Now a moon cycle has passed and I wonder,
"Have we honored our resolutions?" :)
The Divine is compassionate ~
always giving us another chance.
Planets will once again provide an auspicious time
for change, to inspire.
Soon will be Shivaratri, the new moon that ushers
in one of the most celebrated Vedic holy days.
Shiva, known as Maha Deva - the great God and
founder of Yoga, means 'auspiciousness'.
Shiva is pure consciousness, formless, unchanging.
Shivaratri is celebrated throughout the night
prior to the new moon.
One prepares for this holy day with yoga practices.
They aim to stay awake all night
and fast a minimum of 24 hours.
This form of tapas, practice, is like saying,
"I need nothing. No food, no sleep for my nourishment.
I only need God."
Many great yogis are known to demonstrate
various yogic siddhis on this auspicious night.
Since the early 80s, I have witnessed yogis in India
in mystical states during Shivaratri
while they spontaneously experience materializations
such as vibhouti or sacred objects;
transportations, clairvoyance, visions, healings.
I have witnessed Sri Swamiji enter agni, fire,
while performing puja and remaining there for 25 minutes.
For thousands of years, yogis have enriched themselves by basking in the subtle yet powerful energies
that occur during this time of year on Shivaratri.
It is a time to purify by removing useless samskaras,
binding prints in the mind.
Shiva is the Transformer. The Vedic time for resolutions!
Mark your calendar for February 17th to celebrate Shivaratri.
May you offer your New Year's resolutions
into the fire of Shiva.
Join with the billion souls in sanga
who will celebrate Shivaratri.
This gives support for your resolutions
to take root and manifest.
We have this full moon
to the next new moon to be ready!
