By Victoria McCullogh
Kali The Mother
Kali is the Mother from whom the universe emerged and to whom it must return. To her devotees, she is the Great Mother who nurtures and cares for them.
For those who know the image of Kali, it is hard to see her as the mother. She stands strong, tongue out, with a severed head in one hand and she wears a garland of skulls around her neck.
She is the destroyer, the warrior who has blood on her hands - but in order to create, a mother also has to destroy - just like mother Nature and her cycles.
Kali The Natural Destroyer
Sri Swamini Mayatitananda describes Kali as a director of the universe, creating natural phenomena like hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. "She is also the source of emotional upheaval in the form of illness, disappointment and failure, all of which tend to block us from moving forward. Just as she sends us situations and disasters that terrify us, she also gives us the courage to conquer our fears."
Often Kali is simply described as a destroyer, not as a mother because it is hard for us to accept the mother as a destroyer or the mother as a warrior.
"The protective warrioress energy is a primal part of every woman's maternal instinct. Many stories have been told about mothers who perform extraordinary feats of physical strength to save their children from danger," says Sri Swamini Mayatitananda.
Kali The Protector
"Kali is the passionate protector of life," says Mayatitananda, looking at the archetype of Kali. "Kali wields the sword of knowledge, which cuts through ignorance; scissors, which cut attachment; a severed head, which symbolizes letting go of rational mind and ego; and the lotus, which represents spiritual fulfillment. She wears a garland of skulls around her neck, strung with the umbilical cord of the soul, which represents the wisdom and memory of human existence."
Kali Reminds Us Of The Cycles Of Life
When we honour Kali, we honour the changes in our lives. She shows us the cycles in everything - nature, seasons, our relationships, our moods - reminding us that these aspects of ourselves are part of nature - everything must keep changing, evolving to go on being vital.
We can also meditate on Kali and honour ourselves in all aspects - not simply the positive. It is an invitation to accept our shadow side. It is a way of surrendering to our deepest nature.
Kali is about going beyond yourself - dropping your ego, your limitations, your masks - coming back to your divine nature. And Kali comes at us with a sword to sever the ties that bind us.
Kali Kills The Ego
In the stories of the Hindu pantheon, Kali kills the demons that try to thwart her. One interpretation is that our demon is our ego. "The darkness sees the light and does not comprehend it. The ego attacks that which it does not understand or that which threatens it."
Ego stands in the way of spiritual progress - of our own spiritual evolution. And interestingly, the ego can be well fortified by our own spiritual successes. Kali Ma cuts through ego with Truth.
Kali As The Goddess Of Compassion
Kali is also worshipped as the goddess of compassion - In India, you can visit Amma, the hugging mother. As it stands, by her fiftieth birthday she has hugged about 30 million people. Amma (meaning Mother in Hindi) is a living goddess of compassion. Instead of words and doctrines, she spreads her gospel simply by hugging people - reaching out to them. When Amma was born, she was so dark, her skin was so black, that people believed she was an incarnation of Kali Ma.
When we honour the wisdom of Kali, the dark goddess, we honour all our great great grandmothers. In Hindi, Kaal means time and Akal means death… Again Kali is here to remind us of the present moment, to cut our ties to the illusion of time and to drop fears of death. To be here now.
In Bengal in northern India, they celebrate the 'dark mother' on Diwali - the festival of lights. Kali Pooja is a ritual cleansing… to cleanse ourselves of ego, material attachments, accumulated baggage and other obstacles.
Kali Gives Us Courage
Sri Swamini Mayatitananda says "When you need spiritual guidance or the courage to deal with a particularly painful situation, you may want to visualize the five different aspects of Kali, each of which teaches us a significant life lesson. Find a poster of the Warrioress Kali and sit in quiet contemplation of her striking features. Invoke within you the five aspects in order to remove whatever barriers you encounter on your physical, emotional and spiritual path."
Five Aspects of Kali
1. I am Beauty - passionate protector of life
2. I am the Dancer - bestower of creation and restorer of equanimity
3. I am Wisdom - dispassion that cuts through ignorance
4. I am Shakti - primordial energy of creation
5. I am Rebirth - cosmic memory of all that exists
If you feel drawn to Kali, it is a time to shed baggage and step out on a new path. Kali will often come to you to question your decisions, the path you are taking. She is asking us to find our life's calling. To cast out the old and to constantly be reborn.
You can ask Kali to reveal your path to you, help you free yourself of destructive influences and toxic behaviour, let go of anger in a respectful way and honour your true Self.
A Ritual To Connect To Kali and Free Yourself
Sit on New Moon and write a list describing everything that holds you back… set light to it, burn these thoughts that limit you. Light a candle to light the way of your new path. This is a powerful cleansing ritual, you could also then take a shower or ritual bath to free yourself of the energies of these thoughts. You can also make a Kali oil with ten drops of mimosa, lotus and galangal, five of civet and one of clove, add to a carrier oil to make a massage oil and anoint your body with it. Or add to 25ml of organic vodka to make a perfume.
Whereas with other Goddesses you light incense and put flowers on your altar, with Kali, who loves the unconventional things, you hang limes and chilis in your house as an offering.
A mantra to honour Kali within you is: Om Sri Kalyai Namaha - Om is the cosmic sound, Sri the divine mother, Kalyai, the remover of obstacles and Namaha is a way of embracing these aspects within us all.
Sri Swamini Mayatitananda talks more of her relationship with Kali in her book The Path of Practice.