Creatrix as the source of everything that is manifested - fostering connections with her …

In Goddess cosmology, Goddess is the source of all thought, all existence. Native Americans believed that everything originated from the thought of the Thought woman whose thought gave shape and existence to all creatures in this world.  A similar belief can be perceived across cultures where Goddess worship follows certain ritualized patterns of thought, perception and being.

In Lalitha Sahasranama, the thousand names of the Mother Goddess, She is described as Bhavani    (one who causes the existence of the material world/one who is the consort of Lord Shiva),Bhavangamya( one who can be evoked through consciousness- the one who can be reached through thought/perception) and Bhavaranya kudariga( one who can cut us of from the forest that is the material existence the way an axe cuts the trees). In other words, the Goddess who causes existence can be perceived in her essence as the power of consciousness/thought and her presence in our lives can be felt through power of intuition/perception or meditation. This perception, in turn, helps us sever ourselves from the bondages of material existence even as we go through the humdrum of existence and perform various roles that we are meant to perform in our lifetime.

Goddess as the consort of Shiva or Goddess as the energy force that drives the matter is acknowledged for her role in illuminating one’s consciousness. Goddess is also Bhadrapriya,( one who is fond of everything that is auspicious , she is Bhadramoorthy, one who is the embodiment of everything that is auspicious( in ourselves and the world) and Bhakta Soubhagyadayini, one  who provides both material and spiritual advancement to her devotees.

The aspects of the Goddess  described are particularly relevant to our understanding of the Goddess path and all it entails whatever name you chose to call the Goddess by or whichever culture you belong to… What is really fascinating is the journey itself where the worship of the Goddess who can be reached through the Thought or Meditation eventually helps the devotee free himself or herself from the influences of the material world, while  being in it  living in it, acting according to its patterns..

Goddess Ontology:Language that transcends binaries...

The Goddess is all pervading... all pervasive. The language of Goddess Ontology across different cultures -be it Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse, Mayan, Aztec, Inca, Assyrian, Native American or Indian - tries to reiterate this through a series of expressions which apparently look like binaries in the common parlance of the language. The Goddess is the Doer, the Deed and the Act of Doing....she is present in all of these. The language used to express her Omnipresence would, at first, seem like a mere play of words, but the metalanguage expresses something beyond that. The word "beyond" is extremely important to our understanding of the Goddess. In Sanskrit, the equivalent word is "para", which is slightly more evocative than its English translation.

In Lalitha Sahasranama, the thousand names of the Mother Goddess(which is supposed to contain  the principle of creation, sustenance and dissolution of this cosmos and all beyond that), She is addressed as Kshethraswaroopa, the One whose form is the temple, Kshethreshi, the One who owns/rules the temple and Kshethrajnapalini, the One who sustains or protects the Kshethrajna or the worshipper who is the owner of the temple that is her body. What this tells us is that while we tend to look at the external edifice like the temple and revere it as the Dwelling place of the Goddess, it is important understand that one's own body is her temple. Since we own our bodies, we are also kshetrajnas , the people/souls/minds responsible for sustaining these, and the Goddess is the ultimate protector, guide/ guardian.

The Lalitha Sahasranama, while categorizing these three as separate, is in fact, trying to reinforce the Oneness. Apparently, what seems like distinct entities - the temple, the worshipper and the act of worship - become merged in the plurality of the all-encompassing Goddess Ontology, which creates binaries in order for us to understand them in their essence - which is the Goddess herself.

What this, in turn, means is that we need to worship the Goddess as the Light that dwells in Our own bodies...It also tells us to safeguard the body which is her temple.