Every Navaratri – the 9 Nights of worshipping the sacred feminine divine are welcomed with an open heart. For the devotee, the bhakta, these nine nights and nine days are a moment out of space and time. Where the here and now disappear and the prayers, chants, rituals and inner devotion gathers all of humanity into the embrace of the Divine Mother. There are multiple paths to reach and access the Feminine Divine. Today, shared and explored here are one key form each of Prayer, Chanting, Ritual & Devotion.

Praying to the Mother Divine

Prayer almost always begins with hands folded and eyes closed. Why do we do this? It’s quite simple really. The folded hands, in prayer salutation, or the namaste mudra, is a reminder that the very hands that create in this world, in our lives are but humble gifts from the Divine. We close our eyes to recognise the divine particle within us. It is a conscious move to withdraw from our material senses. Now, we come to the position or placement of our praying hands. Depending on where we place them – at the centre of our chest (the Heart Chakra), at the centre of our forehead (the 3rd Eye Chakras), or then above our heads (Crown Chakra) with arms outstretched – each indicates our consciousness in our prayer. At the heart chakra we are surrendered and absorbing all the blessings without want or greed. At the 3rd eye chakra we are seeking intuition and wisdom, even mystic knowledge. At the crown chakra and above we are seeking the Divine in earnest, beseeching we be allowed through the spiritual gates. So, always begin your connection to the Mother Divine, not just during Navratri, but everyday, through the hands of prayer at your heart, 3rd eye and crown chakras.

Chanting the name of the Sacred Mother

After prayer comes the name. And our Sacred Mother has many names to choose from. As we chant and connect to the many incantations of her names, we access her various moods, pastimes, and realms. So, how do we choose what to chant, and when to chant, let alone how to chant ? The answers to all three questions is the same – seek the guidance of the Guru. Be initiated into the chants, follow the mantra chanting protocols prescribed to you in the lineage you are initiated in. And finally, know that there are 100s if not 1000s of names that the Mother may be addressed by that are accessible to one and all. Irrespective of who they are, where they come from, what they do and most importantly if they are initiated or not. Just by virtue of being born we are all connected to the Devi’s cosmic womb. Born from her we are given direct access to her, by her. So, chant the sacred names of the Divine Mother fearlessly.

Rituals and Devi

Recognise that as you pray and chant there is a journey you will take on your path of connecting to the Devi that will bring you to ritual. And this is vital. Rituals and Devi are not just a collection of objects, behaviour patterns and random repetitions. No. The rituals and Devi are all about finding the keys to unlock our good fortune whilst enabling and activating the shields against any and all misfortune. During Navratri there are 5 simple rituals you must adhere. The first is – one must bathe daily. The second is to fast from lies and tell the truth. The third is to adorn yourself, your house and what you eat with as many colours as you can. The fourth is to abstain from any and all intoxicants. And finally, the fifth is to abstain from all grains.

Devotion to the Feminine Divine

Having filled and cleansed our hearts with prayer, our minds with chanting and our body with the rituals, it is now time to ignite the soul with devotion. For many devotees of the Feminine Divine “acts of devotion” are a key practice and a key offering to the Mother, to Devi. These acts of devotion cannot be prescribed. By their very nature they are spontaneously birthed in the highest consciousness of the bhakta. This stage of spiritual evolution is always accompanied by tremendous practice of the first three. That is, the prayer, the chanting and the rituals. Through that process the devotees find themselves at a new threshold of illumination and awakening. At the core of all my teachings is this one truth, an answer to a question asked by each and every one my students at one time or anoher – “How do we know we are rooted in devotion ?” The answer is simple – “When you will be free of doubt.”