Amavasya means no moon day or new moon day. Whenever something or somebody becomes absent, through that absence, their presence always becomes more powerful. If we had a friend or a loved one who was with us, we never felt their presence so much. But the moment they disappear, we feel their presence so much — it is so powerful, isn’t it? Even on the emotional level, it is true. We do not really feel their presence when they are around. Only when they are gone, the vacuum that they have left behind has become more powerful than their presence itself. Similarly with the moon, her absence makes her more present than ever before. On any other day, even the Purnima, she is there, but on Amavasya, the presence is felt even more — that quality is even more.
The earth broods on Amavasya; the life process is slowed down on the planet and it is a great opportunity because the integration of life happens much better on this day. When a certain slowdown happens, that is when we notice our body. When everything is going well and we are busy, we do not know what is happening with the body; the body is just us. But if a little ailment comes, suddenly the body is an issue and it is something that we have to pay attention to. Only when it does not do well, we know, ‘This is not me. This is just my body giving me troubles.’ Very clearly a distance arises.
So, that is the significance of Amavasya. On that day, because a certain integration of the elements is happening, there is a slowdown of everything. If we are seeking wellbeing, Purnima is sacred. If we are seeking liberation, Amavasya is sacred. Accordingly, there are different kinds of spiritual practices for those two dimensions of life. It is a day when one can become easily aware of, ‘What is me and what is not me,’ and from there on, the journey from untruth to truth begins. From Amavasya to Purnima, every month the opportunity is created naturally. Even for those who are completely unaware, there is a natural opportunity available beginning every Amavasya and moving on.
The nature of Purnima is more of the Ida or the feminine. Amavasya is very raw. One day before Amavasya is known as Shivaratri because it is Shiva’s night. It is primordial in nature. When everything is pitch dark, it is like the creation is dissolved. There is a tinge of the destroyer in Amavasya. Generally, on the night…
