This is Who We Love, and She's Startling, Wild, and Unpredictable (!)

Today, Saturday the 5th, is the first day of the autumn celebration of Mother Divine which is known as Navaratri. This is an ideal time to draw close to and celebrate all forms of the goddess. Navaratri is celebrated all around the world by many faiths and traditions. There are almost as many customs celebrating Navaratri as there are forms of Divine Mother.

Detail of Painting by Nafeeah Kim Johnson

It is easy to adore a docile, gentle, and beautiful form of Mother Divine, however, Mother Nature teaches us that the feminine can be brutal, exacting, dangerous, and fierce. To fully love Mother Divine and appreciate her power, you must embrace all aspects of her Nature. 

Below follows an excerpt of poem by Lex Hixon from his book Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment, which celebrates her wildness:

Wisdom Mother cares for this child
      more tenderly than human mother,
yet her creative and destructive actions
      are startling, wild, unpredictable
as those of a mad person.
She is surrounded by swirling energy,
manifest in various feminine forms
      as human beings and etheric beings:
powerful women warriors, peaceful contemplatives,
terrifying protectresses surrounded by flames.
Godhead in its three aspects,
Creator, Sustainer, and Revealer,
stands humbly before my Mother.
She is supreme. 

For more information about the events over the next nine days and forward, please visit our calendar at The Sai Humanitarian Outreach Webpage: 

We Have Some Very Special Guests this Weekend at Shiva Sai Mandir!

Come Celebrate Navaratri with Us, October 4th-13th

Come Join Us for Our Annual Autumnal Equinox Celebration, September 21st, 7-9pm

Come Celebrate Ganesha's Birthday With Us!

Come Celebrate Krishna's Birthday With Us!

Come Celebrate Guru Purnima with Shiva Mandir

GURU PURNIMA CELEBRATION

July 2013

Presented by Shiva Sai Mandir USA and Sai Humanitarian Outreach

The full moon represents enlightenment, the full flowering of consciousness. On the Vedic calendar, Guru Purnima is the Full Moon that falls near the Summer Solstice, the month of greatest light. It is the time when all divine teachers shower blessings on the earth, providing increased energy for our spiritual awakening.

Use this Full Moon time to meditate and cultivate silence, honor your teachers and dedicate your spiritual practice to the service of the world.

You are cordially invited to participate in the following activities:

Guru Purnima Sri Chakra Process to Awaken Brahma Consciousness
This process will show you how to observe and communicate with your Inner Guru, your Brahma Consciousness. It will remove depression, help you fulfill your desires, increase happiness and health. You will develop the ability to work directly with your own Inner Guru. This process includes a daily meditation and mantra. Together we will harness the powerful energies of the Guru Purnima Moon cycle.

This 41-day process will begin on Monday, July 8 (New Moon)
Register before July 8th. Dakshina for this course is $54 (scholarships available).

Sri Chakra Yantra
Mondays, July 8 & 22, 5-7 pm

On the New Moon, July 8, we will learn the yantra and the Sri Chakra mantra. This highly-powerful yantra brings protection to whatever building it's placed in and draws high prosperity. On the Full Moon, July 22, we will emboss the yantra in copper and dedicate it during the Full Moon Puja on Monday, July 22. Dakshina, $108 (scholarships available).

Guru Purnima Celebration
Sunday, July 21, 5-8 pm

Guru Puja, Kirtan and Potluck. At this community-wide celebration, we will honor Gurus from all lineages. Please bring a fruit or a flower and Dakshina. Dakshina (a monetary offering) will activate your intention and participation. You are invited to bring a picture or image of your Guru lineage.

Full Moon Puja

Monday, July 22, 7-9 pm

On this actual Full Moon night, we will enliven the qualities of the moon in our awareness and the environment. As part of this Puja, everyone will receive some blessed sandalwood paste to enhance their meditation practices.

All events take place at Shiva Sai Mandir
1391 S. Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO 80210

RSVP: Shivamandir@gmail.com, 303-722-3658.