EYE ON VEDIC FESTIVALS: SPRING NAVARITRI CALLED CHAITRA NAVARATRI
NAVARATRI: BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY OF THE SOUL
This new moon day in Pisces is very special in the Vedic calendar and starts the nine days of Mother Divine. We can liken this next period from March 28th until April 5th to a rebirth period where the soul is gestating in the womb of the Mother ready to be born to a new life after 9 days rather than 9 months. . This period can intense during the first three days ruled by Durga as deep purification of your deepest subconsious energies are up to be healed and transform. This is a time for fasting, deep meditation and prayer and faith that the Divine Mother, with her immense love is read to pour her blessings upon you if you are receptive and open to transformation. Use this time to go deep within and transform. Each day of the nine days is part of the journey of moon from new moon towards its fullness. This Year it is from March 28-April 5th with the new moon in the US being late at night on Monday, March 27th but in Europe and India on the 28th. Each day in these nine days the sap of our energy rises chakra by chakra to reach the crown.
During the nine days, there are dedications to one aspect of Mother Divine with the first 3 to Durga. One of my teachers, Indu Aurora has written beautifully about the first day and Durga below.
“Durga means someone who has accomplished the impossible and the impossibility. That is the power hidden/ sleeping/inert as well as innate in each of us. On the first day we invoke Durga as “Ma Shailaputri”. She is the daughter of the great Himalayas. She has made up her mind to rise from the great earth below to the heavens above. She is invincible and immovable like the great Himalayas itself.
Once we become grounded and determined with 100% conviction of what we deserve, we are ready to break through the earth upon which we stand but we remain still like Ma Shailaputri.
In order to move, we have to be stirred but Ma Shailaputri motivates us to be stirred and yet maintain still. She holds a trident on the right hand, which symbolizes the victory over three kinds of sufferings (karmic, cosmic and manasic), over three Gunas (sattva, Rajas and tamas) and in the left hand she holds a lotus. In order to be strong we don’t have to lose our grace, gentleness and kindness. When you invoke Shailaputri within, no one can take your kindness as your weakness and your silence as your ignorance.”
Tuesday will be a good day day for silence, meditation, fasting, prayer and inner transformation. You can sponsor into pujas for the nine days at www.puja.net or visit your local temple. Very beautiful time for deep transformation so enjoy. I find the Durga days always a bit intense so use the time to go within and heal.
The Divine is loving you so much during this time. Just embrace and let it in to cleanse the darkness into light. Enjoy
