Navratri Sharad - Celebration of the Divine Feminine

<p>When we think of feminine and masculine, typically we tend to think in terms of gender, i.e. female and male but the Vedic worldview has a much broader approach than the arrangement or expression of chromosomes. In Vedic circles the feminine and masculine are seen as aspects of creation, present everywhere and in everything. </p><p>Wherever there is masculine there is always feminine, and vice versa, with the feminine often referred to as Mother Divine and celebrated through a vast range of personifications* and a range of festivals or holy days. </p><p>One of those festivals is Navratri Sharad, a celebration of triumph over ignorance, held over nine nights and 10 days in the fall of each year (Northern Hemisphere fall, Southern Hemisphere spring).</p><p>Though each night of Navratri Sharad honors specific representations of Mother Divine, Thom invites us in this episode to use the festival as a springboard to making the celebration of the feminine an everyday occurrence and an opportunity to continuously explore just what the feminine is and how She is represented in everyday life.  </p><p>*For more on the personification of aspects of creation, listen to our <a href="https://thomknoles.com/podcast/god-gods-goddesses-part-1/">three-part series on God, Gods and Goddesses</a>.</p><p>Sharad Navratri Dates 2021: October 7 (Thursday) to October 15 (Friday)</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaratri">See here for dates in other years  - </a>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaratri </p><p><strong>Episode highlights: </strong><br /><br />[00:40] Navratri Sharad - Nine Nights of the Divine Mother</p><p>[02:22] A Range of Appreciation </p><p>[03:14] Connecting the Dots </p><p>[04:35] Removing Limitations </p><p>[05:43] Vijayadashami - The Tenth Night </p><p>[07:00] An Expansive View of Divine Mother</p><p><strong>Useful Links</strong></p><p>info@thomknoles.com <br />https://thomknoles.com/<br />https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/<br />https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoles<br />https://www.youtube.com/c