Gurumayi Chidvilasananda’s Message for 2022

South Carolina, United States

As I am reading the book Conversations with Swami Muktananda, I practice Gurumayi’s Message for 2022.
 
I listen to Baba’s words with every fiber of my being. With this kind of listening, I can better understand what Baba is saying. I reflect on what I have read and begin to put Baba’s teachings into practice. When I notice my progress, I rejoice over the freedom I have gained.
 
I pray to have the strength of heart to persevere in my efforts.
 

Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

As I continue with my ongoing study of Gurumayi’s Message, I have been focusing on the phrase: “Listen...and understand.” By doing this, I have learned that, for me, the practice of listening can be like a journey that transfers my mind’s focus away from the outside world to the inner Self. For example, by concentrating only on the form of sound itself when I listen to the giggling of children, chirping of birds, flowing of water, or ringing of temple bells, I find that I am often able to connect to my inner Self. This, in turn, helps me to experience that I am Consciousness. That’s why listening is such a powerful practice for me.
 

Vapi, India

I believe that Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 is helping me, each moment of every day, to apply myself in the best possible way to my sadhana. For me, it is so straightforward and so accessible that it helps me to be able to summon my highest self, pivot accordingly, and respond responsibly and kindly to the situations that arise in my day-to-day life.

For example, I feel that I have become clearer about what to listen to and when to turn my attention to the Siddha Yoga practice of svadhyaya. This often enables me to move beyond unnecessary thoughts and connect to the Self. In my experience, Gurumayi’s Message is the ultimate prescription for a great and healthful life, for which I am ever so grateful.
 

New York, United States

As I continue to study Gurumayi’s Message, I experience that there is no end to the depth and magnitude of her teachings. I can see my entire life through the lens of this Message. As I practice shravana, my heart brims with love, devotion, gratitude, and trust in my beloved Guru’s infinite grace. Listening and holding the Message close to my heart is my aspiration.
 

Porto, Portugal

Sometimes, in the middle of roaring thoughts, I can find a tiny space within to step back to and observe. I repeat the mantra So’ham. Then I can start to face these thoughts.
 
What helps me is to imagine it’s a person in need calling me. I listen to this “person,“ I acknowledge her, and I ask her to explain what is happening. I listen carefully, and all along I express my compassion without any judgment. At the end I say: ‘’Is there something else you want to share with me?’’ And: ‘’You are doing so good. I love you.’’
 
Although this method might be simple, for me it is powerful. It helps me to love myself. It brings me peace. It is so soothing. It stops me from being carried away by my thoughts and draws me into the Self!
 

Montreal, Canada

This week, at a Passover Seder, I had a lovely experience of Gurumayi’s Message for 2022. This year the participants were asked to contemplate what instances of miracles and liberation we had experienced in the past year. Feeling weary from current events, I had a hard time remembering such instances of joy.
 
So I listened to my state more deeply and with compassion for myself. Then, during the Seder, when I listened to someone sing a song that has always been very meaningful to me, I was immediately uplifted and reminded of when I have indeed experienced miracles in my life. I shared this right away with my beloved friends at the Seder.
 
Later, in journaling about it, I realized I had been putting into practice each line of Gurumayi's Message for 2022. For example, I was diligent in listening to myself and others. And after doing so, I was able to “share... joys” arising from my contemplation and understanding. 
 
I’m so grateful for the clear instruction in Gurumayi’s Message!
 

California, United States

This morning before reciting Sri Guru Gita, I offered a sincere, focused prayer to God: Let me experience your love in my heart. As I recited the text, my heart was filled to overflowing with divine love. I realized I was practicing Gurumayi’s Message for 2022.

During the recitation, I listened intently to the verses recited by the “other half” of the ensemble. I sought to understand their meaning and how it applied to me. I absorbed myself in the understanding that the Guru is my own conscious Self. I sat with good posture and rapt attention, becoming diligent. I felt joy, and resolved to share joys not only with others but with myself. With this intention, a wide smile spread across my face.

During the brief meditation at the conclusion of the recitation, I was drawn into a deep, quiet space and saw a tiny sparkling blue light flashing across a misty golden light. I realized once again the power of sincere, focused prayer and felt I had received the benefit of Gurumayi’s benediction: “May you always be most fortunate.”
 

California, United States

One day, during my morning walk, I started praying for every passerby who crossed my path—street sweepers, morning vendors, dog walkers, people rushing to work, and more. I prayed for their good health, wealth, peace, and happiness. And before I realized it, I was feeling ecstatic.
 
Over the next few days, I continued my practice of praying. If I was worried, I prayed for the person I was worried about. If I was angry or agitated, I prayed for the source of my anger or agitation. If I was anxious, I prayed for the well-being of whatever I was anxious about. And lo and behold, each and every time I prayed, my worry, anger, agitation, and anxiety totally disappeared—instantly. I found myself in a calm and peaceful zone—as if I had come out of meditation. Every time I felt light and joyous.

Practicing “Make… prayers” in Gurumayi’s Message has made me realize the mystical power of prayers.
 

Bangalore, India

In my work as a maker of jewelry I associate the word make with crafting, with creativity.

In Gurumayi’s Message, the phrase “Make...prayers” evoked a new understanding for me of prayer as a creative act. Rather than “saying a prayer,” I can make one, creatively. This connects me with the creativity of the Self.
 

Yarra Valley, Australia

My 11-year-old son and I decided to write Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 in our journals and color the page. After writing the Message, as I started coloring the space around it, I felt I was experiencing shakti in every stroke of crayon. For me, Gurumayi’s Message is like a river of Consciousness. When I engage with her Message, I feel like I’m entering into this river of Consciousness, aligning with it and flowing with it. It seems to me that this river of Consciousness is always present, and my Guru has given me the means to be aware of it through her Message. What an incredible gift!
 

Bangalore, India

On the day before my return to college, I was worrying about going back because of various personal stressors there. Then I remembered to stop and listen. From within, I heard a voice telling me to chant.

Normally, I would have suppressed this inner voice since I had so many things to do. But this time, I decided to play a chant while I continued doing my work. First, I prayed to Shri Guru asking how to overcome the personal issues that I was facing.

When I started playing the chant, my attention was not fully present. But soon I couldn’t resist the urge to stop everything and completely focus on chanting. As the chant ended, I heard from inside the words “remember me,” which I understood to be a response to my prayer.

Ever since this experience, I have been remembering Gurumayi. I have also started listening more to my inner Self. As a result, I have found that my issues are beginning to have less weight, and I am often filled with joy.
 

New Jersey, United States

Listening to others helps me listen to myself. When my friend’s opinions or behavior annoys me, I ask myself in what way I am like this person. This makes me feel, among other things, humble and more compassionate toward others and towards myself. This in turn opens new horizons in my heart, exposes unfinished “stuff,” and is a powerful tool to feel unity consciousness.

I feel immense gratitude for Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 and all the other paths the Guru opens for me to explore in my sadhana.
 

Montreal, Canada

New Mexico, United States

Bhandara, India

I noticed that the words listen and silent consist of exactly the same letters. I realized that when I am silent, then I am able to truly listen.
 

Gurudev Siddha Peeth, India

I notice that before we received Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 with its focus on listening, we received her guidance throughout December 2021 to focus on silence. This trajectory has affirmed for me one of my most important life lessons.

In a screenwriting class at university decades ago, we were told that in the process of writing, “our characters would speak to us.” However, although I listened and listened, I never heard any character speak to me.

After meeting Gurumayi and receiving shaktipat initiation, I began to meditate before sitting to write. As a result of this practice, my mind became gradually more silent and I became more able to hear, decipher, and write what the characters were saying. I realized then that what my professor had said years ago was true: the characters do “speak” to the writer. However, I needed to learn how to become silent inside in order to be able to listen to and hear them.

Nowadays I try to be silent inside during all my interactions so that I can listen, hear, and respond kindly and appropriately.
 

California, United States

California, United States

Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

Washington, United States

Ludlow, United Kingdom

California, United States

Willemstad, Curaçao

When I read Gurumayi's Message, the word that made the most impression on me was "Listen." This word continued to softly resonate in my consciousness while I took an early-morning walk.

I listened to birds chirping. I listened to the sounds of the calm, misty morning. I listened to my quiet mind reverberating with subtle uplifting thoughts, which seemed to pulsate through my entire body as I walked.
 

California, United States

As I received Gurumayi’s Message during Sweet Surprise, I felt as though my eyes met Gurumayi’s eyes. In that moment, everything around me seemed to disappear. I experienced that Guru and disciple were one in an eternal sphere. Time and space stood still, and I was able to truly “listen.”

Even now, I often experience this drop of eternity in my daily meditation. It comes in the space between the inbreath and the outbreath. This experience has brought me so much joy.
 

Bremgarten, Switzerland

For me, Sweet Surprise was brimming with warmth, kindness, and love, with so many invitations to embrace our own and each other’s light. I heard nature speak and flow through moving water and amazing bird dialogues. I seemed to feel Padmaja’s hand caressing the flame and the camphor’s smoke.

In the last two days since participating in Sweet Surprise, I’m making extra effort to listen when someone is speaking and to the layers of what is there to be heard.

Gurumayi's guidance to strengthen my connection with the listener within gives me confidence to face some big decisions this year. I also appreciate her reminder to make smart decisions that help everyone.
 

California, United States

During Sweet Surprise 2022, as I listened to Gurumayi's question, “Are you happy?” I found myself replying without any second thoughts, Yes! Yes! Yes! As I looked into Gurumayi’s eyes at that moment, I experienced an amazing rush of joy arising from the center of my belly and spreading throughout my entire being like roaring waves crashing to shore, again and again. To me, Gurumayi’s eyes were filled with so much love, compassion, and lightness. I burst out laughing with sheer delight! I shall cherish this precious glimpse into a Siddha’s state as I continue my journey towards the Self with steady effort.
 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Being with Gurumayi on January 1 and receiving Gurumayi’s Message brought about a wonderful change in my perspective. I had been feeling sad about not having my family nearby. But when Gurumayi guided us to be in the present, I realized that being here now, able to participate in the satsang, was my gift. As the satsang progressed, I felt deeply connected to the rest of the sangham and experienced profound happiness and peace.
 

Cancun, Mexico

I completely trust that I am most fortunate! When I saw Gurumayi in Sweet Surprise, my joy knew no bounds. My heart was dancing, and tears of happiness and gratitude started rolling down my cheeks. When Gurumayi ji asked, “Are you happy?” I smiled broadly in agreement. Then just before the first meditation Gurumayi ji told us to hear what we hear. So many words emerged, one after the other, words like happy, joy, thankfulness, grateful, love, Guru’s grace, protection, positivity, beautiful, enjoyment, serene, and so many other words evoking happiness. It was an energetic and peaceful meditation.
 

Pune, India

This morning I felt a deep desire to offer camphor to Bade Baba. The camphor tree is so beautiful, strong, huge, and full of healing powers. As the flame in the vessel dissolved into infinity, I saw small, black charcoal dust dancing in front of me. My heart filled with warm love for my Guru, who lives in my heart and who inspires me to be more playful with things and not approach everything in my life analytically.
 

Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

While I was meditating two mornings after receiving Gurumayi’s Message for 2022, suddenly the word listen announced itself inwardly, then spelled itself out in the inner chamber. The word proceeded to dance, cavort, and spin through my whole inner being as if it were installing itself and blessing each part of me. Just as we have heard so often that the Guru’s words are chaitanya—alive with the Guru’s shakti—the word had come to life within me. It was as though the word had traveled through the physical components of the ear, as we heard described in Sweet Surprise, and found the deepest level of the inner ear within the chamber of my awareness. I was “all ear”! And here in this expanded and electric space, I could truly listen to what the word, as the subtle form of the Guru, would teach me.
 

New York, , United States

I live in Colorado about a half hour from where the hurricane-force winds were driving flames through two nearby towns.  I saw the fire on a local TV news channel, and it was scary to see fire moving that fast.  As a way of sending blessings, I repeated the mantra Om Namah Shivaya. To have the blessing of Sweet Surprise 2022 a couple of days later was very healing and uplifting. What was especially healing was hearing Gurumayi describe the karpura arati camphor flame as “beneficial fire” and “singing and dancing.”  In those moments of watching and listening to the flame, I was able to release fear of fire.
 

Colorado, United States

On New Year’s Eve, as I have done in years past, I wrote in my journal a list of qualities, virtues, and wishes for the upcoming year. Among them were “listening,” “practice,” and “prayer,” as well as many expressions of joy like “laughter” and “dancing.” I was surprised and elated to hear my wishes mirrored in Gurumayi’s Message for 2022! It was clear to me that studying the teachings on the Siddha Yoga path website in the month leading up to that moment, particularly Being with Silence, was preparation for the gift of guidance to come.

I am so grateful to be able to receive these teachings, to weave them into my life, and to follow the Siddha Yoga path as we sail into the uncharted waters of a new year together.
 

New York, United States

I especially love the phrase in Gurumayi’s Message “Make… prayers.” It connects me to my own inner spirituality and creativity. It opens my heart to my deepest, most benevolent wishes for myself and all sentient beings.
 

Port Macquarie, Australia

As I practice Gurumayi's Message and I “listen,” my mind and mouth become less active. The steady stream of thoughts and words fades into the background and I am left with a deeper stillness. Listening helps me to stay in the present moment.
 

Oregon, United States

2021 was most difficult for me. In mid-December I finally had enough distance to reflect on the challenges, and I started to feel better. During Sweet Surprise, when Gurumayi asked if we were happy, I was surprised and delighted to realize that I was!

During my end-of-year reflection process, I noticed that, very naturally, I was letting go of all that had weighed me down over the past year. I wondered if I was brushing it under the rug, but no, it felt authentic! In the satsang, when I heard Gurumay telling us to let go of the past, I realized that my inner process had been in sync with Gurumayi’s guidance.

With the priceless direction of Sweet Surprise and Gurumayi’s Message, I am stepping into 2022 as a new, lighter person.
 

California, United States

Because of health challenges in the past year, I have found it difficult to do the Siddha Yoga practices, and I’ve felt disconnected from my Self. During Sweet Surprise, I had to leave the broadcast and lie down, and immediately I heard Gurumayi’s voice—the voice of my inner Self—say to me: "You’ve been through a lot. I know. Don’t listen to your mind, listen to your Self. You are a good person, be gentle with yourself." There was so much love and compassion in her voice that I felt my inner darkness and anguish melting away.
 
I realized that I can always listen to Gurumayi speak to me inwardly! Her words lead me from darkness into light in more ways than I can imagine.
 

London, United Kingdom

During Sweet Surprise, shortly after the namasankirtana started, I had to get up and move my aching hip joints. While standing there alone in my apartment, I felt the rhythm of the drums so enticing that I started to dance. And I kept dancing freely and chanting along to the last syllable! At the end of the satsang, when Gurumayi called our attention to the freely dancing arati flame, I felt that the joyous flame reflected my very own state of ecstasy.
 

Freiburg, Germany

I’m grateful to receive Gurumayi’s Message for 2022. Because I’m  currently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, I wasn’t able to participate in Sweet Surprise at 2:00 a.m. But when I read Gurumayi’s Message, I felt I had made the right decision in listening to my body and inner voice. I know that the teachings and blessings of Sweet Surprise will come to me in many forms.
 

Canberra, Australia

During Sweet Surprise 2022 it seemed that Gurumayi was speaking directly to me. I certainly felt very connected to Gurumayi and that she knew all the particularities of my heart—my fears and my yearnings. Yet I was also aware that Gurumayi was addressing all her Siddha Yoga students. How can this be? Is this sense of intimacy and connection an illusion?
 
On further examination, I realized that Gurumayi was addressing each of us as the One—as if, collectively, we are one person, one heart, one mind. I wondered whether, as the scriptures say, this is the perspective of a Siddha, one who sees the world as one divine Consciousness. 
 
When I identify with this one Heart, which links our global sangham together, I feel expanded, free, and tremendously fortunate. I am so grateful to Gurumayi for addressing us in this way, with such love and respect and as her dearest and most beloved students.
 

Summer Hill, Australia

When Sweet Surprise started and Gurumayi asked us whether we were happy, I actually was not, as I had contracted Covid and spent the holidays alone in my bedroom. But Gurumayi also said that the satsang would transform us, and that really is what happened to me. I felt the Shakti very strongly, like in a Shaktipat Intensive—a very deep and transformative divine energy.
 
Since the satsang ended, I am feeling the presence of God and my Guru very deep within me, so that there is not room for anything else but a profound peace, a true contentment, and much happiness.
 

Ajijic, Mexico

For over a year now, the Karpura Arati has been a beloved mantra for me, and I have become transfixed by the power of camphor to purify and uplift. In Sweet Surprise 2022 when Gurumayi was observing the camphor flames and asked that a few more cubes be placed in the arati lamp, it felt like an answer to a prayer I had not ever voiced: to take time together to attend to this particular fire.
 
Gurumayi went on, extolling this fire, and speaking of it as “the Guru’s fire, God’s fire, the fire of the Self.” Her words and her invitation  to “listen” to the flames were a profound recognition and acknowledgment of the mystery of fire to illumine, purify and refine.
 

Rhode Island, United States

This morning, as I chanted the mantra one day after participating in Sweet Surprise, I remembered to “listen.” As I listened to the sound of the syllables Om Namah Shivaya, I heard Gurumayi’s words from her Message, “Listen...absorb and implement.” As I allowed myself to absorb the sound, my breath and mind stopped, and I became the sound, pure softness, gently pulsating as blue light. I heard the Sanskrit words, aham brahmasmi, “I am Brahman,” as I continued experiencing myself as this gentle pulsation of bliss.
 

California, United States

We were blessed to see Gurumayi and be in the golden Siddha Yoga Universal Hall for Sweet Surprise 2022. Participating in the satsang was like taking a bath in the sacred waters of the Ganges—the river of Shri Guru's wisdom, protection, and auspicious presence. 
 
It was sheer good fortune to watch the awesome and miraculous dance of the Karpura Arati flame for a really long time. I felt as if the flame were burning away all the despair and misfortune we have witnessed during the pandemic months and ushering us all into a new beginning, with some extra “good luck,” as Gurumayi said when she asked that more camphor be added to the flame.
 

Georgia, United States

Yesterday, January 1, upon the completion of Sweet Surprise 2022, I listened to the little voice deep inside of me—that of my Self. That supreme voice reassured me that no matter what ups or downs the new year was reserving for me, the new year had begun in the best way possible—with the divine company of Shri Gurumayi! Warm waves of bliss and contentment soothed my heart, with that inner voice reassuring me that “All is well and all will be well.”
 

Ville St. Laurent, Canada

Gurumayi’s repetition of the word Suno! (Listen!) forced me to close my eyes and listen to the voice inside me. There was a little white light blinking above my right eye and my soul wanted to bathe fully in that light. As I listened to the music with the bird chirping, I felt at peace. I felt it was the mantra Guru Om. I understood that as long as I am covering myself with mantra, it will protect me.
 
I hope to be a new me this year. May I listen more inside and experience love, peace, and joy.
 

Pune, India

Throughout the chant, Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya, I had a conversation with my Beloved. The entire chant was filled with sweet interactions with Gurumayi. Surprisingly, there were no words, just the exchange of love. Yet I feel I expressed more than any words could have and received much more than the mind could perceive.
 
I am immensely grateful and contented to the core.
 

a Gurukula student in Gurudev Siddha Peeth

I was astounded by Gurumayi's Message for 2022. My entire being was completely present and in sync with my own breathing. I felt the strength of the Guru’s command in Gurumayi's repeated words, “Suno. Listen.” I honed my understanding in listening to the Guru's knowledge and wisdom in her teachings, which have always been a source of comfort and guidance for me during taxing times.
 
Gurumayi reaffirmed my understanding that continuous sadhana—such as daily puja to the Guru, mantra japa, meditation, seva and satsangs—draws grace and blessings.
 
As the Message progressed, I was reminded of how blessed I am to be shielded at all times by the Siddha Gurus' blessings.
 

The Houghton, South Africa

On New Year’s Day I was on the Siddha Yoga path website, browsing the photos of sunrises on New Year's Day. My son-in-law asked me, “What's Gurumayi’s Message for 2022?”
 
Just as I answered, “I don’t know,” suddenly on the screen I saw hues of orange and purple and the words, “Sweet Surprise 2022 Streaming Now”! I could not believe my eyes—what a blessing! I felt a huge wave of love embracing my whole being and there our beloved Gurumayi appeared on the screen. I was so happy and grateful!
 
I listened to Gurumayi very attentively, trying to collect all the ocean of knowledge in her teachings. Ever since, flashes of her teachings appear in my mind and her priceless words resonate continuously. I feel as if I am still in this wonderful satsang.
 

Mersin, Turkey

Gurumayi has given me a Message that will blossom and grow inside of me throughout the year. I look forward to observing it unfold as I practice the Message day by day. Lately, I have experienced a lot of anxiety but I can already feel the Message strengthening me, redirecting my attention, and anchoring me in Guru's grace. I am so grateful to Gurumayi for reminding me that the Guru's protection is always with me.
 

Connecticut, United States

In the afternoon I sat down at my laptop for no obvious reason and opened the Siddha Yoga path website. To my amazement I found out that I could participate in Sweet Surprise with Gurumayi! I felt such joy, lightness, and gratitude inside me during this whole beautiful satsang. It was indeed a “Sweet Surprise.”
 

Augsburg, Germany

Maybe it is because over the last year I have focused on my own on the daily practices and study of the Siddha Gurus’ books, that I was tilling the soil inside me to receive. But from the moment Sweet Surprise began and especially when Gurumayi was visible—giving us in every moment the experience of what she was teaching—it felt like my heart was stretching two sizes larger to soak it all up. I had to lie down and sleep after the satsang.
 
It will take time for my mind to catch up to all that my heart received. What a precious thing it is to be in the company of a saint!
 

California, United States

I feel so grateful after participating in Sweet Surprise 2022. I have been feeling lonely lately, and struggling with listening and comunication issues. Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 helps me reframe my questions, and helps me focus.
 
While I was chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya with Gurumayi, the sense of togetherness I felt was so powerful, like an intimate dialogue between disciple and Guru.
 
The flame is still burning and dancing and being so free. I will nurture this flame within me.
 

Newfoundland, Canada

To listen to Gurumayi’s Message during Sweet Surprise 2022 was very refreshing for my sadhana. In the last month I've been considering my level of attention and focus, and realized that both needed some improvement, especially when something is not interesting to me. So I learned a lot from  this satsang and from Gurumayi’s profound Message. My sadhana will now move forward in a better way.
 

Madrid, Spain

Yes, I listened. I listened with my ears, I listened with my eyes, and I listened with every morsel of my being. I am so thankful that all of my listening capabilities were tuned into our beloved Gurumayi!
 

California, United States

After spending beautiful days with my daughter for Christmas and the New Year, I was a little afraid of feeling alone when she left again. But this fear was washed away as soon as I learned that I could participate in Sweet Surprise! I started singing Baba’s name before the satsang even started, and then I happily joined in and experienced the whole satsang.
 
When I open myself up to listening, I absorb the sounds and the silence around me, and in the space of this great silence around me, I experience the divine energy awakening within me and the deep feeling of being together, of belonging.
 
I am so deeply grateful for the experience of Sweet Surprise—to listen to Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 together with Gurumayi and the Siddha Yoga global sangham.
 

Oslo, Norway

I am really grateful to Shri Gurumayi for this Sweet Surprise, as I have learned and experienced a lot during it and contemplating it afterward.
 
For me, this satsang was an amalgam of science and spirituality. I was observing Shri Gurumayi as we were listening to the three texts read in voiceover, and found that Shri Gurumayi was listening to these with curiosity and one-pointed awareness, as if hearing them for the first time. I resolved to follow the same practice when I study the Guru’s teachings and in daily activities. During the satsang, I experienced the “multidimensional process” of listening, as if I were hearing it from higher realms.
 
As in the abhanga by Jnaneshvar Maharaj, I find myself sitting under the wish-fulfilling tree, as I find all my wishes have been fulfilled with the grace of my Guru. I have resolved to study and implement Gurumayi’s Message throughout 2022, with the proper self-effort and Shri Guru’s grace.
 

Udaipur, India

Being in satsang with Gurumayi in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple has been the most precious gift I could ever imagine receiving at this time. For the entire duration of the satsang I felt Gurumayi was smiling at me and understood everything about me. She also answered a request that is very dear to my heart. This experience  has been very powerful!
 
Gurumayi said that at the end of Sweet Surprise we would be transformed. And in fact, when the satsang was over, I felt so much shakti that I had to lie down for a while. Then this morning I had a very long and deeper meditation than I’ve had for a long time. Now I feel happier and lighter.
 
Deep in my heart I know Gurumayi is always with me and participating in Sweet Surprise strengthened this belief further, making me feel stronger than ever on the path of my sadhana. I feel very fortunate for having such a great Guru in my life.
 

Milan, Italy

For the last week, I've been singing to myself, “My Guru’s protection is always behind me...,” the refrain from Shri Guru Sarikha, the abhanga by Jnaneshvar Maharaj. It became a practice. When worrisome thoughts arose, I would sing this to soothe myself with the Guru's protection and love.
 
When Gurumayi emphasized this abhanga in Sweet Surprise, I felt so connected and in tune with her. I also knew that this will be a practice that I take forward.
 

Texas, United States

I first experienced “listening without ears” by connecting to the Siddha Yoga path website exactly on time, without receiving any external notice about Sweet Surprise. During the chant of Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya my eyes were closed. But I felt Gurumayi's presence vividly in front of me, with my chanting and hers intertwined, and I felt a wave of enveloping love and gratitude growing from my heart. I felt the presence of the Guru not only outside but also within me, as a single voice.
 

Segrate, Italy

The line from Gurumayi’s Message that immediately jumped out at me was “Make...prayers.” And so this is the prayer from my heart today:
 
“The joyful dancing flames are fueled by camphor, just like the joy a disciple experiences is fueled by her ability to fully listen to the teachings of her Guru. The more diligently I follow the Guru's teachings in the Message, the more I will experience joy, love, and devotion. May the company of the Guru's words fuel the bliss I experience. May this bliss soar just like the flames dancing in the delightful company of camphor. May I always experience the great good fortune of being constantly protected by the Guru's grace.”
 

New York, United States

I understand what Gurumayi said about “hearing without ears” literally, as listening to what comes from God's mouth. I understand that to follow Gurumayi’s Message, I need to “understand”what I then hear as language for communication (as I experienced Gurumayi's chanting as communication), to “examine” its meaning in all its hues (as I found meaning in the hues of her chanting), and to “absorb and implement” it (as the hues of her chanting enchanted my heart, and I tried to respond to that). I pray that I may do all this.
 
Recognizing all this brings me joy—to share with others. I see such listening and communication as the greatest good fortune. I am now praying that I might find the door to “listening without ears” in order to identify the true voice of God within. I feel the Guru's grace embracing me in this endeavor.
 

Hindelang, Germany

As Gurumayi spoke about the flames on the arati tray, I was focusing on the smoke. Then I realized that all the “smoke” I sometimes perceive inside myself is nothing but the result of the inner fire, which  is burning all the impurities.
 

Lugano, Switzerland

Sweet Surprise 2022 was such a rich satsang with so much to contemplate! Shri Gurumayi’s presence and guidance are a soothing balm to my heart.

As I watched the camphor flame, I felt fear and exhaustion being burned and released in the rising smoke. As I listened to Gurumayi’s Message, I felt inspired for the coming year, and confident that I have the tools to embrace and make the best of whatever it brings.

For much of my adult life, hearing issues have made it essential that I practice listening more deeply than just with my physical ears. Although I wish to retain at least the level of hearing I now have, I am newly enthusiastic about continuing this exploration even more deeply. Gurumayi’s Message for 2022 will be the gateway and the fuel for this exploration of listening for and to God.
 

West Vancouver, Canada

Gurumayi told us right at the beginning of Sweet Surprise that we, the participants, would “experience satsang” and that we could just be as we are—since that would change as the satsang unfolded.

Right before the satsang began, I received an email that created some sadness and uneasiness inside me, and I was carrying that energy in my solar plexus as Sweet Surprise began. However, as we entered the first meditation to the sound of rushing water, Gurumayi asked us to listen and “hear what you will hear.” While listening to the water, my breath spontaneously released its tension and the contracted energy I had been carrying dissolved and floated up to the heart, where it became pure love.

As I basked in that love, I heard the  word Transmutation. This word perfectly described my experience—the transmutation of my energy, lifting me into an exalted space of the Heart.
 

a Siddha Yoga Swami

The moment I heard the word Suno, or Listen, it started reverberating in my whole being. I feel so fortunate to have been under the shelter of Gurumayi's grace and guidance throughout this pandemic. Gurumayi’s Message has confirmed my connection with the Guru and the protection of the Guru, both of which I felt so strongly during every moment of the last two years. Nothing could shake me during this time.

The feeling which has stayed with me is the same as what Jnaneshvar Maharaj expresses in Shri Guru Sarikha as “Taralo! Taralo!—I have swum across!” As he exclaims in the last verse, “I am truly uplifted by my Guru's grace.”

I bow to my Guru's feet in gratitude.
 

Kolkata, India

During the chanting of Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya, Gurumayi gazed at the camera for a while. I felt as though she was looking at me, so I looked into her eyes. At that moment, I felt that she was singing to the Guru within me, to my inner Guru. A deep love flowed through my body until it pervaded my whole being.

Then I started really singing from my heart to the Guru in Gurumayi, and in that moment, it expanded to the Guru in all of creation. I am so grateful to Gurumayi for this indescribable gift! I resolve to give my utmost to make this year really count.

Villa Victoria, Mexico

Lately at work and at home, I have been realizing that I’ve become distracted due to multitasking. That was also making me feel incomplete, low in energy, and even exhausted.

While listening to Gurumayi’s beautiful Message for 2022, I reflected that if I listened to others with my full attention, I would be giving respect to them; doing this could also reduce my anxiety and any potential conflict arising from partial understandings. Rather than focusing on being ready to ask questions, I think focusing on listening will help me to better connect to the other person and their point of view, and help me to learn and create that positive flow of energy.

I am looking forward to a better 2022 now that I have heard Gurumayi’s Message and her valuable teachings in Sweet Surprise.

California, United States

It was so precious to be with Gurumayi and to have her darshan on New Year’s Day 2022. A sweetness pervaded the room I was in as Sweet Surprise began to stream. What a blessing to receive the Message for 2022 from our beloved Guru!

I feel so silent inside, strong and peaceful. My Guru's words, her chanting, her gaze, her silent darshan have entered me on a deeper level.
 

Sydney, Australia

As I participated in Sweet Surprise, especially when we chanted Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya, I felt myself leave behind the constrictions of thought and felt myself becoming freed to enter my heart. I felt divine energy rising up and dancing with Gurumayi's voice into my heart and upward.

Listening to Gurumayi's Message, I am inspired to breathe with freedom, pray with freedom, and give with freedom. I have so much to be thankful for—the Guru's protection, her presence, and her teachings.
 

Oregon, United States

I am sitting in the afterglow of Sweet Surprise 2022, feeling deeply quiet and filled. Gurumayi's presence, her teachings, and Gurumayi’s divine Message, as well as our chanting and meditating together in the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall, are mahaprasad, maha-nourishment for me.

During Sweet Surprise we heard that the mantra we receive from the Guru enters us and abides “in the very fiber of your being.” I am feeling that way about what has been bestowed through the vessels of Sweet Surprise and Gurumayi’s Message for 2022. I feel that my very cells have been decluttered, purified, and made more blessed.

At the root of my words here are awe and gratitude for what the Guru has given and continues to give, without end. I was in tears during Sweet Surprise as the awareness washed over me once again of all that Gurumayi has given me—the greatest gift, knowledge of the Self.
 

Massachusetts, United States

What a very special day this has been! On the first day of 2022, to have spent this time with Gurumayi in Bade Baba's Temple has suffused my whole body with its energy! I feel very much part of the satsang; the words and sounds are pinging around inside my being. It is a sacred time but also a joyous and a fun time. I’ve been enjoying every moment and am eager to try out my listening more fully!
 

Hampton Hill, United Kingdom

Receiving the highest teachings from my Guru in such an understandable way is the most precious gift to me. This year I am looking forward to studying and implementing the “multidimensional process” of listening, sharing my enthusiasm, and learning to listen to God in my prayers.

I am happy now, and in 2022 I want to cultivate my happiness even more so that I can follow Gurumayi’s instruction to “be safe, be strong, and be smart.”

Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

Gurumayi's Message for 2022 feels like a deep healing balm that has reached more deeply within me than ever before. Many minutes after the end of the talk, I can still hear the sound of the rushing water and the calling of the exquisite birds reverberating inside me. I seem to have been taken on a sacred journey to a new destination. I am in awe and gratitude.
 

London, United Kingdom

Yesterday on New Year's Eve I was completing a 750-piece puzzle of an anthropomorphic Earth Mother figure, and the final piece was missing. I could see that it would have to fit into the body of an eagle located near the Earth Mother's ear. I thought to myself, “This feels like a subtle message about listening carefully.”

Later on, I was delighted to find the missing piece, hiding in a shadow on the floor, so that I could complete the puzzle and enjoy its fullness. Then, how much more delighted I felt this morning to hear that listening lies at the heart of Gurumayi's Message for 2022!
 

New Mexico, United States