Vasant Panchami

Today is the first day of spring in India; Vasant means "spring" and Panch means "fifth", and it’s celebrated on the fifth day after the new moon in January or February.

Vasant Panchami is also the birthday of Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of education, learning, and the fine arts. Folks all over India take part in art and painting competitions, poetry recitations, and music festivals today.

 Students will take a break from studying, and put their books on the altar to be blessed.

Agenda today:
1. Look for signs of spring
2. Make a rangoli
3. Start a new project
4. Go on the Women's March
5. Make moong dal (yellow lentils)

1. Look for signs of spring:

It may be spring in India, but it's late winter here. We had one warm, 60ºF day earlier this week, but now it's back to the mid-40's and rainy. I'm not complaining! These mild winter days is why I love the Oregon valley. 

I can see signs of change: The nut trees are blossoming (to which my sinuses can attest), camellias are in bud, and I see violets and daffodils poking up. Spring is definitely on its way- but I know we have another month of cold coming. Today I find joy in the first signs of spring.

Today's rangoli- I kept it simple because of the wind and rain.

2. Make a Rangoli:

Rangoli I made three years ago, with yellow, white, 
and red rice flour, leaves, pine needles, and a camellia.

The colors yellow and white are important today: People wear yellow and white clothes, eat yellow and white foods, and decorate with yellow and white flowers, to symbolize purity, peace and knowledge. They also make rangoli designs on the ground in front of the door of the house with rice flour and flower petals, to welcome Saraswati.


For more information about rangoli, and how I made the colored rice flour, see my page Rangolis and how to make them.



3. Start a new project:
Because Vasant Panchami is the birthday of Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of education and the fine arts, today is an auspicious day to start new projects and studies (The word auspicious makes me smile!). This festival is celebrated in many schools in India- with poetry readings and other special events- and often parents will choose this day to teach children to write their first words.


Since today is an auspicious day to start a new project, today I'm going to begin what is called “informal mindfulness practice”, something I've been building up to for a few weeks. It’s called informal because it’s not a sitting still meditation, but rather an out-in-the-world experience, the everyday activities of life that can support the cultivation of mindfulness.

Informal is misleading, though, because what I’m planning is pretty structured. I’ve already been using mindfulness while biking to help me with my PTSD from being hit. Now I want to study how I can use it throughout the day. I plan to choose a few specific cues to remind me to be mindful, and then pay attention to my sense perceptions, my emotions, and my thoughts as they come and go. My plan:

• To wake up each morning and pause before getting up to become aware of how I feel, and what I notice in my environment.

• To spend at least one block of my morning walk giving attention to the weather, the sounds, sights, smells, and feelings, and how I am experiencing them.

I'm going to add more cues as I go, but this seems like enough to start with.

Principles of good mindfulness practice:
1. Let go of distractions and pay attention to the moment-to-moment details of the experience.
2. Pay particular attention to my body sensations and how I experience them.
3. Try neither too much nor too little.
4. Notice my experience and my emotions without judging them.

6. Learn to let go of memories of the past or plans for the future as they enter my thoughts.
7. Notice when I hang on to a feeling or thought, and let it go without impatience.
8. If I forget that I’m practicing mindfulness, just start again without giving myself a hard time.


4. Go on the Women's March:
Last year we made the 2017 Women’s March the largest single-day protest in American history. I was there again today!

Today the aim is to re-energizing the resistance against President Trump’s agenda, and kick off the effort to register new voters across the country, in order to help elect more women and progressive candidates nationwide. The organizers are calling the effort "Power to the Polls".

5. Make moong dal:

Moong dal with naan- yumm!

Sweet saffron rice and saffron wheat pudding are traditionally served for Vasant Panchami, but, really, any yellow food is appropriate.

What I really feel like tonight is a simple meal of hot yellow lentils, called moong dal in India.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 1/2-inch ginger root
• 1 medium tomato
• 1-c. moong dal (yellow lentils)
• 1/4-tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2-tsp. turmeric powder
• salt
• 2-3 Tbsp. oil or ghee or butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/4-tsp. garam masala powder



1- Chop the onion and the ginger root very finely, and also chop up the tomato.

2- Combine the dal, tomato, onion, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric in a pot with 4 c. water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the dal is soft and thick. You may need to simmer with the lid off for the last five minutes, or, if the dal looks too thick, you can add a little water. Also add salt to taste.

Spices, pepper and garlic, ready to go into the dal.

3- Meanwhile, peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic and chop one jalapeno pepper.

4- When the dal is done, heat oil or ghee or butter in a small frying pan. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and pepper and fry for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, and add the garam masala powder, and stir.

5- Add spices to the dal, and stir well. Serve hot with steamed rice or naan, and a dollop of plain yogurt on top.