A little bit ago, I wrote about how visiting the crystal caves in Slovenia, gave me some deep insights and understanding into life’s creative processes. If you have not read that article, then you can read it here. 

Kali- the fierce Goddess is usually associated with primal female energy. Though the word Kali indicates time, which Ma Kali represents as the very first of the ten wisdom goddesses (Dasha Mahavidyas), what needs to be understood is that Kali also means “that which is carefully measured out”. 

Any work of creation is accomplished by the conglomeration of carefully measured out smaller bits (of work, of efforts, of actions and so on) and this is what Ma Kali represents. 

It can be our inner self or our outer self. If we want to create a successful life, we need to work with and harness the power of this very first, very powerful and the primal female energy of space and time- Ma Kali. She can help us on our soul journey…

As the Festival of Nine Nights- Navratri begins, let us make a firm resolve (Sankalp) and renew our commitment to walking this path of conscious and aware living.

To learn more about Ma Kali:

• Kali Energy (who is Kali?)
• ​Mantras of Kali: How and Why to pray to Ma Kali
• Significance of Ma Kali's Arms
• ​Why is Kali Dancing?
• Kali Bija Mantra

​
Also, mull over Ma Kali’s qualities and blessings and see how you can bring her presence, grace and blessings into your life.

Categories:
Festival Celebrations  and   Gods And Deities
​
Keywords and Tags:
#mothergoddessfestival #hindufestival #navaratri #Shakti #WisdomofShakti #Navratri #KaliSadhana #PrayingtoKali #festivalofninenights #Kali #DurgaPuja #Durga  

Happy Hartalika and a wonderful joyous Ganesh Chaturthi everyone!  :-)
​
As we walk our path on this spiritual journey, it is even more important to understand the lessons and wisdom of Ganesh. He is supposed to be honored before venturing on any new endeavor and probably the most important endeavor we ever take in our life, is our decision to find the Divine-  to find our  "real self".

​You may want to watch Who is Ganesh? to learn more about this wonderful and kind deity who is always willing to hear our woes and help in removing our sorrows and obstructions! 

Ganesh Symbolism and Meaning is a nice short video explaining the Vedic symbolism in why Ganesh has been attributed the form that he has- which is with an elephant face and a human body.

Categories:
Festival Celebrations,   Gods And Deities

​Keywords and Tags:
​#GaneshChaturthi2020  #GaneshChaturthi  #HappyGaneshChaturthi  #GaneshFestival #HinduFestivalsofGanesh #MaitreyiParadigm  #WisdomofGanesh

Uchchhishta Ganapati, which is the tantric form of Lord Ganesh, is typically worshipped by those following vamachara, which is the left-handed tantric traditions. 
​
Uchchhishta Ganapati is usually shown darker in complexion. Sometimes he is shown with a reddish hue or having a blue color. One of the key features that is observed in his form- is that Uchchhishta Ganapati is mostly shown with his consort sitting on his lap.

This is where there are some contradictory symbolisms!! There is certain school of thought which indicates that this tantric form of Lord Ganesh, i.e. Uchchhishta Ganapati is one of those rare instances where Shakti is depicted as his consort. 

Note: For those of you who may not be very familiar, Lord Ganesh is considered as the second child of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti.

Irrespective of this viewpoint, Uchchhishta Ganapati is always shown with a naked consort, who is seated on his left lap. The god is generally depicted with four arms and holds a pasha, an ankusha and a laddoo or a modak (a sweet confection), while the fourth arm hugs the nude goddess around her hip. His consort typically holds a lotus or another flower with her left hand while touching the lingam (phallus of Lord Ganapati) with her right hand.  Similarly, the tip of Ganapati’s trunk touches the yoni (vagina) of the goddess.

It needs to be mentioned that as with many of the left-handed tantric rituals, there are not many authoritative scriptural references. And there are also many contradictions in the accepted imagery and iconic symbolism of Uchchhishta Ganapati.
 
You can read about the symbolism that is involved in this erotic imagery:
How Ascension is depicted in the Tantric traditions- The Divine Union (yoga) of the Male & Female Energy Principles

​#Ganesh #Hindu #God #Ganesha #Hindu #Vedic #VedicWisdom #GaneshSymbolism #Vighnaharta #Vinayaka #SiddhiVinayak #tantricformofGanesh #TantricGanesha #TantricGanesh #Uchchhishta #lefthandedtantra #vamachara #tantra #Ganapati #ascension #consciousness

Lord Ganesh is probably the most known and widely loved of all the Hindu deities… and rightly so, as he is the form, who removes any and all obstacles from our path and blesses us with wisdom and success, among other amazing blessings.
​
But like all other deities, there is a tantric form of Lord Ganesh. He is called as the Uchchhishta Ganapati. Uchchhishta Ganapati is the primary deity of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of six major schools of the Ganapatyas.

This tantric form of Lord Ganesh, i.e. Uchchhishta Ganapati is typically worshipped by those following vamachara, which is the left-handed tantric traditions. Uchchhishta Ganapati is one of the thirty-two forms of Lord Ganesh.

The word- Uchchhishta, refers to the food left over at the end of a ritual. In the tantric connotation, Uchchhishta is the food kept in the mouth and so is now mixed and ‘contaminated' with saliva. Typically, in the traditional viewpoint, such food would be considered impure and so would not be allowed. 

But this is accepted in the left-handed tantric rituals, which utilizes forbidden ways to seek The Divine.
​
Uchchhishta Ganapati is usually shown to be of a darker complexion- sometimes with a reddish hue. True to typical tantric color symbolism, Uchchhishta Ganapati is also depicted in blue color.  

You read in detail about the tantric form of Uchchhishta Ganapati:

​Form and representation of Uchchhishta Ganapati- the Tantric form of Lord Ganesh

​#Ganesh #Hindu #God #Ganesha #Hindu #Vedic #VedicWisdom #GaneshSymbolism #Vighnaharta #Vinayaka #SiddhiVinayak #tantricformofGanesh #TantricGanesha #TantricGanesh #Uchchhishta #lefthandedtantra #vamachara #tantra #Ganapati #ascension #consciousness

Guru- is the Vedic Divine Archetype of the Divine Teacher- giver of knowledge and wisdom. 

Even though we typically think of Gurus as our spiritual teachers and other ‘official’ teachers in our life- like from school and colleges; the truth is that Guru is anyone who ‘teaches’ us- allows the experience and the understanding of deeper insights!

When we consider the deeper meaning of this role- Guru, then we know that Guru can be any person, any situation that has allowed us to learn and grow in life. And ultimately it can be life itself!!

And ofcourse the ultimate Guru is the Divine presence itself!!

Ashadha full moon, i.e. the full moon- which happens in the lunar month of Ashadha (as per the Vedic Hindu calendar) is called as the Guru Purnima. This is the day to pay special reverence to our Guru. 

Remember: Guru is someone who guides us and gives us knowledge and information. But more importantly, he/she gives us the deeper wisdom and insights that help us to walk our life-path. They help and support us when we feel confused or weak on our spiritual path to ascension and higher energy states.

When we feel dejected or depressed, they help us to revive our enthusiasm so we can tackle our challenges and ultimately continue onward our journey!!

A Guru guides us, supports us, helps us, and ultimately nurtures us- at our deeper soul level, so we can fearlessly walk our spiritual path and reach higher dimensions.

This does not have to be the same person- as we progress on our journey, our Gurus can vary- but one thing is for sure that ultimately, it is the guru who shows us the path and provides us the confidence to walk it!!

And ofcourse there is the ultimate Guru of all- Lord Dakshinamurthy. 

On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima, remember to revere, honor, and cherish not just all your teachers and gurus, but also your parents (your first Gurus), life and the Divine Guru.

This July 4-5, 2020 happens to be the day of Guru Purnima.

Happy Guru Purnima everyone and if you have not already checked out the special energy message for this Guru Purnima then be sure to check it out below…

​#gurupurnima #divineguru #spiritualguru #jupiter #vedicdivineteacherarchetype #vedicarchetype #teacher #guidance #spiritualguide #guide #guru #dakshinamurthy #lordshiva #shiva #adiyogi #firstteacher #firstguru 

​How can you bring the wisdom and blessings of the Mother Goddess Archetype- Ma Kali into your life? 

​Can the wisdom and energy of Ma Kali (mother Goddess of divine love, courage and protection) help you to address and solve a nagging chronic problem or something unexpected that crops up in your life?

​Mother Goddess- Ma Kali can help you to muster courage to do what is right in any situation. She can help you to conduct your prayers and sadhana with a renewed depth and intensity! 

​Goddess Kali is a primal divine feminine energy usually addressed as Ma Kali. She represents time as well as the electrical energy in nature. She governs our Prana, i.e. life-force and various subtle energy centers within our body. She specifically exhibits motherly love and protection, where she looks out for her children's well-being and protects them from problems even before they have a chance to manifest!

#VedicArchetype #divinearchetype #VedicWisdom   #Hinduism #Hindu #Archetype   #Kali  #Shakti  #HinduGoddess #MotherEnergy   #Archetype   #VedicWays

Here is the wisdom of Ma Dhumavati which is one of the Dasha Mahavidyas: which are the ten Shakti-s that exist in this manifested world, in simple and yet profound words.

That is why they are called Dasha (ten) Mahavidyas (Wisdom Goddesses- or Wisdom Shaktis). Basically each of these Shakti-s represent a profound and unique aspect of creation.

​All of manifestation is only possible because of some Shakti (energy) and these ten- Shaktis are at the very core of everything in this manifested world. 

Embrace time from both sides and get released from its clutches: go from being a time-bound person to a time-less conscious presence!

Sadhana/Practice: Are you able to see the "old in the young" and the "young in the old"? What is young today will be old in time and what is now old, was once young! As you start to 
see the profound lesson in this statement, a new dimension of time will open up for you...

#wisdomofdhumavati #dashamahavidya #tenwisdomgoddess #seeingtheyounginold #Dhumavati #Shakti #variousformsofShakti #DashaMahavidyas #ShaktiforKetu #MaDhumavati #ketu #navgrahas

Here we present the 108 names of Ma (Mother Goddess) Kali...

Devotees typically chant the name in the sequence to appease and appeal to Maa Kali and obtain love and blessings. 

You could do this as part of your daily sadhana (prayer-routine) or during the four Navratri-s (nine nights of the mother goddess) or during Kali Chaudas, which is a celebratory day during the Diwali or on any Saturday. 

It is particularly potent to pray to  Ma Kali during the black moon (i.e. amavasya, no moon) and during the full moon (Purnima) lunar phases.

​Here we present the 108 names of Ma (Mother Goddess) Kali in the Devnagri script (Sanskrit, Hindi) and also in English transliteration, so people not familiar with the Devnagri script can still easily read the document and conduct this very potent prayer to Goddess Kali.

#Ashtottara #Shatanamavali #GoddessKali #KaliSadhana  #ChantsandMantras #MaKali #Navratri #HinduDeities   #UnderstandingShakti   #HinduGoddess #Kali  #HinduGods  #VedicSymbolism 

​Kali is the primordial energy of creation, the first feminine energy principle responsible for this entire manifested universe. That is why she is often addressed as Adi Shakti- the first energy principle.

For those who may not be familiar with the true Vedic philosophy and teachings, it is important to note that all Vedic and Hindu deities represent cosmic energies that are part of the Divine Universal Energy or the Supreme God-head.  

​Shiva represents the Male Cosmic energy principle of our form-created world and Parvati (who is another representation of Shakti), is the Female Cosmic energy principle.  

Both these primal Male and Female cosmic energy principles are responsible for creating this Universe. Thus Shiva and Shakti together create this form-world as we know.

Kali, who represents Time, is the first and foremost of all Shakti-s, i.e. energy forms. Since all of creation manifests and exits in and thru her, she is also a representation of space- where all things can come into being. 

In this way, Kali represents the Space-Time continuum which allows for this manifested material world to exist. 

#KaliMantras #ShaktiMantras   #KaliSadhana  #ChantsandMantras #MaKali #Navratri   #UnderstandingKali #WhoisKali   #LearningHinduism   #HinduDeities   #UnderstandingShakti   #HinduGoddessKali  #HinduGods  #VedicSymbolism