, it was as if he were bursting forth, shining through this brilliant play of colored light to greet everyone with the dawn. This divine vision filled my heart with such joy!

Shree Muktananda Ashram

Such a great photo with this wonderful laughter, expressing the joy of the moment and complete freedom! When I read the caption, “Join Us for a Mirthful Laugh,” my heart opened even more. I am invited to join in! Tender warmth is flowing through my body, and my own lightheartedness makes me smile, too.

Thank you for sharing this photo. 

Katzenbach, Germany

This weekend, I am celebrating the 29th anniversary of participating in my first Shaktipat Intensive. The photographs of the Swamis' laughter giving rise to more and more laughter brought about a wonderful recollection of the time when I first heard Gurumayi laugh—and heard how her laughter inspired laughter to bubble up in all of us, only to have more laughter bubble up from her.
 
A joyful remembrance to hold as I prepare for this year's Shaktipat Intensive!

New Mexico, USA

Viewing these beautiful images, I found my mind repeating over and over, "The Guru is love. The Guru is love."
 
Thank you for showing me how that love pervades everything and everyone.

Connecticut, USA

How beautiful this morning was for me, when I opened the website and saw the photo of the Swamis in mirthful laughter. I felt so much silence and openness inside my heart, and I felt connected with them. Naturally, I also started laughing.
 
Thank you for those beautiful photos of mirthful laughter.

Aurangabad, India

How rejuvenating to see the photo of the Swamis laughing. They are laughing so openly that I can hear them! I find myself, like the people in the Ashram, looking at this photograph and smiling! It reminds me that when I offer seva,  do the practices, or do my work, it's so much  easier when I am lighthearted and having fun.  
  
This photo is good reminder: Go on! Keep smiling! Don't be afraid to laugh openly!

Paris, France

These delightful photos of utterly carefree laughter reminded me of Gurumayi's teaching during the  2013 Mahashivaratri Satsang in Shree Muktananda Ashram : "Enjoy the moment— laugh a lot.”
 
Thank you!

Vermont, USA

I felt so happy as I looked at the picture of joyful laughter—and then the photos of that joy spreading as other people viewed that same photo. I was wondering why these images were included in the Nature Gallery. Then I thought that perhaps it is because bliss, ananda rasa, is inherent in all of nature, including us human beings.

Massachusetts, USA

Grazie! Thank you for the great photos that I can look at from my home and feel so close. Silence, beauty, order, stillness, Ganesh, and beloved Gurumayi!

Rome, Italy

Nature is so beautiful. When I saw the photos of the sky, I felt they illustrated the truth that nature is God’s creation, his play.

Nasik, India

I loved seeing Gurumayi removing thorns from the rose with scissors. She actually does this for every Siddha Yoga student—removing thorns of fear and negativity with care and compassion.

Thane, India

The colors in this series are festive and full of life, like the autumn in Shree Muktananda Ashram.

California, USA

The photos in the Siddha Yoga path website nature galleries always remind me that the world is a divine place.
 
The sky over Lake Nityananda represents what I always experience when walking around the lake. I feel I am in another realm that transcends the three worlds.
 
Thank you for portraying this experience through photographs.

Shree Muktananda Ashram

The photographs this morning of those brilliant, amazing skies over Lake Nityananda took my breath away. I truly felt as if I was standing on the shore of heaven.

Florida,  USA

Seeing the Nature Gallery, the thought came to my mind that God is so beautiful. There are no words to describe God’s beauty. And seeing beloved Gurumayi ji there with Lord Ganesh was just breathtaking.
 
I love the black-and-white picture of Gurumayi by the water of Lake Nityananda. Seeing this photo, I felt connected to her very deeply, as if I was with her.  It brought back memories of seeing Bhagawan Nityananda and Baba Muktananda near the river in India.

Gurudev Siddha Peeth

I offered puja to Lord Ganesh in Shree Muktananda Ashram. When I saw that I could connect with Lord Ganesh, I felt so loving. It felt like he saw my love.

Ganesh was so happy. I felt it. Me and Ganesh were sharing his modaka sweets.

a seven-year-old Siddha Yogi from New York, USA

It seems to me that the images on these Nature Galleries are becoming more and more exquisite and alive. They astonish me with their beauty.

Over the past few months, I've begun each morning by looking at them, and I feel all my senses are being awakened. I notice my perception of the world around me being transformed. And I also find myself more open to the beauty of the world within me.

Thank you so much for this amazing gift.

Michigan, USA

I loved seeing the children’s little clay statues of Ganesh. I paused and really looked at each one.

This week as I spend time with the Nature Gallery, I’ve had the experience of seeing the world with the fresh, open vision of a child—just stopping and seeing with wonder. It has ignited a longing to carry this pure seeing into my day, and I have been making an effort to remember and return to this awareness.

Connecticut, USA

How lovely to see Gurumayi scattering rose petals and offering puja at Lake Nityananda! As I take my daily walk at a pond near my home, thinking of those images reminds me to pay attention to the shimmering beauty of the water and to offer gratitude for nature's gifts.

Thank you, Gurumayi.

Massachusetts, USA

I feel so nurtured as I look at these amazing pictures, so full of purity and beauty, and as I see Gurumayi offering puja to Lord Ganesh with such tenderness and love.

Thank you, Gurumayi, for your darshan. Thank you for the blessings that you so generously bestow upon us.

Milan, Italy

It was so exhilarating to see the photos of how Ganesh is being honored at Shree Muktananda Ashram. And since Ganesh is worshiped as the divine remover of obstacles, it was so fitting that we could share in these puja ceremonies so directly through the technology of the website—because it has removed the obstacle of geographical distance for all of us! Now, thanks to both the technology and the immense talent of the photographer sevites, we get to see every detail: every exuberant—or reverential— gesture, every heartfelt offering, every glorious color of the abundant flower petals, every line of the stunning sculptures of Ganesh all around the Ashram.
 
Thank you so much, Gurumayi, for inviting us all along to this joyful celebration! We are deeply blessed!

Oregon, USA

The latest photos in the September Nature Gallery are wonderful! By this darshan, I am directly connected to the Heart, transcending all boundaries. What a glorious way to start the day! I feel that I have begun my day by meeting Gurumayi and receiving her blessings in the form of this darshan.
 
Thank you, Gurumayi.

Gandhinagar, India

Wow! It's great to see how Ganesh is being honored at Shree Muktananda Ashram. All the photographs are breathtaking!
 
Thanks for giving us all your darshan in this form, Gurumayi. And I want to give special thanks to the photographer sevites for such amazing pictures.  

Noida, India

It has been many years since I visited Shree Muktananda Ashram, and it is wonderful to be able to have the experience of visiting there through this website and to realize that these photos are available around the world.
 
Thank you for the darshan of Ganesh and the beauty of his surroundings. Thank you so very much for creating such a delightful respite for us all!

Georgia, USA

When I view these images, I pause and take a receptive posture so that I will receive them as a gift to all of us. As I see one exquisite image after another, I remember that the Guru's shakti is in each part of the Ashram—including these flowers and animals. I feel the blessings in these images. Viewing them centers me and brings me to my heart.
 
When I finish looking at the images, I always feel that the universe is perfect and filled with God. And I take this feeling with me as I start my day, and as I settle in for the night.
 
Thank you for sharing these images of nature surrounding Shree Muktananda Ashram.

Vienna, Austria

This morning, walking down the street, I stopped to watch a flower more closely. Raindrops were beautifully arranged on the ruby-colored petal. Ah! How magnificent! I perceived every drop clearly. The drops looked perfectly round, and the petal seemed to be made of shining silk.
 
I love to take time to watch the photos on the Nature Gallery. It inspires me to take a second look at my surroundings, and at nature just outside the door. I feel blessed that I took time to let the picture of the flower enter my eyes and then touch my heart.
 
A heartfelt thank you to the photographers who bless us with divine views!

Katzenbach, Germany

So incredibly beautiful! The Nature Gallery is a glimpse of paradise and a reminder that I can always choose to see the world in this way.

Thank you, Gurumayi. Thank you to the sevites who make this possible for us.

Toronto, Canada

The half-moon photos with flowers or colors in the foreground take my breath away. They are amazing, and they evoke bliss.

Indiana, USA

Thank you for these photos that carry the divine vibration of the Ashram. Each one makes me feel that I am there and at the same time here and now. What a gift for my sadhana! I can easily experience the shakti from the Ashram. Nothing is more precious than that in my life.
 
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your generosity and ongoing presence that is so available all day long.

Ontario, Canada

As I watched the beautiful slide show, it led me to pause, and I marveled at how perfect nature is. As my breath slowed down, my mind slowed down. I was able to appreciate the light, the beautiful red leaf, the depth of color, and a drop of water.
 
I see the beauty of nature differently. And I ask Lord Ganesh to help me to pause more often, to slow down and appreciate God's gifts all around us.
 
Thank you, Gurumayi. You have shown me how to see your light in the natural world surrounding me.

Nairobi, Kenya

As I look at the September Nature Gallery, I am reminded of Bade Baba’s teaching: “Be calm. I am everywhere.”

Pune, India

What strikes me the most as I look at these beautiful pictures is that all these amazing flowers, in their vibrant colors and forms, blossom in silence. I understand that this divine process of growth happens in my sadhana, too. When I think that nothing is happening in my meditation, truly, a lot is going on inside. Blossoming is taking place in the flawless quietude of my heart.

Thank you, Gurumayi, for giving me faith and new understanding.

Milan, Italy

The photographs of the exquisite beauty of Shree Muktananda Ashram truly bring me there—even more so since they are showing detail that I would not normally see.

Thank you to the photography sevites!

Colorado, USA

Like the Siddha Yogi from Birmingham, I also open the Nature Gallery with the hope that I might find Gurumayi's photo in it and have her darshan. But after reading his share, I got a new perspective for viewing the gallery.

Really, God is great. And our beloved Guru is great and in all the living forms in “A Temple without Form.”

Gandhinagar, India

The Nature Gallery was so full of brilliant colors, ranging from white to all the colors of the rainbow. It made me feel as if I was floating in the wind with the beautiful flowers. And there was this immense joy, which made my heart so big, I felt I could swallow all these colors and blend them to create the experience of Om Namah Shivaya all around me!

Pune, India

New York, USA

Birmingham, United Kingdom