The Blessings and Gratitude Moon – Guru Purnima Full Moon
I send you all greetings and blessings from India on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
For those of us in Wisdom Traditions in India, especially the Oral Tradition, this is our most important full moon of the year.
The covenant between Consciousness, personified as Shiva, and man provides a Way Home, a Path of Knowledge, in the form of discipleship and continuous lineage. We call this the “Guru-Shishya Parampara.”
As the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, the Guru reflects the light of Knowledge. So, imagine, when the Moon is full, it illuminates things that are normally hidden by the darkness of night, as the Guru may illuminate things normally hidden by the darkness of ignorance. When the Moon is at full intensity, so is Guru.
Monsoon rains are pouring down now in India. I haven’t checked reports, but it seems to be a good one, lots of rain, at least where I’ve been. Traditionally, we sadhus and yogis travel from place to place during much of the year. We go on pilgrimage, visit our elders and gurus, we are invited to feasts and functions, we attend gatherings. But monsoon has never been the best time to do this, especially in the “old days” when our travel was by foot.
The Full Moon on the 25th of July, ending the Indian month of Ashadh, begins a traditional four-month period when sadhus, yogis, and gurus stay out of the rain, usually in one place, and keep travel down to a minimum. It’s the first day of the “Guru’s Retreat.”
This is a day when all the disciples and devotees gather around their gurus, for their blessings are most powerful on this day, celebrate the full connection of Sun and Moon and Guru and Disciple. They honor the guru and make puja to him or her. Disciples and devotees bring gifts of new cloth, flowers, sweets, and dakshina.
And for those disciples and devotees that cannot be physically with the guru, one can connect with the guru through the full moon. We bounce messages and blessings off the moon, and the connection on Sunday it at its greatest clarity and power.
We think of this Full Moon as the Blessings and Gratitude Moon. So this is an excellent time to honor ALL your teachers, whether alive or otherwise, whether human or otherwise, and show your gratitude for their blessings which grace your life.
May you be healthy, happy, prosperous, and wise!
Baba Rampuri
Guru & Disciple - Last Omkar
