Navratri Continues

Navratri continues tonight with the visit of Lakshmi. 

The word navratri means nine nights; These nights are broken up into sets of three, and during each set we meditate on a different aspect of Shakti (the universal principle of energy and creativity, Mother Earth, and the feminine power in each of us) - first the Goddesses Durga, then Lakshmi, and then Saraswati.

Each of the three goddesses signifies 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. Tonight we honor and thank the Divine Mother as Lakshmi, the Goddess of success.

2021 rangoli

Agenda Today:

1. Morning meditation and mantra 

2. Read "Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Workbook"

3. Make a new rangoli design
4. Add to my altar

1. Morning meditation and mantra:

During Navratri, Hindus work on their vyavhaar (behaviour) and acharan (character). For these next three days I honor the constructive aspect of the Mother - after Durga has destroyed the old structure of my personality, a constructive process can begin. 

The word Lakshmi comes from the Sanskrit word Laksya, meaning aim or goal. Laksmi is a beautiful golden woman with four arms, sitting on a fully bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud. Cascades of gold coins flow from her hands, indicating her offering of prosperity. She bestows spiritual and material wealth, good food, health, happiness, and the growth and unfolding of whatever is life-enhancing.

On each morning of Navratri I light a small white candle. For these next three mornings I meditate on my inner life-giving force of creativity. I ask -

What part of me do I ask Lakshmi to heal and nourish? What is the wealth I wish for?

What are the life-enhancing qualities and habits that I wish to cultivate in the days ahead? 

I picture this Mother spirit sitting on the blossom of my heart, gently opening it to accept love and happiness into my life. 

I continue to focus on my image of Lakshmi 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 
• Shreem -  from which beauty and feminine energy emanates
• Ma-ha - great 
• Lak-shma-yai - goddess of wealth
• Na-ma-ha - I pray.

2. Read "Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Workbook":

I'm reading again from the Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Workbook, by Margaret Cullen and Gonzalo Brito Pons (2015). I got it after realizing that mindfulness might be the key to gaining the equanimity I crave. This is supposedly an "8-week program for Improved Emotional Regulation and Resilience"; I'm taking it much slower.

Last week I started Chapter 5: Feelings- Pleasant, Unpleasant, and Neutral. "Feeling tones can be described as the flavors that accompany each moment of experience, whether received from the five senses ... or the mind -- sometimes referred to as the sixth sense since it also perceives mental experiences." The goal is to train myself to pay attention to the feeling tone contained in every experience or memory, and therefore observe the experience rather than identifying with it.

Today I read about Pleasant Experiences, how we want to cling to them, and why this diminishes the pleasure. We want good things to last forever, and so we delude ourselves or simply don't face the realities of life: The inevitability of children growing up, aging, death, losses. 

Bringing awareness to the pleasant feeling reveals its fleeting nature, and can reveal the subtle and reliable sources of happiness: Connection and appreciation of self and others, no expectations or demands, and savoring simple pleasures.

3. Make a new 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; this one shows Lakshmi's feet.

3. Add to my altar:

I added a bowl of coins from around the world, to remind me of the nurturing quality of the Shakti.