Navratri – 9 Nights of Meditation on the Divine Female | Naming the Days

Navratri (or 9 nights) is a Hindu vacation that honors Shakti or the Divine Female/Mom and appears to her for religious cleaning, steerage, and enlightenment. It lasts for 9 nights and ten days. The 9 nights are damaged up into units of three, and through every set a selected facet of the Divine Mom is meditated upon. Every set of nights additionally corresponds with a selected religious objective and process.

The primary set of nights are spent meditating upon the Divine Female in her highly effective and damaging facet often called Durga or Kali. We ask the goddess to assist us establish and eradicate these features of our self that aren’t useful, skillful, or productive, similar to greed, envy, procrastination, laziness, mendacity, gossiping, and many others. We additionally ask her to guard our religious observe from its many risks and pitfalls.

The second set of nights are spent meditating upon the Divine Mom in her religious wealth-giving facet know as Lakshmi. We ask the goddess to assist us develop and preserve useful qualities, similar to persistence, forgiveness, compassion, loving-kindness, and integrity.

The third set of nights are spent meditating upon the Divine Female in her religious wisdom-bestowing facet often called Sarasvati. We ask the goddess to assist us to attain self-realization and perceive common truths similar to our divine nature and the interconnectedness of dwelling beings. The tenth day is spent providing gratitude to the Divine Mom and is spent celebrating in a state of sat-chit-ananda or truth-consciousness-bliss.

To Title These Days:

Prayers & Mantras

Chant the mantra “Om Bhavani” (“Within the Title of the Divine Mom”) all through the 9 days.

Non secular Practices

Observe a respiratory meditation. As you inhale, say the standard you are attempting to domesticate; as you exhale, the standard you are attempting to let go of. For instance, on the inhale, I’d say, “Inhaling Compassion” and on the exhale I’d say, “Respiration out Criticism.”

Private Exporations

Take time every of the 9 days or at the least as soon as each three days to concentrate on the three features of the divine female which can be inside you and the corresponding religious duties.

Days 1 – 3: Focus in your inside energy and energy. Write down the qualities or habits you want to let go of. Decide one in all these and observe letting go of it.

Days 4 – 6: Focus in your inside life-giving pressure and nurturer. Write down the qualities or habits you want to domesticate. Decide one in all these and observe incorporating it.

Days 7 – 9: Focus in your inside knowledge and information. Write down the religious teachings you want to study or higher perceive. Decide one and skim an inspiring e-book or article about it.
Ami Bhalodkar is an interfaith minister. She is a member of the school of the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York Metropolis and lectures on Hinduism. Along with offering interfaith workshops, Rev. Bhalodkar performs personalized marriage ceremony ceremonies and presents religious counseling.