Divali is called the festival of lights. It celebrates the triumph of Light over darkness. The Light represents wisdom, goodness, prosperity, and compassion. Darkness is the ignorance that brings forth all the challenges and suffering in life. 

On this day we honor the return of the Light into our lives, and cultivate higher consciousness of the Light within. 

In my community, we take the opportunity in celebrating Divali to explore Bhakti Yoga - devotion and the opening of the heart. This also synergizes with the deeper meaning of Divali which celebrates the Goddess Lakshmi as one of  the focal points.

Goddess Lakshmi is connected in Vedic Astrology to the planet Venus, which is resonant with the Heart Chakra. The power of Maha Lakshmi is the deeper soul qualities that express through your heart - kindness, gentleness, compassion, and prosperity. 

It is fitting then to practice Bhakti, as this is the yogic path of purifying the heart and opening up to its spiritual depth. Bhakti utilizes puja (ritual worship) and kirtan (chanting of mantras and singing the Divine names of the deity).

You will also see that we included Maha Kaali in the honouring. She represents the work that we must do for spiritual transformation and is often worshipped on the new moon. Divali which takes place the darkest new moon of the year also holds Kaali's vibrations.

Every year I try my best to host a retreat locally. For the past few years we would travel to the sister isle Tobago, and have the retreat there. This was my 5th annual retreat.

This year I made the decision to remain in Trinidad and plan to do so for the following years. 

The focus of this retreat was on meditation. 

This is just a short clip from one of the workshops. In it I speak about the unfulfillment that comes from giving attention to world, and give insight into where you find ultimate fulfillment, deep inside yourself. 

Meditation is the practice of learning to turn inside, moving away from the senses and the material world, and residing in beingness where you are deeply restored. 

Most of my retreats have multiple elements to create a collective energy and support holistic development of the participants. 

In this retreat we practiced postures, breathing exercises, and meditations in the morning. In the night we would meet for some chanting and meditation before turning in. 

During the day there are meditation workshops and even more meditation opportunities aside from personal time to enjoy the surroundings. 

All of this comes together to create a transformative and supportive space for spiritual growth. 

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Guru Purnima is celebrated on the first full moon following the summer solstice. It is a day that celebrates the "guru."

The Sanskrit word guru has been adopted into modern English as a word for an expert or teacher, but holds a far deeper meaning.

The syllable "gu" represents darkness and ignorance. The syllable "ru" represents the Light of knowledge of and understanding. The guru is one who dispels the darkness within our being, bringing the Light of understanding. 

Guru is usually the word reserved for spiritual masters. Those beings who have advanced their spiritual consciousness and serve humanity by guiding people to discover their own inner spiritual consciousness. 

This year some of my students arranged and hosted a small satsang for Guru Purnima at my studio. It was quite impromptu, but I still wanted to share some of it with you. 

Here are some (very low quality) videos of the chanting from that session. Perhaps you can connect with the vibrations. Enjoy, namaskar. 

Hymn to the Guru

Guru Mantra

Guru brahma
Guru vishnu
Guru devo maheshwara
Guru saakshaat parabrahman
tasmai shri guruve namah

The guru is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer. Guru is the witness of all, the absolute. To that guru we bow. 

They asked me to sing this one as it is one of my favorites. 

Bolo bolo sabmela bolo om namah shivaya
om namah shivaya (x2)

Juta jata me gangadhari
Trishula dhari damaru bajave

Dama dama dama damaru baje
Gunj uta om namah shivaya

Om namah shivaya (X4)

We often sing this Kali mantra to the primordial shakti, as an honoring to the power of Kundalini that drives our spiritual transformation. 

Kali Mantra

Om hreem shreem kleem
adya kalika paremeshwari svaha

jai ma, kalika, svaha

Jai mata kali maha kali
jai ma jai ma