Today is the start of Navratri, 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 (Chaitra) 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. 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:
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| 2021 Rangoli (with grandson help) |
2. Read "Everyday Simplicity"
3. Make a self-cultivation plan
4. Lent review and Simple food plan
5. Make a rangoli design
6. Plant grain seeds
7. Set up an altar for Mother Nature
8. Make channa sundal (spicy chickpeas)
On each morning of Navratri I light a small white candle. For the first three mornings I ask -
I picture this Mother Spirit entering my heart riding her tiger. I see her wipe out my righteous indignation, laziness, procrastination, indifference, and defensiveness.
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)-
I bought myself this little book, by Robert J. Wicks (2000), as a birthday treat. The subtitle is: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth.
Chapter 8 is Discovering Your Image and Name, the 6th of eight themes that will help us to "soften our souls and allow us to experience and share the gift of God in simple ways during the day". Here he is talking about self-knowledge, and understanding the true gifts of our personalities.
"...even fairly accurate impressions still warrant re-examination from time to time. Otherwise we will live a less than full life. When our self-image is accurate, we grow naturally in our ability to develop and share who we are."
Practice for this section: Reevaluate the gifts of my personality, and understand how and when I go into excess.
7. Set up an altar for Mother Nature
8. Make channa sundal (spicy chickpeas)
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 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. Read "Everyday Simplicity":
Chapter 8 is Discovering Your Image and Name, the 6th of eight themes that will help us to "soften our souls and allow us to experience and share the gift of God in simple ways during the day". Here he is talking about self-knowledge, and understanding the true gifts of our personalities.
"...even fairly accurate impressions still warrant re-examination from time to time. Otherwise we will live a less than full life. When our self-image is accurate, we grow naturally in our ability to develop and share who we are."
Practice for this section: Reevaluate the gifts of my personality, and understand how and when I go into excess.
3. Make a self-cultivation plan:
Because of Navratri, and the readings from today and yesterday, I'm prompted to review my unique preferences and personality style, and define some strengths to build. I always think of this as a gentle, loving, gardening project: I'm trimming a little here, and feeding this and that, so that I will grow a better relationship with the world.
We can't really change our personality, but we can moderate our degrees of reaction, and build on our strengths. I took a look at my list of strengths and excess behaviors, and chose two to work on this week (a self-cultivation project):
1. Because of my high sense of integrity, I feel disappointment in other’s lack of integrity and right action; and sometimes I am self-righteous, judgmental, stubborn, inflexible, and didactic. I'd like to build an acceptance for "where people are", and find ways to gently nudge integrity of choices with compassion and respect.
2. Because of my love for planning and thinking things through, I can be slow to get started and complete my projects; also a little indecisive and obsessive. I'd like to build a habit of steady, persistent action on the projects of the week.
4. Lent review and simple food plan
At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer, and then take action to bring my vision to fruition.
Today I will a rangoli on the porch with chalk and rice flour. For more information about rangoli, see my page Rangolis and how to make them.
Most Hindu households sprout a bowl of seeds for Navratri, 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!)
This year:
My theme this year for Lent is Active Hope and Resilience:
Active Hope requires that I maintain a clear view of reality; identify what I hope for - the direction I’d like things to move in and the values I'd like to express; and take steps to move in that direction.
Resilience is a set of practical skills that allow me to be strong, flexible, creative, hopeful, and positive, and to successfully adapt to stressors, and bounce back from difficult experiences.
I'm also fasting from anything processed (packaged cookies, crackers, pasta, candy, canned goods, frozen dinners) as much as possible, and that means I need to cook and bake my own snacks. This week my snack-making plan is:
- Sunday: Make granola bars
- Monday: Make crackers and hummus
- Tuesday: Make a green smoothie
- Wednesday: Make cookies for my trip!
Rangolis are rice flour designs, made on the floor or sometimes on a metal plate. At Navratri, Hindus make a new design 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 I will a rangoli on the porch with chalk and rice flour. For more information about rangoli, see my page Rangolis and how to make them.
6. Plant grain seeds:
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 sprout during the nine days of the festival, they will remind me of the vibrancy of life and the creative energy of the Shakti.
7. Set up an altar for Mother Nature
I made an altar to honor Mother Earth on our nature table. 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.
- spring flowers - 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 sprouted seeds - for the creative energy of the Shakti (I used our sabzeh this year)
8. Make channa sundal (spicy chickpeas):
Many Hindus eat only vegetarian foods during Navratri; often a different sundal (dry legume dish) each night, such as Channa Sundal, with chickpeas- spicy and good! The recipe is here.
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