Navratri

Blessings to all as we begin this sacred feast of Navratri, the 'Nine Nights' of Mother Divine.  May the rains come. In the Vedic calendar, this is the most sacred time of year. When we feel inner discord and disharmony, the discord reflects into our world. We feel anxiety and anger and despair, and think it is the world that arouses those feelings in us. We mistake the effect for the cause. But the truth to which humanity must awaken is this: "Yatha drishti, tatha srishti": as your mind is, so your world appears. We need to begin by healing ourselves in order to heal our world. How can I do this myself, when I myself am the problem? I need the grace of Mother Divine, the love of God, and the help of my Teacher for this work of healing and transformation. I am a brittle leaf without the life-giving sap of the Friend. That is why on this day I pray to Her: Heal and purify us, Mother Shakti. Inspire us with songs from the trembling silence of your vina, Mother Saraswati. The husk of our life may be hard, but the inner fruit is sweetness. O Mother Lakshmi, from the bright womb of your darkness, let beauty be born. Jai Guru Dev.