A Joyful Practice

A Quick Note & Excerpt RE: Change & “A Little Salt” April 5, 2025

Peace and many blessings to all! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Peace and many blessings to those observing Lent & Great Lent!

This is the “missing” post for Saturday, April 5^th. My apologies for not posting before the practice. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).

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“I find a lot of similarity between Goddess Kalaratri, who symbolizes the spiritual power of transcendence, and Goddess Chandraghanta, who represents the power of transformation (in chapter 3). While transformation happens from taking strong, consistent action to overcome our fears, transcendence results from applying spiritual knowledge to see traumas we have experienced through the eyes of wisdom. This ensures we never see ourselves as helpless victims at the mercy of a cruel world but rather as powerful manifesters of our own destinies.”

— quoted from the “Cultivating Transcendence” section of “Chapter 7 — Transcending Trauma with Wisdom” in The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self by Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Today (Saturday) is the seventh day of  Navaratri, the Hindu festival of “nine nights” celebrating divine feminine energy in various manifestations. This seventh day of Navaratri is dedicated to Kalaratri, the most ferocious form of Durga/Parvati. I will admit that I sometimes have a hard time with elements of the Divine that show up as ferocious. However, I appreciate that sometimes strong, fierce energy/medicine is needed to eliminate negative energy — and this is why Kalaratri is so strong: She eliminates negativity.

Some believe that Kalaratri destroys all demons, ghosts, evil spirits just be showing up. She is associated with nighttime (which is when plants grow) and the crown chakra (which is this present moment). Her name is sometimes used interchangeably with Kali, who is the dark-skinned Goddess associated with destruction, time, and change. Because people believes she can give her devotees siddhis (“abilities”) like knowledge, power, and wealth, she is also known as Shubankari (“Auspicious”). People also believe Kalaratri can make someone fearless.

Of course, being fearless comes in handy if you want to being about major change in the world — especially when you are committed to non-violence.

“Despite Goddess Kalaratri’s frightening appearance, I find her to e the most loving form of Goddess Durga because she removes everything that is not us: the illusions, lies, and myths we have subscribed to (without even knowing we have done so!). Because only when we are free from illusions are we truly free. This goddess brings the Gospel of John to life: ‘And you shall know the Truth, and that Truth shall set you free.’

Vedanta spiritual philosophy describes Truth, to be true, must be so at all times: past, present, and future.”

— quoted from the “Cultivating Transcendence” section of “Chapter 7 — Transcending Trauma with Wisdom” in The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self by Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Today in 1930, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and other participants in the Salt Satyagraha reached Dandi. Click on the excerpt title below for the story and to how it connects to what’s happening today.

FTWMI: A Little Salt

“Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian Movement ‘Satyagraha’ , that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase ‘passive resistance’ in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word ‘Satyagraha’ itself or some other equivalent English phrase.”

— quoted from “12. THE ADVENT OF SATYAGRAHA” in Satyagraha in South Africa by M. K. Gandhi (as published in THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, translated from the Gujarati by Valji Govindji Desai; General Editor Shriman Narayan)

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04062021 Salt Satyagraha”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes extra videos of featured songs.

“Even when a man takes revenge on others who hate him, in spite of him not hating them initially, the pain caused by his vengeance will bring him inevitable sorrow.” (313)

“When a man inflicts pain upon others in the forenoon, it will come upon him unsought in the afternoon.” (319)

— quoted from the English translation of the Tamil lyrics in the song “Ahimsa” by U2 and A. R. Rahman, featuring Khatija and Raheema Rahman (translation from IntegralYoga.org)

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### Practice Peace Even As You Fight For Change ###