By Vibhuti King

Guru Purnima is the most important yoga holiday, celebrated on the fullest full moon of the year. This is when Guru’s Grace flows most generously and our practices bear the most fruit. This day you renew practices received from your Guru as well as look for an opportunity to give back to your Guru.  Experience the luminous power of Grace, shining on this fullest of full moons, dedicated by the ancient sages to the Guru.

The moon has always been a mystical presence in my life. As a child. I would stand at the window and gaze at the moon. In all aspects, waxing and waning, it was beautiful and mysterious to me. When full and bright, it was most captivating. Gazing at its fullness, I felt fullness in my heart.

Before finding Svaroopa^® yoga, I joined the Algonquin Medicine Society and became a member of the Moon Lodge. Our responsibility was to celebrate each of the moon’s 13 cycles. In the Abenaki language, each has a name. Two refer to the moon as teacher. Nokomes means grandmother, offering wisdom and guidance to all of her earth children. As Kesos, “little sun,” the moon reflects the sun’s light upon the earth to guide us through the darkness.

Now as a Svaroopi, I discover that my dear old friend, the moon, had always been heralding the coming of my Guru. She is the profound and pervasive teacher for Self-Realization. She is giver of the upwelling Light of Self. The light of Consciousness shines through her in a way that is accessible to all – especially on Guru Purnima, when Guru’s Grace shines the brightest! I am immensely grateful for this holiest of days, for her guidance on this supreme path and for her presence in my heart.

I will be celebrating Guru Purnima on Sunday, July 9^th, with Swami Nirmalananda in Downingtown PA.  I hope you will be there, too! If not in person, be with us on the free Swami Connection conference call. Swamiji will shower us all with Guru’s Grace and her blessings. Register now to get the conference call number and access code.