This magnificent gallery of artistic creations from Siddha Yogis all around the world, inspired by Gurumayi’s Message for 2016, expands my awareness of the many ways Gurumayi’s teachings continually inspire us to bring forth something new—and beautiful—in our own lives. I am deeply grateful to have been brought to a path, and to a Guru, whose spiritual power and wisdom are always inspiring me!
Illinois, USA
The image of the tortoise reminded me that everything happens in God’s time. Ten years ago, a professional opportunity I really wanted did not come through. I was disappointed, but it turned out to be for the best because another opportunity became available that enabled me to address some important matters at home, too.
This summer, an entire decade later, the first opportunity resurfaced and I was able to take part in it. It couldn’t have been more perfect. It was successful and certainly worth the wait!
This experience reinforced my trust that everything happens for a reason and reminded me not to give up on hopes and dreams.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your loving support and inspiration.
California, USA
When I looked at the photograph of the stairs going up through the forest, I heard the words, "Just keep going." I realized that in times when the course of my life feels steep and overwhelming, "Just keep going" is the mindset that keeps me moving forward,
Om Namah Shivaya is my companion, and Gurumayi is my inspiration.
West Vancouver, Canada
As I looked at these photos, I began to see a direction and flow in them, and I experienced a vast in-flow of grace. The images seemed to move—the tops of flowers and grasses swaying slightly, the sun slowly setting. My mind became still, and my breath became deeper and easier, filling me with a nectarean freshness. I felt completely renewed.
Nevada, USA
The image of the rock poised on other rocks with the ocean flowing brought to mind the qualities of one-pointedness, balance, and stability. Having recently resettled in a new geographical area and culture, these are the qualities I need in my life right now and an answer to my prayers for clarity and direction.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for focusing me on the ever-present qualities of the Self within me.
Connecticut, USA
I am enjoying looking at the dark grey photo of the rings of water. I think that the patterns are probably made by raindrops, yet the picture looks as though there are solid rings of soft metal laying on the surface.
This image stirs a desire to listen inside, to pay attention to the subtle, nearly imperceptible murmurings of the heart, the place where movement is initiated. Such murmurs can be so subtle that I can miss them completely. And that almost happened to me today, as I was on my morning walk and my thoughts were heavy.
At one point, I caught hold of a moment of joy. I might easily have ignored it, for it was quite slender. Yet, by taking hold of it, the feeling became more solid, like soft metal, and it expanded in my heart, like radiating circles of water.
California, USA
I’m fascinated by the top right circle; it resembles a labyrinth—a tool, or a pathway to support a spiritual quest. This liquid labyrinth was probably formed for only a brief moment in time. I like to think that its appearance is a symbol of divine possibility, an invitation to journey inside.
California, USA
While I was looking at this beautiful series of photographs, I had feelings of purity, freedom and perfection. All these waves—imprinted in metal, water, air, shapes, colors and light—come from the movement, the breath, of the universe; the very same breath that activates my being.
All these waves invite me to savor my inner waves—through chanting and meditation—to move toward experiencing waves of bliss.
Thank you for this wonderful source of inspiration.
Rodez, France
The image of fire in this gallery is the very same image that I saw inside myself during the meditation in Session I: The Sound that Carries the Mind to the Madhya. This fire column guided me to my inner Self.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your kind and loving teaching.
Cuernavaca, Mexico
I just love the panoramas where the sea meets the sky at the horizon. My mind is easily uplifted and floats in the feeling of oneness with all things. My breath becomes soft, my heart calms, and the natural rhythms of life envelop me; a deep feeling that all is well pervades my spirit.
Modiin, Israel
There's something so joyous and exuberant in the energy generated by these images relating to the word
move. They make me want to get up from in front of my computer screen and dance! Each image is in itself delightful, and the cumulative effect on me of viewing all of them is just exquisite. To see these stunning photos of birds—whether in flight or sinking into a sandy beach—juxtaposed with the image of a snail, and then to shift to a train climbing out of a lush valley has an esthetic appeal, and an energetic impact, that make me smile all over!
Illinois, USA
What a splendid abundance of images expressing movement in so many different forms and settings: from sky to forest, meadow to mountains, and from the lumbering movement of the bear on the earth to the light-as-air flight of the delicate, dandelion-like seed! This range of beautiful scenes reminds me that truly,
all of nature is in motion—so why not me too? Without judging the quality or rapidity of my own forward movement in
sadhana, I can find joy in being aligned with all moving beings in nature, and I can trust that with Guru's grace, my movement will ultimately bring me to the supreme goal.
Oregon, USA
Seeing the photos of the birds in graceful flight is both exhilarating and inspiring to me. As I imagine them soaring higher and higher, farther and farther on their outstretched wings, they remind me of the Guru's teaching that the bird that will carry me to the bliss of Self-realization has two wings: one representing Guru's grace and the other representing self-effort. Similarly, I realize that it will be the invaluable combination of my self-effort and the grace that accompanies Gurumayi's Message for 2016 that will guide me to an ever deeper understanding of its meaning, and to the insights I need to implement it fully in my life.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for inviting us all to offer our creativity, through this gallery, as yet another way to help us understand, and implement, your teachings.
a Siddha Yoga from Connecticut, USA
I find that the photo of so much greenery reflected in the flowing water is perfectly suited to the February focus on the word
move from Gurumayi's Message. Imagining the tall trees casting their reflections on the water's surface and seeing the beautiful patterns of light and color in the water—in places, even reminiscent of peacock feathers—illustrate for me how glorious it can be to release past rigidity by flowing gracefully into present movement.
I am very grateful for the visual eloquence of the photos in this gallery. They are teaching me a lot!
Illinois, USA
The image of the sun shining above the bank of clouds reminds me of how the clouds are always moving—at times obscuring the sun from sight, and at other times, parting and allowing the sun's brilliant light to be easily perceived.
As I reflected on this picture, I contemplated how in
sadhana, the
shakti is always moving within and without. At times, I can very clearly and easily perceive its movement, and experience the palpable feelings of love and joy which brilliantly shine within and around me. Yet at other times, that love and joy seem obscured, beyond my grasp, clouded by memories, thoughts, and feelings.
This image reminds me that, regardless of the constantly moving clouds, the sun is always present as a shining "anchor" in the sky. In the same way, although there is a constant movement of thoughts and feelings within me and a constant play of activity around me, I know that I can always access the Guru's grace and love, for these are always anchored within.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
The photo of the "elderly" dandelion releasing its seed-carrying white hairs evoked for me several aspects of Gurumayi's Message for 2016. First, I remembered that this soft, snow-white ball of fuzz had once been a circle of bright yellow petals—and that reminded me of how all of nature is constantly in the process of
becoming. The next thing I noticed was how the sturdy stem
anchors the entire flower, regardless of the power of the surrounding winds. And seeing how the dandelion seemed to be offering itself fully to those winds made me think of how I too need to offer myself, fully and unhesitatingly, to all the benevolent forces in my
sadhana that will help me to release everything that holds me back from the ultimate goal—so that I can truly move forward in, and toward, profound joy.
Connecticut, USA
I was inspired by the photo of the Guru's flag billowing against the bright blue sky. In this photo, the wind, the sun, and the flag create, for me, a beautiful image of a fleeting moment in time. It reminds me that I can experience the interplay of light and movement as always happening in my heart.
NewYork, USA
The image of the Guru's flag, moving in the crisp winter breeze, fills me with joy. I sense Gurumayi’s presence in Shree Muktananda Ashram, in every beautiful image on the Siddha Yoga path website, in the Universal Hall, and also in my heart.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for all the treasures your Message reveals!
Michigan, USA
This morning, I viewed these beautiful pictures. Later in the day, at the end of my personal hatha yoga practice, I stood in
tadasana, the mountain posture. Immediately, the image of the swan came to my awareness. As I focused on it, my breath slowed down and deepened, my spine lengthened, and my chest opened. I repeated the words of Gurumayi’s Message several times. I then felt myself becoming very grounded and was aware of the gentle, healing movement of the Kundalini Shakti within my being. I felt as though I had become the swan.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for this amazing experience of your Message.
Nairobi, Kenya
Listen, listen to the swan:
Move, move with the in-breath,
Move, move with the out-breath,
Do not be dismayed.
Enter the gap between the breaths
And rest.
Do not be dislodged,
Let the breaths swirl through you,
Be steady, fully anchored in the gap,
And then let joy descend.
California, USA
As I contemplated how these images could be viewed as reflections of Gurumayi's Message in nature, I perceived in them an interplay between the qualities of stillness and motion—just as the word
anchored in Gurumayi's Message evokes stability in the midst of flowing energy. Similarly, the immobile figure of the glass swan, the stones beneath the rushing water, and the logs within the roaring flames embody the quality of stillness within the broader context of dynamic energy.
And I sensed an encouraging theme of mutability and transformation in these photos. I saw that most clearly in the water's energetic motion and in the constantly shifting shapes of the flames, but also in the soft contours of the pinks, blues, and purples in the first two photos. For me, all this evokes the transformation that awaits me when I dedicate myself to implementing the wisdom of Gurumayi’s Message in my life.
I am deeply grateful to have already received so many ways to explore the depths within this sacred Message!
Illinois, USA
As I viewed these images, I was immediately drawn inward to a place of familiarity. The pictures—especially the one of the spiraling waters moving toward the vortex—remind me of turning inward in meditation. The pictures all evoke in me feelings of calm and serenity, as when the thoughts of the mind become stilled. That's when I experience a pristine clarity of awareness within—an awareness that is silent, alert, active with
shakti, and suffused with inner joy.
What a delightful interplay of nature and our inner landscape!
New Jersey, USA
The beauty, mystery, and movement that I found in this gallery inspired me to focus on the ways that nature affects my state as I took my evening walk. By the end of the walk, my mind had relaxed, my breathing had deepened, and I was more able to connect with the details of nature around me: the golden sun shining as it set on the local reservoir, the gentle ripples of water meeting silvery patches of ice, the intricate patterns of dark tree branches dotted with new snow, the quiet that enveloped me at twilight. Even the sounds of distant traffic didn’t disturb my appreciation of the majesty of nature.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for guiding me to joy through the beauty and power of nature.
Massachusetts, USA
As I was looking at the beautiful image of the swan, and the other images in this gallery, my attention turned to the movement of the inhalation and exhalation of my breath. Focusing on this natural
So'ham mantra, I became aware of my inner energy as a life force, as a manifestation of the five elements of nature: fire, water, ether, air, and earth.
With this experience, the sense of separation between what is within myself and what is without vanished. I felt that I had become one with nature and experienced great joy and freedom.
Thank you, Gurumayi!
Hyderabad, India