Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess by Shambhavi Chopra

Foreword by David Frawley (www.vedanet.com)

The Goddess or Divine Mother holds the key to the spiritual regeneration of humanity in this ecological age. Without reconnecting to the deeper feminine energy of the universe, we are unlikely to solve our current global crisis that is based to a great extent upon ignoring the Divine presence of the Goddess in nature and in ourselves.

Of the various aspects of the Goddess, it is her dark forms that carry the key to her secrets and her power, her connections to the Earth, the night, fertility, mystery, magic and transformation. It has been our inability to understand her dark forms and integrate them in our religious and social orders, which has caused us to ignore the Goddess and even to become afraid of her saving grace that is the real power of inner growth and the enlightenment of awareness.

There are many dark forms of the Goddess in various spiritual and religious traditions, viewed with both reverence and awe. Of these great Goddesses of the world, perhaps none is as mysterious and enigmatic as the Hindu Goddess Kali, who represents the Dark Goddess in all her primeval glory and all-conquering power. To really uncover the meaning of the Dark Goddess, one must encounter and come to understand the inner reality of Kali.

Kali is probably the most misunderstood and wrongly portrayed Goddess in the Hindu tradition, if not in the spiritual traditions of the entire world. She is a subject of extensive sensation, drama and distortion. The refined, beautiful, aesthetic or philosophical side of her nature is seldom recognized, if ever clearly portrayed. Much mystery enshrouds this dark form of the Goddess who holds all the energies of life and death - and the great journey back to the Absolute beyond time and space.

Even the origins of Kali worship are a subject of much confusion. There is little understanding of her Vedic roots as the deep blue flame of the Fire Goddess or as the dark blue light of the Sun that is reflected in the dark pupil of the eye and its ability to see. The greater connections of the Dark Goddess to the forces of nature, particularly the electrical energies of life and perception, are seldom noted. Kali's cosmic role as the Goddess of Infinite Space and Eternal Time is ignored for her more creaturely dimensions. Her preeminent place as the Yoga Shakti or inner power of Yoga to return us back to our Divine source is not addressed in any meaningful way.

Scholars, lacking inner experience, approach Kali with their own psychological, sociological and cultural preconceptions that fail to recognize her spiritual energy, beauty and majesty. They stop short at the fierce image of her outer forms and do not see the transcendent light reflected through them. They dwell on her dark power and project onto that the negative aspects of their own assessment of human nature. They see superstition or suppressed emotion in what is in fact the supreme power of the Goddess to take us beyond all ignorance and sorrow. They usually do the same thing with the other forms of the Dark Goddess in the world, looking at them not as an expression of spiritual mystery but, rather, primitive impulses.

It is best to set such accounts aside and learn to approach Kali with our inner heart and inner eye, as the spiritual Mother who can take us beyond the limitations of the world. It is best is to approach Kali directly within our own deeper awareness, but for this we need some keys, tools and much inspiration. This is what Shambhavi Chopra offers in her book on the great Dark Goddess. She approaches Kali through an inner intuitive vision and yogic sadhana, letting the Goddess unfold in and through her, providing us a new and unique approach to her reality.

India has maintained a continuous tradition of Goddess worship throughout the centuries. Its spiritual teachings have never rejected the role of the Goddess in either creation or spiritual development. At the same time, India has maintained a continuous tradition of women gurus, saints, teachers and yoginis.  It is from that ancient Goddess tradition of India, carrying its stream of wisdom and grace, that Shambhavi speaks to us today, affording India's Goddess tradition a new voice and a practical teaching that everyone can understand.