Ritualising Life | 6

“I’m back in Switzerland after 22 years, and it’s a very special moment. It’s snowing, and I’m beginning this new season of the Born to Be Free podcast. I want to dedicate this season to the magic, the profound blessing, and the world of rituals.

Ritual has been a part of my life for a very long time, and it has changed me in every possible way. I’ve discovered that we can ritualize our life, recognizing that everything is a given. Everything here is grace, a gift from the Universe, from the Goddess, from God. When we see what we have, we can’t help but feel gratitude for what is given. We realize that everything is grace.

Meaning, we aren’t really in control of anything. We can have wishes, desires, dreams, but we never know what we’ll actually receive or if we’ll accomplish what we want to accomplish, fulfill our desires. And so, the outcome is given by the universe. Everything is given. We only have a say over our actions. I can choose to act, to refrain, or to act differently. We have free will. And in the Vedic tradition, it’s said that the most powerful way to use our free will is in prayer.

So, what are we praying to? What are we not praying to?

This Universe is an infinite, intelligent being. It’s alive, filled with infinite knowledge. The more we know, the more we realize how much we don’t know. We call this Universe Jagat, the world that comes and goes. In the Vedic tradition, we have many names for this world. We also refer to this world as the Goddess, Devi, or the God, Deva - from the Sanskrit root ‘Dev’, meaning to shine, to be self-luminous. Thus, the Goddess is she who shines, she who is self-existent; Deva is he who shines, he who exists.

God is God, needing nothing else for its existence. This whole universe is, as we call it, Devi or Deva.

This is how the Goddess, how God is, in the form of this magnificent universe, starting with space. Where is space not? Without space, nothing exists; it accommodates all beings. We have the air, especially here in Davos, where it’s so wonderful to breathe because the air is really fresh. So, we have the goddess in the form of air. We get to breathe, to feel the cold, the heat. We have fire, the Goddess, God in the form of fire, the heat, the sun, without which we cannot see anything. And we have water. Imagine life without water. Because of water, we can taste, and we have the earth. Because of the earth, we can smell. Thus, we’re constantly experiencing the Goddess, God through existing, hearing, speaking, feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting.

However, we’re often not aware of this because we’ve been told that the Goddess, God, or God is something else. Who talks about the Goddess? She’s been long forgotten but is now reemerging. We’ve mainly talked about the God that most people are introduced to as sitting up in the sky, judging us. Such a concept of God is not very trustworthy, leading many to dismiss God altogether because the image we’ve been given is not believable.

In the Vedic tradition, we don’t just believe in God or the Goddess; we seek to know, to understand, to discover God, Goddess in everything and everyone, including ourselves.

Discovering that God, Goddess is, that you are God, I am God, and all that is here is God, means recognizing that all is sacred, nothing is profane. We are in a constant state of prayer, of gratitude, grateful for waking up each morning, for our legs that carry us, for the water that cleanses us.

There’s consciousness in every action, a realization that nothing can be taken for granted. Ritualizing our life is a beautiful way to stay in touch with the reality that everything here is given, is grace, is sacred. It makes life meaningful, purposeful, and allows us to enter the magic that always is. I learned from my teacher and lineage to ritualize my life, from waking until bedtime, maintaining a state of prayer because we cannot take anything for granted. When we are in prayer, our hearts grow, open up.

An open heart is what we all desire, as opposed to a closed heart that leads to isolation, loneliness, and depression. Shutting down our heart also shuts down our capacity to feel joy and gratitude. Gratitude and love are the most beautiful feelings, bringing peace and a sense of limitlessness. And that is what we are: limitless.

The Vedic vision helps us see our limitless nature. Ritualizing our life helps us discover this truth, to feel again, to enter the sacred beauty of life. Sacred beauty, to me, is accepting ourselves, the most attractive form of self-acceptance.

This episode is dedicated to rituals. The Vedic tradition celebrates the sacredness of life in various forms all year long, celebrating goddesses, gods, and the gift of life.

One such celebration is Navaratri, dedicated to Durga, ‘she who takes away pain,’ also known as the great Mother. It reminds us of the pain passed down through generations due to a lack of self-knowledge. Durga, however, knows she is limitless, whole, complete, embodying self-acceptance and thus able to accept everyone. Her qualities are truly admirable.

Durga’s many qualities are celebrated during Navaratri, the nine nights dedicated to her, symbolizing the celebration of life’s gift in countless forms throughout the year in India.

” In the Vedic tradition, it is said: “Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati,” which means “as you admire, so you become.”

When we admire Durga, the goddess who embodies qualities such as the removal of pain, acceptance, unconditional love, non-judgment, and absolute validation, we start to emulate these attributes.

During Navaratri, the nine nights dedicated to the goddess, we worship Durga through rituals, creating a beautiful altar symbolic of the universe, and offering gifts like flowers, incense, honey, oil essence, fruits & anything else our hearts would like to offer.

This period is a time of self-inquiry and spiritual practice, aimed at neutralizing judgments and unhealthy patterns that hinder our emotional and spiritual growth. Navaratri is a sacred time for reflecting on and practicing Dharma, which refers to the principles that sustain and uphold life through universal values such as Ahimsa (non-harming) and Satyam (truthfulness).

Engaging in these practices helps to neutralize unhealthy patterns and cultivate spiritual wealth, which can manifest in auspicious situations in this life or future ones.

It is a time for recognizing the importance of Dharma in protecting us from harm and guiding us towards truth and love. The festival also provides an opportunity to process pain and emotions through the invocation of goddesses like Durga and Kali, embracing all emotions as sacred.

Through rituals, dance, music, and art, Navaratri encourages the expression of these emotions in healthy ways, leading to transformation and growth.

For the past four years, the Devi school has celebrated Navaratri through an online festival, bringing together a community of individuals from around the world to participate in spiritual practices and workshops.

This celebration has fostered growth and transformation, demonstrating the profound impact of opening oneself to the teachings and rituals of Navaratri. This time we are meeting for Spring Navaratri, join us for free.

 You can sign up here https://www.devischool.info/navaratri-sadhana

**Show Notes:**

-New Season of Born to Be Free Podcast

-Quest for Freedom and Spiritual Awakening in India

-Impact of Rituals on Life

-Daily Gratitude & Prayer

-Navaratri, the Nine Nights of the Goddess

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 01:01 - New season launch of "Born to be Free"
• 01:13 - Sharada discusses her 22-year quest for freedom and spiritual awakening in India.
• 02:08 - Dedication of the new season to exploring the impact of rituals in life.
• 03:38 - Exploration of the concept of praying and the interconnectedness of the universe.
• 06:13 - Discussion on the resurgence of the goddess concept and the limitations of traditional views of God.
• 07:41 - Emphasis on daily gratitude and the significance of prayer in everyday activities.
• 09:23 - The role of rituals in opening the heart and overcoming isolation and depression.
• 11:32 - Introduction to the various Vedic celebrations and the manifestations of the goddess in natural elements.
• 12:09 - Explanation of Navaratri, the Nine Nights of the Goddess, focusing on Durga who alleviates pain.
• 17:44 - Discussion on the practice of Dharma and its importance in sustaining and protecting through values like non-violence (ahimsa).
• 20:29 - Navaratri is a time for self-inquiry and understanding the universal values to alleviate suffering.
• 24:06 - Navaratri Festival at Devi School, celebrating the goddess with international participants.
• 25:15 - Closing

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