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HOLY DAYS • MUERTOS • LOVE 
Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD My daughter, Marley, was 5 years old when she decided that she does not like trick-or-treat. While her little friend marched brazenly up to each house, Marley stayed hesitantly behind. I tried to encourage her. I said, "If you say ‘Trick-or-Treat’ and smile, they'll put candy in your bucket.” She nodded, put on a brave face, and went up to the door. It was covered in spiderwebs and opened slowly as she approached. A mummy greeted her with a large plastic pumpkin full of treats. She reached in quickly, picked one, then scurried back to me. "Mom!" she cried, "This is ridiculous! I am not supposed to take candy from strangers...and these strangers are actually monsters!" She had a point. In that moment I was haunted by my own childhood memories: fears and spiritual sensitivity over the harrowing themes of halloween. I felt a little squeamish. Had I just told my child to smile through her fears so that she could get some candy? I knelt down beside her and pulled her close. "You never have to trick-or-treat again if you don't want to."  A month later the movie COCO was released in the theaters. It tells the story of Dia de los Muertos and the profound beauty of remembering our ancestors. Marley and I decided that the following year we would build an ofrenda to honor her great-grandparents. When October came back around, we were ready. We had researched the tradition and had gathered stories and wedding photos, sugar-skulls and marigolds. We build the most beautiful altar. We make Grand-Anne's goulash recipe and Grandma Weirenga's chocolate chip cookies. We even place a can of beer on the ofrenda for Grandpa Redding. My husband shares memories of his grandparents. I tell stories of mine. Marley listens with presence and curiosity. There is gratitude and a sense of belonging in her eyes, as we gaze upon the photographs of our ancestors. We honor the love that brought us here. We revel in the light each soul brought to the planet. And we honor the mystery–the unseen journey on the "other side." We embrace the unknown with peace and wonder as we trust in the ultimate fulfillment of Love. Early that December, my mama transitioned to eternity. Her tango with cancer, which had begun just before my daughter was born, had finally come to an end. Marley had always known her grandma as both a magnificent, radiant light and someone whose time was short. She was living with cancer and she was dying from cancer. Through it all, she was joyful and full of grace–a living example of boundless Love. It is no wonder that the Halloween I grew up with–the parody of monsters in costume, the glorified horror of death–just doesn't resonate for my kid as much as does the ritual of the ofrenda. And as we place my mama's photo on the altar each year, we light a candle as a symbol of her enduring presence in our lives. Her Love. Our Love. Eternal Love. The light of Love illuminates darkness and dispels fear. We celebrate that light. holy days. love. shadow. Discover more on these topics.
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DIWALI • LOVE • TANTRA 
Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD My daughter was three years old when I took her to see "Kung Fu Panda 3" at the local movie theatre. Enrapt from start to finish, she was particularly attentive during the great battle scenes between the adorable Dragon Warrior Panda and his scary supernatural nemesis. As we left our seats, she turned to me and said, "Mom, I've noticed something; the good always defeats the bad." (She was always prone to big words and even bigger insights 💗). Happy New Moon & Diwali 🪔!
One of the biggest holidays throughout India and the Eastern world begins this week. Diwali is the festival of lights that celebrates the radiant triumph of virtue over the darkness of confusion. It is a sort-of Good-Defeats-Bad-Day. Mythologies worldwide depict the struggle between dark and light forces: Beowulf and Grendel, Perceval and the Red Knight, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. From India, my favorite battle image is of the Goddess Durga kicking butt and taking names of legions of demons in the Devī Mahātmyā. It's an age-old story. The universe is animated by dueling forces, while we all hope desperately for the virtuous to prevail. The question is: Who decides who is virtuous? History has made this grand narrative into an "us vs. them" story. When taken literally, it becomes the foundation for division and alienation. Whomever is on "our side" is virtuous. On the "other" side is evil. Division is the side-product of consciousness. In his amazing book, Creation of Consciousness, Jungian Analyst Edward Edinger explains that consciousness is only possible in the presence of an "other." There cannot be a "knower" without something to be known. Therefore, all human awareness is dependent upon this dichotomy: self and other me and you us and them. But when we project our own shadows onto an outside "other" we set up a never ending war zone. "Us and Them" becomes "Us vs. Them." Pretty soon, all you can see is the enemy in the stranger. Life loses its hope. Compassion goes out the window. With empathy, goes beauty...and joy. It's a problem. The teachings of non-dual Tantra assert that all things are individualized aspects of a single, dynamic pulsation of universal LOVE. ...A LOVE that has no need for warfare. ...A LOVE so pervasive, perfect, and powerful that it encompasses everything, everywhere. So, I explained to my three year old daughter: "Sometimes it doesn't look like it will, but the good always wins in the end...because LOVE is the biggest, most powerful thing in the universe. When people do bad things it's only because they have forgotten LOVE. When you remember that you are LOVE, you become as powerful as a Dragon Warrior." It was a reminder for my own heart. Maybe you needed to hear it too? Diwali accompanies the new moon, a time for introspection and self-examination. It provides a sweet opportunity to turn inward and get real with your Self:
Mystic LOVE is so pervasive it can actually include your fears, sorrows, and confusion without losing a single iota of its infinite brilliance. According to Mystic teachings: YOU ARE THAT LOVE...you superhero shifu, you! |
HOLY- DAYS
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