Today is the eighth day of Navaratri (Nine Nights of the Goddess). Nava means nine, and it also means new. If you have been carving out some time, as the seasons are merging, today is the day to connect with yourself as new again. After turning inward for several days and doing the inner work of looking at oneself, observing the different ways the mind holds us back from connecting with our true nature, our true self, today is the day we celebrate the joy of trusting the flow of life. Whether we call it the flow of life or the name Divine Mother, as we do during Navaratri, the point is when we trust and have faith that our prayers are already answered, that they are in the making, we feel relaxed; We trust and relax. Today is the day to feel the inner joy of the 8-year-old child, free of fears. Before outer experiences have a way of tainting us, we are joyous and expansive by nature. We find the beauty in the flowering bud of Spring and feel touched by the gift of stumbling upon such a sight, and at that very moment, we fantasize that it is for me; "this flower is a gift for me, from me." Today is the day to feel new again. Today is the day to reinvent yourself.
This Friday, many of us will begin our Spring Cleanse. Please join us in some way. I will post, share, and inspire you to simplify and clean up your meals. Sugar is a drug. I am not a fan of long-term low carb, but breaking the sugar habit gets easier when you get it out of your diet completely. To wrap your head around it, think about two weeks, and then you will reintroduce complex carbs. It's not easy at first, but it sure is worth it.
I gave up my coffee already. I was trying to trick myself into not giving it up again, but then a little birdie in the form of a conversation came tapping on my window to inspire me. I have kept up coffee the last several Cleanses. I permitted myself to keep the coffee and do the other parts of The Cleanse when my dad passed; before I knew it, I allowed myself again and again. This little birdie reminded me of this, and she also reminded me that I have no idea what is on the other side of not having this coffee in my life that I was clinging to. What will it be like if this is no longer something I have to give any energy or pay any mind to? So, I jumped on the inspiration since it was there and switched immediately to tea. No headache. I'll keep you posted on how it goes with giving up the caffeine altogether. Geeze, the thought of that sure has some charge. And isn't that when it's the most powerful energy to work with? There is power when something has a charge, and we can transform it. Thank you, Babaji, for continuously reminding us how capable we are.
Happy Spring; however, you bring it in. There are still a few days. If you want to join us Friday for Cleanse, let me know.