Maha Shivaratri
What is MahaShivaratri?
Maha Shivaratri is the holy night of Shiva. In Vedic astrology the moon represents the mind. Only during the night of MahaShivaratri the moon at its weakest point, being only at 1/16th of its total size. This offers us the opportunity to go beyond the mind and fully commune with Spirit.
Devotees all over the world, and especially in India, celebrate this special night by fully concentrating on Lord Shiva. This is our goal too: 100% purification, 100% transformation, 100% Shiva. We will be present with our love, dedication and devotion focused solely on Him!
We will use the magnetism generated individually and as a group to dive deeper than ever before, bringing light into dark corners of our beings, opening ourselves to purification at the deepest level to free ourselves so that we can fully shine!
Who is Shiva?
In Hinduism, Shiva represents one part of the holy trinity that enables creation to exist: Bramha is the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Although Shiva is known for his transformative power He is present in everything, penetrating all of creation with his powerful energy. He is the deity for all the 'rejected': the lover of snakes and spiders, of the poor, the evil, the ugly and the outcast. He embraces all. He is the ultimate Yogi!
Shiva helps us to transform and purify those parts of ourselves that we want to let go of, those things that no longer serve us; he supports us in transforming old habits or purifying our hearts from past pain. He has the power to lift the veil of delusion and enable us to see clearly and intuitively where the right path lies.
How will we celebrate Shivaratri?
Aligned with our goal of 100% Shiva, we will celebrate this special occasion for the entire night—a twelve hour period: from 6pm to 6am. We will tell stories, sing kirtan, share inspiration through dancing, theatre, Indian ceremonies (such as Puja and Aarathi), all with the focus of bringing us more and more deeply into attunement with Shiva's energy, or God in his aspect as the Cosmic Dissolver of Delusion.
In the lower temple there will be a continuous vigil of meditation and chanting: with alternated chanting of 'Aum Namah Shivaya' and meditation every 45 minutes for those wanting the 'Himalayan Cave' experience of chanting and silent meditation.
How can I participate?
Everyone is invited to celebrate with us! Spiritual enthusiasts, the old, the young, monks, nuns, families, kids, longtime and aspiring Yogis: Shiva welcomes all! We will have a specifically-focused guest and kid-friendly programme in the early section of the night so that these audiences can then get to bed at a reasonable hour!
Where?
Shivaratri will be happening in our beautiful Temple of Light
