Traditionally Makar Sankranti has been celebrated on Jan 14th of each year- but   starting last year, it is also being celebrated on Jan 15th. This has created some confusion in people's mind. Here is a quick short video explaining the correct date for the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti.

Categories:
Festival Celebrations  
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Keywords and Tags:
#MakarSankranti   #Uttarayana   #SolarIngressinCapricorn   #HinduFestivals   #VedicWisdom  #Uttarayana  #HinduFestival   #Capricorn #Hindu #Vedic  #Makar #Festivals #uttarayan

A little bit ago, I wrote about how visiting the crystal caves in Slovenia, gave me some deep insights and understanding into life’s creative processes. If you have not read that article, then you can read it here. 

Kali- the fierce Goddess is usually associated with primal female energy. Though the word Kali indicates time, which Ma Kali represents as the very first of the ten wisdom goddesses (Dasha Mahavidyas), what needs to be understood is that Kali also means “that which is carefully measured out”. 

Any work of creation is accomplished by the conglomeration of carefully measured out smaller bits (of work, of efforts, of actions and so on) and this is what Ma Kali represents. 

It can be our inner self or our outer self. If we want to create a successful life, we need to work with and harness the power of this very first, very powerful and the primal female energy of space and time- Ma Kali. She can help us on our soul journey…

As the Festival of Nine Nights- Navratri begins, let us make a firm resolve (Sankalp) and renew our commitment to walking this path of conscious and aware living.

To learn more about Ma Kali:

• Kali Energy (who is Kali?)
• ​Mantras of Kali: How and Why to pray to Ma Kali
• Significance of Ma Kali's Arms
• ​Why is Kali Dancing?
• Kali Bija Mantra

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Also, mull over Ma Kali’s qualities and blessings and see how you can bring her presence, grace and blessings into your life.

Categories:
Festival Celebrations  and   Gods And Deities
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Keywords and Tags:
#mothergoddessfestival #hindufestival #navaratri #Shakti #WisdomofShakti #Navratri #KaliSadhana #PrayingtoKali #festivalofninenights #Kali #DurgaPuja #Durga  

Happy Hartalika and a wonderful joyous Ganesh Chaturthi everyone!  :-)
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As we walk our path on this spiritual journey, it is even more important to understand the lessons and wisdom of Ganesh. He is supposed to be honored before venturing on any new endeavor and probably the most important endeavor we ever take in our life, is our decision to find the Divine-  to find our  "real self".

​You may want to watch Who is Ganesh? to learn more about this wonderful and kind deity who is always willing to hear our woes and help in removing our sorrows and obstructions! 

Ganesh Symbolism and Meaning is a nice short video explaining the Vedic symbolism in why Ganesh has been attributed the form that he has- which is with an elephant face and a human body.

Categories:
Festival Celebrations,   Gods And Deities

​Keywords and Tags:
​#GaneshChaturthi2020  #GaneshChaturthi  #HappyGaneshChaturthi  #GaneshFestival #HinduFestivalsofGanesh #MaitreyiParadigm  #WisdomofGanesh

Guru- is the Vedic Divine Archetype of the Divine Teacher- giver of knowledge and wisdom. 

Even though we typically think of Gurus as our spiritual teachers and other ‘official’ teachers in our life- like from school and colleges; the truth is that Guru is anyone who ‘teaches’ us- allows the experience and the understanding of deeper insights!

When we consider the deeper meaning of this role- Guru, then we know that Guru can be any person, any situation that has allowed us to learn and grow in life. And ultimately it can be life itself!!

And ofcourse the ultimate Guru is the Divine presence itself!!

Ashadha full moon, i.e. the full moon- which happens in the lunar month of Ashadha (as per the Vedic Hindu calendar) is called as the Guru Purnima. This is the day to pay special reverence to our Guru. 

Remember: Guru is someone who guides us and gives us knowledge and information. But more importantly, he/she gives us the deeper wisdom and insights that help us to walk our life-path. They help and support us when we feel confused or weak on our spiritual path to ascension and higher energy states.

When we feel dejected or depressed, they help us to revive our enthusiasm so we can tackle our challenges and ultimately continue onward our journey!!

A Guru guides us, supports us, helps us, and ultimately nurtures us- at our deeper soul level, so we can fearlessly walk our spiritual path and reach higher dimensions.

This does not have to be the same person- as we progress on our journey, our Gurus can vary- but one thing is for sure that ultimately, it is the guru who shows us the path and provides us the confidence to walk it!!

And ofcourse there is the ultimate Guru of all- Lord Dakshinamurthy. 

On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima, remember to revere, honor, and cherish not just all your teachers and gurus, but also your parents (your first Gurus), life and the Divine Guru.

This July 4-5, 2020 happens to be the day of Guru Purnima.

Happy Guru Purnima everyone and if you have not already checked out the special energy message for this Guru Purnima then be sure to check it out below…

​#gurupurnima #divineguru #spiritualguru #jupiter #vedicdivineteacherarchetype #vedicarchetype #teacher #guidance #spiritualguide #guide #guru #dakshinamurthy #lordshiva #shiva #adiyogi #firstteacher #firstguru 

As we complete an intense and powerful Annular Solar Eclipse, we begin a very auspicious time of Ashada Gupt Navratri.

If you have not already read the special energy message for the annular solar eclipse, then be sure to check out that post on our main blog-page. 

Ashada Gupt Navratri is observed from the Pratipada (1st day) till the Navami (9th day) of the Shukla Paksha (the waxing phase of moon) in the Ashada, month of the traditional Hindu calendar.

Ashada Navratri is also known as Gupt Navratri. It is a nine-day period dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti or the Mother Goddess. It is important to note that Gupt Navaratri is also known as Gayatri Navratri. Ma Gayatri, the great goddess of Vedic Knowledge and Wisdom.
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The fact that the powerful Annular Solar Eclipse is follow by Ashada Gupt Navratri, makes for powerful new beginnings in our life (at an individual level) and also in the great world-stage at large!!

All new moons herald new beginnings and Navratri times allow us to obtain special guidance from the Mother Goddess energy. Given the solar eclipse, these new beginnings are expected to be very turbulent and intense for each one of us- at a physical, emotional, psychological, and even spiritual level.

So, having Mother Goddess’s energy to bless and guide us is a great help and truly divine providence to help us tarry over such turbulent times.

Ofcourse Mother Goddess has various forms that help and guide us in various ways- expressing the myriad ways in which creation unfolds. 
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As Ma Kali, she is the primal force of energy that brings everything into manifestation. As Ma Tara, she benevolently helps us to tarry over the turbulent ‘waters of life’. As Ma Durga, she protects us from all the negative forces, including our own shadow side- she helps us to win over our shadow tendencies and emerge victorious!

As Ma Gayatri, she  helps us by giving us knowledge as well as the wisdom of all that there is ever to know in this cosmos. She gives us the wisdom to understand our challenges and what has been blocking our progress. She gives us the understanding that then helps us to accordingly deal and remove any and all hurdles to our spiritual progress and overall wellbeing!!

​We can pray to whichever form that most appeals to us- the loving mother’s energy and presence is the same never-the-less.

Till we approach her with love and true devotion, she always hears our prayers and blesses us with her presence and guidance.

Wishing everyone a very happy and blessed Ashada Navratri!!​

​#AshadaNavratri #GuptNavratri #GayatriNavratri #Ashada #FestivalsinAshada #HinduFestivals #Shakti #MotherGoddess #Navaratri #Ashadha #Durga #Kali #festivalofninenights #DurgaPooja #DurgaPuja

​Today it is Shani Jayanti. The birthday of Lord Shani (Saturn).   
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If you are not familiar with the significance of this day, then you can check out:    Shani Jayanti- a day to honor and appease Lord Shani (Saturn)

​Lord Shani is the son of Lord Surya (Sun) and he is believed to be the executor of Divine justice. He gives us the fruits of our karmas- the good and the bad ones!!
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That is why, it is believed that of all the grahas, whatever is given by Saturn lasts a long time and cannot be taken away easily by any other graha or planetary combinations- i.e. special astrological combinations called as yogas in Vedic Astrology.

Today is a great day to mull on our life-path. Reflect on past actions- seek forgiveness for wrong-doings and be grateful for all the wonderful blessings in our life.  

Today you will find very potent and beneficial energies for all kinds of karmic clearing.  So, if you know any techniques to do past-life karmic regressions and karmic clearing, then be sure to set some time aside for this very helpful activity.

You will find that your consciousness level increases in leaps and bounds after doing these regressions and past-life clearings.   ​

​In addition, this is a great day to pay homage to our ancestors.

All amavasya (black moon) days are great to conduct Pitri-poojas or tarpanas. In addition to it, the fact that today we also have Shani Jayanti- with the special significance of Saturn with respect to our karmas, this makes it an even more potent day to pay respect and homage to our ancestors.

Wish you all a very blessed and auspicious day ahead…

​#ShaniJayanti #SaturnJayanti #Shanidev #Shainaischaraya #LordSaturnBirthday

Shani Jayanti is observed on the no moon, i.e. Black Moon (amavasya) tithi (Vedic lunar calendar day) during the Jyestha month or Vaishakha month. Jyestha and Vaishakha are the months of the Vedic lunar calendar.

This year,   it is going to be celebrated on this Friday, May 22nd. 

Now, which exact month would depend on how the lunar months are considered. For e.g. Norther Indian traditions typically consider Purnima or full moon as the ending day of a month (Purnimant) whereas Southern Indian traditions consider Amavasya or no moon as the ending day of the month (Amavasyant). 

This is about the name of the day. In terms of the day itself, it still is the very same day that we celebrate Shani Jayanti, irrespective of if you follow northern or southern Indian traditions!

Lord Shani (Saturn) is supposed to have been born on the day of Shani Jayanti. He is the son of Lord Surya (Sun). 

Shani Jayanti is the day to pay homage and respect the unfailing divine justice of the Law of Karma. Lord Shani is believed to be the executor of this divine justice. He gives us the fruits of our karmas- the good and the bad ones!

It is one of the best days to pray to Lord Shani- to appease him and seek his blessings. It is also a great day to reflect on our life and our actions (and their repercussions).

People who conduct spiritual past life regressions and do karmic clearing, will find this an extremely potent day to conduct karmic clearing sessions. 

In general, Shani Jayanti is a great day to focus on the effects of our actions- to seek forgiveness for past misdeeds and to consciously choose that going forward, one will act in a manner that is in sync with the Laws of Dharma. We will choose to act in a way that will bring goodness and joy not just to one’s own self (and near & dear one) but also beneficial to the greater world around us.

​#ShaniJayanti #SaturnJayanti #Shanidev #Shainaischaraya #LordSaturnBirthday