Finding the Goddess within

The ritualistic invocation was often a necessary practice in channelizing the goddess energies within the priestess/priest. In the case of the priestess, the goddess energies get activated intrinsically through the ritualistic enactment of connections to the Kundalini Shakthi or the active source of the Supreme Flow; whereas in the case of a priest, he often has to find ways/means extrinsic to himself to activate the flow from the stillness of the night/ignorance/sleep with which it remains merged.

The music in rituals evoke sounds and vibrations that often induce connections and patterns, and the designs woven on the floor from various raw materials -like rice flour, turmeric etc., often lend vibrant hues to the goddess experience. The goddess experience varies according to the energy flow, the patterns of invocation and the bhava(form) in which it is invoked. 

The goddess of light, Tripurasundari or Lalitha Parameshwari is invoked through the  havana (fire ritual- offering) in a manner that is very different from how it is done in the case of Mahakali, the dark goddess. The Tantric path involves the synchronization of the mantra the chant), yantra (the body) and tantra(technique/method). 

Initially, the goddess energy is activated through either mantra, yogic practices, or rituals which combine one or all of these. The presence of a Guru is often necessary to direct and channelize the goddess energies flowing in our bodies.

Dark Goddess, Woman, Rituals

Dark goddess existed in all primitive cultures. She was essentially the primitive energy source behind all creation, the cosmic feminine which was worshiped and venerated through rituals and sacrifices. In some tribal cultures in the Americas, she was worshiped as the link between the world we inhabit and the world of spirits and other energy forces, which often baffled ordinary human perceptions.

In India, Mahakali symbolizes the supreme energy force that is behind creation as well as destruction. She is also the representation of the feminine energy force which can destroy/deconstruct the existing frames of perception and social references and challenge the prevalent gender constructions in modern societies. The worship of the dark goddess leads the worshiper to high plains of perception and brings forth the deep rooted, hitherto unmanifested psychic energies into the fore. Dark goddess helps the woman break bondage and restrictions- psychic, social, emotional or cultural, and helps her connect to the cosmic energy source, of which she is a part.

Women had an important role to play in the customs of worship in the primitive societies. The power of the goddess was evoked onto the form of the woman and sacrifices and ritual offerings were made to appease the cosmic feminine. Often the worship was offered to the dark goddess in the night. The Greek goddess Hecate is the goddess of the underworld and is often imaged with a pack of dogs, and like Kali, she is surrounded by spirits and ghosts and is supposed bestow magical and mythical powers on the worshipers. Ritualistic evocations of the dark goddesses Hecate, Kali and many others is often done in the middle of the night when the dark psychic energies are channelized, without the intrusion of the lights and sounds of mundane living, which often characterized the day-hours.