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I joined the Gurupurnima chant of Om Gurudev from my bed after I’d injured myself in a fall. As I was chanting, my husband came running in, exclaiming, "Deer! Deer!" He helped me to a window where I saw two fawns grazing. Their mothers were nowhere to be seen. When the fawns had visited before, they had clung to the does. Now they were munching grass independently and peacefully, with total absorption. One was only a couple of feet away from me; through the window I saw its breathing rise and fall and every detail of the patterns on its back.
 
When deer visit us, I always feel they are messengers from Gurumayi. On this day these fawns brought me a message of safety and protection. I realized that, like them, I am protected. The Guru protects me no matter what accidents or injuries may befall me. I am safe and I will heal.
 

What a month this Gurupurnima month has been—and it's not yet over! I’ve been relishing the moonlight that shimmers in my heart and leads me forward. This morning it took the form of blossoming understanding and new depths of gratitude.
 
I saw that the letters in the word G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E correspond to these qualities: generous, resilient, abundant, trusting, inspiring, tolerant, unifying, devoted, and ever-present. For me, these are like new petals of understanding unfurling, as gratitude reveals itself as both the underlying foundation of my sadhana and its sweetest fruit—so natural, yet so easily missed or overlooked.  
 
I offer my gratitude forever to the Guru, who brings this potent force into the foreground of my awareness, allowing its light to expand and permeate every moment with its life-affirming grace. Beautiful Gurupurnima—celebrating the shimmering magic that brings us again and again to the Truth, to love, to joy...and yes, to gratitude!
 

After participating in the Gurupurnima Satsang, I phoned a friend who was having trouble figuring out the format of this satsang. In the past, we have participated in two-day Siddha Yoga retreats together. By the end of the conversation he understood that for this satsang, we had some freedom in choosing the elements we wanted to experience. He became inspired to hold a saptah of his own; he ended up chanting during much of the day, and then keeping the night vigil by chanting well into the night.
 
By connecting in this way, we rekindled our love for coming together to engage in the Siddha Yoga practices for a sustained period. It felt just as if we had spent the weekend at the Ashram. We inspire each other to “go for it.” I can’t think of anything in the universe I would rather be doing! 
 

It was such a delight, such a gift, such a blessing to be able to chant Om Gurudev with our beloved Gurumayi on this special full-moon night in celebration of Gurupurnima. Little did I imagine that this chant and satsang would be "the cherry on the cake" for me after I’d spent a couple of days on intense housecleaning.
 
Lo and behold, I had swept my heart clean and opened space for letting the light shine through! My humble abode had been transformed into a sanctuary, scintillating under sweet, soft candlelight. In the room where I abandoned myself to the chant, I felt that I had received the Guru’s darshan, and experienced the joy of being once again in the company of our beloved Gurumayi.
 

My heart danced with joy as I watched this exquisite video of the moon rising on Gurupurnima. What an auspicious occasion this has been for us to celebrate our Guru! I’ve had such a reverent time during July, as I engaged with the postings on the Siddha Yoga path website for this beautiful Gurupurnima celebration honoring our Guru. The moon video just added to all I’ve received from my Guru.
 

Because I’ve been so blessed in the past by celebrating Gurupurnima in many amazing ways, I like to plan this day in a way that gives continuity to this awesome tradition—by celebrating it in the best possible way. When I saw the satsang invitation on the Siddha Yoga path website, I took it as a gift to be enjoyed in a special way. So I arranged to take two days for myself, and set off to a remote hotel on a high mountain peak!
 
Full of excitement, I sat outside when the moon appeared, stunning in her deep pink attire. I dived into the satsang through my headphones—one precious moment after another, while the moon of the Guru, the sovereign “patrona” of unending floods of grace, was slowly rising, spreading rays of love and beauty by lighting up the whole of the firmament and the majestic mountains.
 

I am so grateful for this exquisite Gurupurnima Celebration Satsang The Power of Gratitude. I so appreciated being able to participate on the morning of Gurupurnima here in Australia. I have participated three times so far, and each time I feel just as the satsang invitation expressed it: “the satsang is like a true bhandara—a feast—that nourishes the heart, mind, and soul.” 
 
For almost two full days now, through engaging with the satsang elements on the Siddha Yoga path website, I have been bathing in the Guru's love, light, and grace. I am experiencing such peace and love as the light within me is expanding. 
 
I am awash with gratitude for the Guru’s grace, which, as David Katz says in his talk “The Generosity of the Guru's Grace” “is unparalleled.”
 

Ecstasy was my experience as I celebrated Gurupurnima with the Celebration Satsang on the Siddha Yoga path website. Each element of the satsang led me deeper inside my Self. Love opened my heart and chanting Om Gurudev with Gurumayi was like dancing on a cloud. As I continue to dive into these Gurupurnima postings, my heart is filled with thanks to our beloved Gurumayi. She has made living on this earth divine for me.
 

As I drove home from a small gathering that some Siddha Yogis and I had to participate in this Gurupurnima Celebration Satsang, I was accompanied by the light of the most extraordinary, huge, orange Gurupurnima moon. It followed me brightly through every twist and turn as I traveled the country roads. It was a powerful reminder that my Guru is always with me, always shining her light upon me. I was filled with gratitude.
 

I wanted to make this a special day, and it was! I incorporated the various satsang elements into my day, culminating in a dakshina offering. As I stood quietly in the garden afterwards, I could feel Gurumayi's presence with me, and I could also sense her presence in the beautiful light-filled sky, the breeze, and everything around me.
 
Experiencing this, at the culmination of my special Gurupurnima day of worship, celebration, and offering, my heart is filled with love.

This month I created my own dakshina card, with a painting of the full moon, and placed it, with my check, at Gurumayi's photo on the table where I look out the window at the beauty of the day. In this way, each day I remembered to offer gratitude to my Guru. And each evening I remembered to gaze at the waxing moon.
 
This morning, I hiked in the nearby mountains, marveling at the vistas of mountaintops and wildflowers visible from the peaks. Then this afternoon, after flowing in Tai Chi to ground myself as I chanted Om Gurudev, today's namasankirtana, I settled in for the Celebration Satsang. 
 
I placed photos of Bade Baba and Baba next to Gurumayi’s, prepared the puja tray, and seated myself on my meditation asana. For the next two hours I chanted and meditated with the satsang, entering a deep state of silence and gratitude for all the Guru has given and continues to give in transforming my life and the lives of so many around the world. 

Throughout the satsang, I felt the power of the chanting and meditation as grace itself. What exuberance in the satsang! Chanting Om Gurudev with Gurumayi gave me glimpses of the power of the Guru's presence in my life. The dharana “Renewed by the Guru’s Light” made me fascinated with light. My whole being was witnessing my Guru gazing intently at me when I heard this line in the dharana: "The Guru is watching over you. Light."
 
After my participation in this Celebration Satsang, my yearning to become free and to be one with my Guru are enhancing my inner world of silence. I'm totally absorbed in the whisper of my heart, which tells me "I am free. I am content."  
 
I want to keep conveying my gratitude to my beloved Guru, Gurumayi ji.

Gratitude
 
Gratitude for what I have. 
Gratitude for what I experience. 
Gratitude for all the blessings from my Guru. 
Gratitude for the light she shows me. 
Gratitude for her love to all of us. 
 
You open my heart.
You open my mind.
You are the moon and the sun in my heart.
You are the light in my heart, sitting with patience,
         always there. 
You are outside, protecting me, smiling with me,
         always there. 
 
Gratitude. That’s what I feel, more and more. 
And today—even more. 

On this auspicious day of Gurupurnima I woke up early and enthusiastically embraced the special satsang being offered on the Siddha Yoga path website. My being was ready, with an open heart, to absorb each word.
 
As I chanted Shri Guru Paduka Panchakam, I visualized myself at the feet of my beloved Gurumayi offering flowers and kumkum and bowing my head at her feet. This was followed by the magical chanting of Om Gurudev with Gurumayi. Love poured out for my Guru as I melted and surrendered in gratitude. Then the dharana guided me to that peaceful place deep within where the divine light shimmered as my breath softly caressed me with each inhalation and exhalation. I was in bliss !
 
I offer pranam and my heartfelt gratitude to Gurumayi for this special gift on Gurupurnima.
 

This year I have prepared for Gurupurnima in a way I never did before. I have given priority and focus to the practices of offering dakshina and reciting Shri Guru Gita over the last several weeks.
 
My awareness of how the Guru has transformed my life has increased. Every morning I offer dakshina at my puja, and every morning I find another aspect of my life that has been transformed by the Guru, which fills my heart with immense gratitude. I have so much more peace, love, understanding, courage, and faith in my life. The challenges (the “big waves”) are there; however, I know how to ride them with more equipoise and wisdom.
 
I thank Gurumayi from the bottom of my heart for guiding me, protecting me, and transforming me through so many years. I cannot fathom what life would have been like without the knowledge and wisdom I have received from her.

Shubh Gurupurnima to everyone, everywhere!  
 
It took me a moment to understand how the Celebration Satsang has been structured. Then it made me smile: there's always something creative, new, different, fresh on the Siddha Yoga path website. It keeps everything alive and keeps me on my toes.
 
We have so much to dive into—all these powerful elements, each like a jewel available for us to discover and imbibe so that the best can shine forth. I am so grateful to Gurumayi for her divine wisdom and grace.

What a surprise—and what a wonderful way to offer this Celebration Satsang in Honor of Gurupurnima!
 
I found the “Gratitude” webpage today as I was exploring the Siddha Yoga path website and went straight to Gurumayi chanting Om Gurudev. I immediately felt Gurumayi's love and grace flooding out over me. Her presence was so immediate, so strong that my heart was filled with joy and delight. A beautiful circle of love arose between the two of us—a most intimate satsang. 
 
Now that I understand that this is just one element of the whole satsang, I am putting aside time tomorrow to fully participate in all the elements. My heart is filled with bliss and gratitude.
 

Yesterday when I read the invitation to the Celebration Satsang, my whole body was bathing in waves of gratitude and love. My heart expanded to a new dimension of immense love, humility, and deep, deep gratitude.

Shri Guru Paduka Panchakam has been present at the beginning of my day for over forty years. My mother used to have Shri Guru Gita playing on a loop in her car, and we recited it with our chanting books on the weekend at the local Siddha Yoga meditation center. 
 
Whenever I feel uprooted, uneasy, in a hurry, nervous, or just looking to connect to my devotion, this is my “go-to.” I have it memorized and sing it in my car on the way to work.
 
I am grateful for the way that singing Shri Guru Paduka Panchakam along with Gurumayi is opening up my celebration of Gurupurnima this year.