Navratri Durga Puja

Durga Puja

Items Needed:

• picture/statue/idol of Durga
• lamp or candle
• incense
• a bell
• water (preferably holy water or blessed water)
• jasmine flowers
• sweets or fruits (coconut, banana, other dried fruits) as offerings
• sandal paste or sandalwood oil
• optional offering of cooked rice or sweet milk

1. Make sure your house and sacred space is cleansed.
2. Take a ritual, cleansing bath before performing Puja
3. Sit in your sacred space with all the needed items before you
4. Set up an altar space to Durga if you do not already have one.
5. Sit at your Durga altar and contemplate the Durga statue
6. Chant “Om” three times
7. Light the lamp or candle and say “I light this lamp/candle to honor Ma Durga, the one who is
8. Light the incense and say “I light this incense as an offering to Ma Durga”,  as you waft it over the altar, the statue of Durga and yourself cleansing the space and yourself.
9. Ring the bell three times as you say “I ring this bell to invoke Ma Durga, may she enter my home and my heart”
10. Invoke and invite Ganesh (this is done in every puja to any deity) by chanting 9 times “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha”

10. Now chant 9 times “Om hreem doom Durgaye namaha” to invoke Durga. Then and chant the following: Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu Matri rupena samsthita Ya Devi Sarva bhuteshu Shakti rupena samsthita. Ya Devi sarva rupena samsthita. Namestasyai Namestasyai Namestasyai Namoh. Which translates as "The goddess who is omnipresent as the personification of universal mother. The goddess who is omnipresent as the embodiment of power. The goddess who is omnipresent as the symbol of peace. I bow to her, I bow to her, I bow to her."
11. Dip your hands in the water, as if you are washing your hands. This is symbolic of being cleansed and forgiven of sins. Then make a gesture of offering of the water to Durga for bath. You can sprinkle a little on the idol you have, especially on the head, hands and feet.
12. Annoint your forehead and the forehead of Durga with the sandal paste or sandalwood oil
13. Make the offering of sweets, dried fruits and flowers.
14. At this time sit in mediation to Durga. Reflect on her attributes, and how you can bring them into your life. You can chant her mantra 108 times using a mala to keep count. You can meditate on yantra, sing songs, or read scriptures on Durga.
15. After meditation bring your hands in prayer (anjali mudra) at the heart and say “Thank you Ma Durga for your blessings of strength, courage and protection. Please return to your abode. Be merciful and return to me again.”
16. Bow three times in prostration as you chant “Namaste”
17. Leave the candles and incense to burn as long as you can.
18. Each morning and evening light just the candle. You can perform the whole puja everyday, on the third day or at the end of Navratri on the 9th day. As this is a pagan practice of performing Puja you don't need to feel bound by the way it is celebrated in Hinduism. Do what feels right for you, and make it your own, as long as you feel connected to Durga and honor her.

Because Ma Durga is seen as the great mother, you should honor and respect the women in your life. Do something nice for them during Navratri, as well as any women that you come across. Find ways in your life to bring the attributes of Durga into yourself, such as courage, strength, and justice. Go through your day with the Shakti energy of Durga within you.

You can also celebrate by wearing red to symbolize the colors of Durga. It is also tradition to burn a diya or lamp for the full 9 days. I dont do this, because the thought of leaving a fire burning for nine days straight terrifies me. I do light the candle and let it burn whenever I'm home to watch and attend to it. Each time I light the candle I chant Ma Durga's mantra 108 times in meditation.

This is in no way meant to be a full Puja as practiced in Hinduism, this is my pagan version.

Navratri

Navratri, which begins tomorrow September 24th, 2014,  is the festival to celebrate the Hindu Goddess Durga. Durga is honored as one of the many forms of Shakti in Hindusim and Tantra Yoga. Navratri means "nine days" in Sanskrit, and the festival covers nine days. The nine day period is significant as this marks the period of the battle where Durga fought and slayed the demon Mahishasura. So Navratri is a period where we celebrate the triumph of good over evil.

Durga is the Goddess of inner strength, courage, justice and protection.  During Navratri we also honor and celebrate Lakshmi and Saraswati. The first three days are to Durga, the second three days are to Lakshmi and the final three are to Saraswati.

It is typical during this time to fast, or to eat a mostly vegetarian diet and sub stain from grain and alcohol. I will be sharing different ways to honor Durga, as well as Lakshmi and Saraswati during this time. I will be posting tomorrow a full puja (or ritual) that you can use to honor Durga.

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, abundance and prosperity; both material and spiritual. She is depicted as the picture above, sitting on a lotus, with four outstretched arms. Her arms represent the four ideas of dharma (righteousness), karma, artha (wealth) and moksha (liberation from birth and death). In her hands she holds the lotus flower which symbolizes how beauty can grow from nothing. Her other hands often show coins flowing form them, symbolizing the flow of prosperity from her. The elephants are symbols of her royal power.

The gods and demons got together to churn the Ocean of Milk. It was said that when churned, gifts would emerge that could bring the gift of immortality. During the churning of the Ocean of Milk, Lakshmi emerged as one of the gifts. After her emergence from the ocean she became the consort of the lord Vishnu.

Lakshmi is often celebrated and honored on the Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali. During Diwali houses are lit with extra lights and lamps in hopes that Lakshmi will come and bless the house. Things sacred to Lakshmi are sandalwood, lotus flowers, and owls.

Here is a great ritual/spell you can do to Lakshmi that I posted recently. She is a deity that I work with often (often working alongside another Hindu deity: Ganesh).

Prosperity Ritual to Lakshmi

Ritual to Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of Abundance and Prosperity. Lakshmi is Sanskrit for the word “goal”. She is known as the wife of Lord Vishnu, and often as a consort of Lord Ganesh. Ganesh is known as the “Remover of Obstacles” and there for works well to block any flow of abundance and prosperity to you as Lakshmi blesses you and flows abundance to you.

Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful Indian woman with four outstretched arms, who is seated upon a large lotus blossom. Her arms represent Purity, Prosperity, Perfection and Freedom. Lakshmi is often seen with gold coins flowing from her hands representing her flow of gifts. She blesses both the physical and spiritual world with her gifts.

On Altar:

• Picture or statue of Lakshmi
• Lotus or Jasmine candle (white) to represent Lakshmi
• Bell
• Offerings for Lakshmi such as coins, flowers, yogurt and honey, milk
• Sandalwood oil or bindi
• Sandalwood incense
• Red/Gold altar covering

1. Cast circle and call quarters, etc. if you do this.
2. Take a seat in front of your altar to Lakshmi. Bring your hands into prayer with the thumbs at your third eye and bow saying “Namaste”
3. Bless yourself with the bindi or placing sandalwood oil on your third eye while chanting “May Lakshmi cleanse you and bless you with abundance and prosperity”
4. You may first call Ganesh (the remover of obstacles and a consort of Lakshmi’s to help in the ritual). Chant his mantra “Aum Gam Ganapataye Namah” three times.  Typically mantras are chanted to Hindu deities 108 times, but for the sake of this ritual we will only chant 3.
5. Read a hymn to Lakshmi or call her by chanting her mantra three times. Her mantra is “Om Shree Laksmi Devayay Namah”
6. Light the candle to her, and light the incense wafting it over the altar.
7. Ring the bell to awaken her.
8. Make your offering to her (coins, flowers, yogurt and honey, milk, sandalwood paste).
9. Actively ask for what you want her to bring to you.
10. Meditate on your wish and what Laskhmi represents. Abundance and Prosperity is just not about money and financial gain. Laskshmi can bless you with other types of wealth such as knowledge, good health, happiness and more. Meditate on the thing that you would like to have an abundance of in your life. It can be more than one thing. But see the intention of it, see Lakshmi standing above you letting a golden flow of abundance pour over you from her hands.
11. Thank her for blessing you with her abundance and prosperity. A good way to do so is to say “Health, Wealth and Freedom to All Beings.” Bring your hands into prayer with the thumbs at your third eye and bow saying “Namaste”
12. Ring bell and banish as you would.
13. Continue to spread the wealth that Lakshmi has blessed you with. Remember to help others, tip when you should, donate to charities etc. Keep the flow of prosperity flowing out to others.
14. Maintain the altar to Lakshmi and if you feel inclined to do so mediate in front of her altar and chant her mantra 108 times daily. This really doesn’t take long, and you can use a mala to keep track of the count of times you chant the mantra.

Introduction to Chakras

Chakra is Sanskrit for "wheel" and are featured in the tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Chakras, sometimes called Wheels of Life or Wheels of Energy, are subtle energy points in the body through which Prana or life force move through. The seven main Chakras (there are hundreds more smaller chakra points throughout the body) run ascending along the spinal column from it's base and all the way up to the crown of the head.

The Chakras can hold spiritual, physical, emotional and mental memories/energy as the life force flows through the body. Chakras transform energy from the physical world through to the higher levels of consciousness. The Chakras receive information from the world around us, including other people, through vibrational waves. This is why often the world around us, and other people's moods can affect us.

Chakras can become unbalanced, showing either a draining in their connective power, or a surplus of that energy. There are many ways to bring the Chakras back into balance, such as meditation, yoga, or little things that are specific to each Chakra. For instance a weak Throat Chakra can be made stronger and balanced through singing, chanting, or wearing Lapis Lazuli.

The Chakras are as follows:

Root Chakra/ Muladhara

• Located at the base of the spine
• Color is red
• Prime function is grounding, security and survival
• Sound to chant - LAM
• Element - Earth
• Gemstones - Hematite, Bloodstone, Red Jasper, Garnet, Ruby
• Herb/Fragrance - Cinnamon, Cedar

Sacral Chakra/ Svadhisthana

• Located below the navel
• Color is orange
• Prime function is relationships, sexuality, emotional needs
• Sound to chant - VAM
• Element - Water
• Gemstones - Coral, Carnelian
•  Herb/Fragrance - Saffron, Orange/Citrus, Ylang Ylang

Solar Plexus Chakra/ Manipura

• Located at the navel area
• Color is yellow
• Prime function is energy, willpower, personal power
• Sound to chant - RAM
• Element - Fire
• Gemstones - Amber, Citrine
• Herb/Fragrance - Cedar, Lemon

Heart Chakra/ Anahata

•  Located within the heart area
• Color is green
• Prime function is esteem, forgiveness, love, respecting self and others
• Sound to chant - YAM
• Element - Air
• Gemstones - Emerald, Jade, Malachite
• Herb/Fragrance - Rose

Throat Chakra/ Vishuddha

• Located in the neck/throat area
• Color is blue
• Prime function is speech, expression, creativity, communication
• Sound to chant - HAM
• Element - Ether
• Gemstones - Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Azurite, Angelite
• Herb/Fragrance - Eucalyptus, Sandalwood

Third Eye Chakra/ Ajna

• Located above/between eyebrows
• Color is Indigo
• Prime function is intuition, understanding, psychic sense, imagination
• Sound to chant - OM/AUM
• Element - Light/Spirit
• Gemstones - Amethyst, Sodalite, Lapis Lazuli
• Herb/Fragrance - Lavendar

Crown Chakra/ Sahasrara

• Located at the top of the head
• Color is Violet
• Prime function is enlightenment, spiritual, consciousness, harmony, compassion, wisdom
• Sound to chant - NG
• Element - Thought/Universe
• Gemstones - Amethyst, Clear Quartz, Tourmaline, Moonstone, Selenite, Desert Rose
• Herb/Fragrance - Jasmine, Lotus, Peony

Prosperity Ritual to Lakshmi

Well I didn't make it to the Open Circle meetup as I wanted to. Partially because I'm still too shy to venture into a spiritual place or setting with strangers, and partially because I didn't RSVP and the circle was filled.

So I decided to hold my own Prosperity Ritual to honor Lakshmi on the night of the Full Moon. Full Moon rituals are typically about taking things away, but as Friday is a sacred day for Lakshmi and the moon was not quite full, I thought it was a good time to do this.


I couldn't find any statues of Lakshmi on such short notice, so I printed out this picture and added it to this beautiful frame that was made in India.

Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of Abundance and Prosperity, and I honored her by thanking her for all the wonderful things she has brought into my life. I also asked to be showered with her gifts of love and abundance in the future, and spent some time meditating on what I hoped to manifest in the upcoming months as far as abundance and prosperity.

My mini Lakshmi altar all lit up! It defintely was a nice ritual, and I felt more comfortable doing this in my own home. The group I'm interested in has some upcoming events that I might join soon. I know it's time to venture out and meet others who are like minded as far as spirituality is concerned.