8th Day of the Goddess

The 8th aspect of Mother Durga is the goddess Mahagauri whose fair complexion is often compared with the moon. Her garments and ornaments are also white. She has four arms and sits on a bullock. Like other goddesses, her right hand is in abbaya mudra, to allay fear. (Yes, we are reminded again and again by these goddesses that fear is unnecessary. You might like to read my comment about fearing the snake on our path, on the post: "dearest cherished students")

7th Day of the Goddess

The 7th Goddess, Kalaratri, is also known as Shubhankari. She is a fearful Goddess to look at: pitch black, disheveled hair, 3 eyes, riding a donkey, and wearing a necklace flashing like lightening! Her right hand is raised to grant boons and her left hand is in the mudra to allay fears. Her other 2 hands hold a sharp weapon made from bones and a bloody dagger.

hello everyone

Haven't been in the open classroom for a while, but that wonderfully patient being Indira has been gently reminding me that this is here for me. I look forward to connecting with those I connected with before and those I haven't. love to all. Annie

6th Day of the 9 Goddesses

Today let's read about the 6th form of Mother Durga, known as Katyayani, and see what we can find to apply to our spiritual understanding. Isn't it nice to look at different cultures, different spiritual ideas, and try to find the universal application? Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if more people did this? Yes, I think it would be. Even though more people do not do this, we can do it. And what matters most of all is what we do. We cannot control or change the outer world, but we can show up for our spiritual lives and so transform where it really counts, from the inside out. We can use our minds for something useful, like remembering our divine essence, as angels do.

5th Goddess of the Navratri

The great Goddess, Mother Durga, is said to have 9 aspects, which are the 9 Goddesses. Today the 5th aspect, Skandamata, is worshipped, according to Hindu scripture. Let this day of the Goddess remind you that you are supported by the strength of a lion or Universal Energy, which is all powerful. You are perfectly balanced, a lotus in each hand. You are the ocean, calm and serene. You carry the small child of your own self in your arms, so be kind, compassionate, and loving with yourself. Teach yourself how to love yourself. Let go of all false concepts of love--the dictionary definitions that you, yourself, create--and open to discovering what love really is. Give up being a dictionary, creating definitions that become expectations that keep you in bondage. Submerge yourself in meditation constantly with every breath, in every moment of your life, and let yourself move upward, towards the highest chakra, and then beyond, towards the Light of all wisdom, love, and compassion. (see picture and read more...)

4th Day of the Goddess Celebration

On the fourth day of Navaratri, Devi Kushmanda is worshipped. This Goddess is also called Ashtbhuja. On this day the mind of the worshipper enters and stays in the Anahta or 4th Chakra, so one is required to meditate on the Mother one-pointedly with a steady mind. As a result the devote is said to get rid of all ailments and sorrows. Longevity, name, strength and health are said to be on the increase.

Whatever culture we live in, it is always good to be reminded to be one-pointed and keep a steady mind. The question is, what are we one-pointed on? As spiritual students, the angels ask that you be one-pointed on your spiritual life, on Truth, even if you call that an aspect of the Goddess. Ideally we are totally present and aware every moment, not just one day of the year.

3rd Day of the Goddesses

      Hello beautiful Goddesses...and beautiful Men! Focusing on this aspect of the Goddess is meant to give extreme peace and ultimate good. She wears a half moon (chandra) and her voice is like that of a bell (ghanta); so her name is Chandraghanta. It is said that her roaring voice, a tumultuous sound like a bell, causes the enemies of Dharma to tremble! (We talk about Dharma in Lesson 29 "Relationships." In that lesson the angels remind us to row our own boat, not someone elses. The Sanskrit word dharma beautifully describes the concept of rowing one’s own boat -- one’s duty; the underlying natural order of things; that which upholds).  ((Had to remove the Goddess image because it was making the blog not work!)

2nd day of the 9 Goddesses

I like the idea of celebrating the 9 days of the Goddesses. Today is #2.  Brahmacharini is the second of the nine Durgas (Goddesses). Brahmacharini is one who practices penance, inspiring us to achieve our spiritual goals. She inspires renunciation from all that takes us from our true nature, such as harmful thoughts and actions. She also inspires dispassion (not being led astray by strong emotion), and staying on the path of duty (rowing our own boat) and keeps one grounded in the 2nd Chakra.  (Read about the 3rd Goddess tomorrow). (By the way my new great niece was born yesterday. A little Goddess).

Writing a message

So I was inspired to try and write a message from a higher place, as our teacher suggested in our March Newsletter. (By the way, thanks for that Newsletter. It was jam-packed with information and higher messages.) Here is the message that came to me when I asked the angels for one, or at least this is what I wrote, "You do not have to be a man according to society's rules. You are in this life to get free of society. While you must live within the boundaries of society, you do not have to internalize those boundaries and let them tell you who you should be." I was very happy with this message! Thank you Indira for the idea. I will try this again and maybe have the courage to add another one here. And I hope to read some from other students also. Thanks for all the work you put into our school dear teacher. I appreciate it.

Green Goddess Rice Salad

Today is the Indian New Year, so Happy Navaratti. It is also the first night of the 9 nights of the Goddess. So to celebrate, here is a recipe by Christine Waltermyer, author of Natural Vegan Kitchen. This salad is rich in chlorophyll, which is known to create that healthy glow in your skin. So make, eat it, and glow like a Goddess! Even guys can glow!

Change

Dearest Students, I like what Kevin wrote about being able to be honest here in our classroom and school. We all hide behind so many masks, to cover up what we really feel inside, what we fear, to be who or what we think we should be. What does this mean? It means we change all the time, depending on who we are with, what we are doing, and mostly what we think we should be. You know this is true if you really look at yourself. What we call our "personality" is really just a set of impressions that we have gleaned from the world. The word "persona" comes from the Greek and means "mask." The angels say, be courageous enough to take off all masks. Be ONE. Discover your true nature and then you will be free to be happy being you. You will not change masks according to the people or circumstances around you. You will wear no masks. You will have nothing to hide. The light will flow freely through you and you will take your direction from a higher source. You will no longer be a sleeping person reacting in a mechanical, habitual way.

more about nature spirits

     Lesser angels, commonly known as nature spirits and fairies, are amongst the gentlest of beings. They naturally love all growing things. They abound in forests, jungles, woodlands, and wherever there are lakes, streams, and ponds. Since they are offshoots of greater angels, they are very simple, seeking only to love and nurture nature. These angels feel deeply and instinctively. When human beings senselessly slaughter ancient forests, the lesser angels immediately set about comforting the fallen trees, caressing and soothing their wounds, bringing courage to the remaining plants and trees.

dearest cherished students

the angels write to you now from the place where they live which is no place like you live, for the angels live close to God, in the very heart of Truth. The angels know your pain. The angels understand your loneliness. They watch over human beings. The angels watch the faces of human beings and see the pain there, the anger, the human deception. They know your secrets, that which you try to hide even from yourself. The angels say, 

Morning Tea...

...except that it is now just after noon; still, I like mornings best so I decided to call it morning and take a break from my taxes to call upon an angelic message. You know how we try to change other people? How we let our moods be influenced by other people? There is a consciousness beyond everyday living, a cosmic consciousness, that is unaffected by either pleasure or blame, by what other people say or how they act. When you have a problem with another person, do not try to change that person. Did you ever notice that we try to change other people so we can be at peace? That's not very compassionate, is it? At the cosmic level, there are no problems between human beings. In cosmic consciousness there is only sky with clouds drifting by, soft, peaceful, serene. So keep showing up for your school. Apply yourself to your homework. Read your lessons and let yourself be guided away from human humdrum to cosmic consciousness. Be willing to let go of what does not work and allow yourself to be transformed at deep inner levels. You'll be glad you did.

NATURE SPIRITS: IN CELEBRATION OF SPRING EQUINOX

     It's officially spring! Let's celebrate! Let's go into the forests and meadows and dance in fairy rings! Let's throw off our shoes and feel the earth below our feet! Let's sit on the wet grass and have a picnic! Let's sing! Let's put all our troubles into balloons of light and let them float into space and dissolve into pure light. Let's be free. Now! We can. You can. Yes! You can! It is possible. Now! It is only possible now, never yesterday or tomorrow, only now.

     In celebration of winter casting off her heavy coat and stepping into the soft colors of spring, I am posting a special message about Nature Spirits! Nature spirits are part of the angelic kingdom.

♥LOTUS HEART MEDITATION♥

You may read the Lotus Heart Meditation in my comment in the post Ursula so kindly posted below. And here is a lovely lotus to help your visualization. Developing our powers of positive imagination is helpful, since we so often use imagination for imagining all the fearful things that might happen in the future or creating pictures in our heads of past misfortunes.  
     The angels say, if you are going to use imagination, then use it for something positive. Please keep in mind that your imagination is working all day long, creating ideas and images. This is the world you live in. If the creations of your mind are always uplifting, honest, and loving, if they have your best interests at heart—well, good for you. But if you are like most human beings (and you are) then your imaginations often create images that terrorize and paralyze you. 
     So you may want to try the Lotus Heart Meditation. You may want to teach the mind to work for you and not against you. You may want to begin where you are.  Where are you? You are here right now—not wrong now—and so the angels lovingly invite you to try the  Lotus Heart Meditation. (Remember that Truth is beyond all imagination. We use imagination as a positive uplifting tool to help guide us to Truth, not as a substitute for Truth.)