Eid Mubarak 2009!

Here on the prayers I had contemplated getting a guest blogger from the Islamic faith to come on and post here about their views and experiences for today’s post. However in further meditation I figured it best I do the post…since as I’ve been thinking on the prayers…this is my journey…my song…so it is really how me being Hindu-centric in my religious views looks at all the other religions and faiths and beliefs around me. However as I always say in me trying to do this it is just a learning for me and if along the way I offend anyone’s beliefs etc….it really was not my intent…my intent being to explore this thing I call Universal Collective Prayer…and my definition of it for me is to start from the Hindu-centric view I grew up with and expand from there…and I can do no better than that…however although my Intent is not to offend or hurt anyone I will obviously not agree with all the views I encounter on my journey…my Intent being to explore and take what I like…discard what I don’t…perhaps at the end of the journey I would have created my own personal religion in the form of my Universal Collective Prayer…no followers necessary as really it is all about your own journey…your own prayer…

Having said that remember my desire to keep the prayers….collective…so on the other foot…everyone is welcome to come dance with me in Universal Collective Prayer! And really from what I’ve been seeing on the prayers so far…if your Intent really is to explore and learn and not judge but then dance in Universal Collective Prayer…you tend to get a lot of willing dancers wherever your feet may thred!

On my personal dance over the last month I’ve encountered many engaging in the Islamic fast that happens in the month of Ramadan…not eating while still sitting with me to have lunch…engaging in work while not eating or drinking even water for a 12 hour period…while some took official vacation from work to fully retreat at the mosque in meditation and what I as a Hindu would call ‘Seva-service to mankind’ as they stayed in the mosque and prepared the meals for those fasting to collectively share in at the end of each day.

I like that in this religious practice you are spending time each day ‘detaching’ from the material in a sense and then at the end of the day collectively gathering to rest and reflect further with all those who did the same…really Universal Collective Prayer at its best!:)

And after this lovely month there is a grand celebration on today called Eid-Ul-Fitr…the Festival of Breaking the Fast! When the whole thing ends, and the day starts by greeting and meeting friends and celebrating the achievement of successfully completing a month of fasting…prayer and reflection…and not just including friends but reaching out to mankind as large (seva again) by giving charity to ones who have less material possessions (although I take it after the month of Ramadan one might realise just how little the material plane tallies up compared to the spiritual one).

So Universal Collective Prayer wishes Islamic people universe over…Eid Mubarak 2009! And for those who engage in Universal Collective Prayer…like I know there are some Hindus who fasted to share the experience…and many who go to the mosques on the day of Eid although they are not Muslim…to all of you Universal Collective Prayer says job well done!

As a note in Universal Collective Prayer: we have just left the time in Hinduism when the ancestors are honoured and remembered and now in the time of surrendering to the Divine Mother again! I’ve posted on these events on the prayers in the past and so did not feel the need to repeat similar comments again however I will be delving more into honouring the Divine in the feminine form in days to come as it is Navratri time again in Hinduism!