Today is sacred to the Lord of the Dance, who is portrayed as standing on one foot inside a rayed circle, dancing his cosmic dance of life-death-rebirth. Shiva, whose name means “benevolent” or “favorable,” is a pre-Aryan god. His consort is Parvati, who is also Sita, Uma, and Durga.

We are not cultural pirates and we don’t want to steal the gods and practices of other faiths. But we can learn from them. Go outside today and gaze at what the dance of the seasons looks like where you live. Go outside again tonight and look up into the sky and imagine the dances of the planets and stars.

Now go inside where it’s warm and cast a circle and begin your own dance. Even if you can’t “really” dance, move in ways that remind you of Shiva’s cosmic dance and its place in your life. Dance for your life.