The New Moon holiday of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, begins on Monday, November 1 in Los Angeles and is celebrated for 5 days. According to the Vedic website I refer to for Indian holidays, the main celebration of Goddess Lakshmi is next Wednesday, November 3 in the Pacific time zone. However, for our friends on the East Coast, the main celebration of Goddess Lakshmi is indeed on the new moon, Thursday, November 4. The lunisolar Vedic calculations are very precise depending on your geographical location.
Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word “deepavali” meaning a “garland of lamps.” It is celebrated as a symbol of victory of light over darkness and marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle. There is a lot of mythology surrounding all the Indian holidays. A common belief is that on Diwali, Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returned to the Kingdom of Ayodha after their defeat of the Demon King Ravana. Others trace the origin of the festival to the Mahabharata, where Diwali is marked by the return of the five Pandavas from their exile in the forest. Apart from this, people celebrate this festival for other Gods such as Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kali, and others.
Diwali is celebrated during the Vedic month of Ashwini when the moon and sun are in conjunction in the Vedic solar sign of Libra in the lunar constellation of Swati. It is believed that Diwali is the best time to start a new venture. It is an auspicious day and that is why people worship Lord Ganesha and Mahalakshmi to invite health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity.
It is said that the quality of this astrological configuration creates a situation where we can sync the energy of the cosmos and our internal power to achieve wish-fulfilling capabilities. Even if your planets are afflicted and your karma is difficult, on the day of Diwali, a kind of energy is available that can help persons achieve their goals. Diwali contains a kind of freedom which assists in our wish-fulfillment. So, ponder carefully what you wish for and invoke the spirit of Diwali to manifest your wishes.
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