Indians are celebrating two beautiful festivals this weekend – Dhanteras and Diwali. If the pronunciation poses a challenge, don't fret! I was chatting with my girlfriends today, trying to unravel the significance of these festivals. It was at this time I felt the urge to share a secular interpretation that offers two practices to cultivate healing and optimism in our lives.
Let's talk about Dhanteras first. It is a festival that honors a divine healer - Lord Dhanvantari. More on that below.
In India, many medicinal healers follow the traditions of Ayurveda. It is a sister discipline of Yoga and encompasses many ancient texts that dissect the intricacies of human anatomy and prescribe remedies for various ailments. A mythological story surrounding Ayurveda talks about a divine being – Lord Dhanvantari – who emerged carrying the nectar of immortality when demons and demigods churned an ocean to purify it of poison.
The churning of the ocean to eliminate the poison is akin to our spiritual journeys. We are exposed to circumstances, some of which can result in stress, anxiety and even trauma. During such times, our values are tested, and only by facing and churning out our poisons – addictions, lack of discipline, anger, jealousy – can we make space for the nectar of life.
I interpret Dhanteras as a festival on which we all get to celebrate our inner healers. We have all healed people, whether we realize it or not. A time when you offered a friend the space to talk, gave advice that alleviated someone’s challenges, took care of an ailing loved one, practiced self-care during a personal illness. All these times, we acted as healers. A simple and secular practice to honor this festival is to take a minute to pause and send gratitude to the healers in us and others. For instance, if someone took care of you or a loved one during a bout of illness, send them a text!
Now let's get to Diwali. This is a festival where optimism/lightness wins over darkness. I don't need to go into the mythological story here because the theme is so self-explanatory. All we need to do is look around us at the conflicts in the world, the economic instability, and the pain around us. There is palpable darkness. But physics dictates that there is always an opposite force in this world – in this scenario, the force of light, goodness and optimism
Diwali beckons us to look at the lightness in the world – which does exist in big ways and small. We can see the light all over, if we look. It's in the dedication of teachers who show up to educate children every single day. In the loving eyes of babies. In the cuddles of dogs. In the actions of health aid workers.
A simple practice to honor the sentiment of Diwali is to look for light and recommit to choosing goodness when we're presented with darkness in our own lives. For instance, you can create a list of all the goodness around you and identify one challenging circumstance in your life in which you will strive to demonstrate optimism and light. If we all decide to be stewards of light, the world will invariably gravitate towards a more peaceful and loving trajectory, even when obscured by challenges.
I wish you and your families a Happy Dhanteras and Diwali. I hope you take a pause together to honor the healers in your life and the people who brought you light and joy in your hard times.
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