Maha Shivratri and New Budding Moon

Tonight is the new moon; the Chinese call the second new moon the Budding Moon. 

Spring has always been my favorite time of year, when I feel most creative and joyful. As we cycle nearer to spring, I can feel my energy growing and swelling like the buds on the trees!

Shiva, Crafts Museum, New Delhi

Tonight is also Maha Shivratri, a Hindu festival which falls each year on the night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (in February or March). The Sanskrit word ratri means night, and maha means great, so Maha Shivratri is the night to honor the great Shiva, for his dance of primordial creation, preservation, and destruction.

Many Hindus keep a fast all day, make offerings of flowers and incense, and chant to Shiva. They vigil all night, sing songs, and dance to the rhythm of the drums.

Agenda Today:
1. Mantra
2. Journal queries

3. Practice Strength

4. New altar

5. List my goals and set intentions for action:

6. New moon meditation and prayer
7. Make Thandai

1. Mantra:

Today I will chant the Panchakshara mantra, which means "five letters" in Sanskrit, and refers to the five letters Na, Ma, Si, Va, and Ya:
Om (the primordial sound)
Namah (I honor)
Shivaya (the source of creation)

Hear the chant here.

This is a prayer to Shiva, who is the universal consciousness. Shiva is life potential and the ground out of which everything grows; Shiva is the space from where everything has come, where everything is sustained, and where everything eventually dissolves. When I meditate on Shiva in this way (rather than as a blue-faced God-being) I get closer to the truth of the Hindu pantheon.

2. Journal queries:

Write about ideas of change and new beginnings-
What is the hope I feel? 
What is the greatest fear?

What do I want to create in my life?

3. Practice strength:

The new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, a time of high energy and clear thinking. Historically, the new moon is when women took time to be alone; it's a time to retreat, prepare, and set intentions.

Today I choose a theme for the month, and begin to give attention to it; my theme for the Budding Moon is strength against the storm. 

Picture an unexpected storm; thunder shakes the earth and heavy spring rain falls- everything and everyone are surprised into creative action, and great changes are set in motion.

Shocks and sudden unforeseen problems cycle through my life like stormy weather. This is a difficult quality for me, very yang. The sudden distress makes me uncomfortable, but if I pause and lean in to the discomfort I'll see that it's an invigorating place to be. I'll see that it's not about ME.

Just as I need my home to be in good repair to weather a storm, I need to be strong myself. When I am physically and mentally strong, I thrive on moving forward without the baggage of fears and grudges. Strength goals might have to do with improving my vitality, my strength of mind, courage to act on a new idea, making lifestyle changes, or repairing and strengthening my physical infrastructure.

My strength goals this month are:

1. Eat well, exercise, get enough rest

2. Doctor check up             

3. Return to community service: Help with tree planting   

4. Practice groundlessness: No fighting

5. Spring cleaning + Maintenance

6. Babyproof the house and plan a toddler garden

4. New Altar:

It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next 30 days or so. (For my thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. I ask, what quality of Spirit do I want to invoke? 

From last month I'm keeping:

• my harvest doll - for luck and protection
• a beaded snake - for healing and regeneration 

-and today I added:

• a spring green candle - for strength, vitality, and inner growth
• a dragon - for strength and good luck

5. List my goals and set intentions for action:

I have a two-fold task today: Plan some new goals, and set some intentions for the days ahead. Though lots of writers use these terms interchangeably, I am clear about the differences:

Goals are a plan for the future that help us stay on track with who we are becoming. 

Intentions are a pledge for action in the present; they remind us of who we are now, and our deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for living. I write my intentions in present tense, and I use this model: action + deepest reason. 

 

After I list my top 10 goals for the next 30 days, I'm ready to set some intentions for action. This is a very time-consuming but important process. I'm going to choose a few to write today - those I might act on today - then work on a few more each day this week.

I intend to eat well (more vegetables and smaller servings), exercise (walking and squats), and get enough rest because I want to be strong and energetic enough to be able to play with and care for my grandson without feeling exhausted.

 

I intend to continue to celebrate Lent by exploring my relationship to the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and by accessing my sense of wonder and discovery, because a strong and intimate connection to this land is what will fuel and support my climate activism.

 

I intend to continue to practice groundlessness and embrace ambiguity (meaning, I will notice when I seek security and comfort, and try to let go of my need to react in a defensive way), because this is how I will become a useful elder, and transcend the suffering of being human.

6. New moon meditation and prayer:

Shivratri is the darkest night of the month; it's an opportunity to give myself the experience of the vast emptiness that is the source of all creation. 

Tonight I will light a small white candle on my altar. I will center,  give attention to each of my intentions, picture each one accomplished, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life. And I will ask Shiva to strip away my striving for comfort and safety, so that I can be open to the infinite possibilities.

 

7. Make Thandai:
Some Hindus observe a strict fast today, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk. This famous flavored milk is traditionally prepared today to drink, and as an offering to Shiva. The recipe is here.