From the Newsletter:
We are writing to address directly what occurred at the recent student gathering, and to provide the community with the clarity it deserves about the current state of the Chakra Institute and the circumstances that led here.
The meeting did not unfold as intended. What was meant to be a genuine community gathering to discuss the future of Sri Shyamji's work was undermined by an organized agenda brought by a small number of individuals whose intentions were not aligned with the spirit or mission of the institute. This is not acceptable and it will not be permitted to continue. Sri Shyamji's students and his legacy deserve better, and we will not allow the character of these gatherings to be shaped by personal grievance rather than genuine devotion.
We feel it is important — because of what occurred at that meeting — to share the following with the broader community, and we do so with full awareness that Sri Shyamji himself was a man of extraordinary discretion. He held space for people through their deepest patterns and imbalances and did so with dignity and privacy. We have tried to honor that same discretion. We made every effort to protect the reputations of those involved, to offer continuity to all students regardless of the circumstances, and to resolve this situation privately and respectfully. What we are sharing now we share only because we have reached the limit of what silence can responsibly hold.
To ensure full transparency, we must share the severity of the challenges recently caused by a former manager. This individual engaged in a sustained effort to obstruct the Chakra Institute's operations, most notably by unlawfully holding the organization's financial accounts and assets hostage. She actively and deliberately interfered with our required tax filings in a manner that, had it succeeded, would have entirely dissolved the Chakra Institute's nonprofit status. Furthermore, alongside a former associate, she attempted to misappropriate the organization's intellectual property and Sri Shyamji's lineage.
When confronted, this individual engaged in bad-faith delay tactics, demanding confidential governance documents to which she has no legal right, while willfully ignoring the public record and the explicit, supportive statements of our founder's estate and heirs. She has also tested legal boundaries by sending unauthorized communications directly to this community, intentionally creating confusion about her affiliation.
The behavioral pattern throughout has been consistent — personal gain, desire for control, and a willingness to harm the institute itself in pursuit of individual agenda. These are recognizable expressions of our lower chakra nature. We acknowledge this with compassion and move forward.
We want to be clear about the timeline. Even before the formal board was reconstituted, as Vice President, repeated attempts were made to collaborate and find a workable path forward — all met with exclusion and obstruction. A lawyer was not engaged lightly or quickly. The Board made repeated attempts at resolution over an extended period. Furthermore, we engaged senior students who are respected members of this community to help facilitate dialogue — again, unfortunately without success. Every offer of collaboration was met with obstruction. Every opportunity for a dignified path forward was declined. The lawyer became necessary only when the institute's very existence was threatened — when it became clear that without legal protection, the Chakra Institute and everything Sri Shyamji entrusted to it would be lost.
We understand that involving legal counsel may be viewed differently across cultures and communities. We ask that this be understood in its full context: it was the last resort, not the first, and it came after a level of patience and goodwill that far exceeded what any institution could reasonably be expected to extend. To be clear, we did not bring in a litigator. We engaged a governance specialist to handle a corporate succession matter. This was not an aggressive action- it was a common action that organizations take at this time of transition to maintain accountability with local and federal law. In the course of that work, it became clear that a former manager had made off with company property and accounts, and we handled that as part of our governance responsibility.
Money belonging to the institute continues to be blocked, creating real financial debt that the current leadership is now carrying on the institute's behalf. This cannot continue. We cannot allow such poison to seep further into the foundation of something so sacred, nor take our attention from the real task at hand. Sri Shyamji's work — his voice, his teachings, his life's devotion — deserves to be housed in something sattvic.
The vacant seats on the Chakra Institute's Board of Trustees have been filled, and the full Board has duly appointed the appropriate officers to manage the organization's day-to-day affairs. The institute is legally protected and operationally sound. The tax filings are complete and the institute's nonprofit status is secure. Sri Shyamji's intellectual property is being protected and accounted for. We are moving forward.
Sri Shyamji gave tirelessly to all who came to him, often working with people carrying very heavy burdens, always with great compassion. The Chakra Institute now carries the responsibility to honor that devotion by building something worthy — grounded in transparency, service, and the genuine continuation of his work. Those who come to this work with open hands and authentic hearts are deeply welcome. There is much to be done and the community's participation is not only invited — it is essential. Those who come seeking to take, to control, or to disrupt will find this is not the place for that. We say this not in anger but in clarity and in protection of something we all hold dear.
A community survey is currently being developed for distribution. A structured planning process will follow. We are committed to transparency, to hearing every sincere voice in this community, and to building the kind of organization that is worthy of what Sri Shyamji left behind.
We are grateful for every student who showed up in love and genuine inquiry. We see you. We will not let the noise of a few drown out the signal of the many.
With respect and full commitment to this work,
Galeet Farrow, President
Gabrielle Tuschek, Vice President & Treasurer
Kavita Macmillan, Secretary
The Chakra Institute | Sri Centre International