Ghanesh 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:

1. Journal about my obstacles

2. Read "Step into Nature"

3. Proaction and reciprocity

4. Make a Success Altar
5. 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, disappointments, and physical limitations, the weather... It can be 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:

What 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. 

For example: The biggest obstacle we face right now is time and energy; we have a big project to finish before the rains and only so much time and energy to work on it. Turning this arrow into a flower:

1. The limit in time might help us narrow the project to something manageable and less expensive; we have already decided not to replace all the decking, but instead refurbish the old boards.
2. The synergy of working on a big project together with some time pressure has brought us together and highlighted our roles and talents: Yesterday W commented that I had successfully parsed the project into small enough tasks to give him focus and motivation - which made me feel connected, successful, and hopeful.
3. We will eventually need to draw on family help (towards a common goal for a hot tub), which might create some positive connections.

2. Read "Step into Nature":

I've just started this book by Patrice Vecchione (2015), subtitled Nurturing Imagination and Spirit in Everyday Life. My goal with this book is to soften the bluntness of my Nature-Culture ideas and add some wonder.

She advocates for walking in nature to deepen my love for the earth, inspire my art-making, and balance my emotions. "If we want to care about the earth, don't we need to know her?"

Chapter 2 is A Journey. This chapter is about nature, spirit, and imagination, and the intersection between them. 

"It's not that we want to remain ignorant. Hardly. The more I'm out in nature, the more my curiosity gets piqued. I want to know the why and how of it. It's a matter of timing. I don't want the facts to cut off my questions, creative investigations, and curiosity at the pass. Questions are often a lot more compelling than answers. They keep me on the edge of my seat in wonder."

2. Proaction and reciprocity:

Reciprocity means to pay forward the benefits you receive from nature by educating others and advocating for nature, with all your creative self. Every Wednesday I try to journal a bit about the future, about my dreams and goals: What GREAT things do I want to accomplish? How will I serve people? How will I use my talents? How will I stretch myself? How can I become an “island of excellence”? What is essential?

Then I try to define achievable, meaningful goals and prioritize the goals and tasks with the greatest long-term impact.

My Journal: Here's another obstacle to analyze - how can I reel in more involvement in an Earthcare Action Group? I enjoy being the "helper", but I really have no one to help at this point! The flowers:

1. I can practice the challenge of networking by calling the people on my thank-you list and chatting about the possibilities going forward.
2. The possibilities are limitless! All we need is  a vision and a plan. I can release expectations and listen to what is on the hearts of those I want to lead.
3. The possibilities for personal growth are also wide open. I might decide to learn things and grow in ways I haven't thought of yet. Exciting!

3. Make a Success Altar:

Every Hindu household has a puja room, a place to show honor to the Hindu gods and goddesses. I often make 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.

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!)