Mahashivaratri: The Great Night of Shiva (video)

Mahashivaratri, Arunachala temple, Tiruvannamalai

This weekend welcomes the New Moon in Pisces and tonight is the great night of Shiva – lord of creation and destruction and preservation – all in one.

Shiva is not only considered an incarnate god. Shiva is Oneness, Consciousness, All that Is. It truly depends on whether one is speaking of manifestation, or the plenum. Even to speak of Shiva, is too much. You lose it straightaway in the naming. The best we can do is recite the name – Shiva, Shiva, Shiva, Shiva. I Bow to Existence.

I honor Shiva as grace on his Big Night, realizing that arises in whatever way Consciousness deems – no hopes, no expectations, Nothing. There is nothing and everything in the fullness of What Is. This evening, I’m going to soak up the sounds of a Piscean-led jazz trio in an intimate venue with my Beloved, his son, and son's girlfriend. Music is a great way to celebrate this lord of the dance, Nataraja. And jazz does a fine job of capturing the beautiful chaos of tandava, dance of creation and destruction. Shiva, Shiva, Shiva…

Shiva tandava with damaru drum, Rishikesh

THIS IS SHIVA

A few words from my satsang teachings to kick things off this weekend:

The non-dual. Consciousness. Beyond the Beyond. You are That. You must know this now. You must know that what is happening, is the Truth. This is beyond anyone's individual will, power, or comprehension. This must be understood. Any ego inclination of separation, of belief in separate intention or causality, is ultimately false, or an appearance.

How does this help right now? To know that there is nothing that can ever be done, or that will possibly happen, good or bad, positive or negative, that is not the perfect will of God, aka Cosmic Law, aka Existence. This removes any shame or guilt of what is occurring. Rest in What Is. That which you are is eternal. It is untouched by this play. Rest there. Even while taking apparent separate action, in duality. Consciousness is running the whole show - cause, outcome, all of it.

PILGRIMAGE (video)

There are no words to describe my connection to India. I’ve thought about reposting a few Mahashivatri stories from my past. I wonder if they will have any impact, or why I should repost. They hold so much shakti (energy, power) and I get emotional and start to careen internally when I reread them. I’ll suffice with an old-school video I made on one of my pilgrimages circumambulating Arunachala, holy mountain of Shiva, on Mahashivaratri.

Here you are:

Travel writer Erin Reese, author of The Adventures of Bindi Girl, takes us on a journey around the holy mountain of Shiva, Arunachala, in Tiruvannamalai, India. This 14 km pilgrimage is called "girivalam" (circumambulation) or Pradakshina (the Hindu rite of going round the object of worship).

With love and a deep bow to the Oneness

of which you are always a part of

and never not connected,

Erin

Erin Reese, M.S. is a spiritual teacher, author, and intuitive consultant based in the SF Bay Area. Visit her website at erinreese.com for more information on her intuitive readings, counseling services and non-dual wisdom.