Tonight we celebrate the Hindu Festival of Diwalli, the festival of lights.
Good evening and welcome to Monday Group Meditation, we will be sitting from 7:30 to 10:00 PM EST. It is not necessary to sit for the entire extended time, which is set up to make it convenient for people in four North American Time Zones; sit for as long as you like and when it is most convenient for you.
Monday Group Meditation is open to everyone, believers and non-believers of all stripes who are interested in gathering in silence. If you are new to meditation and would like to try it for yourself, Mindful Nature gave a good description of one way to meditate in an earlier diary, copied and pasted below:
"It is a matter of focusing attention mostly. In many traditions, the idea is to sit and focus on the rising and falling of the breath. Not controlling it, but sitting in a relaxed fashion and merely observing experiences of breathing, sounds, etc. Be aware of your thoughts, but don't engage in them. When your mind wanders (it will, often), then return to focus on breath and repeat."
While Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights," its most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light."~New World Encyclopedia
Diwalli is celebrated on the last five days of the Hindu month Ashwayuja, and falls in October or November. It is a highly anticipated celebration; people decorate with lights, and
Rangoli "paintings" made from brightly pigmented powders. Festive shopping for gift giving and sweets are also a part of the Diwalli celebration, and fireworks often last throughout the entire night. This is a time to visit temples, invite family and friends into the home for
puja(prayer), and feasts.
The video below has absolutely nothing to do with Diwalli, but it is such a joyful celebration I think it fits the spirit of Diwalli, and it is my Diwalli gift to you.
Happy Diwalli! :-)