A Joyful Practice

Committing to Change, Knowing, & Unknowing October 13, 2026

“Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Sharada Navaratri!” Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone learning to know friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.

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

This “missing” compilation post for Tuesday, October 13^th, includes new content and excerpts. You can request an audio recording of this 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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Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“From what direction did I come, and by what road?
In what direction am I going, how shall I find the road?
I hope they’ll send me a map before it’s too late
or it’s all over for me, my breath all gone to waste.”

— Poem 9, as printed in I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Dĕd by Lal Dĕd (Translated from the Kashmiri with an Introduction and Notes by Ranjit Hoskote)

We started a journey on Sunday. Or, maybe you just started. Either way, every journey starts with an awareness of where you are (and who you are) and where you want to go. Even if you are lost, on a certain level, there is an awareness of being lost and wanting to be… elsewhere. So, we started the journey this particular journey by identifying where we are and who we are. The second step was to take a deep breath in and a deeper breath out — to practice a little yoga, if you will. Now, the third step: commit.

Commitment is a big part of any practice. The Yoga Philosophy specifically encourages us to commit to the practice. Abhyasa is the “[continuous and deliberate] practice, [engaged with sincere devotion]”. Paired with vairagya (“non-attachment”), abhyasa is a mindful, intentional, and deliberate way of creating habits that serve you — on and off the mat. (YS. 1.12-1.14) It is also the gateway to change, transformation (if you will).

In many cultures, marriage or taking religious vows are seen as life-long commitments. These commitments are marked by ritual, tradition, celebration, and public declarations — all of which creates an opportunity for people to be held accountable and, also, serves as a reminder of the commitment. Weddings or confirmations, however, are simply markers or symbols. The ceremonies are not the commitment itself. The commitment is what you do on a day to day basis: show up and keep your promise.

“Up, woman! Go make your offering.
Take wine, meat and a cake fit for the gods.
If you know the password to the Supreme Place,
you can reach wisdom by breaking the rules.”

— Poem 19, as printed in I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Dĕd by Lal Dĕd (Translated from the Kashmiri with an Introduction and Notes by Ranjit Hoskote)

While Lalla, the 14^th century Kashmiri poet, mystic, spiritual teacher, and saint was forced into an abusive marriage at age 12 and stayed in that marriage for 14 years, she was always more committed to her spiritual and religious practice that she was to her marriage. The commitment that she made — of her own volition — was the commitment she kept, the commitment that sustained her through hardship, and the commitment that ultimately led to her transforming her own life.

Even though the journey that plays out through the story of Navaratri is a little different from Lalla’s story, it is still a story that involves commitment as a pathway to transformation and transcendence.

“I gave myself to Him, body and soul,
became a bell that the clear note of Him rang through.
Thoughts fixed on Him, I flew through the sky
and unlocked the mysteries of heaven and hell.”

— Poem 112, as printed in I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Dĕd by Lal Dĕd (Translated from the Kashmiri with an Introduction and Notes by Ranjit Hoskote)

EXCERPT: The following description for the third day of Navaratri is a slightly revised excerpt. Some links have been updated/added.

Today (Tuesday) was the third day and night of Sharada Navaratri, the “nine nights” celebrating Divine feminine energy in various manifestations. Some people see the manifestations as nine different women; however, they are also seen by some as the same woman at different points in her story. For instance, her third form is Chandraghanta, whose name, “one who has a half-moon shaped like a bell”, comes from the image of the newly-wed Parvati. She is depicted as a combination of beauty, grace, and courage, with her third eye open — the result of all the (yoga) preparation performed by Her previous manifestation. That open third eye means that she is always ready to fight evil and demons. In fact, she is sometimes known as the “Goddess Who Fights Demons”.

Here, “demons” can be a metaphor for anything that ails you physically, mentally, emotionally — even energetically, spiritually, and religiously. They can be challenges and hurdles that need to be over come. They can even be mistakes… sins… or vows (as I refer to them during the High Holidays) that can be absolved or forgiven. In fact, the faithful of all the different religions believe that there are ways (and even special times) when mistakes, sins, and broken vows are turned away… or washed away.

“Transformation is not something that accidentally happens to us. Like every part of the Navaratri cycle, it is something we initiate and experience again and again during our lives. For myself, day 3 of this cyclical practice (or week 3 or month 3, depending on how you structure your own Navaratri practice) is an opportunity to do something outside my comfort zone.”

— quoted from the “Cultivating Transformation” section of “Chapter 3 — Igniting the Fire of Transformation” in The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self by Ananta Ripa Ajmera

In addition to being one the days “deleted” when papal-governed countries switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, October 13, 1962, was the first working day of The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican. More commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, the meetings that spanned a little over three years were a journey and a commitment to change.

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE FOR MORE.

Knowing & Unknowing, a prequel & a reboot

“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

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10132020 Knowing & Unknowing, prequel”]

If you are struggling, 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 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 need 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).

### Promise Yourself ###