Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is one of the most beloved of all the Hindu gods. He is the god of wisdom, beginnings, and success. His birthday festival, or chaturthi, begins on the fourth day of this waxing moon and lasts for 10 days.

Hindus believe in one God who has many symbolic forms. Ganesha is worshipped as the Lord of Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He can remove obstacles, or he can place obstacles in the path of those who need to be slowed.

I plan to use Ganesha as a focus for my meditation for the next 10 days, give attention to my obstacles, and find a way forward through them.

Agenda for this week:
1. Journal about my obstacles
2. Make a clay Ganesha
3. Make a Success Altar
4. Ceremony for beginning and success

1.  Journal about my obstacles:

I encounter obstacles each day that threaten to stop me from achieving my goals: Lack of money, lack of knowledge, people making demands or not giving me what I need, my own fears, dissapointments, and physical limitations, the weather... It’s frustrating!

It’s helpful to view each obstacle as a challenge instead of a barrier - as a veiled opportunity to remove a self-imposed limit, and to resolve a conflict. Pema Chodron calls it "raw material for waking up".

When I encounter a problem, I get creative: I take some time to gently puzzle over the mess, turn the problem upside down, and look for an opportunity - an A-ha! moment. And then I might have a flash of insight and a fresh take on what is true. The Buddha called it “turning an arrow into a flower”.

My queries today:

Which challenges and obstacles do I face this month?

How can I relate to this raw material of my existence? 

Is the obstacle real? Can I absolutely know it’s real?

Who would I be without the thought of the obstacle?

For each obstacle I've identified, I will find 3 ways to turn it upside down to its opposite so that every “bad” becomes a new source of good.

2. Make a clay Ganesha:

In Hindu tradition, one gains blessing and protection by making eye contact with the image of a god. For this reason, it is common to buy clay sculptures or plaques of your favorite gods. Terracotta Ganesha figures are sometimes very large. The potter makes them of thin slabs of clay, and presses carved stamps into the soft clay to make designs.

I made this plaque from self-drying clay many years ago. I don't have pictures of the process, but I'll describe it to you.

Supplies: Self-drying clay, slab roller or rolling pin, clay needle tool or sharp stick, cup of water or slip (watery clay), wooden clay tools, tiny mirrors, beads, shells

1) Use half your clay to roll out a slab. Draw a pattern for the base of your plaque, with a rounded top. Lay it on the slab, and cut around it with your needle tool, or a sharp stick.

2) Roll snakes of clay to form a canopy around the top, and a platform at the bottom. Score the bottom edge of the snakes, and the surface of the slab, with your needle tool. Brush a little water or slip on both surfaces, and press firmly into place. Use your finger or a clay tool to smooth the joint so it becomes one piece.

3) With the remainder of your clay, press out another thin slab, and cut out the elephant face and ears. Place it onto the background slab, over a small piece of crumpled paper, to give it a raised form. Score the edges, slip, and press firmly into place. Smooth the joint.

4) Add decorations: Incise lines with a stick or wooden clay tools, pencil tip, fork, etc. Make rosettes, flattened balls of clay with wedge-shaped designs pressed in. Inlay with mirrors, beads, shells, etc.

3. Make a Success Altar:

Every Hindu household has a puja room, a place to show honor to the Hindu gods and goddesses. I made an altar for Ganesha with objects to symbolize my wish for success this season.

• Ganesha plaque-- the image of wisdom, beginnings, and success.
• a bell-- to center my attention.
• red flowers and a red candle-- for courage, strength and grounding. (Red is Ganesha's favorite color.)
• sandalwood incense-- to calm, clear stress, and awaken intelligence.
• a bowl with candy-- Ganesha loves sweets! He holds a candy in his trunk to remind us to seek the sweetness of the soul. My bowl has 10 pieces - one for each day of the festival.

Since I'll be traveling to visit my mom for a few days this week, I've also made a traveling version of this altar, to take with me.

4. Ceremony for beginning and success:

I want to give attention to the new start I am making on several major projects in my life, and the successes I hope to achieve, so I will repeat this simple ceremony every morning for 10 days.

• Sit comfortably, light the incense and candle, hold hands at heart, then close eyes and chant --

"Om" -the primordial sound,

“Gam” -the seed sound of Ganesh,

“Gah-nah-pat-a-yeh” -Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles,

"Na-ma-ha" -I pray.

• I repeat this chant as many times as I want, then stand up, ring the bell, bow with hands at heart, and say this prayer:

“Namaste” (nam-es-tay), I honor you. I hand over all my problems and questions to God the protector and guide. I pray that I may find the wisdom and courage to walk into my foggy future, through doors that open before me. I pray for success, without knowing what success will look like.

• I end the ceremony by eating one candy to remind me of the sweetness of life. (And hopefully the bowl of candy will remind me to repeat the ceremony for nine more days!)