Path of Shakti

We kept on asking Guruji; what will happen after these purification processes. Assuming that we finish this cycle of pujas with the purification of manipura chakra, which rules over our ego, will we manage to go beyond anger and aggression? As such negative emotions are caused by the impurities of this chakra of the fire elements according to the yogis, will the seas of our soul be blue, calm, shanti? And Guruji gave the ultimate answer. Shakti is made to be imbalanced! So this body and soul are made to make mistakes, mess up, stand up and fall down again.

Some may wanna pack up and leave but this answer makes me feel blissful. An old friend from high school, a very dear one asked me (well, texted me) how I am. I said ‘like shit’. He gave me the nowadays-standard response; ‘shouldn’t you yoga people be non-stop happy and flying in the air; wasn’t that the point?’ No, we just face our shit; head-on. It is tough, it is annoying, challenging and all that with the hope that one day the lotus will pop up out of the mud. This is the work with the Shakti; trying to be fully present with all states of being within and around; aware, attentive but still in the flow and using this power, this intensity as a stepping stone to go beyond.

Live Yantra made of soil and seeds representing Shakti

The basic difference between Shaktaic and Shivaic spiritual practice in yoga tradition lies here. Shiva represents the supreme consciousness, verticality, transcendence beyond the manifested world; whereas Shakti, the Mother represents power, horizontality, creation and manifestation. A purely shivaic spiritual practice would focus on the transcendence of the mind to the superior levels of consciousness through techniques like meditation while refraining from worldly cravings and attachments. Shakti on the other hand offers all these gifts to sadhaks to fully enjoy from a place of presence and awareness, so that the power of Shakti can bring one to liberation, self-realization, union, enlightenment; whichever way you want to call it. That is the difference between the two types of practices in a nutshell.

Working with Shakti involves a new connection with the elements of creation; earth, water, fire and air; an opening to some secret languages already hidden in nature, imitated by the practitioners through rituals. Contemplation of Shakti needs to be an experiential learning process at times. The practitioners need to reflect upon various aspects of manifestation; time, space, harmony, art, decay, abundance… However intellectual efforts do not suffice; an excitement and emotional contemplation is required and this can best be achieved by practical experience. While thinking about time, feeling the effects of time, taking one step ahead and being time by embodying a goddess symbolizing this concept… As a male practitioner one can attentively look at that goddess embodied by a woman and feel that aspect within oneself. Augusto Boal says that we are all actors on the stage in life, performing many roles as we see fit. For the sake of experiencing Shakti, we take the drama up a nudge; perform a divine role this time.

A moment from Goddess Celebration captured by Third Eye Lenses

Last year we went full on with this experience; created a space of learning about the divine feminine for the whole Agama community on the campus on the occasion of Palaharini Puja of Rama Krishna. This enlightened being transfigured his wife into a goddess during this puja and lead her to samadhi in the process as a perfect exemplification of how deep Shaktaic practice can go, how thin the dividing line is between the truth and the act in lila, divine play of the cosmic couple Shiva and Shakti. For three full days we danced, played, experimented with the elements, senses and perceptions, transfigured countless goddesses representing different aspects of the divine and welcomed Her sweet joy. It is not always pink and pretty though. Mama has tough tests. Just in a few weeks until the Goddess Celebration, there happened a military coup in Thailand, a dengue epidemic on the island, Swami had to move out of his house; plus there was a mild, maybe even subconscious resistance to Her from some Agami’s who keep their distance from this type of practice. Observing the attendance to the rituals, it was mostly junior students/teachers both male and female enjoying the blast whereas many of the more ‘seasoned’ members from the community watched from a distance. Yes, Mama is tough but full of beauty and bliss. Ultimately She is all about being fully in the flow; in tune with Her, as She is alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeXdv-uPaw

There is one more practice easing my surrender to Her.

Sandman enters a duel with Choronzon in hell to retrieve his stolen magical helmet. The challenged chooses a Club called hellfire as the venue and a verbal battle between them. Games within the games… Choronzon makes his move:

Choronzon (C ): I am a dire-wolf prey-stalking, lethal prowler

Sandman (S): I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing. And I feel grass beneath my hooves, the flanks between my legs.

C: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing

S: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight-legged

C: I am a snake, spider devouring, poison-toothed

S: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy footed. I feel the snake writhe beneath my hoof, its spine crushed

C: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying

S: I am a world, space-floating, life nurturing

C: I am a Nova, all exploding, planet cremating

S: I am the Universe, all things encompassing, all life embracing

C: I am anti-life, the beast of judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds…of everything.

Ssss. And what will you be then, dream lord?

And the dream lord ends the game with his last, definitive blow:

‘I am hope’

In the midst of all darkness, when the mind is trapped in its own labyrinths not being able to produce brighter scenarios, Shakti presents unimaginable gifts beyond the limitations of the intellect. It all comes down to having hope.