Dancing With Kali
”She started dancing the dance of destruction and forgot that She had already killed the demon."
These days I've been calling on to the energy of Goddess Kali, Kali-Maa, the Divine Mother. She is fierce in protecting what is sacred, and many see her as bizarre and terrifying. In the past, I have resisted meditations on Kali energy as brutal and unnecessary. Learning more about her archetype helps me understand what is going on inside and how to work with it.
The Myth of Kali
Dark skinned, tongue red and bloody, four hands and three eyes. The sight of her used to bring chills along my spine. How can anyone worship a goddess who beheaded a being and holds her foot on another one? I used to see her as a presentation of power, violence and abuse, topics that have continued to shape the core of my being as I continue to learn how to handle them in my personal and professional life. In the past year, I learned about a different face of Kali. Behind this vicious image, she represents both archetypes of a gentle mother and fierce warrior.
In the myth, after the gods failed to restrain the buffalo demon Mahishasura, they created Durga, the goddess whose sole mission was to defeat the monster. Beautiful and covered with gold, in ten hands, she held symbols of power given to her by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva thought to be enough to fulfil her mission.
However, when Durga went to slay the demon, she realized that she was helpless and became terrible in her anger. Her wrinkled forehead deformed her, changing her appearance into a hideous goddess Kali.
Freed from all restrains, Kali managed to kill all but one demon who kept multiplying from the drops of blood coming from his wounds. To finally defeat him, Kali drank all his blood after beheading him, which turned her into the demon herself. Intoxicated by demon-like energy, she continued to kill innocent people, elephants, and horses. It was then that Shiva covered his body with ashes and lay among the corpses.
In Elizabeth U. Harding's Kal, myth ends as Kali in her intoxicated state staggered across the dead bodies until she found herself standing on top of a whitened, perfect male body. Awed, she looked down and gazed into the eyes of her husband, Shiva. When she realized that she was touching her divine husband with her feet, she regained her mind.
In some cultures, women are not allowed to show anger, while in others, showing anger means loss of dignity. Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said: "I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight... I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence." Like Kali, once the battles are over, we need help from someone else to bring the energy of care, love, tenderness and nonviolence. With compassion our wounds heal .
Peace Circle
by Dalida Turkovic
Let's now sit quietly
In awareness
And be honest
About the stories
That shape riverbeds
Of our souls
Wrinkled faces
And cracked skin
Ravaged by anger
And worry from within
I try to hide it,
Shame
Fear
Grief and all
Covered by blame
Turned inward
Who is responsible
For my aches and pains
Restrictions
Adictions
And territorial conflictions
I want more sit-coms
And stand up
Interventions
How can anyone posess
The air that I breathe
The heartbeat
In my casket
Opening and closing
Life is supposed to be lighter
A Zen master said
You don't have to be a fighter
To make the future brighter
You can just imagine
and it is right here.
Let's now sit quietly
In awareness
And be honest
About our stories
Embracing each other
In common humanity.
Join Peace Circles
ONLINE on Tuesdays 7.30 pm
All friends are welcome
Guidelines:
Speak from the heart (only with the talking piece, authentic contributions);
Listen from the heart (without judgment, with compassion);
Speak spontaneously (spend time listening, not thinking about what you’re going to say);
Speak leanly and
What is shared in the circle stays in the circle
If you need a coach, therapist or counselor please contact us
Email: hello@beijingmindfulness.com
WeChat: DalidaTurkovic
