A new article is posted from my book The Magickal Union of East and West entitled Thelemic Refuge
. Enjoy!
Tag: devi
Bhavani Tuam….
“Oh Bhavani, do thou-give a compassionate look upon me, Thy servant.” To him who thus praying says “Oh Bhavani Thou ” then and there Thou dost give the state of union with Thee, that state adorned by the brilliant crowns of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra.
As Laksmidhara says that “Bhavani” as a Verb means” May I be” and Bhavani tvam = “let me be (one with) Thee”; taking it as the optative first person singular of the verb Bhii. He who thus worships the Devi becomes one with Her. The very utterance of the words “Bhavani tvam” attracts Her attention. The expression “Bhavani tvam” has two meanings. Bhavani is the vocative form of Bhavani and is also the lot (optative) first person singular of the root Bhii (=to be). The author says that when the Sadhaka is supplicating the Devi for Her Grace addressing Her as Bhavani (the consort of Bhava or Shiva) She out of Her Great Mercy mistakes as it were the meaning of the Sadhaka and understands him, when the first two words are uttered, to say ” May I be Thou ” and grants his prayer.
Sir John Woodroffe’s (Arthur Avalon) commentary to verse 22 of the Ananda Lahari
I am yours
Radiant Queen of the Universe! Thank you for your countless love and blessings, washing over samsara like lush monsoon rains, filling me with your vitality and rejuvenating like fresh Himalayan snows.
My every thought, word, deed for you. The blood pumping through my veins, the rhythm of life, is yours. Every breath, every glance, every touch, is yours.
This world is your playground where you dance endlessly. Let my heart beat always be the rhythm of your dance.
Victory to the Goddess! Jai Kalika Devi!
Sothis and the 15th Kala of the Moon
On the 15th kala, associated with the Goddess Herself:
“The other vehicle sacred to this kala is the Eagle, the Kerub of Aquarius presiding over the 15th Path. Aquarius plays a vital role in the symbolism of the New Aeon. It is the place of the North attributed to Nuith who brings forth the two waters depicted in the sign of Aquarius as two undulating lines. In the Tarot Trump attributed to this sign a woman is seen pouring the waters from two jars.
The seven-pointed Star of Venus above her is identical with the seven-rayed Star of Babalon, the Seal of Set which comprises the Mother and the Child in one glyph. This is also the Star of Sothis, the planetary representative of which is Venus. Seven, or Sevekh, was the primal goddess of the seven stars (Ursa Major) of the planisphere, and these stars or rays were the seven heads of the Dragon of the Deep that later appeared in the Christian myth as the Beast of the Apocalypse. The Star of the 15th kala is therefore the Star of Sothis or Shaitan, and it is concealed in the feminine generative essence known as the soul or blood of Isis.” – Nightside of Eden, Kenneth Grant
Radiance of the Eternal Night
The Great Goddess Herself in the form of Kali is a star traveller. She that moves beyond the realms of light itself is also beyond the confines of time; the first star walker that brought the fire of consciousness to the human race. We know Her in Thelema as Nuit, or Babalon, depending on Her many moods and boons. The Adept that has the siddhi of the Goddess resides in that base of pure awakened consciousness; to such a Victorious One, space and time are tools and the Devotee partaking of this magical grace becomes a traveller through space and time.
Jai Devi! Jai Kali!
Blessings of the Solstice
May that Mighty One, that Great Goddess of Infinite Space & Infinite Stars, that Radiant Darkness that is both the womb of all manifestation and also the Destroyer of all Space and Time, who grants all siddhis and whose laughter is the vibration that manifests infinite universes, that dear one, that dancing goddess in the cremation grounds, surrounded by jackals and dogs, black crows and ghosts, drinking liquor from a Kapala, with luminous dark eyes, that beautiful one, that victorious one, that invincible one, Mighty Kali, be praised!
The Triumph of Durga
Victory to that Great Goddess in all Her forms!
A radiant Navratri here in Mumbai
Autumnal Equinox Greetings
O blissful Kali,
accept my congratulations.
You have enthralled the universe entirely
with your countless transformations.
Your ultimate magic feat is to throw every being
a sacred black stone, your very essence,
so that realization of mystic identity
will be its final destiny
You are so adept in magic, Ma Kali,
that you even draw the Father God,
who is all-transcending knowledge,
into your sweet madness,
your play of indivisible love.
As timeless awareness, you remain uninvolved,
producing the magic theater, divine creativity,
from the interplay of inertia, balance and activity.
This avid worshipper of Mother is shocked
that even supremely wise Lord Shiva
cannot realize Kali’s true nature.
O supremely foolish poet,
how can you hope to grasp her dancing feat
that elude even Shiva’s comprehension?
She has clearly driven you mad as well
with the magic of her Love.
– Ramprasad Sen (translated by Lex Hixon, from Mother of the Universe, Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment)
crimson blossoms
Who is this astonishing feminine presence
dancing in the universal field of battle?
Truly naked, eternally sixteen,
with magnificent dignity she stands
on the breast of Absolute Reality
that assumes the aspect of snow-white Shiva,
his body also naked truth
as he sleeps in supernal contemplation
All blood ever shed in sacrifice or conflict
streams down her brilliant black limbs
like crimson blossoms floating on dark waters.
Her face is diamond bright, clearer than the full moon.
Infinite wisdom energy pulsates
through her mysterious blackness.
Her powerful wisdom laughter
awakens and heals,
flowing in wave after wave of sweet nectar.
This poet is overwhelmed,
singing with tears of rapture:
“Those who long for conscious union with reality
should meditate with constancy
on the dark blue lotus feet of Kali,
enshrined in the secret heart of humanity,
ensuring the liberation of all finite beings
from the illusion of finitude.”
– Ramprasad Sen (as translated by Lex Hixon in Mother of the Goddess)
Awakening mantras
The twelfth chapter of the Chandi Path (more fully called the Devi Mahatmayam or Durga Saptashapti) elucidates the many benefits deriving from the joy of celebrating the Great Goddess in her form of Durga. Holding that Devi in your heart and approaching her with love, she naturally bestows her grace and blessings. Let the Goddess herself be your guide and guru, inviting her into your heart.
It also may be used to consecrate and activate mantras that may need to be “woken up” or blessed by the Goddess herself. Be certain that you approach her with love and a pure motivation, and that your use of the mantra is in accord with True Will. In this day and age, when self proclaimed gurus abound and the vidya is becoming increasingly popular and diffused from the point of origin (the Goddess herself!), it certainly does not hurt to reconnect to the source behind the mantra, and allow that great Shakti to irradiate it with life, love, and power. Continue reading “Awakening mantras”
Jai Kali, Shunya Vasini Devi!
Victory to Kali, the Goddess Who Dwells in the Void!
your black eyes
are eternities
pulling me into you
honey nectar
liquid starlight
giving all
there is nothing in the universe more beautiful than you
Jai Kali, Shunya Vasini Devi!
the gift of bhava
Reflecting on the idea of the usual roles between sadhaka and Devi reversing themselves (see my earlier post), it brought to mind the manifestations of bhava that occur in devotees of the Goddess (often arising from bhakti). This is very much a type of possession, where the Devi experiences through the body and senses of the individual.
June McDaniels excellent study Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal is highly recommended in this regard. An excerpt:
One form of spontaneous possession is found more frequently in practitioners of tantra and bhakti yoga. This is colloquially called bhava, short for devabhava (a general term for divine state or state of unity with a deity) or bhavavesha (the state of being overwhelmed or possessed by bhava). Bhava combines possession and devotional love, allowing the possessed person to retain consciousness in the midst of the goddess’s power and presence. It shows intense love of a deity, and a person’s humility and willingness to submit to the goddess.
Bhava is a tangible gift of the goddess, for as She manifests in the devotee they experience the divine bliss of Her presence in their very body. As the Shakta poet Ramprasad wrote, “Whoever gazes upon this radiant blackness falls eternally in love.”
om mahakalyai ca vidmahe smasana vasinyai ca dhimahi tanno kali pracodayat
(“Om we contemplate on the Great Goddess who takes away Darkness, we contemplate She Who Resides in the Cremation Grounds, may that Goddess direct!”)
Jai Kali Maa!
Maa Kali
A wonderful image of the Great Goddess from Deepika Suman photography:
Be sure to check out her excellent photography blog
Waves of Bliss
Oh Mother, may all my speech, howsoever idle, be recitation of Mantra; may all the actions with my hand be the making of ritual gesture ; may all my walking be the pacing around Thy image in worship ; may all my eating and other functions be Homa rites; may the act of my lying down be prostration before Thee; may all my pleasures be an offering to the great self. Whatsoever I do may it be counted for the worship of Thee. –Anandalahari, v.27
eternity
|
I worship the greatly beautiful one, with limbs the colour of thunderclouds, who is naked and sits on the corpse of Shiva, who has three eyes and earrings made of the bones of two young handsome boys, who is garlanded with skulls and flowers
|
Tripurasundari
I invoke the devi Tripurasundari, mahavidya of Lalita
Goddess of Beauty and Play and Love and Joy!
Let us invoke the sweet smelling one!
Naked, with fiery green eyes and golden skin, hair aflame in crimson light
Her arms granting boons and dispelling all fear.
Her naked body marked with blood and ash,
Her heart aflame with passion and fire!
Aom! I salute the beautiful one of three worlds!
Jai Devi! Jai Tripurasundari!
Obeiassance to the Lotus eyed one of sweet nectars, Jai Pankajakshi![1]
Aom! With incense of sandal I salute Thee! Jai Devi!
Aom! With lights I salute Thee! Jai Istadevi![2]
Aom! With water I salute Thee! Jai Sarvagata![3]
Be favourable to me, oh blossom honey of light!
Grant thine aid unto me, that I may come to rest
in your sweet smelling presence, Jai Shrimati![4]
With sandalpaste, ash, sindur and water I am marked
to your devotions, oh Vibhutidevi![5]
With the bijamantra HRIM I invoke Thee!
AOM HRIM HRIM HRIM!
Jai Tripurasundari! Jai Lalita! Jai Devi!
Oh, Mandayanti[6], grant me Thy grace! Give me of Thy milk to drink!
Oh, Jayesvari[7], inform me with Thy blood kissess!
Let Thy brilliant light shine through me, fullfilling me of Thy divine embrace!
Jai Sadhya! Jai Sadhwi! Jai Sara! Jai Savitri![8] Aom!
Aom nama Tripurasundari!
Aom HRIM HRIM HRIM!
Jai Istadevi!
Aom!
[1] (Pankaja “mud born, lotus” + akshi “eye”) The lotus eyed.
[2] One’s chosen goddess (“beloved goddess.”)
[3] (sarva “all” + gata “having gone”) Having pervaded all, having reached everywhere.
[4] (shri “beauty, light, wealth” + mati “having”) Having beauty and fortune, the beautiful.
[5] Glory, might, wealth. Consecrated ash used by devotees of Shiva. Also the 6th of Lalitas 108 names.
[6] Delighting, rejoicing.
[7] (jaya “victorious” + iswara “sovereign goddess”). The victorious goddess.
[8] Sadhya, “the attainable,” a name of Lalita. Sadhwi, “the virtuous.” Sara, “the Essence.” Savitri, the consort of the Sun.
[March 1998]
consciousness of the continuity of existence 
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