Agama Journal, Issue #24 | From Darkness to Light- Awaken the Goddess | Mar ’18
Mother. We all have one. We all have an intimate relationship with her. It is of primordial nature, because our very first relationship with the world is through our mother. And as we all have an individual mother who gave birth to the microcosm of our being, in the same way there is a Macrocosmic Mother, who bears life to this world and who animates the entire Universe- Parashakti.
This would be the third time I am exploring this topic in this blog. The very first entry I ever wrote for this Agama Journal was dedicated to Shakti (March 2016). Later in July 2017 I shared a little bit more of my personal experience exploring the Goddess in Finding your Tutelary Diety. There is not one existing complete story about the Divine Mother, which is why we can endlessly explore her. There is always something more to learn, something more to discover, something more to say and write about!
WHO IS SHAKTI?
Shakti is Sanskrit for energy, power. Shakti is the fullness of the Absolute. She is the fundamental feminine energy that animates it all. She is the cosmic consort and power of Shiva (Universal Consciousness). They are ever-inseparable. We can come to know Shiva, who is inconceivable, through Shakti, as She is His manifestation. Perhaps now we can better understand the popular statement we have probably all heard before: “There is a woman behind every successful man.” While Shiva is changeless and eternal, Shakti is always changing, always moving. This entire manifestation is Shakti. Shiva and Shakti are not two, but two-in-one, complementarily manifesting The One. Matter is energy in motion. Energy and spirit, inseparable; like heat and fire.
From the standpoint of Trika philosophy, in which everything comes in threes, Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge), or Adi Shakti is the consort of Brahma, Lakshmi (Goddess of Prosperity) the consort of Vishnu, and Parvati (Goddess of Strength) the consort of Shiva. In the same way, this world we live in, is a manifestation of three gunas (qualities of nature): sattva, rajas and tamas. Shakti & Shiva are always together. She is His Power, He is Her Consort. In their many forms, they always dance together.
Worship of the Divine Mother dates back to times long before ancient hunter-gatherer tribes of prehistoric India. Such a statement is backed up by archaeological proof of goddess figures found in the earliest of India’s settlements. It is as old as life itself, as without mother, there is no life. So how come this seems to have been forgotten by many in this day and age? Well, we are in Kali Yuga, an era in which we are engrossed with material life and alienated from the spiritual. We can further find worship practices of the Mother throughout many cultures and civilizations. For example, Egypt: Isis, Babylon: Ishtar, Greece: Demeter, and Phrygia: Cybele to name a few. With the coming of Judaism and Islam, this practice was eliminated and replaced by the worship of the one Father; and later with the rise of Christianity it returned with the veneration of Virgin Mary as mother of God.
NIGHT OF THE GODDESS
With the Night of the Goddess coming up (24 March) here at Agama, it is again time to revisit and dive a little deeper into this all-embracing theme. In this yearly spectacular event, there is a special selection of women made to represent each of the Mahavidyas. Together with another chosen devi, and a Shiva who are to support her, their preparation consists of a secret series of spiritual practices done on a daily basis for weeks prior to the big event. Together, they call in, embrace and embody the energy of their assigned Mahavidya. By the virtues of their spiritual practice, by the time of the Puja, they are so familiar with and permeated by this energy, that they transmit this Supreme energy.
The Dasha Mahavidya – the 10 wisdom goddesses (Maha means “great,” and vid means “to know” in Sanskrit) are like the 10 faces of God. Same essence, different forms. They belong to the order of the ucca devata-s, a high-rank order of deities. They are considered to be pathways to knowledge. The tradition of the Mahavidyas originally comes from Hinduism—specifically Shaktism, which is in turn a sub-tradition of Tantra.
More than just consorts of Shiva, they are the forces that bring time, space, evolution, and destruction. Each Mahavidya stands for a limited aspect of our limited identity, and at the same time they lead us from suffering to freedom as we, through her Grace, awaken to our true infinite nature. Each of them is a path in itself that can ultimately lead us to liberation.
CASTING LIGHT ON THE SHADOW
The many faces of the Goddess are all part of one and the same Divine Mother – Parashakti. I would like to recap their names and main qualities, and this time also add their shadow and light aspects. This, because it must be clarified that they represent all aspects of manifestation: light and dark, beautiful and ugly. They represent two sides of one and the same coin. With the point being that they lead us from darkness to light. Generally, we seek pleasure and avoid pain. Which binds us, because pleasure cannot be guaranteed all the time. We must transcend this dichotomy! Here follows a brief overview of what I have been introducing now:
Kali– the goddess of time and transformation. Shadow: aggression, judging, comparing. Light: non-violence.
Tara– the goddess of knowledge and compassion. Shadow: validation, approval seeking. Light: truth.
Tripura Sundari- the goddess of divine will and desire. Shadow: obsession and confusion over desire. Light: non-clinging
Bhuvaneshwari– the goddess of space and cosmic illusion. Shadow: limited knowledge. Light: surrender
Tripura Bhairavi- the goddess of spiritual action and effort. Shadow: bad habits & inertia. Light: perseverance
Chinnamasta- the goddess of electricity and spiritual sacrifice. Shadow: addiction to suffering, knowledge and the senses. Light: proper cultivation of sexual energy.
Dhumavati- the goddess of dissolution and the cosmic void. Shadow: attachment to identity. Light: self-reflection
Bagalamukhi- the goddess of irresistible force and defeater of spiritual enemies. Shadow: spiritual materialism & mind clutter. Light: purity
Matangi- the goddess of divine expression and the arts. Shadow: taking language literally. Light: non-stealing
Kamalatmika- the goddess of beauty and prosperity. Shadow: spiritual bypassing & conflict. Light: contentment
Did you notice that the light aspects of each of the Mahavidyas all correspond the yamas & niyamas in Yoga? Not in respective order but here listed respectively to the light aspects of each of the goddesses as mentioned above: ahimsa (non-violence), satyam (truthfulness), tapas (self-discipline, related to perseverance), brahmacharya (sexual continence), svadhyaya (self-study/reflection), sauca (purity), asteya (non-theft), and santosa (contentment). AHA!
For many of us, it can be easier to relate to one of the Mahavidyas, than it is to relate to “Universal Consciousness,” which is more abstract in nature and hence less conceivable (but not any less real or relevant). Our relationship to and with Shakti is very personal and intimate, and varies per individual. We must explore her to discover how this relationship unfolds in our lives and spiritual practice. And know that it is subject to change with the passing of time (as change is the only constant!). Embracing a relationship with Shakti can help us to break our hearts open. It does require unconditional surrender. And it’s worth it. The boons and rewards are indescribable, priceless and divine.
One of the challenges often encountered by spiritual practitioners lies in seeing the Goddess through times of hardship, and the ability to transform our perception while still keeping things real and honoring what is. However, if we manage to see the Goddess in our shadow, then this is how we can use our consciousness and hopefully a little bit of Grace to go from darkness to light, in this way propelling our spiritual evolution.
There is a fine line between faith and doubt. Doubt can easily arise when we face difficulties in life, and doubt can obstruct our spiritual evolution, which is why we must always keep the faith! Science claims to live on proof…however it actually lives on hypothesis and there is always doubt. Experience, on the other hand, does not require hypothesis, and it is a direct teacher. It is through experience that we allow knowledge to become embodied wisdom. Which is why I can write for you all I want about the Goddess, but for you to really know Her, you will need to experience Her. The greatest part of spiritual practice entails finding a path that leads us to discover the truth that underlies the phenomenal world, and the truth of our own self. No matter how enlightened we believe ourselves to be, there is always something more to discover. Something more to learn. Something more to grow and transcend through.
AWAKENING THE GODDESS
There are some tips I would like to share with you on how to awaken the Goddess within- a spiritual practice for both men and women! There are prerequisites, practices and signposts to every path, but these simple steps can serve all. In no particular order by the way.
- Make the intention from your heart to awaken the Goddess within.
2. Practice transfiguration in daily life – seeing the Divine in everything you see, and everyone you meet.
3. Spend time in nature, and connect with it (Her).
4. Sincere prayer. Ask for Grace. Have faith. Nothing happens without Grace.
5. Use mantras (arousing various types of Shakti).
6. Practice Hatha Yoga- led by a qualified teacher this may lead to the arousing of Kundalini Shakti. Of course other types of Yoga such as Jnana, Bhakti, Raja, Karma, Kriya, Laya can all help us to awaken and become aware of our Shakti potential.
7. Music – let it move you! As we say in Agama to set the mood for music meditations: “let the energy dance inside your system.” This dancing energy is Shakti!
8. Find a legitimate guru or a very advanced teacher who can awaken the force of Shakti within you through transmission and/or means of initiation. It is very valuable to have a mentor, a guru who can guide us on our spiritual path, however let us not completely disqualify the value of our own direct experience 😉
9. Visit temples and sacred places. Feel the energy there, there is much of it stored there, available for the seekers.
10. Read about and study the 10 Mahavidyas, use their imagery, and then allow their images to organically arise within you. Approach them with curiosity.
11. Do sadhana with them. Spiritual practice with the Mahavidyas opens us up to their cosmic and fascinating realms. You can join the Mahavidya modules here at Agama, if you are not able to attend these, see #8.
12. If you are a woman, cultivate sisterhood, and practice recognizing Shakti in each other.
13. Be aware that Karma plays a role in the process of awakening Shakti, so do not get discouraged if your process is different to that of other spiritual practitioners doing the same or similar practice. Practice patience & perseverance. Shakti will show herself to you when you are ready 🙂
AN INNER ALCHEMICAL MARRIAGE
Shakti is approachable to everyone. She is everywhere. She is a force in the universe that powers everything. There is nothing in this world that isn’t Shakti! Shakti will not ever be controlled by masculine force, unless she willingly surrenders. We see this in daily life, in the way that women can become enraged when men underestimate them and try to dominate them. The Goddess is the manifestation of Divine Consciousness, created so that it can experience itself. There is no need to control Her. To control Her would be to reject being granted the blessing of experiencing life more fully. In Tantric relationships we (aspire to) see the Divine in our mothers, children, teachers, students, friends, lovers and beloveds. In all these people, as in ourselves, lies the very Self that connects us all, while at the same time being manifested in all its different forms- the faces of Shakti. Ultimately, as our practice progresses, we achieve an alchemical inner marriage and need no longer seek anything outside of ourselves. This idea is exemplified by the concept of ArdhaNareeshwara (half male-half female form of Shiva-Shakti). It is also happening when we reach the state of svātantrya, which means a state of self-sufficiency and independence. Until we unleash this secret of all creation into the manifestation of our seemingly individual existence, let us dance together in this Divine Play. Listen to the call of Shakti, and allow Her to remind you every day of the creative force that lies at the heart of our universe…and our very selves.
Aum Prakrityai Namaha!
-Aldona