A Joyful Practice

Celebrate Your Wins, Give Yourself a (Little) Break… & Sing About Your Stuff (the “missing” Sunday compilation) October 18, 2026

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

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

This “missing” compilation post for Sunday, October 18^th, (and the eighth day of Navaratri) 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.

“…we must learn our common symbols,
preen them
and share them with the world.”

— quoted from the preface to for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf  by Ntozake Shange

Once upon a time, people only knew the stories of the people and the places in their lands. The stories might have had similar outlines, but the details were different. The symbols and signs were different. As people travelled, as populations expanded, stories were shared. But, there were still a limited amount of stories being told in any given area — and, in some areas, only certain storytellers (telling stories about certain people) were celebrated.

Technology changed all that.

Today, many people have the ability to read, hear, and/or watch stories from all over the world. More importantly, more people than ever before are able to share their stories. While you might have immediately thought about the internet or a computer or even a television, the technology I was referencing was the radio. But, not just any radio: a “pocket-sized” transistor radio.

The first commercial transistor radio, introduced today in 1954, created the opportunity for more stories to be told to more people. Ntozake Shange, the award-winning playwright and novelist who was born today in 1948, told some stories that had never been shared on a global stage… stories about women.

“somebody/anybody
sing a black girl’s song
bring her out
to know herself
to know you
but sing her rhythms
carin/struggle/hard times”

— The Lady in Brown with all the other Ladies from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf  by Ntozake Shange

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR THEIR STORIES!

For Those Who Missed It: This is one way you can hear me SINGING BOUT MY STUFF (a slightly expanded repost)

“I found god in myself
and i loved her
i loved her fiercely”

— All the Ladies from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf  by Ntozake Shange

Joseph Campbell described seventeen stages in the monomyth or Hero’s Journey. In some ways, the tenth stage (Apotheosis) marks the beginning of the end. The heroine is still in a different world and there can still be a lot of adventure left. In fact, some have said that the hardest and most challenging part of the journey is still ahead. However, some of the major battles have been fought, trials and tribulations have been overcome, and there is some resolution… as well as some resolve on the part of the hero.

The word “apotheosis” comes from Late Latin, meaning “deification”. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “the perfect form or example of something: quintessence” and “the highest or best part of something: peak”. There is a religious component to the apotheosis — one that plays out quite a bit in religious art. However, different religions have different theology around whether or not someone can actually become deified or whether they can simply become more god-like. Either way, the process often involves a metaphorical, spiritual, and/or physical death… and rebirth.

In the stories related to Navaratri, there is a moment of rebirth and renewal that is related to the eighth manifestation of Durga/Pavarti and the inspiration for the eighth step in our journey: Take a moment to renew yourself and celebrate your wins!

“New mind, new moon.
I’ve seen the great ocean made new.”
“Ever since I’ve scoured my body and mind,
I, Lalla, have been as new as new can be!”

— Poem 117, 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)

The following description related to the eighth day of Navaratri is a revised and (slightly) expanded excerpt.

Today was the eighth night/day of Navaratri, the Hindu celebration of God as a woman. The penultimate manifestation of Durga/Parvati is known as Mahagauri, the one of “great purity”. She is the mother Goddess who slays the demon-king. Remember, each of the nine manifestations of Durga represent Her at a different point in her life/journey. By the time we get to the eighth manifestation, Parvati is already married — but the demons can only be killed by a virgin. Obviously, she can not go back; she has to go forward in order to prepare herself for battle.

In some versions of her story, she practices tapas, prays, and makes offerings. At one point, she bathes in the Ganges River, one of the sacred rivers in India, and emerges with the rosy glow of youth. She is depicted in art with three eyes and four arms; riding a white bull; and carrying a trident and a damaru (a small hand drum) in her upper hands, while her lower hands form the “stop the ignorance”, mudra (which is also a seal of “fearlessness”) and the mudra associated with offering/ receiving a blessing. Both the trident and the drum are associated with power and Shiva, and the hand that is offering/receiving a blessing is also holding japamala (or meditation) beads. She is sometimes associated with the color pink, as a symbol of hope and optimism.

In parts of India, people begin their eighth day by making pūjā or offerings of flowers to celebrate her wisdom, beauty, and ability to bring peace. Then they get ready for the final celebrations. As I have mentioned before, this fourth celebration of Navaratri is the largest and leads directly into a related celebration on the tenth day.

For some people, this festival is also preparation for Diwali — which is another celebration with epic stories about a great adventure full of trials and tribulations, victories and defeats, healing and homecoming.

“I was missing something
something so important
something promised
a laying on of hands
fingers near my forehead
strong
cool
moving
making me whole
sense pure
all the gods coming into me
laying me open to myself
I was missing something
something promised
something free
a laying on of hands”

— quoted from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf  by Ntozake Shange

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10182026 STILL Singing Bout OUR Stuff”]

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).

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Water is Nourishing, Healing, & Purifying!
Water is Life!
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