Autumn 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, symbolic of the nine months in the womb.

Navratri is celebrated at least twice each year in India - in the spring and fall - because these are times when nature and people undergo great changes. Autumn (Sharad) Navratri begins on the day after the rise of the new moon in late September or early October.

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. Each of the three goddesses marks a stage of the spiritual journey we all go through: Durga’s strength and energy creates an opening, Lakshmi’s success and fortune nurtures growth, and Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge leads to enlightenment, happiness, and peace.

 
Agenda for today:

1. Morning meditation and mantra

2. Make a rangoli design

3. Plant grain seeds
4. Set up an altar for Mother Nature

1. Morning meditation and mantra:

During Navratri, Hindus work on their vyavhaar (behaviour) and acharan (character). For the first three nights the Mother is invoked as Durga, goddess of strength and courage. Durga is a warrior - not an easy image for a pacifist, but important to acknowledge this part of my nature. Durga rides a fierce tiger, and has 10 arms, which hold weapons and a lotus flower. She destroys  the evils that threaten the stability of the cosmos, and helps the universe to continue with its cycle of creation, preservation and destruction.

On each morning of Navratri I light a small white candle. For the first three mornings I ask -

How does Durga shine in me? What are my strengths?

What weaker qualities or habits do I wish to let Durga destroy? 

I picture this Mother Spirit entering my heart riding her tiger. I see her wipe out my anger, greed, laziness, procrastination, indifference, pride, defensiveness, and jealousy.

I continue to focus on my image of Durga and chant. (You might want to chant along with someone who knows how. Many YouTube versions exist, and my favorite is here)-

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

2- Make a rangoli design:

Rangolis are rice flour designs, made on the floor or a metal plate. At Navratri a new design might be made each day, with dots, squares, flowers, birds, and so on - each one designed to welcome the spirit of the Goddess.

I often make a rangoli on the silver plate that holds my diya lamps, but this year I'm keeping everything simple and kid-friendly, so I used one I made on cardboard with glue.

For more about rangoli and how to make them, see my Rangoli  page.

3 - Plant grain seeds:

My three grains, soaking.

At Navratri, most Hindu households sprout a bowl of seeds called the Nava-Dhanya (nine cereals), each a symbol of a different planet. 

I often use three kinds of grain seeds: Wheat for the sun, rice for the moon, and corn for the earth (corn is not a Hindu grain but it's important to me!) 

The sowing, sprouting and growth of the grains is intended to bring peace, abundance, and joy to the household -- as they grow during the nine days of the festival, they remind us of the vibrancy of life and the creative energy of the Shakti.

This year I did not remember to soak seeds - and I've had poor luck in our cold autumn with this process anyway. So I decided to create a new symbol for the abundance of the season - I'm using a bowl of homemade floral potpourri instead.

4 - Set up an altar for Mother Nature:

Today I set up an altar to honor the Mother in all her forms. 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. 

This year I made a simple altar on a tray on the kitchen table, where the grandsons can see it:

• my rangoli - to welcome the Shakti 
• a diya lamp and a candle - for the Light of God 
• a bell - to keep me awake to the Spirit
• and a bowl of potpourri - for the creative energy of the Shakti