Navratri Continues

Navratri continues tonight with the visit of Lakshmi, the Goddess of material and spiritual wealth, and success.

Agenda Today:

1- Make a new rangoli design

2- Add to my altar

3- Morning meditation on creative growth 

4- Make sweet corn sundal

5- Evening visualization and prayer

6- Lakshmi mantra

Songkran

Songkran is the New Year festival in Thailand, officially observed for three days, April 13 - 15, but actually the celebration usually lasts the entire week. 

The word songkran comes from the Sanskrit, meaning "to pass or move into", referring to the passing and moving of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another (but it's also taken to mean "moving forward into a better life"). There are in fact twelve Songkrans each year, but this Songkran (sometimes called the Great Songkran) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram, always near to the vernal equinox.

April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand, and maybe that is why water is a theme for this festival. All statues of the Buddha are ceremonially washed, and then the entire country participates in friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. 

Agenda Today:
1. Clean house
2. Make resolutions
3. Connect with Family
4. Build a sand pagoda
5. Water play
6. Make Thong Yod (Golden Egg Drops)

Ramadan

Last night was the start of Ramadan, an Islamic holiday that marks the discovery of the Qur’an by the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic calendar is totally lunar, so Ramadan begins a few weeks earlier each year, at the sighting of the thin crescent moon, hopefully at sundown last night.

Sunset photo by Brayden

Ramadan is a month of blessing. By night, Muslims read the Qur'an, and celebrate the compassion of God with special prayers. 

By day, they give generously to charities, and observe the discipline of fasting: They eat an early morning meal before the sun rises, then eat and drink nothing until after sundown. The Ramadan fast includes abstinence from falsehood and anger, in words and in deeds. It's purpose is to help Muslims to develop self-discipline, a strong spirit, generosity, and empathy. 

Even though I don't partake in a fast, I observe Ramadan in this same spirit, renewing my relationship with God, and exercising self-discipline and generosity. I hope to build my empathy for Muslims as they observe their month-long fast.

Now the moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. During the waxing moon, energy remains high. In these first days of the waxing crescent moon, I will give attention to my growing energy, take my first steps towards my intentions, and find my motivation to follow through with persistent action.

Agenda:
1. Celestial awareness
2. Plan first steps

3. Mindfulness

4. Practice a daily art prayer
5. Enjoy Iftar

Chaitra Navratri

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.

This spring I'm going to experiment with gearing my Navratri celebration for a toddler! 

Agenda:

1- Make a rangoli design
2- Plant grain seeds
3- Set up an altar for Mother Nature
4- Morning meditation on strength5- Make channa sundal (spicy chickpeas)6- Evening visualization and prayer7- Durga mantra

New Sleepy Moon

Tonight is the new moon. The Chinese call the third new moon the Sleepy Moon, because the drowsiness of spring is in the air. 

On the first three days of this moon, the Chinese in Beijing celebrate the birthday of Hsi Wang Mu with a temple festival. Hsi Wang Mu is the Grandmother Goddess of the Western Heaven, also called the Great Yin. She controls the cosmic forces of time and space, determines life and death, and controls disease and healing. She watches over the tree of the peaches of immortality.

The new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, a time of high energy and clear thinking. Historically, the new moon is when women took time to be alone; it's a time to retreat, set intentions, and initiate something new.

Agenda for today:
1. Retreat Day

2. Pick a theme

3. Goals and Intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Start something new

Waning Crescent Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

This waning crescent moon is the final phase of the Budding Moon cycle. The next new moon, in four days, will be the Sleepy Moon cycle. At the new moon I'll set my intentions for the month ahead.

But right now, at the waning crescent, it's time to evaluate and brainstorm, find purpose, and surrender. I'll open to curiosity and attention, contemplate what I might want in the 30 days ahead, and rest up for the move back into yang-action mode. These next few days are a chance to look back and look forward, and think about the big picture of my life. 

Agenda:

1. Evaluation Wheel:

Today I get to reflect back on the whole lunar cycle that I've just passed through. I re-read the intentions I set at the start of the cycle and list what I've accomplished, what I want to still act on, what has become irrelevant or didn't go as planned.

I tried a new model, an evaluation wheel with my 6 priority areas. Inside the wheel I listed the things I completed in each area, and underneath the wheel I listed the things I moved forward to the next month, and the things I dropped or changed my goal for.

2. Review my purpose:

My purpose right now is to love and serve my family and my community (learning greater equanimity and compassion); lead a simple life of integrity (caring for the earth and working to become anti-racist); and be a creative force (expressing myself to the world with my writing, art, and actions).

3. Review my priorities:

I have lots of things in lots of categories that I do every day, but which of those are priorities now in my life? I only have so much time each day, so I hope to give priority to the activities and people that matter most to me right now. 

My priorities are fluid; they change with the seasons and with my responsibilities. I like to review them monthly, before the new moon. Today I ask myself:

-Which of my priorities have gotten the least attention this last month and why? 

-What seasonal focus and upcoming events are priorities now?

-What are my important responsibilities this month?

-What upcoming activities give me the biggest rewards?

-What would I do this month if I knew I only had 6 months to live?

-What activities best support my beliefs and values?

-Where do my strengths lie?

     

From my Journal: My home and my creative projects have definitely gotten less attention this month as I focused more on activism, community, and my health. I need to step it up in the garden and home this next month, but I have no idea what I can reduce. Maybe I need to sleep less. I do think I need to carefully evaluate my community efforts to make sure I'm putting in time towards the best effectiveness.

After some thought, this is my slate of priorities for the next month: 

• Career: Maintain a balance.
• Creativity: Daily art practice.
• Health: Steady attention on daily healthy habits.
• Heart: Limit to one weekly community service (clerking, tree planting, ...?)
• Learning: Moving on to new topics, limit to one a day.
• Home: Focus on clearing clutter, washing windows, weeding and planting.

4. Monthly journal brainstorm:
At the new moon next week I will transition from a focus on strength, health, and lifestyle to a focus on balance.

This week I will write down my goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next 30-days; just write lists of ideas without judgement - put down everything I think I should do, everything I really want to do, and everything I only dream of doing. Include these broad categories:

            -Self-care and life-style

            -Love, social skills, friends and family

            -Career/work and life path

            -Creativity and self-expression

            -Activism and service

            -Stillness, knowledge, skills and growth

            -Home and garden

            -Seasons and celebration

5. Surrender, rest, recuperate: 

This next few days is a time to be empty; the time for striving is past. As the moon’s light fades into darkness I get to relax and surrender to the universe. 

Some things will always be out of my control. As the moon's appearance dwindles, I let go of useless beliefs, unreasonable expectations, grudges, defensiveness, projects that don't fit into my life, and anything else that isn't working for me. I turn these all over to the Divine and give thanks, my way of opening to receive new intentions in the new month.

Then I give myself permission to rest!