EYE ON VEDIC FESTIVALS: DAY 1 –DEVOTED TO DURGA
This new moon day in Virgo is very special in the Vedic calendar and starts the nine days of Mother Divine. We can liken this next period until Sept. 29th 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. T. Each day in these nine days the sap of our energy rises chakra by chakra to reach the crown. Day 1 we start on earth in the base chakara.
The holiday is so much about Durga, who a on her lion has the courage to fight fear and overcome Rahu, the demons of fear and addiction and sensual obsession on her journey higher to the crown chakra over the next 10 days leads to Victory over ignorance. For us, this is a time to curb our fears and addictions and go for the highest knowledge of the Self which Goddess Saraswati starts bringing in Day 7.
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 this 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. Today, 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 and rise up.”
I 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.”
Good 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. Time for a deep inward journey and a lot of healing.
Love this photo of a father with his triplets and embracing the newborns about to come into a new life. The Divine is loving you so much during this time. Just embrace and let it in to cleanse the darkness into light. Enjoy.
