Astronomical Gratitude

Reading this poem, I found myself smiling as my mother's presence became palpable with each stanza. Each repeat of the refrain "What is she called…" unfolded like petals of a delicate flower, revealing another beautiful quality of a mother's love. I read all the ways my mother's love carried me through times of joy and sadness. This love molded me, sending me into the world to seek out my purpose, leading me to Gurumayi, the Divine Mother, who reminds me daily to live as “a warrior whose middle name is dharma.”
 

As I read this magnificent love letter, I understood that Gurumayi is imparting to me the essence of motherhood from the point of view of both Divine Mother and Divine Child, and of benevolent Guru and loving and struggling disciple. Every word held relevance for me and affirmed that I am not alone. I am being prepared for my love to flow to those whom I am meant to guide; I have the perfect role model.
 

Every essence of a mother's love is captured here, all the ups and down, all the scrapes and bruises of life, all the love and cherishing a mother gives to her child. It is such a privilege to be a mother, to experience this love, and to witness your child developing into a being who goes out into this world to share her true heart with others.
 
The moment I read this sentence I understood the enormity of giving birth:
"That booming voice reminds you / that she made you / to alleviate the sufferings of others / by instilling in them / a profound aspiration to rise / up and press on…"
 
I offer my deepest gratitude to Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
 

Each year I have read Gurumayi’s poem for Mother's Day. They have penetrated deep inside me and moved me very much. This year's was equally penetrating. When I was growing up, I never wanted to bring children into this world. All that changed after having the great good fortune of receiving Baba's darshan and grace.
 
Being a mother has been indescribable and I could go on and on about its blessings. And having Gurumayi as my companion, my protector, my guide every moment of every day creates in me the gratitude I need to fulfill my destiny with love.
 

After this very long, growth-provoking, challenging, and enlightening year, Gurumayi’s sweet and powerful words were like sweet honey to my heart. I am so grateful for Gurumayi on this Mother’s Day—and every day. Her words uplift me, inspire me, and remind me that I am always loved and one with my Guru.
 

In this poem, Gurumayi has written the story of my heart in every word. She has captured the essence of a mother’s love, whose purity must have its source in the heart of the Divine Mother. Yes, the miraculous alchemy that takes place in a child’s heart from the mother’s glance, her smile, and her kindness cleanses the pain, removes the darkness, and reveals its heavenly light.
 
I’m so fortunate to have a mother like the one Gurumayi describes—a forgiving, kind, gracious well-wisher who inspires me to aspire. I’m so fortunate to have the Gurus of the Siddha Yoga lineage, who reveal the light of my good fortune “in every broken shard.” I am profoundly grateful.
 

The compassion and understanding in this wonderful poem reminded me of Gurumayi herself. It also reminded me of the verse in the Arati in which Baba says, “O venerable Gurudeva, you are truly the mother and the father.” I am so blessed to be on the Siddha Yoga path.
 

I woke up on this Mother’s Day reaching into the depths of my soul, looking for the gratitude of this auspicious day, and praying to Lord Ganesh to help me to be happy on this day and to remove all the sadness from all the moms of our world so that every mom could also feel joy on this Mother’s Day.
 
Gurumayi’s poem was the answer to my Mother’s Day prayer.
 

I want to read this poem again and again to meet the Divine Mother again and again. Astronomical gratitude—the mother experiences “astronomical gratitude.” I love how this is something to celebrate. I am reminded how I received what seemed to me like a divine motherhood initiation when I had my son. I feel deeply grateful to be his mom—even though in everyday life it is not always at the forefront of my awareness.
 
But today I remembered this gratitude when I found Gurumayi's poem “Astronomical Gratitude” on the website. And how much I can see myself as the child in this poem—how the Divine Mother has found me in the dark and hopeless corners in life, and how I received divine solace and renewed vigor and confidence to live in God's world.
 

Mothers are always special, and this poem so beautifully expresses the roles a mother plays in our life and highlights them with so much depth. There have been times when I had complaints about my mother, but I realize now how much support, love, care, and constant prayers she must have really given me.
 
I am grateful to Gurumayi for this beautiful reminder to ensure that we give our best love to our mothers because the sacrifices they have made will always be untold, hidden, yet precious. I resolve to embody my mother’s strength forever.
 

My heart is moist with gratitude, as I think about my mother while I read Gurumayi's poem. Gurumayi’s words bring to the forefront of my awareness my heart’s deepest, sweetest, most cherished memories and feelings. I revel in these precious and nurturing memories and feelings.
 
I will be sending a link to this poem to my mother and sharing my love. What a wonderful way to celebrate and honor my mother!
 

Each stanza of Gurumayi’s poem “Astronomical Gratitude” resounded in the depths of my heart and mind, making me feel love and gratitude for all the ways in which mothers manifest in this world.
 
For a few weeks now, I’ve been holding a question in my heart and mind, trusting that everything would fall into place as I made an effort to remain steady and calm. As I read the last stanzas of the poem, they helped me realize that I had received an answer to my question from Gurumayi through a dream I’d had the night before. This made me realize that Gurumayi is always speaking to me in my heart and it is when I am in tune with her that I am able to listen.
 

I felt so loved after reading this beautiful poem. I felt loved by Gurumayi, by God, and by my own mother. The pulsations of love were inside my entire body and the blessings of the poem were surging into my veins as pure joy.
 
I thank Gurumayi for showing this world what true love is.
 

My heart melted into pools of gratitude for this deep, loving poem by Gurumayi. It made me think of my Mom dancing with Baba, and laughing joyously. She always said that each and every day is Mother's Day! I love her, for all that she gave to me and is still giving to me.
 
Happy Mother's Day—each and every day!
 

How stunning and exquisitely beautiful this poem by Gurumayi is! It portrays the hearts of mothers everywhere with its penetrating truth, profound wisdom, deep reverence, and all-encompassing love. What a blessing it is to have such a Guru in our lives!
 

After reading this poem, I was drawn to pause. As I paused, my attention was drawn within. I experienced a deep, peaceful, silent space and a long inner hug, which felt like a cosmic hug.
 

How can I express my immense gratitude for this divine dedication to  mothers by Gurumayi? I'm a mum and I feel very moved by the immensity of Gurumayi's love. Her sublime words ignite the fire of love in my heart.
 
The only way I know to thank Gurumayi is to bow to her sacred lotus feet with all my heart and to follow the way she shows me every single day on the spiritual path. I feel very blessed to have Gurumayi in my life as my Guru. I know no fortune greater than this.
 

Arms open wide with the power to transcend
Motivation despite fear
Depth of feeeling for humanity
Embrace of errant children
Forgiveness
Shri Mata is love unconditional
The Heart's language
 

As I read this poem first thing after waking on this sparkling fresh Mother's Day of 2021, tears began to gently flow as I heard the mother’s deep, compassionate acknowledgment of the various sufferings of so many of her children. As the poem concluded with her expression of intense appreciation and undying support, her profound, immeasurable love opened the flow of my heart.
 
I will reread this poem and study it with my sisters. What a gift this poem—and every moment—holds with the Guru in my life!
 

The experience of reading Gurumayi’s exquisite and deeply moving poem on Mother's Day was like being showered with strength, kindness, and support. The beautiful stream of flower petals in the visual prepared my heart and soul to read the healing words within the poem.
 
There wasn't a word or phrase that didn't enter me and speak to the aching moments I’ve been feeling. Every word oriented me toward the light of my Self. I read these enlivened words aloud so I could receive and give their blessings all at the same time, by filling the environment around me with each word’s blessings. I felt empowered, known, and loved, and able to be a beacon of the Guru’s light in every moment.  
 
To be a mother is to open my eyes so I can see and guide, to open my ears so I can be alert, to open my heart so I can give where needed. This poem is a true friend of the heart, helping me lean into the ever-present presence of the Mother, which emboldens me.
 

I am immensely grateful to be living the constant miracle of having the love and the protection of such a Guru in my life! This poem is a gift of great love and protection for us, like the sweetest and most loving of all mothers, more bountiful than nature itself. Gurumayi’s generosity moves my entire being.
 
As I read the poem, I felt her teachings and her presence, profoundly human, profoundly motherly, providing nourishment and healing as a life promise, as a sacred bond and an embrace that are unfailingly present now and always in my life.
 
My beloved Guru instills and revives in me the roots of self-confidence, courage, and good will. Just as a child is forever in debt to his mother for the life she gave him, I am forever in debt to Gurumayi for having awakened me to myself, to life, and to the love of my very being.
 

As I write, my heart is full and my being is sweetened and strengthened. This poem is a powerful jewel. For me it describes love and is full of love. And it defines for me what true nurturance is. I know this poem will stay with me, guiding me in how to offer love, especially when I feel overwhelmed by the struggles of my loved ones. As a mother I feel acknowledged, instructed, and truly blessed by Gurumayi's words. I am deeply thankful.
 

This exquisite poem so describes my physical mother for me. No matter what my choices have brought me, whether joy or sadness, my mother has stood by my side, picked me up when I needed it, cautioned me, cajoled me, celebrated with me. She is so much my heart!
 
My mother the universe, etched into my heart, does the same thing. She stands with me in every moment, offering me the opportunity to experience the love and the sorrow of being on this earth, reminding me to open to greater knowledge and truth, and to experience my life on earth from the innermost depths of who I am, connected to the infinite light of all that is.
 
I am grateful for both mothers. They have changed and continue to change my life immeasurably.
 

What an extraordinary poem! At times my eyes teared up in gratitude, and at other times my heart was full of wonder and happiness. I am so grateful to Gurumayi for revealing the greatness of mothers and the awesomeness of the Guru, the supreme Mother.
 
I felt anxiety abate and peace steal over me as this poem detailed the myriad ways that the Kundalini energy protects, supports, and inspires us as we tread the path to God. Who could have a heavy heart after reading how the Guru is our most profound friend, who continually dwells inside of us in the form of our own Self!
 

What is she called? The Great Mother, Mother, Goddess, Guru... Gurumayi. The magic by which these words land in the deepest parts of my being and set off subtle reverberations carries me into the sweet space where the divine Presence envelops me. My tears and laughter merge into ever-deepening love.  
 
Gurumayi knows my worst nightmares and my aching longings, my limitations and my depth, my ignorance and my knowledge, my homesickness and my heart's joy. Her inspiration makes my life possible, her guidance makes my life worthwhile. As I remember and miss my own mother so dearly, while cherishing my own daughter's presence in my life, Gurumayi’s words envelop the three of us in the one love that ripples through eternity—life-giving, nurturing, sustaining, welcoming. I offer my thanks to Gurumayi for her powerful and astonishing gifts of grace.
 

I am so grateful to Gurumayi for this beautiful poem. Her rich description of the depth of a mother’s commitment, of connection, of profound well-wishing and love celebrates the true meaning of Mother's Day so beautifully. Every line reminds me of the utter benevolence my own mother afforded me every ordinary—and extraordinary—day. And every line describes even more the Guru's grace, which showers daily upon me, supporting the unfolding mystery of my life.
 

I am speechless at the unfathomable generosity of this great being we call Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, who is all-knowing in the ways of eternal love. Her being brings salvation to this earth. She truly understands.
 

Today, as I read Gurumayi’s exquisite poem, I realized its teachings will be perfect for one of my dear granddaughters, who today is a teenager. The poem will give her the strength, the faith, and the power she needs to get to the light that is her true Self.
 
I am so grateful to Gurumayi for the grace with which she showers all our lives as well as the lives of all our loved ones.
 

This is the most universal and supremely poetic poem that I have ever read. It sent me soaring. It calmed my breath and invigorated me. I see Mother as supreme Shakti here. I can love her more fully now.