Living with Certainty
by Alicia Katrina
Saturday, July 11, 2020
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Hello. My name is Alicia Katrina, and I live in Melbourne, Australia, with my mum, Lilavati.
In 2018, when I was sixteen years old, I traveled with my mother from our home in Melbourne to offer seva in Shree Muktananda Ashram. The seva I was offering was in the Music Department as a vocalist.
On the day before Gurumayi’s Birthday, Gurumayi was walking on the grounds of the Ashram. I was with a friend when we both saw Gurumayi. My friend immediately ran over to greet her.
I waved to Gurumayi and then hesitated for a moment before I joined my friend to say hello. When I reached Gurumayi, she told me that I needed to “be bold” like my friend.
Later that day I attended a satsang with Gurumayi. At one point Gurumayi noticed I was not sitting with the musicians. She asked me why. I said I was not sure where I was meant to be.
On hearing this, Gurumayi told me to “be certain”—which, for me, meant to “be bold”, as I did know where I was meant to be.
I stood up and went over to join the musicians. And Gurumayi laughed joyfully.
I have taken Gurumayi’s direction to “be bold” as a way to be certain in myself and in my actions. The word bold—and the sense of being bold—is something I have taken with me from that moment at age sixteen to now. I recently turned eighteen and will be graduating from school at the end of this year in November. During these strange times, and as I move from high school into adulthood, I remember Gurumayi’s words to me: “be bold.”
Gurumayi’s words remind me to act and be in ways that express my individuality and strength. This has made dealing with change a lot easier to cope with, as I know that if I continue to “be bold,” I am truly connecting with myself. This gives me great emotional strength.
Thank you so much, Gurumayi, for this pearl of a teaching, which supports me every day.
In the words of one of my favorite songs:
(She sings:)
What can you say, what can you say,
but blessed, blessed am I.
Om Guru, O my Guru, O my Gurumayi…
Om Guru, O my Guru, O my Gurumayi…
Thank You.
