On the 19th of May, SatGurunath was at last joining us in the beautiful countryside of Buckinghamshire, on the outskirts of London’s suburbs. Most of us had been separated from our Master, Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath for more than two, long years. We were also meeting our fellow Hamsa sisters and brothers after such a long time. The simple joy of seeing each other’s faces and embracing each other was really treasured. Anticipation grew as the satsang hall filled with chanting to welcome SatGurunath. A short buzz of activity, and in swept The Presence, before us. How to explain the experience of meeting our Master in person? Words fail us, but we must make a feeble effort.
The body, through deep and timeless recognition, is filled with intense joy, the heart fills and is lifted up. Tears spring to the eyes. It is almost as if one is floating on a cloud of joy. Totally concurrently, there is a still, small voice that whispers within oneself, “What is all this hubbub? I have always been with you. I am with you now and will always be with you.” But the heart continues to dance on in glee, regardless!
Even though our beautiful satsang hall was filled with people, SatGurunath, in his infinite generosity, went around and connected with every single person within the room, finding out who they were and where they came from. This created a deeply personal, spiritual bridge between each of the participants and SatGurunath that lasted the whole weekend and beyond. Each of us felt that we were being continuously, individually addressed and blessed.
Even during our breaks, we continued to move within the Sacred. The newly refurbished Manor House Hotel where we were staying was situated in glorious parklands, with groves of majestic, mature trees and sloping green fields that swept down to the river. During our breaks, we could walk together in this ancient setting, either in silence or exchanging our experiences.
How can one describe the experience of SatGurunath allowing us to share his Samadhi? The mind asks, “How in Heaven’s name are we worthy of this supreme experience?” But the little mind could find no answer, as the question far outstripped its capacity, and, at last, it stilled in awe and wonder. Our little minds were at last able to drop all of our petty worries and concerns and bathe in the bliss of the Master. This blissful state lasted throughout the weekend and for much time after our return home. We were blessed and healed in The Presence.
Our whole weekend was showered with glorious sunshine, a very unpredictable gift in the British Isles. On one occasion, SatGurunath asked us to come outside and sit on the grass, amid the buttercups and daisies, bathed in sunshine. SatGurunath wanted to do a special technique with us. He asked us to think of one thought pattern that was impeding us most in our private and spiritual lives. He asked us to bring
this thought in front of our mind. Then, in the Divine blink of an eye, and from the endless generosity of his heart, the Master removed this thought pattern from our minds. This was an infinite blessing. We realized that these patterns were possibly with us for many years and remained, regardless of our spiritual practice. They represented a serious block in our spiritual development. The relief, the light and the infinite freedom that we experienced after this healing was indescribable. The path of progress was unblocked, and all seemed so much easier. We tried to mumble our thanks to SatGurunath, using very inadequate words.
Very sadly, our community in the UK had just lost a very dear and treasured Hamsa sister, Irene, just days before our retreat started. Because of this loss, our hearts were heavy. But SatGurunath, in his infinite love for us, helped us with this. He addressed Irene’s beloved son, Samir, who was sitting in the front row. SatGurunath told him not to worry, that he was looking after his mother and that she was fine. All of our hearts were lifted and reassured that this was indeed the case. We knew then that our Master cares and treasures us, whether in the body or beyond.
Waking up on the last day of the seminar was a mixture of excitement at the thought of the events of the coming day and yet sadness that this blessed experience will soon be over. However, all thought of lack and separation was totally dispelled that day. We not only had the blessing of the presence of SatGurunath, but his son, Senior Kriyavaan Kriyacharya Shivraj ji also taught us and took questions and answers on the last day at the satsang hall. We were blessed to have SatGurunath sitting humbly amongst us and steering the questions with sincere curiosity at Shivraj ji, so we could partake of his encyclopaedic spiritual knowledge.
One of the experiences that was particularly treasured by us was when SatGurunath graciously and generously shared his private time with us, even while eating. We gathered around him and Shivraj ji, almost sitting on top of one another, so that we could hear the informal, personal sharing of wisdom. We appreciated the fact that they both generously and unstintingly shared their personal time with us and unfailingly answered all of our questions.
By the end of the day, having taken all of our photographs, we were totally revived, healed and blessed. We were ready to run and catch our taxis, trains and planes and return home in our cars and camper vans. Even though we rejoined very quickly the busy and bustling world, our hearts remained content and overflowing with the joy of the resplendent Presence of our Divine Master!
