A picture that speaks a thousand words…

…words that translate a gift:

The gift of collectivity

On my Guru’s birthday I gathered all the money in the world
and began to ponder on what present to buy…

If I was a sculptor I would carve his name in a precious stone
If I was a painter I would paint His name in the sky
And if I was a writer I would turn His name into a song

But since I am only a sadhak I have put all money aside
And gave Him instead the only present that is truly mine –
My heart filled with love and devotion, a priceless gift
That no money in the world can buy.

Oh Swamiji, in order to be with you in every previous birthday
I had to travel far and wide, from Penrhiw in Wales to India alike
But I have travelled the furthest to be with you today.

And only now I realise that in the course of this long journey
You were travelling with me the whole way.

You brought me back from the past into the reality of the present day
For “today” is the only place where my mind shall always stay.
Thank you Swamiji for removing all the obstacles and washing all the pain away.

You brought me from the darkness into the Light.
Teaching me that Pure Love is the only real thing in life.
As you washed my soul and cleared my mind
My Spirit filled with joy and my life became bright.

I searched high and low for a gift that was worthwhile
And realised that I could not find it whilst I called it “mine”
So I travelled all the way to Leicester, to join this celebration
And found the purest gift in this collective meditation.

As we began to chant the mantra and vibrations filled the air
I felt shivers up my body, slowly raising from my toes to my head.
Then sparks of light and particles of the Divine were seen everywhere.
And when I opened my eyes, I smiled because you were there.

Today, in the pure collectivity of Leicester, I saw you in your real form,
The flame that burns in our hearts which are forever yours
The gift of our collectivity is yours but all the gifts you have given us before
Pure Love, Compassion, Light, Joy, Humanity and more
Became our promise that they will be treasured and shared forevermore…

From the UK, with much Love
The Leicester collectivity

Swamiji’s 58th birthday celebration – a gift from the UK

On Thursday 8th November I travelled from London to Leicester in the joyful anticipation of the celebration of an event that is so dear to our hearts – our beloved Guru’s birthday. As we drove past the city’s streets, we too were captured by the party mood afloating everywhere as Leicester’s Indian community prepares to celebrate Diwali or the “festival of lights” as it is known. And as I reflected on the spiritual significance of this traditional event related to the belief that there is something beyond body and mind, which is pure, infinite and eternal, called the Soul, I realised that I too had come to Leicester in order to join other Souls in the celebration of our “inner light”.

The celebration gathered approximately 57 sadhaks and once we all sat down prior to beginning meditation, the above poem “The Gift of Collectivity” was read out loud, translating into words the pure gift of our inner devotion, love and gratitude towards our Guru. As the collective meditation went on, Swamiji’s spiritual presence in the room became apparent as we all began to feel showered by vibrations of Divine Love and Light, of an intensity and purity only comparable to those experienced before during major celebrations in India. By the time meditation was over, we all knew inwardly that we had been taken to a place which cannot be described in words but that was visible in the smile on everyone’s faces.

Next in the programme was the ceremony of the cutting of the birthday cake, a moment held with great solemnity and deep devotion, followed by the individual namaskar, the physical act of bowing down in front of Swamiji’s subtle body picture, symbolic of the inner act of our surrender at the lotus feet of our Guru.

After a delicious meal cooked with plenty of love and seasoned by the sincere generosity of the Leicester’s sadhaks, we were all ready to celebrate Swamiji’s birthday in true style as the party mood was definitely on! The traditional Garba music created more than a circle of people dancing around to the rhythm of this joyful melody – It brought an energy of inner happiness that filled the air and the hearts of those in that room, further boosted by a collective act of dance and laughter brought on by Honey’s Bollywood style performance, which certainly helped leave behind all the extra pounds we had gained that night!

A group photo that reflects the message engraved in our hearts “Happy Birthday Swamiji, forever yours” sealed the evening and marked the end of a party that will always be remembered by those who gathered there as a landmark in the history of our collectivity.

The party may have lasted only a couple of hours, but all the Energy and Divine vibrations of Love and Joy we received and the strong feeling of collectivity we all experienced that evening left us all feeling that this was just the beginning of something great to happen in the context of Samarpan Meditation UK. To paraphrase the world’s most powerful politician in his recent re-election speech, I too feel that with regards to the future of Samarpan Meditation in the UK, “the best is yet to come”.

Maria Almeida