Today is the festival known as Holi. This day marks the beginning of Spring. Everyone is wiping colors all over each other. I will be hiding out at the ashram and watching from afar as the colors used are very toxic and dont come out of the clothes and stain the skin. They used to be all nature based dyes, using vermilion and other plants.
The purpose of the ritual is as a way of making peace with our enemies, If there was some angst they would channel that into wiping vibrant colors on each other. What a great ritual for transmuting animosity in a positive and harmless way. Then together they all burn Ravana – Ravana is the demon of 10 heads, these 10 heads represent the 10 great enemies within; lust, anger, greed, delusional attachment, pride, and envy. Each community comes together to create a pillar in which they make offerings to and project their negativities into, then they burn them as a releasing ceremony to start fresh – This simple act would be a profound communal transformation in the west.