Beauty Is From The Inside Out
“Beauty is not a veneer upon things, it is not skin deep; it is not something added to make an ugly thing acceptable. It belongs to the nature of the thing made.” Unknown
I will never forget being in India during Navararti, a beautiful and sacred Vedic tradition that celebrates the feminine divine. In India it is a rowdy festival full of celebration. Even though I spent my time in a tiny remote village surrounded by lush fields and the jungle, those villagers celebrated all night till sunrise; I could hear them dancing and yelling in celebration as Hindi music blasted over a loudspeaker near the village’s alter for the goddesses.
At its essence, Navaratri is a time to celebrate everything and anything as her divine form; including everything we desire. Navaratri happens twice a year, but the one in springtime is a celebration of youthfulness, playfulness, soma nectar, beauty, sensuality and love.
For the next three days Navaratri celebrates Lakshmi, and Lakshmi brings with her an invitation for you to orient your life in such a way that everything you do and all of your responsibilities become fodder for your spiritual growth.
When we allow our lives to fully be an expression of our dharma, or our purpose in action, we invite a wellspring of energy to flow through us from this connection. Life no longer feels meaningless, disconnected, and dutiful. Conversely, we discover that every day we wake up presents us an opportunity to see and connect with the beauty in the world, in ourselves, and in each other in a deeply meaningful way.
This is also why the beginning of Navaratri is about purification and connects to Durga Devi. Durga is about renovation, as she tosses out anything that obstructs or distracts us. She is known to vanquish materialism, ego, hatred, and all things that ultimately poison our minds and bodies.
Ayurveda and its teachings remind us that beauty arises from the inside, and then shines out. This happens when we simplify and nourish our life by letting go of the attachments that are holding us back from truly blossoming in our lives.
We are meant to bloom, like the wild flowers of spring, the divine feminine part of you, is always there, waiting for you to nurture, connect with her, play with her and take more conscious care of her.
Worshipping the divine feminine is not about shame, or self criticism, or being good; it is about connecting to your own inner wisdom, and the wisdom held from nature and women’s stories from lifetimes ago, so that you can make choices that are rooted and aligned with your higher truth. It's about the realization that when our actions and choices align with the cosmic order and infinite intelligence of the universe, we can become masters of our hearts desires and bring more beauty, love and acceptance into the world.
When I close my eyes I can still feel the unbearable heat of India’s landscape, and I can hear the howling from the villagers in the dead of night. May we all celebrate the infinitely beautiful and wise part of ourselves, every day. And remind other women to do the same.
