September 1, 2020
Dear readers,
We are embarking on what I see as a time of beginnings and endings, a time of heightened change. In the Southern Hemisphere, winter is turning to spring and the season of warmth; in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is becoming autumn and leading to a season of cold and quiet. So, whether we live north or south of the equator, September is a time when the natural world is noticeably transforming itself.
For me, this change of seasons is an apt metaphor for sadhana, for the spiritual path on which we transform ourselves through the steadfast practice that opens us to our inner being. Recently, I wrote a poem about this phenomenon:
This tiny island
has a barrier reef
but the tide
is rising
fast.
Let this spot turn back
to sand
and melt into
the ocean’s
graceful waves.
Through sadhana, Siddha Yogis experience that our egoic identities soften and melt, and we begin to merge into the divine reality that is larger than our minds—into the greater Self. This merging leads to a lasting transformation.
Over the years, inner transformation has been one of the prominent themes of Gurumayi’s teachings. From the beginning of my spiritual journey, I’ve seen that Siddha Yoga meditation is more than sitting quietly—it is about a thorough and beneficent renovation of our lives that enables us to perceive and experience ourselves and our world in a more brilliant light.
I am struck by the ongoing nature of this deep inner metamorphosis as I continue to study and implement Gurumayi’s teachings in my life. September, this time when nature is changing in so many ways, offers us inspiration to take stock and reflect on how we have transformed and to chart our course for the rest of the year.
Just think about what’s been happening so far this year. For many, many people, the current pandemic has introduced a great deal of change and created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. In this time, I’m exploring how to deepen my equanimity—to exchange anxiety for a more continual awareness of the greater Self throughout my day. I greatly appreciate Gurumayi’s reminders to us in the “Blessings to Treasure” videos to drop our negativity, to breathe deeply, and to give generously and from our hearts in this time of trouble. I imagine that many of you are also experiencing gratitude for these practical and compelling teachings that have come at the end of the “Be in the Temple” satsangs, which are live video streams by the SYDA Foundation from the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple in Shree Muktananda Ashram. Each of these satsangs is a great gift from Gurumayi that supports us in remaining focused on the spiritual path and in refining what we have learned so that we, too, can shine light into the world.
When issues come up in life, as they always do, the first thing that helps me regain my equilibrium is noticing that I no longer have it. Often, I notice that I’m breathing in a constricted way and that my posture is no longer open and expansive. Just returning my awareness to my posture and breath is an initial step to regaining my sense of calm—to turning my attention back toward the ongoing peace of the Self that resides beneath the waves of the mind. This is one of the ways I am practicing Gurumayi’s Message for 2020:
Ātmā kī Prashānti
Peacefulness of the Self
In order to practice this Message, I need first to be aware of my state.
In this month of transformation, we have a joyful teaching and learning event to explore.
Meditation Sessions 2020 via Audio Stream
September brings us Session VIII of Meditation Sessions 2020 via Audio Stream, which Gurumayi has titled “Ocean of Joy, Ocean of Peace: Sukha-Sāgar, Shānti-Sāgar.” What promise it holds! An ocean of joy, an ocean of peace! It seems an ideal topic to conclude this year’s Meditation Sessions. Meditation Session VIII will be available beginning Saturday, September 19.
Please note that if you have not yet participated in the Meditation Sessions this year, you can still register for the entire series and have access to all eight sessions for eighteen months after registering.
Pitru Paksha—September 2 to 16
Pitru Paksha is a fifteen-day period that is set aside in India to honor the ancestors with holy rites and offerings of food. It begins around the time of the first full moon after Ganesh Chaturthi. During Pitru Paksha we can express our gratitude for all that we have inherited from our forebears. This is also an auspicious time for us to express gratitude to others who have passed on and have had a beneficial impact on our lives: teachers, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and the many other people whom we honor in our hearts and minds.
During Pitru Paksha, which falls this year from September 2 to 16, I plan to express my appreciation by dedicating my chanting of Shri Guru Gita to my mother. As I was growing up, Mom nurtured me in so many ways, helping me to grow not just physically but also intellectually and creatively. Perhaps you, too, may feel inspired to express your gratitude to your forebears by dedicating to them the fruits of your spiritual practice, whether it be meditation, svadhyaya, namasankirtana, dakshina, or offering seva. In this way you can send them your heartfelt blessings. After observing Pitru Paksha in earlier years, I became inspired to begin my meditation session each morning by connecting with my heart and sending love and blessings to the people in my life. It’s like giving them a present—a subtle present. In my experience, such intentions have a sweet power to touch both the one who holds them and the one for whom they are intended.
Recently, I’ve been focusing on how daily life offers so many ways to rediscover the Self within my own being. For instance, each afternoon my wife and I take a long walk along a quiet road near our home. Sometimes we talk; sometimes we simply stride along energetically. The pace is often fast enough to increase my breathing rate, which in turn reduces how much I can converse. When this happens, my attention turns more consciously toward my breath. As if I were in meditation, I find myself naturally repeating the mantra Hamsa as I breathe in this deeper way—ham on the in-breath, and sa on the out-breath. My mind becomes quiet, and I begin looking up at the sky more frequently, feeling an inner and outer sense of expansion as I experience that the space inside my own being is like the vast blueness I see in the sky. Even as I remember this experience, I feel my breathing deepen and my awareness expand into that calm inner space….
So, I encourage you during this month of transformation to find ways to explore your own unique means of experiencing the spaciousness of your Self. Often, these doorways to the Self are simple, and your delight in them will deepen and sustain your sadhana—and your life in general.
Warm regards,
Paul Hawkwood
Reading this articulate and gentle letter, I feel heartened—as though I’d just had a sweet
satsang with a dear friend. I could relate to the experiences Paul shared and the attempts he made to incorporate the experience of the Self in daily life.
New Mexico, United States
When I read in the September letter about Pitru Paksha, I was naturally drawn to reciting
Shri Guru Gita every evening from September 2 to 16 in honor of all the people in my family whom I have lost. No matter what time I ended my day, I ensured that I silently recited
Shri Guru Gita and offered it to my father-in-law and aunt, whom I lost more recently, and my grandparents, whom I lost many years ago. Never before have I felt such a strong urge to offer practices to all the souls who have departed from my life. This selfless act makes for a peaceful and auspicious end to my day, leaving me with a feeling of sweet peace.
I am so thankful to this path of love that inspired me to make this offering.
Mumbai, India
I am grateful for the writer’s description of actions and recognitions that have been part of his path of discovery in 2020. I'm reminded once again that great transformation exists in incremental change, with the great existing in the small.
I grew up in an atmosphere focused on achievement rather than what I now term ”the good, messy bits.” As I read this letter, my body relaxed, my breath opened. I became aware of the myriad ways in which I've been embracing this time of self-isolation and Self-celebration. Song fills my day—
gayatri mantras, practice sessions, reciting
Shri Guru Gita, exploring body and voice. I feel in conversation with Shri Guru, with nature—greeting God in the morning, greeting nature on a
japa walk. I feel enveloped in Gurumayi's boundless love.
This letter reminds me to shift from" What haven't I done?" and to focus instead on the primary experience of the heart.
New York, United States
These monthly letters are always so inspiring. I too have realized that the purpose of my practices and study is fortified only when I apply the essence of my understanding to my day-to-day life. The regular practice of meditation has gradually cultivated in me a state of constant remembrance of the presence of divinity within me, which in turn is helping me to recognize, and choose to do, the right thing in a given situation. The change that happens thereafter—both the inner transformation in my being and its reflections in my surroundings—that is
sadhana!
As this letter reminds me, everyday life is full of opportunities to implement the Guru's teachings. So every day can be “A Time for Transformation.”
Bhubaneswar, India
Yesterday, I drove to the top of the majestic Sandia Mountain that stands so powerfully above Albuquerque and the East Mountains where I had placed my mother's ashes many years ago. I brought flowers, offered prayers, and spoke from my heart to my Mom and Dad. While driving back down the mountain, two stately deer were standing in the middle of the mountain road, looking right at me. Right then, I knew that this beautiful sign was showing me that my parents are just fine!
I am grateful for this month’s letter, reminding me that Pitru Paksha has arrived. I will offer love, prayers, beautiful actions, and
seva in honor of all my relatives. And I will thank Gurumayi, Baba, and Bade Baba for all that they have done and still do for me every moment of my life.
New Mexico, United States
I’m inspired by Paul’s beautiful letter. It describes so well the challenges we face in
sadhana and the ways that he practices maintaining equanimity. His words helped me recognize that I am not alone when I experience distress. I appreciated that we are all in this together and that each of us can face these challenges with the grace of the Guru, self-effort, and creativity.
I am grateful that Gurumayi, Baba, and Bade Baba have been with me through thick and thin. They are my guiding light, guiding me to the light within.
Maryland, United States
I am grateful for this beautiful letter, it is so clear and inviting. I am moved deeply by Paul’s poem. What a divine introduction to entering this month and experiencing Gurumayi's ocean of peace.
Montreal, Canada
This letter gave me a way to further dedicate my practices to my parents and dear departed ones during Pitru Paksha. Though we in India have always treated this period as especially sacred, it is wonderful to learn new ways to send my love and blessings to my dear ones during this time.
Cuttack, India
Paul’s letter has shown me ways in which I can further turn my awareness inward during my day-to-day activities. Yes, for me September is indeed a month for introspection and counting my blessings.
Pitru Paksha has always been special for me, as I used to witness my family offering special prayers for our ancestors and offering food and clothing to the less fortunate. It was a family celebration. Since then, I have been silently expressing gratitude to my parents, who have passed on. Each year my gratitude list is getting longer and longer.
Nairobi, Kenya
I really enjoyed this letter and its invitation to reflect on the transformation wrought this year by the unusual circumstances of our lives—and I look forward to the gems that doing this will reveal to me.
I also really loved what the author shared about the ways he is practicing Gurumayi’s Message. It so resonated with me—using posture and breath as a foundation to come back to “Peacefulness of the Self,” as well as spending time in nature to expand my awareness and connect with the glorious qualities of the Self, as expressed in the boundless sky, the ever-changing clouds, the shimmering trees. Because I know how much doing both of these really anchor and support me, I appreciated how this letter encouraged and inspired me to continue in these practices.
Sydney, Australia
Ahhh, this month’s letter carries Gurumayi’s Message within it—“Peacefulness of the Self.” I feel encouraged by the reminder that the doorways to the Self are often simple.
I’m taking a moment now to pause my thoughts and listen to the gentle sound of rain falling—a much-needed blessing.
Connecticut, United States
I feel soothed by this letter. And yet, when I think of September as a time of transformation, I feel alert, awake.
I especially resonated with Paul’s experience of paying attention to telltale signals from his breath and his posture. These are my bridges to equilibrium too. Somehow, this brought back September memories from my childhood of going back to school, a time when any calmness I had was replaced by both excitement and trepidation.
As I focused on my breathing and posture in meditation today, I felt I’d reached the place inside where I could simply be present. I saw that it was possible for me to be neither excited nor fearful in the face of, say, a busy schedule. Instead, I could accept and relish my awareness of myself in the present moment. This was a welcome transformation for me, and I’m grateful for receiving the perspective of this letter to inspire my practice throughout this month.
Ohio, United States
Last month, after reading the August letter and contemplating the theme of true freedom, I decided to commit to a greater diligence in the practice of
japa as a means of deepening my experience of freedom. As a result, the mantra has become a precious companion. I have constantly experienced the way it dissolves limiting thoughts and emotions by leading me back to the strength and serenity of my own Self.
This month, the September letter inspires me to observe Pitru Paksha. I intend to offer
puja and the fruits of my practices to my ancestors and the people who are no longer on earth who have helped me in my life. I feel so blessed to know about this sacred time and to have the means to send my love and gratitude to my ancestors.
Hampton, Australia