Oct 1st – 9th is Navratri, the Hindu festival of 9 nights dedicated to the glorification of the Divine feminine. For three days each, the goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshiped.
It’s been a long time between blogs…things have been pretty crazy here since the She Births® study results went out into the world – making us the first and only course proven to make birth safer, shorter, easier and less painful!
I am currently on a short break with family but as today is such an auspicious day I had to share it with you. We launch into Breast Cancer Awareness month so we are honouring the feminine tissue that feeds and nourishes our children, it is the anniversary of the She Births website launch too and of course the beginning of Navratri.
These next 9 nights of Navratri symbolise a movement from darkness to light and triumph of good over evil. Just like the 9 months of growing in the womb of our Mother we can now birth ourselves again with greater strength and power. The process of honouring the divine feminine is designed to help us each evolve into a greater love and appreciation of the feminine within ourselves and bring balance and honouring of Her into the world.
The more I have contemplated Navratri over this last week I can see that feminine oppression is at the root of nearly all problems on our planet, and there is still so much work to be done both in myself and also around me. Feminine qualities are seen as weak and we are all conditioned through schooling and ignorance to suppress them continually – detrimental for both men and women alike. I believe this imbalance is also the cause of most domestic violence, rape, murder and even problems within our everyday marriages and relationships.
If you don’t believe me then check out the new film Leroy made us all watch last night: The Mask You Live In. It blew me away with the intelligent analysis supported some very scary statistics, explaining how suppressing the feminine in our little boys creates so much suffering not only for men but also for women. It shows us that all humans exist on a spectrum of masculine/feminine and that recently there has been a radical polarisation of the sexes through culture and media dividing us all more and more.
In gratitude for the feminine over the next 9 nights I encourage you to light a candle with me and meditate on the grace, beauty, creativity, compassion and the unconditional mother’s love. Contemplate and look for an ability to surrender and be vulnerable and practice gratitude for all your feminine qualities. These are in fact your strengths and not weaknesses. Many of you awaken to these qualities through childbirth and parenting via the She Births education, but they are available to us all the time and make life so much sweeter.
As you connect with your feminine expression over these next 9 days notice how it feels different to your general every day goal oriented movements. Notice how the feminine brings us so much closer to the divine, to the subtle yet tangible feeling of spirit. In the Veda, God is actually feminine. All things come from the Mother… The male Gods only arise from the un-boundedness via the Divine Feminine first…so through accessing and nurturing your feminine you are actually falling back into the Great Mother and connecting so much closer to Source.
You may like to invoke and chant to Goddess Durga over the next 3 days by listening to Edo and Jo – Durga (Courage) This recording of Jo Mall singing is particularly special as we also commemorate losing her to cancer just one year ago…and she was one of the most graceful and feminine women I know. Who even allowed grace to guide her through her moment of passing.
In love, gratitude and celebration of our feminine strength,
Nadine xxx
PS
In a celebration of the feminine and in support of breastfeeding I have launched two new fantastic Post Natal Ayurvedic Support kits. These have been created by my dear friend and Ayurvedic consultant, Dylan Smith.
I have seen them work with great success over the last year. These tonics and remedies increase milk supply, restore balance and give energy after birth.