 This Week's Intention: Release, let go, transform, liberate, heal. Repeat. Moon continues to wax as the sacred nine day celebration of Navaratri continues to unfold. The week begins with the last day of three dedicated to Ma Durga. Cutting, clearing and transformation abound! What are you releasing and letting go of? Work actively this week to change and release that which is not serving you on the psycho/emotional levels of your being.
Monday, October 3rd Moon in 3rd tithi Tritiya Swati nakshatra continues to bring powerful changes to feelings and emotions. Ruling Deity of Swati nakshatra, Vayu, the wind god, invites in swift movement and change. Whether it's a gentle breeze or huge gusts, winds of change are ushering in transformation. What are you tracking within your own personal landscape? Use your emotional body as a resource for discerning your needs. What is working? What is not? For the full version sign up for my membership.
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 Align With Durga and Her Powerful Energy of Change and Transformation During Navaratri.
Navaratri is a poignant time in the Vedic Calendar. This ancient calendar is one that is dedicated to Nature and her cycles and rhythms, the planets, and most importantly the Moon. In the Vedic Calendar, time is connected to what Nature and the cosmos are doing, and these elements are intimately related. The main Navaratri celebrations occur twice a year- in the "gap" seasons of spring and fall. These times are considered sandhi times; delicate times that feel like you are neither here, nor there. We might call it the netherworld. This time, though delicate, is considered sacred. In the spring, Navaratri marks the "waking up" of the devis or the goddesses, of Shakti; the aspects of Natural Law that enliven growth, abundance, prosperity, learning, well being, change and transformation. In the fall, Navaratri invites in destruction, removal, change, transformation and healing. The goddesses Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi symbolize these parts of life and Nature, while also being parts of our own innate being. The three of them together represent our wholeness, the trinity of life, alive in and around us. These three goddesses also connect to Shakti, the goddess who gives the spark of life to every being, to Nature, and to existence. Fall Navaratri, or Maha Navaratri, is by far the most potent as it brings deep transformation and the ability to remove, destroy, release and transform, our darkness into light. The holy trinity of goddesses supports this process and allows us to let go of what needs to be released in order for greater nourishment. As we let go of our darkness, an increase of light and wisdom can take its place. This process is marked by Durga's powerful battle against the demon Mahishasura. On the 10th day, she destroyed him and was victorious. This day is called Vijaya Dashami (Dashami is the 10th lunar day of the Moon cycle, connected to dharma). Vasant Navaratri, or spring Navaratri, begins with the new Moon this year, on Thursday April 7th at 04:24 am PDT. Sun and Moon are in Revati nakshatra, the final star of the zodiac, signifying endings and beginnings. This is the mark of the Vedic Lunar New Year and the beginning of the sacred nine day celebration of Navaratri as well. Durga is enlivened at this time! The battle between good over evil intensifies in the coming days as Durga battles the demon Mahishasura. This battle takes place within every human being. The conflict between light and dark forces, polarities, is expressed through this sacred and timeless battle. It also mirrors the conflicts stirred between the masculine and feminine energies within. This battle is a wake up call, a clearing of old, stagnant beliefs, patterns and behaviors. Pay close attention during this sacred nine day celebration as inner and outer conflicts intensify. What does this conflict share with you about your polarities? What mirrors are being held up in order for you to make lasting change and transformation? Nava means nine in Sanskrit while Ratri means nights. This is a nine day celebration that is divided into three parts. The first three days are dedicated to the goddess Durga. Her warrior spirit cleanses, shifts, uproots, changes and transforms. Think of her as tilling the soil, prior to planting seeds. The next three days of celebration are dedicated to Lakshmi. Her abundance, nurturing, and wealth offer nourishment and support to us on all levels of life. Health is the ultimate wealth and Lakshmi brings this support as well. Finally, we have three days dedicated to goddess Saraswati. She gives us knowledge, understanding, wisdom, creativity and artistry. She is the rasayana (or healing balm) if you will to close this sacred nine day celebration. Together, these three goddesses bring wholeness, renewal, and the life giving offerings of Shakti. This creative life-force energy is truly what inspires life, living and abundance. She is your Creative Intelligence. It is at this time that we can connect to these three goddesses most easily- inside of us, and around us. Because of this, Navaratri is considered a very sacred and powerful time of year- one that influences our inner and outer experience of life for months to come. To connect with the goddesses more closely, make special offerings on your altar to them during the nine days. You can also dedicate your actions and intentions to them for greater communication. Use this time for self development practices and sacred pause. Slow down and notice what is stirring within you and around you. Connecting to fire and stoking the internal flame (or agni) can be valuable for the first three days of Durga. You may wish to write intentions that focus on empowerment and action steps for the coming months as well. Using self development tools to transform negative thoughts and mental body stories, will be well supported at this time. During the three days of Lakshmi, bring sweets and flowers to your altar, cook nourishing foods for your Self, decorate and adorn your Self. This is a time to focus on self care diligently. For the final portion of Navaratri, dedicated to Saraswati, music, art and poetry can be a good way to focus your energy, efforts and intentions. Use creativity, artistry and embodiment resources for grounding and landing in your intentions. Use my Creative Rituals for support with this process. During this sacred and potent time, treat your Self like the goddess that you are and share your abundance with others. May we each remember our abundant true nature, our immense creative life giving energy and the power of the Divine Feminine for healing and transformation! Read more about Navaratri from Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Shaka Vansya Ayurvedic Doctor. Ready to take your inner growth to the next level and deepen your relationship with your inner feminine wisdom? Join me for my Jyotish Astrology Classes for Transformation and Healing. Classes begin April 2016. Get the Details  This Week's Intention: Endings are increasing, creating space for new, more sacred openings. Lean into the resistance of this release process. What conflicts within are keeping you from moving forward more powerfully? How can you seek more integration and harmony with these polarities? The week begins with a waning Moon moving through Aquarius. The inner light is dimming within, which makes it easier to turn inward and drop into your subtle awareness. The sacred Vedic celebration of Navaratri begins this week with the new Moon, as does the Vedic lunar new year.
Monday, April 4th Moon in 12th tithi Just as Monday begins, Moon arrives in Satabisha nakshatra, Varuna's domain. He guards Natural Law and maintains order by witnessing all imbalances. He punishes those not aligned with Nature's wisdom, but can provide great healing in the process. Maintaining health by attending to cycles, rhythms and Nature's wisdom, are essential under Satabisha. To read the full report, sign up for my membership.  The Thing Is The thing is.. to love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it and everything you've held dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hand, your throat filled with the silt of it. When grief sits with you, its tropical heat thickening the air, heavy as water more fit for gills than lungs; when grief weights you like your own flesh only more of it, an obesity of grief, you think, How can a body withstand this? Then you hold life like a face between your palms, a plain face, no charming smile, no violet eyes, and you say, yes, I will take you I will love you again. ~ Ellen Bass Renewal, awakenings and beginnings arrive with the Vernal equinox on March 19th at 21:00 PDT. The length of light and darkness is almost equal on this day, which marks a turning point. For the northern hemisphere, days will be getting lighter (longer) as we move into spring and summer. This is the beginning of more light, more life. Shakti is stirring, inviting in more creativity in the coming days and months. This sense of opening moves us towards completion as the eclipse portal closes. Fertility and creativity are enlivened with this full Moon, as it coincides with the Vedic Holi festival, also known as "the festival of colors". Holika Dahan (the night before Holi when the fires are lit) is on the 22nd this year, followed by the Holi on the 23rd. This celebration in the Vedic calendar which roughly coincides with the vernal equinox and the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, sparks creative potential, increased love, beauty and creativity. It takes place with the Phalguni Purnima as the Phalguni stars are ripe with sensuality, love, beauty and abundant resources. No matter the hemisphere you are in, both spring and fall are considered "sandhi" times of year- or in between seasons. These are sacred times, when the veil is thin, sensitivity is heightened. In Ayurveda, we attend to necessary physical rituals that help the body cleanse and purify. Holi comes at this sacred junction and is a time to "plant seeds" so to speak. It is a celebration of fertility, abundance and the awakening of Shakti within Nature. It is the marking of the gap, which is ripe with potential and possibility. The full enlivening of Ma is celebrated during Vasant Navaratri- the nine days of Mother Divine, beginning on the 7th of April this year. Consider Holi the "kick off" celebration in many ways- a time to plant your desires and create your fruits for the coming year. Let this Full Moon enliven a sense of spring and possibility. Use this week's Creative Engagement activity (below) for your cultivation process. The full Moon is March 23rd at 05:00 PDT while Moon is in Virgo and Uttaraphalguni. This full Moon coincides with a penumbral lunar eclipse, closing the two week eclipse portal that has been invoking challenging shadow work for many. The eclipse begins at 02:39 PDT, with the maximum eclipse being at 04:47 PDT, and ending at 06:54 PDT. Creative Ritual My Creative Rituals are intended to support your transformation and healing process in the cycle to come. Each ritual is in alignment with the cosmic tides- in order to help you adjust, shift and move more fluidly in balance with Nature's rhythms. Recycle this ritual more than once for added benefits. * For the full version sign up for my membership. |