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.

Witches Bottle

Witches Bottles are a magickal tool that have been found to date back all the way to the early 1500s. Widely used from the 1500-1700s, these tools were used mostly for protection. Witches Bottles were used to protect the witch, residents, and homes against any kind of negative energy attack such as spells and evil spirits. The bottles draw the energy into the bottle and keep it stuck there, instead of letting the energy strike its intended target.

Witches Bottles usually contained a personal item of the intended target such as blood, nail clippings, semen, or urine. This symbolized the intended target in the bottle, drawing the energy there instead of to the person or witch. Other items added were known as "nasties" such as broken glass, rusty nails, razor blades, etc that the energy would become stuck on, thus being contained in the bottle.

The longer the bottle remained hidden, the longer the bottle could continue to draw the negative energy and spirits into it and keep it contained. Witches went through great lengths to hide the bottles on their properties. Some were buried, or placed in hard to find places, others were even built into the structures of the houses such as in the walls or under the home's hearth.

Today Witches Bottles can be created for a number of different reasons, such as love or money drawing. You can place in the bottle anything that is symbolic to you that matches your intention for the bottle. Just as their are many paths in the Craft, so are there a multitude of ways you can create your bottle to meet your intention.

Here is the details of Witches Bottle for protection that I did today.

Items needed:

• Black candle
• Jar with lid or stopper
• Sage or cleansing incense
• Sea Salt
• Deity representation if you decide to work with one
• "Nasties" - such as pins, broken class, tacks, thorns, rusty or bent nails. Get creative!
• Personal items - urine (you can substitute vinegar for this), hair, nail clippings, saliva, blood, semen
• Protective Herbs - salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, burdock root, lavender, St. John's Wort
• Crystals or stones that can be used for protection if you wish

Cleanse and consecrate your jar using the salt and sage, including the lid and inside of the jar. Start to add in your items such as the herbs, "nasties", and personal items filling the jar about half way. Then finish off with the urine (or whatever you choose to substitute). Place the lid or stopper onto the bottle and give it a good shake to mix all the items. Then seal with wax from the black candle. I also sealed it with the wax from my Archangel Michael candle to add his protective energy.

As you add the items and seal the bottle, call upon any deity or spirit you work with to aid you in making the bottle to protect your home and all who dwell within. I called upon Archangel Michael as he is who I work with when I need protection. Put your energy, intent and focus into making the bottle to protect you and your home.

At this time you can meditate on your intention of your bottle. Feel free to chant any words you wish to, or speak with spirit as you feel called to. Its not necessary to say anything, but if you feel drawn to then you should. You can even come up with a line of a spell for each item you put in, calling upon it's spirit or energy and asking it for protection. Such as "I call upon the spirit of Lavender. Please protect me and my home and all who reside within. So mote it be"

After sealing and meditating on the bottles intention, you can add runes or sigils for protection. If you have your own property bury this at one of the farthest corners from your front door. If you live in a condo or apartment with no yard, you can bury this in a flowerpot and keep near your front door or on a porch. Another option is to keep this hidden within your house somewhere near the front door or hearth.

You can recharge this bottle or make a new one at least once a year. The best time to do this would be during a waning moon phase, at night if you can. Its not that important to wait until a waning moon, as long as your intention is strong and focused.

Journey to the Upper Realm

 I stepped before my World Tree, smelling the wetness of the rain mixed with the smell of the dirt and Earth. My animal spirit guide was waiting to guide me on my journey to the Upper Realm/World.

As He instructed me, I climbed onto his back, feeling the softness of his fur, the strength of his muscles, and smelling the musky scent of the woods on him. He climbed up my tree, as we reached the top most branches we were brought through a white light, that seemed mixed with clouds, then we were brought through a tunnel of pure bright white light.

As we approached the Upper Realm I noticed a figure all in white. A long white robe, with gray white hair, and a long gray white beard. He grabbed my forearm in a manner of greeting. Almost like a handshake but by grabbing the forearm instead of the hand.

He introduced himself as the "Father" of the Upper Realm. He told me that he oversaw everything that went on with the Upper Realm and that he was there to guide me and assist in the journey. He reminded me of the Greek God Zeus, and he may have even said that that was who he was. 

"Father" then introduced me to my highest self, who was sitting on a lotus, meditating, and bathed in a light of pure energy. "Father" said that this was my goal, to let go of ego and fear on the physical realm (the Middle World) and to work on becoming my highest self in my every day, waking life. That I was to become a person of a great love, and to work endlessly on healing work and sharing my gifts with others. That to do so would connect me to my highest self.

"Father" then guided me over to the edge of a vast ocean that was bathed in pure white light. The ocean didn't appear blue or green, but as if it was a large pool of white energy/light. The ocean appeared white and looked very inviting. "Father" told me that the ocean had healing powers, and could heal any ails, worries, etc. He invited me to take a dive into the ocean and let its healing waters wash over me.

I looked over to my animal spirit who was guiding me on this journey to see if it was okay for me to enter the ocean. He motioned that yes, I should enter the ocean and let myself be healed. As I entered the ocean I could feel the cooling sensation of its waters on my skin. I could physically smell it's saltiness in the air. I let myself be enveloped by the water, laying back and floating, my face to the warm sun.

"Father" came up behind me in the water and placed the palms of his hands on the crown of my head and his fingers resting on my temples. He told me that anytime I needed healing or healing energy for any reason, I was to come take a dip in the ocean. He motioned to the shore and that it was time for me to move on and continue exploring. With that I noticed that we were standing on the shore, and I was completely dry.

My animal guide motioned for to follow him. We took a short walk away from "Father" and the ocean where we came upon a small beautiful garden that was bathed in pure light. Standing in the garden was a beautiful woman. She was tall with strawberry blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, and she wore a light and airy dress. 

As I approached her she drew me in the a mother draws a child in for a hug and consolation. Her hands brought my head to her heart and she kissed the top of my head. She told me that she was "Mother", the nurturing and always loving spirit of the Upper Realm. She said that "Father" oversaw most of the Upper Realm but that this magical garden was her own sacred spot.

She told me the garden was a place to come with any questions that needed answering, especially as they pertained to relationships of any sort. That the garden was meant to provide answers of any kind, and to be a spot for healing relationships. She told me that any question I had, I was to think on it, while inhaling the scent of one of the roses in the garden. As I inhaled and took the scent of the flower into my body, so would the answer come to be within me. She told me to visit her garden anytime, and bade me farewell.

It was time to leave the journey. I thanked both the "Father" and the "Mother" and my animal guide let me climb on his back. We went into the tunnel of the light that we entered the Upper Realm through and found our way back down the great trunk of my World Tree. I thanked my angels and spirit guides for assisting and protecting me on the journey. I thanked my animal spirit for guiding me, as he lept back into my heart space where he stays until I need him. I thanked my World Tree for providing a space of journeying, healing, and safety. And I made my way back out of the meditative state.

The more I study and practice journeying, the more I find and meet so many loving spirit guides who are really here to assist us to become our highest self. I do have quite the little spirit guide team/tribe at my side right now.

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).

Journey to the Lower World

Today's journey was to peek into the realm of the Lower World. I meditated back finding myself before my tree. Again I saw a deer (doe) standing to the right of my tree.

I was pulled down into one of the tiny caves at the root of my tree, spiraling down into my inner sanctuary inside the base of the tree, and beneath the earth. The room looked as I remembered but now I noticed a small door. The door was round, wooden and barely small enough for a small child or animal to enter. I wasn't sure Id fit.

I opened the door and was brought into a long, narrow and dark hallway. The hall was so long that I couldn't even make out if there was an ending. I immediately got a sense of this being my hall of ancestors. I walked down the hall searching for the end and to discover it, I noticed portraits of all of my ancestors that had gone before. Some I did not even recognize or know in this life. I noticed a portrait of my grandmother on my mother's side, who was a very important woman in my life. She is someone that Ive always known to be one of my guides and guardians currently.

At the end of the hall, I found another small door. I opened it and stuck just my head outside to explore. At first I noticed a land of brilliantly green grass, that covered over rolling hills, with smaller mountains in the background. I smelled the saltiness of the ocean in the air, and looking over to the left noticed the coastline off in the distance.

My Lower World was a beautiful sight to take in with all of my senses.

I made my way back down the hall, stopping before the portrait of my grandmother. She told me to remember that I was always protected and safe. That I was a strong healer, and needed to have confidence in my abilities. She said I know what steps I need to take, and what I had to do. I just needed the courage to move forward, and know that I was safely being guided in the right and true direction. I just had to listen and follow.

I thanked the ancestors and moved back into my inner sanctuary and was immediately whipped up and back to the outside of the tree. I knelt before the deer and made contact with it, knowing this to be one of my power/spirit animals. I held out my hand to make contact, and to feed it. The deer nuzzled my hand and began to eat from it. The deer kept changing from a doe into a stag/buck and back. Letting me know that it was both the feminine and masculine.

The deer then led me over to the small creek that ran alongside my tree, and encouraged me to look at my reflection in it. As I knelt I saw a younger, beautiful, stronger version of myself. I always noticed that I had wings, and got the impression that this was my image as me as an Earth Angel. On Earth working as an angel in some aspect to help to heal others and the planet for the time I was here.

The deer then began to drink from the water and encouraged me to do the same. I was nervous to drink it but the deer let me know it was healing water and that it was safe to drink it. I took a small sip and has I did I felt a wave of electricity run through my physical body both there in back in the middle world.

I hugged the deer and thanked it. It then leaped into my heart space and told me that it was now one with me. That I could always contact and use its energy and power anytime I need whether in the psychical middle world, or here in the lower world. I thanked it again.

I then moved to the tree and thanked in for being a place of sanctuary and protection. As I sat down with my back to the tree. I felt Archangel Michael sit behind me, enveloping me in his embrace and wrapping his wings around me. He cleansed me energetically and cut any cords to negative energies that were attached to my aura. I thanked him, and he gave me a kiss.

I sat for a bit more at the base of the tree. Inhaling the energy of the earth and the lower world and letting it go up to the sky and upper world on the exhale.

I slowly brought myself back from the journey meditation. Thanked my spirits, guides, angels and gods and goddesses that I work with. I performed some Reiki on myself to further heal and cleanse. Then I grounded the energy left over down deep into the Earth.

Shamanic World Tree Meditation

The drum beats counting me down into a deep meditative state I arrived before a large tree, my tree. Its base was thick, with knotty roots that broke through and down into the soil. The trunk was massively thick, with rough bark and many little sections of holes and tiny caves.

The trunk stood near a body of water, and was surrounded by other large, ancient trees all around. I made my way to the base of the tree and stuck my hands into the wet soil at it's base. It had just rained and the smell of wet earth filled my nostrils. I grabbed the wet soil and let it run through my hands, as I lifted them over head in honor of the tree.

My feet rooted down into the wet earth like the trees roots, and my hands lifted up growing tall like the branches of the tree. I looked up as the canopy of the tree shadowed over me. I turned to see Archangel Michael, my protector, watching over me. He flew gently to my side, and grabbed my hand. We turned to stare at the tree, holding hands.

Off in the distance one of my spirit/power animals, the doe, watched on as Michael and I bent down and dug our hands into the soil. We then placed our muddy hands onto the trunk of the tree, feeling its roughness. We both wrapped our arms around the tree giving it a hug. We released the tree and stood facing each other, placing our muddy hands together. Palm to palm.

I looked at the base of the tree and saw a paticular cave like entrance that I knew would take me into the inner part of the tree. My secret temple that only I alone can enter. What looked like stairs took me down. But instead of walking down, I was led downward in a spiral, my body turning and moving down like a corkscrew into a bottle of wine.

I landed at the base and looked around at my inner temple. It was dark, but spacious. I looked up and could tell I was inside the tree. I noticed a small table and chair, and a large full length mirror on one side.

On another wall was a large rack of every herb, or plant substance in nature. Beneath the herb racks, was a large book. I flipped through it and heard Airmid tell me that she had given me the working knowledge of every herb. That she would be there to guide me as I learned them all. The book would also give me the knowledge and access to form any spell that I could ever need.

I moved over to the mirror and looked in. Instead of my own reflection I was met with the face of Apollo, and felt Micheal's hands on my shoulders as he stood behind me. They both told me that they were there to help me on my healing journey. That I wasn't to worry about weight, my body, or anything. Every time I came down with them I could have access to a healing journey for any need that I may have. That through the healing journeys my body would grow stronger and more beautiful each time.

I took another look around and realized that it was time to go back. I felt myself moving back up through the tree in that same spiral sweeping motion and landed outside of the tree at its base. I said thank you and backed away.

Calling myself back through the beat of the drums.