A Joyful Practice

What We Do to Get Ready (the post-practice compilation post for Monday) September 22, 2025

“L’Shana Tovah U’Metukah!” to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays. “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Sharada Navaratri!” Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom during the Equinox and International Week of Deaf People.

Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.

This post-practice post for Monday, September 22^nd, is a compilation post, which includes some new and previously posted content, plus a series of excerpts. Please note that linked excerpts direct you to posts that will include content related to a specific year. The 2025 prompt question was, “How do you get ready for something big, for something momentous, for something auspicious?” 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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“Those Samâdhis with which we ended our last chapter are very difficult to attain; so we must take them up slowly. The first step, the preliminary step, is called Kriya-yoga. Literally this means work, working towards Yoga.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.1, from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda

When you first consider the Monday prompt question, you may think that the answer depends on what you’re getting ready to do. However, I would argue that such an answer is related to the finer details of your life. If you take in the big picture, you will notice that we usually get ready for something big by taking a moment to look back and make sure we have all our ducks in a row. In other words, we reflect and we make a plan — even if that plan is just related to what we are going to wear or how we want our house to look when company comes over. In the process, we also make sure our head and heart are in the right place; that we have an attitude that is going to serve us.

In some ways, the general process we use to get ready is one way to look at the process Patanjali described as kriyā yoga (“yoga in action”): a combination of tapah (“heat, discipline, austerity” and the practices that cultivate them — physically, mentally, emotionally, even spiritually and religiously), svādhyāya (“self-study”), and īśvarapraņidhāna (“trustful surrender to [God]”). (YS 1.2) I reference this rubric throughout the year, because it is not only a process we can use individually, it is also a process that communities use when they are getting ready for a big, momentous, auspicious time… like a new season and/or a new year.

The new moon on Sunday was actually the precursor all of the above since Monday was the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (or Spring/Vernal Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere); the beginning of Sharada Navaratri in some Hindu communities; and the beginning of the International Week of the Deaf People. Additionally, Monday at sunset marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah in Jewish communities around the world (and in communities where people observe the commanded holidays outlined in Deuteronomy).

THE EQUINOX EXCERPTS — “On Having A Good Time” (revised):

“The transition from one year to the next year happens in an infinitely short moment that is actually non-existent in time. So too, there are transitions in the moments of life and the moments of meditation. Mindfulness of transitions in daily life and during meditation time is extremely useful on the spiritual journey to enlightenment.”

— quoted from the commentary on “Yoga Sutras 3.9-3.16: Witnessing Subtle Transitions With Samyama” by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (“Swami J”)

In theory, the angle of the Earth combines with its rotation around the sun to produce four noteworthy (and marked) dates: Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Vernal (or Spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice.

I say, “in theory”, because we like to think that everyone around the world has equal amounts of day and night on the equinox and that these appreciable moments in time are actually that — appreciable and notable. The truth, however, is that there is no sudden/automatic change in how much light and how much darkness we get. It’s not a dimmer switch and we can honestly notice changes much earlier than indicated by the celestial calendar. Furthermore, no one is really getting 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night on the actual equinox. We perceive daylight long after the sun has moved below the horizon and, therefore, daytime is longer at latitudes above the equator than below.

Here in Houston, we got 12 hours and 10 minutes (as did people in Cairo, Egypt; with people in Shanghai, China maybe getting 1 more minute than that). On the flip side, someone in Anchorage, Alaska got 12 hours and 17 minutes and people in Helsinki, Finland got 12 hours and 19 minutes). Meanwhile, people in Cape Town, South Africa; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) on Te Ika-a-Māui/North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand all got 12 hours and 9 minutes.

Even at the equator, a true 12-hour split doesn’t happen on the equinox (“equal night”): It happens on the equilux (“equal light”), which falls on Thursday, September 25^th. for most mid-latitude people in the Northern Hemisphere. (Although the exact date does vary by location.)

Click on the excerpt title below for more about how you could spend your time.

On Having A Good Time

THE NAVARATRI EXCERPT — “Making Connections, Part 2 [in the New Year] Part 2” (revised):

Navaratri (which means “nine nights”, in Sanskrit) occurs four times on the Hindu calendar and is a celebration of divine feminine energy — specifically of Durga, the divine mother, in various manifestations. Some people (read, mostly men) think of these manifestations as different women. Others (read, mostly women) recognize these manifestations as the same woman at different points in her life. The latter understanding is underscored by the fact that each day is dedicated to a different manifestation of Durga/Parvati and each manifestation marks a different point in Her journey.

Navaratri always begins by celebrating Durga as Shailaputri (“Daughter of Mountain”). Shailaputri is the daughter of Himavat, the Mountain King or Guardian God of Himalayan Mountains, and is recognized as a divine manifestation of Mahadevi and a reincarnation of Sati (the wife of Shiva), who then reincarnates as Parvati. In art, she holds a trishula or trident in her right hand and a lotus in her left hand, all while riding Shiva’s bull Nandi, whose name means “happy, joy, and satisfaction”.

The fall (Sharada) Navaratri celebration, which started today (Monday), is the biggest and most celebrated of the four celebrations. Rituals and traditions vary from one region to the other and, during this festival, celebrations in some regions may include other manifestations of the Divine. For example, while some celebrations on the ninth day of Navaratri will also be Ayudha Puja (“worship of tools”) — when people celebrate peace and knowledge and give thanks for the tools of their occupation, some will give thanks for musical instruments and others will give thanks for their farming machinery. At the same time, some will make their puja (“offering”) to Saraswati — who is associated with knowledge, the arts, and culture, etc. — and others will direct their attention to Lakshmi — who is associated with prosperity, wealth, and fertility, etc. These fall celebrations also include a tenth day, Dussehra or Vijayadashami, which commemorates Lord Rama’s victory over a 10-headed demon.

Click here to discover posts that reference the other Divine manifestations celebrated during Navaratri.

THE INTERNATIONAL WEEK OF THE DEAF EXCERPTS — “Paying Attention is the First Step” & “Holchaj yIjatlh. (‘Speak in their language.’)” (revised):

“…people meet and part.
The word becomes the action in this language of the heart.”

— quoted from the English translation of the poem “Language for the Eye” by Dorothy Miles

Today, September 22^nd, the beginning of International Week of Deaf People (IWDP). While IWDP is celebrated during the last full week of September (and therefore the dates shift a little), International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is held annually on September 23^rd, the anniversary of the day, in 1951, when the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was established in Rome, Italy, during the first World Deaf Conference. That first conference was organized by Ente Nazionale Sordomuti (ENS), the Italian Deaf Association, and attended by representatives from 25 countries. Now, WFD is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization of deaf associations from 133 countries. It promotes the human rights of deaf people worldwide and works with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and UN agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO).

Each day of IWDP has a different focus. The 2025 theme for the entire week is “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights” and the focus on Monday was “Deaf communities leading”. Both themes highlight the importance of including people in conversations about things (like social policy) that will affect them and emphasizes the fact that, “Deaf-led alliances, in collaboration with governments and other organisations, play a vital role in advancing sign language rights. Following the motto ‘nothing about us without us’, true progress comes from partnerships where deaf people lead and others support them as committed allies.”

Since we are heading into a New Year, you might spend your time by learning a new language.

There are, in fact, about 300 sign languages used around the world. This includes some (but not all) language families, like the French Sign Language Family, and the languages therein — like French Sign Language, Italian Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language, American Sign Language, Irish Sign Language, Russian Sign Language, Dutch Sign Language (NGT), Spanish Sign Language, Mexican Sign Language, Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS), Catalan Sign Language, Ukrainian Sign Language, Austrian Sign Language (along with its twin Hungarian Sign Language and its offspring Czech Sign Language) and others. That estimate also includes some (but not all) dialects and some village languages, as well as some Deaf-community and school languages. I am not sure if that estimate includes any speech-taboo languages¹; but, suffice to say, there are a lot of sign languages. And, knowing one does not mean that you can use the other; any more than knowing one romance language means you can completely understand another.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WEEK OF DEAF PEOPLE & MEET SOME OF THE PEOPLE I HIGHLIGHTED LAST YEAR!

THE NEW YEAR EXCERPT — “An Invitation to ‘Reflecting, Remembering, Repenting, & Planting’” (revised):

“Through the years I’ve written and taught extensively about ‘liminal time,’ that pregnant pause between what is no longer and what is not yet. Although liminal time is a known stage in all rites of passage, most people have never heard of it. Whether we’re talking about a pandemic, a war, a refugee crisis, or even a man or womanhood ritual, a graduation, or a new job far away from family and friends, the stages (though not the intensity) of a rite of passage are the same.”

— quoted from “Running the Gauntlet of the Unknown” by Joan Borysenko, PhD (posted at joanborysenko.com, April 1, 2020)

This is a liminal moment — a transitional or threshold moment, a doorway in between moments; like the pauses in between the inhale and the exhale. As I have mentioned before, we could say that about any moment in our lives; however, this is one of those Liminal moments that is being recognized as an auspicious time by several communities around the world. This is one of those moments full of ceremony, ritual, and tradition.

It is an opportunity to “request” (or accept) and plan for more time.

“Who will be calm and who will be tormented?
Who will become poor and who will get rich?
Who will be made humble and who will be raised up?
But teshuvah and tefillah and tzedakah [repentance and prayer and righteous acts]
deflect the evil of the decree.”

— quoted from the poem “Unetaneh Tokef” (“Let Us Speak of the Awesomeness”)

Literally “the Head of the Year”, Rosh Hashanah is known as the Jewish New Year and is also the beginning of the High Holidays — known as the “Ten Days of Atonement” and the “Ten Days of Awe” — which culminate with Yom Kippur, “The Day of Atonement”. It is one of the holiest times of the year for some and is celebrated by people who might not typically go to services. Unlike a secular new year, it is more than a celebration — it is an observation: a time for reflection, remembrance, and repentance.

It is also a time when people “request” (or accept) and plan for a new year of life and purpose.

Click on the excerpt title below for more about how people prepare for a meaningful and sweet new year (or, click here to scroll through a variety of posts about Rosh Hashanah).

FTWMI: You’re Invited To A Possibility Party!

There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices. 

Music Note: You can click on the excerpt title above for the playlists featuring the poem I mentioned during the Monday practice.

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 an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (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).

¹ According to Wikipedia, speech-taboo languages “are developed by the hearing community and only used secondarily by the deaf.”

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN & SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE ###