On October 7th we begin the Hindu Holiday of Navratri (or nine nights of the goddess) that honors Shakti or the Divine Feminine/Mother and looks to her for spiritual cleansing, guidance, and enlightenment. It lasts for nine nights and ten days.
The nine nights are broken up into sets of three, and during each set a particular aspect of the Divine Mother is meditated upon. Each set of nights also corresponds with a particular spiritual goal and task.
Whether you practice this traditional holiday or just want to focus on bringing in more awareness to the Divine Feminine within you (regardless of your gender) here are some guidelines.
Days 1 - 3: Focus on your inner power and strength. Traditionally one meditates upon the Divine Feminine in her powerful and destructive aspect known as Durga or Kali.
Write down the qualities or habits that you have that are not helpful or productive. Those that you are ready to let go of at this time. Pick one of these and begin taking small steps towards letting go of it.
Days 4 - 6: Focus on your inner life-giving force and nurturer. Write down the qualities or habits you wish to cultivate. Pick one of these and practice incorporating it. Lakshmi is the goddess that is the focus for these three days. This is a good time to develop patience, forgiveness, compassion and to be open to abundance.
Days 7 - 9: Focus on your inner wisdom and guidance. The third 3 nights are spent meditating upon the Divine Feminine in her spiritual wisdom-bestowing aspect known as Sarasvati.
Write down the spiritual teachings you wish to learn or better understand. Take at least one action step a day towards realizing your goals.
The tenth day is spent offering gratitude to the Divine Mother.
Invoking three powerful Goddess seed sounds for beauty, wealth and fulfillment of all desires. If you choose to do this mantra, repeat 108 times. You can do it 27 times 4 times a day, 54 twice a day or 108 once a day. Feel free to repeat as many times as you want to.
OM KLEEM SHREEM HREEM SWAHA
Until next time,
Barbara