Polarity is the very basis of attraction. The need for romance and an overwhelming desire to merge into ‘the other’ is a universal longing in almost all men and women across the globe. If that was the case, then one would not crave a romantic relationship in old age when sexual desires fade considerably. However, it is not merely guided by a biological need. Such a union is necessary for the procreation of the species. One of the strongest desires that any human being possesses is a desire for union with another individual. The Divine Feminine and The Divine Masculine The highest teaching of the Vedas is ‘aham brahmasmi’ that translates as ‘I am God’ or ‘I am that I am.’ This does not refer to the ego-self but to the Self that one becomes at the moment when all ideas of individual identity dissolve – just like a cup of water becomes one with the ocean and loses its individuality, thereby, becoming the ocean itself.
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If you read the Vedas or Upanishad, you will realize that no such personification of God has been presented there. The ancient Indian seers (known as ‘Rishis’) carefully crafted these great texts so that everyone can gain an understanding of divinity on some level. Hence, in the Shiv Mahapuran, Shiva is depicted with human traits and so is his consort, Parvati or Shakti. It is important to understand that the Puranas (in which the legend of Shiva and Shakti is narrated) have been written in such a way that a person whose consciousness is still confined to the world of the five senses can understand the lofty principles of male and female energy not as energy itself but by their representations in human form. Nothing can be created without their sacred marriage. Yet she herself exists within Shiva – just like water is contained within the confines of an ocean.īoth Shiva and Shakti are incomplete without each other. She is the creative force who gives birth to everything that exists within creation. Shakti, on the other hand, is the primordial or yin energy. In Shiva, nothing exists and yet everything exists within him. Shiva is the great void – the emptiness or yang energy. It is their sacred union that brought the material world into existence. She represents the Divine Feminine while Shiva constitutes the Divine Masculine. In the ancient Indian tradition, Shakti is the consort of Shiva. This year.Shakti – The Divine Feminine and Shiva’s Consort That brings me to the many illuminating conversations I have had the great pleasure to facilitate on Journey to the Goddess TV.
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It reminds me that no matter how dismayed I may be by the state of the world, I am surrounded by so many luminous souls who are each doing their part to-in the words of a dear friend-“be a part of the healing of this world”. And more so still when the candle flame burns bright among a sea of likeminded flames. Meditation on such an image reminds me that the candle flame is brightest, strongest, and most beautiful when dancing in the dark. In some traditions, the candle flame represents the soul as an individual emanation of the Divine. Such as in the above image, which is a picture I took at the Church of Santa Maria dell’Orto in Rome during Easter Holy Week 2019. My mind’s eye continues to return to the image of a candle flame illuminating the darkness. I recognize my own resistance to prolonged darkness, cold, and the slowdown the winter season not only encourages, but simply requires of me. Happy solstice, friends! Over the past few days, I’ve been reflecting on the Winter Solstice and the inevitable dance between dark and light.