Navratri

Navratri is a Hindu holiday during which we honor and thank Shakti, the Divine Mother, in all her forms. Shakti is the universal principle of energy and creativity, Mother Earth, and the feminine power in each of us. The word nava means nine and ratri means nights; the festival lasts for nine nights and ten days.

Navratri is celebrated twice each year, in the spring and fall, because these are times when nature and people undergo great changes. Spring Navratri begins the day after the new moon in late March or early April, and is celebrated as a request to Shakti for a good growing season.
The nine nights of Navratri are broken up into sets of three, and during each a different aspect of Shakti is meditated upon- the Goddesses Durga, then Lakshmi, and then Saraswati. For the first three nights the Mother is invoked as Durga, goddess of strength and courage.

Durga is on the left, with the seeds in front of her.

Agenda Today:
1- Set up a puja for Mother Nature:
Today I make an altar to honor Mother Earth, with flowers, incense, and diya lamps. My altar is in no way authentically Hindu- I make it for my own use, to remind me of the work I am doing. If you want to see an authentic puja, watch this video.

On the first day of Navratri I prepare a dish of soil, planted with seeds, as a symbolic form of Durga- the image is of the womb of the earth, and her creative energies.

2- Rangoli:
Rangolis are rice flour designs, made on the floor or sometimes on a metal plate. At Navratri a new design is made each day- with dots, squares, flowers, steps, birds, the names of Shakti, designs from Shakti's hands, patterns of her trident and, on the ninth day, the Lotus of the goddess's heart. Today we made a rangoli on the plate (pictured above) that holds my diya lamps.

3- Journaling:
During Navratri, Hindus work on their vyavhaar (behaviour) and acharan (character). Each Goddess signifies a stage of the spiritual journey we all go through: Durga’s strength and energy create's an opening, Lakshmi’s success and fortune nurtures growth, and Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge leads to enlightenment, happiness, and peace.

For the first three days I write about my strengths- the ways that Durga shines in me- and the qualities or habits I wish to let Durga destroy.

4- Visualization and prayer:

For these three nights I honor the destructive aspect of the Mother. Durga is a warrior, rides a fierce tiger, and has 10 arms, which hold weapons and a lotus flower. She destroys evils that threaten the stability of the cosmos and helps the universe to proceed with the cycle of creation, preservation and destruction.

I pray “Thank you, Mother, for providing energy for the earth to move around the sun, causing spring to come again, and for maintaining the correct balance of the universe. You are the earth. You nourish support, protect, and mother all creatures, all beings. I ask you to help me recognize those aspects of myself that are not helpful. Give me the strength and courage to maintain my physical and mental balance, and to destroy my vices and defects so that what is good and pure has room to unfold.”

Then I picture Durga entering my heart riding on a tiger. I see Her wipe out my anger, greed, laziness, procrastination, indifference, pride, defensiveness, and jealousy.

5- Durga Mantra:
I focus on my image of Durga and chant-

• Om - the primodial sound, 
• Dum - the energy which protects from all negative influences, 
• Dur-ga-yei - goddess of strength, 
• Na-ma-ha - I pray.

(You might want to chant along with someone who knows how. Many YouTube versions exist, and my favorite is here.)

6- Make sundal: 
Many Hindus eat only vegetarian foods during Navratri; often a different sundal (dry legume dish) each night. 

Tonight I made Channa Sundal, with chickpeas- spicy and good!

Ingredients: 

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• salt
• 1/3 c. grated coconut
• pinch of cayenne

Yield: Serves 2-

1- Open the can of chickpeas and rinse and drain. Set aside.

2- Add oil to a wok or frying pan and heat. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil, and stir for a few seconds, just until the seeds begin to pop.

3- Add the chickpeas and the red pepper, and mix well. Add a pinch of Asafoetida (helps with gas!), salt to taste, the grated coconut, and a pinch of cayenne. Mix and stir for few seconds then turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for few seconds. Serve with yogurt and naan.