Diwali and the Dark Moon
As I write, the New Moon is about two hours away. The gifts of the dark moon are upon us, soft and deep within the womb of the Great Mother. Today is also Diwali, the festival of light, honoring the Goddess Lakshmi, whose attributes are beauty, prosperity, abundance, love, and magic. She is typically depicted sitting on a lotus flower, with gold flowing from her hands. This is such an opening.
Some of you may remember that Lakshmi was a guiding force for me as I awakened, so her celebrations hold a special place in my heart. The fact that this one occurs on a Scorpio New Moon is a special treat. A new beginning whose alignment provides opportunities for deep integration of the Divine Feminine within us all.
Scorpio is the deep dive, the shadow work, the deep inner discovery of what must come to light. As we become quiet, more and more still within ourselves, we can feel the flow of Grace. With every alignment, it grows and strengthens. With every Divine wave, we are carried further and further into the truth of what we are, and what gifts flow through us.
I’ve been pondering, over my time here, the ‘why’ of being in the Rockies again. The peaks welcomed me with love on my first morning, and the ensuing cave experience has taken me down strange roads. Each has unearthed a nugget of shadow, always revealing the treasure inside.
This time has been a recapitulation of what began in 2009/10 when I relocated to Crestone and had my ‘hardware reset.’ During my first trip to the area, a month or so before making the move, I was drawn to the Divine Mother Ashram. Built as an earth-ship, honoring the Divine Feminine in traditional Hindu ways, it is steeped in the magic of the land. I could not enter the temple at that time but noticed that the store bears Lakshmi’s name. I knew I had to return. The way I knew that this time, that I had to return to the mountains, was more roundabout. I was diabolically unable to renew my driving license online, though it should have been simple. I tried to make travel arrangements to go ‘the other way’ around the world, but as those logistics proved difficult, what literally lit up in my inner vision were these mountains.
What humans generally do, is ignore that kind of sign or flow marker. I did not. And, on that first morning, so lovingly welcomed by snowy peaks glowing pink in the sunrise, I knew I had done the right thing. So, back to the recapitulation.
What drew me into the temple structure in Crestone, once I had moved and showed up when it was open, was a magical statue. We’ve all heard of statues whose eyes move and whose presence is palpable. This is one of these. It represents the Great Mother in the way I had always seen her in meditation and vision. The statue is a luminescent white, with bright blue eyes, so different from the typical Hindu renditions. The first time I saw it I could barely drag my eyes away from Hers. My mind kept repeating, “That’s it! That’s the way I see Her!” I could scarcely believe the truth of it. And, I knew it was otherwordly in nature. This being was an opening to galactic awareness.
She was/is from the stars. I have rarely been so sure of anything. My heart knew and was certain. Every time I visited, perambulating the chapel enclosure that surrounds her, I was drawn deeper and deeper in. I spent hours there, meditating, in the afternoons when no one else was present.
I’ve never been one to prostrate to anything human-built, no idol of any kind. Yet Source flowed freely through this mirror, this reflection of what I could learn to be.
Somehow, She changed me. It was a critical change. Every time I wept there, I felt Lakshmi’s soothing hand and heard kind, cosmic, laughter from the emanation that statue of the Great Mother grounds into Gaia. I knew I was here to do the same. Be the truth of the emanation you carry. Ground and radiate. And, to fulfill that function, you have to change. You must become its current.
Today is Diwali. Festival of light. Typically a golden light, honoring Lakshmi’s golden-hearted generosity. This light, the cosmic light of the Great Mother, was blue-white, searing with a gentle ferocity that burned away dross and shadow. Not different fractals of Source’s light, but complementary in function, working in constant collaboration.
I remember when She, in her statuesque form, let me know She was “complete” with me. I had taken a small band of students to the temple, and She was engaged in communication with one of them. Temple attendants entered the sanctuary, wanting to set up for their next function, and I knew they felt we were intruding. I was about to rouse the student from meditation when She stopped me with, “this is for him, you and I are complete.” I saw that he was being initiated into a new phase of his evolution, and I was superfluous to the process, redundant, even. I laughed out loud, which, of course, made the student open his eyes and realize it was time to go. He was glowing and it made me glad.
I only visited the physical temple once more before leaving the area. I found I no longer needed the physical mirror. Its sacred space had entered my heart.
May the Spirit of Diwali and the opportunities inherent in this new moon bring you every new manifestation you are here to birth and nurture. May your gifts ripen and come to fruition, soon.
Blessed Diwali and Happy New Moon!
Don’t forget to set your intentions!
Nalini
