Dear Friends,I’m sure you all share my desire to see more meditators become Sidhas, move to Fairfield and participate in group TM and Sidhis super radiance practice here or wherever they live.Most of you have told me that your first experience of rounding on a retreat was the experience that made you decide to commit to participating in advance programs like group meditations and the Sidhis.Although the TM movement of North America has been pretty successful at increasing initiations over the past decade to around 20,000+ per year, only a small fraction of those have gone to retreats or become Sidhas. If we want more people to participate in coherence creating groups, then it’s clear that we need to inspire more meditators to experience a rounding course.Fortunately, a few years ago, Maharishi Foundation made it possible for meditators to take half-day retreats on zoom supervised by local TM Teacher’s.Although not as powerful as an in residence retreat, these online half-day retreats seem nevertheless to be effective at giving meditators a deep experience of transcending and increasing their motivation to go on to in-residence retreats, get advanced techniques, participate in local TM capitol activities and even become Sidhas and Teachers.But for many years only a very tiny percentage (a few hundred / year) of new meditators took even the inexpensive online retreats simply because it is an additional cost (normally a cash outlay from them of about $40-$60), for which they do not yet have an appreciation of the benefits or importance for them.That is why I created the First Free Retreat, scholarship fund for meditators which is administered by MIU and the Fairfield TM Center which pays for any meditator’s first online retreat or a $50 discount on an in residence retreat. 

With this new scholarship fund, it only costs $25 per person for the on line retreats (or we offer a $50 credit toward an in residence retreat), which goes to the TM Teachers to pay for their time organizing and giving the courses without which the courses would not happen. So it’s a very cost-effective way for meditators to experience deep transcending for the first time, reinforce 3 days checking and hear about advanced techniques and programs like the TM Sidhis.  

The program has been going for about a year in the US and it’s very successful. Because of the scholarship over 1100 meditators have taken retreats for the first time, and their experiences are glowing. 

Teachers in the field are reporting that from the free first retreats there have been an increase in the number of referrals, donations, participation in advanced techniques, subsequent full tuition retreats, ayurveda consultations and several graduates have even taken the TM Sidhis and TTC courses!  

Some teachers have called it the most important program in the movement right now. 

It’s been so successful that the number of new meditators taking the retreats has grown quickly and at the current rate we’re going to need about $150,000 to keep it going for the next year.   

I’ve made several large donations to get it going and I have pledged more funds, but I need your help.  

If getting more meditators to become Sidhas, participate in super radiance and growing our meditating communities is important to you, then please contribute to this Free First Retreats Scholarship Fund. 

Also please forward this message to anyone who you know that you think might like to support this program which has the potential to dramatically increase the number of meditators, sidhas, super radiance numbers and TM teachers in the US and create a more peaceful, suffering free, enlightened world. 

Thank you and God bless you, 

Stephen Harper