The act of connecting / re-connecting with the Goddess is an activity that requires tremendous grace. One needs to surrender oneself completely to it and let it guide our actions. Often, this is easier said than done. All of us are born with our egos, intelligence, intellect - these along with our culturally acquired manners of living/being and perception- often come in the way of total surrender. "God! Save me from the light of my own intelligence". Thus goes, a quote from one of the Upanishads. Initially, when I saw this, I was baffled. "God has given us intelligence, so why should he save us from it?" I wondered. Over a period of time, the meaning of the sentence became clear, thanks to the grace of the goddess. It is the ego attachment to intelligence that Upanishads is talking about- not the higher or cosmic intelligence.
The surrender to the Goddess involves accepting with equanimity whatever she puts in your way - joy, pain, suffering, anxiety, disease, death, boredom, tiredness, restlessness or sheer apathy. To do this, one needs tremendous faith, courage and patience. It is a constant and continuous journey -with frequent setbacks - which makes us realize the need for grace. Sometimes, one gets the feeling that one is right back at the place where one started. The path makes us humble constantly and reinforces the importance of seeking the guidance of the guru or the goddess energy whenever our spiritual ego takes over.
As a child, I grew up listening to Mahishasuramardini Stotram- the tale of how the goddess killed Mahishasura. Initially, I used to be fascinated by the story of the war - goddess killing the demons, the victory of good over evil. Later, as I grew up, I started interpreting this as the victory of the Woman power over the patriarchal society. Little did I realize then that, these demons were not external to us- we all have Shumbha, Nishumba and Rakthabija within us. It is also not just a matter of gender but rather a matter of ego and lack of balance which makes us unable to "Walk in beauty", as Navajos would say. Ignorance as well as intelligence can create a lack of balance which only the Kundalini energy or the Goddess can dispel.
King Mahishasura, according to the legends, had acquired tremendous powers through his tapas; and this made him invincible. He became the Master of the three worlds- heaven, earth and nether worlds; could conquer time; was so powerful physically, materialistically and spiritually that he could even evade death. He could be killed by no man or God. Sadhana, intense meditation or concentration on the path/goddess gives people a lot of power and this often feeds the Spiritual ego. The spiritual practitioner/sadhak's ego deludes him /her to believe that it is s/he who is performing the act and forgets that s/he is just a medium through which action takes place and not the initiator of the action. When a person becomes too conscious of the acts or get attached to them, this feeds the ego and leads to the separation/division. This separation or division causes individuals to exert or exercise their power indiscriminately over others, thus leading to acts of destruction. This is when the kundalini energy or the goddess decides that enough is enough and kills the person who disrespects this serpentine energy and her gifts. This is what happened to Mahishasura- the kundalini energy or the goddess killed him when he became all too powerful.
The process of connection needs to happen in a regulated manner. If it is unregulated, the body or the consciousness will not be able to take the supra mental force that is unleashed within a person. So, the process of connection or re-connection happens with the help of a guru/master or a medicine man who himself /herself has undergone a similar process of initiation or regulation. This again requires one to be open, patient, humble and ready. When a person is really ready to connect/re-connect with the goddess energy and ardently wishes for it, the guidance or help is sent in the form of the Guru/ Master.
The surrender to the Goddess involves accepting with equanimity whatever she puts in your way - joy, pain, suffering, anxiety, disease, death, boredom, tiredness, restlessness or sheer apathy. To do this, one needs tremendous faith, courage and patience. It is a constant and continuous journey -with frequent setbacks - which makes us realize the need for grace. Sometimes, one gets the feeling that one is right back at the place where one started. The path makes us humble constantly and reinforces the importance of seeking the guidance of the guru or the goddess energy whenever our spiritual ego takes over.
As a child, I grew up listening to Mahishasuramardini Stotram- the tale of how the goddess killed Mahishasura. Initially, I used to be fascinated by the story of the war - goddess killing the demons, the victory of good over evil. Later, as I grew up, I started interpreting this as the victory of the Woman power over the patriarchal society. Little did I realize then that, these demons were not external to us- we all have Shumbha, Nishumba and Rakthabija within us. It is also not just a matter of gender but rather a matter of ego and lack of balance which makes us unable to "Walk in beauty", as Navajos would say. Ignorance as well as intelligence can create a lack of balance which only the Kundalini energy or the Goddess can dispel.
King Mahishasura, according to the legends, had acquired tremendous powers through his tapas; and this made him invincible. He became the Master of the three worlds- heaven, earth and nether worlds; could conquer time; was so powerful physically, materialistically and spiritually that he could even evade death. He could be killed by no man or God. Sadhana, intense meditation or concentration on the path/goddess gives people a lot of power and this often feeds the Spiritual ego. The spiritual practitioner/sadhak's ego deludes him /her to believe that it is s/he who is performing the act and forgets that s/he is just a medium through which action takes place and not the initiator of the action. When a person becomes too conscious of the acts or get attached to them, this feeds the ego and leads to the separation/division. This separation or division causes individuals to exert or exercise their power indiscriminately over others, thus leading to acts of destruction. This is when the kundalini energy or the goddess decides that enough is enough and kills the person who disrespects this serpentine energy and her gifts. This is what happened to Mahishasura- the kundalini energy or the goddess killed him when he became all too powerful.
The process of connection needs to happen in a regulated manner. If it is unregulated, the body or the consciousness will not be able to take the supra mental force that is unleashed within a person. So, the process of connection or re-connection happens with the help of a guru/master or a medicine man who himself /herself has undergone a similar process of initiation or regulation. This again requires one to be open, patient, humble and ready. When a person is really ready to connect/re-connect with the goddess energy and ardently wishes for it, the guidance or help is sent in the form of the Guru/ Master.
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