Goddess Kali Rising Part 1
Welcome to our podcast episode today on mythology, goddesses, and spirituality. Today, we explore the mystical goddess Kali from Hindu mythology.
We discuss the perception of danger when working with her and emphasize her multifaceted nature. Unpacking her intense appearance, we delve into the symbolism behind her imagery and cover who should and shouldn't meditate on her.
We also share how Kali's unique qualities are the paradoxical essence of destruction and creation and how she is revered all around the world today.
Episode Transcript
Who is Goddess Kali? Is it dangerous to work with her? Why does she appear the way she does? Is she right for the beginners? What stage of your spiritual practice would be a good time to meditate on Goddess Kali? Who should and shouldn't meditate on Goddess Kali? What makes her so unique? Take a deep breath, relax and keep your heart open and receptive as we dive into one of the most profound primordial and powerful forces in tantra Eastern traditions and in the work of inner healing.
I am Chandresh Bhardwaj, and this is Leela Gurukul. Namaste, everyone. I hope you're feeling easy, safe, and grounded. Before we dive into this essential information on the Goddess, quick announcements. If you have not subscribed to the Leela newsletter, go to leelagurukul.com and do it today. So much of the interaction and deeper exchange is happening in those emails because obviously the social media is so dependent on algorithm and you have to keep playing the game to connect to the right tribe.
For me, the emails continue to be a safe, beautiful, healing space to connect with you all, so do subscribe to it. Number two, Leela is moving into a membership space and currently we are discussing the Tantra Tribe option, which gives you the access to be member of Leela for lifetime. If that feels exciting to you, drop a DM either on my page at CB Meditates or on Leela's Instagram page. And if you are not on Instagram, simply write to info@leelagurukul.com with the word Tantra Tribe and we'll take care of you.
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Thank you for listening so far, and now let's get you started on the episode. I don't think I have recorded an episode on just goddess calling. If I have, do remind me. The reason it feels right to do this episode in this moment is simply because your questions and curiosities continue to get more interesting, fascinating, and inspiring to me. What I'm going to share about Goddess Kali today is tip of the iceberg. I want you to receive it as a meditation.
I want you to absorb it in your heart center and let's see where it goes from here. The first question here is, who is Goddess Kali? Why she continues to be so relevant among the Hindus, the tantra followers, but also the ones who are not at all aware about the Eastern traditions, who have nothing to do with Hindu religion, why she continues to be so appealing to everyone? I remember I was shipping a bunch of stuff and I was keeping all the stuff on a table at a UPS place. And those who are not from US, UPS is the shipping company.
So I had kept a lot of art on the table, Buddha, and plenty of books. Half of their store was filled with the books, the art statues that I was shipping. And they were picking up one stuff very elegantly, gently, and giving it to the packing people. They picked up everything except Goddess Kali. They said, "Could you pick this one up and keep it here right in the box?" And they didn't say this for any other stuff, but only for her.
They said, "We recommend buying that extra protection packing because we want to make sure this is delivered in the most safe and protective way." And I laughed when I saw all of this because I'm not unfamiliar with the kind of reaction and just the kind of reactive energy that Goddess Kali invokes in everyone. It could be any seeker, person, human, anything, I feel she's designed to create a reaction because through that we get a lot of information. So coming back to the question, who is Goddess Kali?
This is Goddess Kali. She is a divine force that knows no beginning and no ending. Tantra scriptures, Hindu religion, the mistakes, the seekers, they define her, describe her in their own way. What I can tell you is that she is a stream of consciousness. To call her just a goddess would be limiting her. Her name, Kali, it represents nothingness. The word Kaal means time and space. So when we use the word Kali, we are referring to an endless energy of time and space.
We are referring to a consciousness that has no beginning and no ending. This is why I relate to Goddess Kali as not as a goddess, but as a consciousness. And in my mind, in my awareness, I call her Kalim consciousness or the Kali consciousness. One of the best way to understand her energy is to look at the sky in the midnight. You'll see the stars, clouds, sky, so much mystery, so much excitement, but also discomfort. That's Goddess Kali.
There are many stories on her origin. One of the interesting stories is that when the demon Raktabija, it became very prevalent. And Raktabija was multiplying itself, just like COVID virus continues to multiply and eat up people. There was no way to get rid of it. It's believed the gods united and created a force that could eat up Raktabija, the virus itself, and still be powerful, still be in its supreme glory.
And that's how Kali was created, to drink Raktabija and still be unaffected by its toxicity. The reason you see blue and black color on Kali, that again represents that power of receptivity, that she can receive everything that is no longer serving you, that is hurting you, that is painful. She'll drink it all up and still be unaffected. The reason you see multiple hands, the blood in one hand, skulls on the other and the garland of skulls around her neck, it all represents that one powerful receptive force that even while consuming things such as blood, there are skulls around her in intense energy, still, she remains a divine, powerful loving energy.
And remember, it's a consciousness. It does not have a personality or a certain specific template. You get to define it for yourself. This is why there are hundreds and hundreds of forms of Goddess Kali, and one of the most safest form is Ma Kali, where we invite her as the mother. Now, many seekers have questioned it and they feel uncomfortable because of their relationship with their biological mother.
So obviously when you think of Goddess Kali as Ma Kali, as the mother Kali, it triggers the mother wound that sits so deep in you. Instead of using it as a painful trigger, use it as an opportunity to connect, to relate to a force, a motherly force who's there for you unconditionally, who's there for you in the most endless, powerful, infinite way. And you do not have to be the parent of your mother.
You don't have to be at the receiving end of their trauma, pain, anger, unexpected waves of emotions and everything else that only you know what has happened and unfolded between you and the mother. And if your biological mother is amazing and you have a great relationship with her, and then Goddess Kali becomes the next layer, the next realm of the goddess force, that divine force that can continue to heal you, guide you, and unleash the strength in you.
Your mind might be wondering, "Why do I even need to meditate on her? Is it necessary? Is it important?" It's not important to do anything. It all depends on what your intention is. So as an artist, you do not need to step up your game. You could continue to be happy and playful in your zone. However, if your ambition is to experience the peak of success, then obviously you have to get out of your comfort zone.
If as an artist, I want to experience the peak of my creativity and abundance, but I'm not willing to do the work, I'm not willing to work with the right teachers, I'm not willing to step out of my comfort zone and still stick to the good old habits, then my ambition will only make me more frustrated. So if your ambition in life is to go deeper into the realms of your spiritual path, tantric path, creativity, abundance, self-growth, then a force like Goddess Kali becomes mandatory and powerful.
But if you still want to be powerful and do not want to meditate, then hopefully you can discover your way of doing it. Hopefully you'll discover your way of navigating that path. But if you're listening to this episode so far, the chances are you are willing to do the work or you are at least curious to know about the work. So we'll continue in that direction.
I'll share a few reasons, not to convince you, but to share the fascinating realms of how Goddess Kali's energy can help us unleash so many fascinating things within us. She receives everything that is not serving us. So that means our fear, panic, anxiety, the patterns that continue to hold us back, the blocks, the barriers between you and your art, between you and your intuition. Her energy helps you to drop and dismantle those barriers and create a very transparent and open bridge for you to work with those mediums, create a bridge for you to express fearlessness.
The self-expression challenge continues to be one of the most profound challenge of our generation, but the generation before us also, right? I personally feel Goddess Kali's work can create abundant magic in healing and unleashing your conscious self-expression where you get to create in your own way, you get to speak your truth and live your courage and love with courage. Kali consciousness creates an environment for you where you feel free to express what you're afraid to express.
Because what irritates us, annoys us, triggers us is an information, information to heal, information to understand the trauma, information to understand the mindset that continues to limit us and block us. And she creates the space for you where you get to express what you're afraid to express. So reflect on it. I've shared this many times, and I'll share it again.
I grew up feeling very introvert, private, antisocial, uncomfortable in the social spaces and I'm still that way, but to survive as a teenager, survive in college, survive in school, and the job I did after that and the work I took on with tantra, all of that required courage. All of that required authentic, hard, authentic expression. And that became my reason to dive deeper with Goddess Kali. I still remember being in this school and feeling so, so nervous.
One of my memory of that school is I remember I was in first grade, I didn't know where to go, I didn't know what to do. This was before the morning prayer. So everybody gathers for the morning prayer. They called it assembly. So I was just standing there feeling so nervous, and my sister was also in that school, so she saw me. She was only three years older than me. She saw me standing outside my class.
She's like, "This is morning time. Why are you standing here?" And I couldn't say anything. I guess, I was feeling so nervous. And she said, "Come with me." And every day after that, she didn't let me eat my lunch alone, she'll make me sit with her, with her friends, and I would sit with her until I made some really good friends. And that happened in a few weeks. And I remember telling her that, "Today, I'm not eating lunch with you. I made friends." And she looked very proud and very happy.
And after I built that new friendship, I remember still feeling more courage, more confident. I was still a first grade kid. So while I had this immense support from my sister and my best friend, Abhishek then, I also felt the need to have more courage. And I don't know when and how it happened because there is a memory of me just doing a Kali mantra. This is all happening before I'm even in second or third grade.
I'm just doing the mantra. And somewhere I'm also feeling stronger, more courageous. And this became a non-negotiable practice for me in the senior years of school, high school, college. It became a non-negotiable thing. In college, it became even more essential that I would meditate, I would prioritize meditation over breakfast, over anything else because I knew if I don't meditate, I'll not have the strength or courage to go deeper in my truth.
Because the two people I mentioned, they couldn't stay with me for too long in the physical form. My best friend that I made in the first grade and my sister, they both passed away when I was 16 and 19. So subconsciously, I'm sure I felt that I don't have these two people, my right hand, my left hand. So I got to step up the courage and the reason my relationship with Kali became so deeper because she became that force I could rely on.
She became that force I could trust, and she still is that force I could trust while navigating this work in my own way. And you all listen to this podcast, you all are aware how complicated and glossy and chaotic the spiritual industry is. I did not feel fitting into that industry, that standard, that whole glossiness, the circus it has always been. And I knew I can't survive the way I am in this industry.
So I need to do it my way. I need to show up in my way. And guess what? But once again, I channeled the Kali consciousness in my work, in my truth, in my courage, that I'll continue to show up my way and the magic will happen. And I feel today, if I am overly busy with sessions, appointments, my work, my business, I give credit to the Kali consciousness. That's where I get my courage, my guidance, my strength from.
And this is why I'm utterly passionate, that if you are hungry and willing and ready to tap into your highest potential, build a relationship with the [inaudible 00:19:25] consciousness, it's going to change your life. And do it your way. Do it the way that feels exciting and fun to you. Now, when we talk about Goddess Kali, and you could tell I'm sharing the most personal and heartwarming things and wonderful things, then why is it considered dangerous to work with her or why people relate to her in that scary way?
I'll say it very clearly, confidently, undoubtedly, and unapologetically that Goddess Kali is not at all dangerous to work with. The danger you feel is the danger within the mind, the trauma within the mind. Imagine you were never, ever loved, never ever seen, heard, celebrated, and suddenly someone shows up who cultivates a love that is so free, unconditional, and joyful for you. Would you be excited from first minute? Most likely not.
The intimacy may not happen for months or years because you're still navigating that whole traumatic space. So when our trauma, our pain is so strong within, it's not easy to show up for Goddess Kali right away. It takes a long time and it's totally fine. What feels dangerous is our toxic pattern within the environment we are so used to. And when a force like Goddess Kali shows up who's a no nonsense force, right?
And she's like, "Give it what you don't need," which means the death of the old, the death of ego, death of belief systems, death of every mask you had put on, and we have a very unique way of navigating and peeling off those masks. It'll take time. It has taken time with me, still taking time with me. It takes time with every student I work with. So there is no pressure. But I do want to let you know she's not dangerous.
The danger, the fear you feel is the fear of the mind, fear of letting go of the old, fear of trusting a force that is so unconditional and so large and almost feels too good to be true. But that's Goddess Kali. That's the Kali consciousness. And this is why she appears the way she does, she receives all the toxicity, all the fear, trauma, everything that is not your jam anymore, that was never your jam anymore.
Is she right for beginners? Absolutely. She is right for every seeker who is willing and ready to dive into a healing path. But if it brings too much fear, too much trigger, then you can go slow, start slow and move organically. In this age of social media where everything is so easily accessible and you can turn on a podcast, a video, or buy a book within a second and start reading, the mind wants to grasp information and be enlightened and accomplish everything within few minutes to days to weeks maximum.
This is why the 10-week course, 12-week course, one retreat, they are just easy to understand products. The work of spiritual healing, the work of goddesses is not designed to be for a few weeks or a few months. It is a lifelong work. It's a relationship that continues to evolve. While you may work with a teacher for a while, but your responsibility, your journey is lifelong with this. Just like everything else, your relationship with your art is lifelong.
Your relationship with this body is lifelong. So when you go into an experience with goddesses, it becomes a lifelong relationship. And it's not a relationship that is rooted in possessiveness or control and if you leave, this is what will happen. This relationship is unconditional. So when you feel you can't continue, you want to end it, you can end it.
The human mind has butchered, corrupted the most innocent feeling of love. That's how we show up for love with goddesses too. But they don't show up that way. You are not expected to please, to fill a certain template, to fit a certain box, to be received by them. You need to be open and available to them.
So all the work you are doing, meditation, physical movement, journaling, inner reflections, they all are being done so that you can be available to what is yours already. I hope that makes sense. The reason why Goddess Kali symbolizes the death of ego is because as you go deeper into the work, your old identity, the information, the memory about the whole life starts to change. You may have looked at relationships, intimacy, abundance in a certain way, but Goddess Kali helps you to reimagine and rewrite your life in your way.
So all the cycles, patterns that continue to be toxic, unhelpful, uneasy, but they became your normal, that normal starts to destroy itself and a new normal begins where a fun relationship is normal, abundance is normal, healing is normal, and bliss is normal, unconditional love is normal. One fascinating ritual that you can undergo to receive maximum energy of Kali consciousness is Navaratri, the nine nights of celebrating the divine feminine. The two public Navaratris, they are known, they are for everyone.
And then there is Gupt Navaratri or the secret Navaratri. It's actually tantric Navaratri. So Gupt, by the way, spelled as G-U-P-T. So it's like ChatGPT, but U in it. So G-U-P-T, Gupt Navaratri is meant for cultivating a direct relationship with Kali consciousness. And the other two Navaratris are for the public, more massy and collective celebration of the Kali consciousness. You could simply look up online and check out the dates, and you'll see they happen four times a year.
And one of my goal is to actually have these dates on the Leela Gurukul website as well. So you could access the calendar pretty soon. That's the plan. And the conclusion point I want to make here is, who should and who should not work with Goddess Kali? Anyone who is willing to let go of the old, heal the suppression, let go of the fear, dismantle the ego constructs and beliefs, and change perspective on life, death, and everything in between.
The one who is ready for self liberation is designed to work with Goddess Kali. The one who is not yet ready to work with the Kali consciousness is someone who has done zero inner work yet, someone who has never meditated, never worked with a therapist, isn't aware enough of the inner traumas, isn't ready yet to do the work. The idea might feels exciting, but there are blocks, be it the block related to abundance, be it the old mindset that still questions and still looks at the world from between black and white.
Someone who still believes religion to be the only way to go. The way I see religion is an open playground, a constitution that gives you certain norm to live, but that's not the only way to live. You can reset, redefine the way you relate to your religion. A true religion, a true spiritual path, doesn't restrict you. It makes you more independent spiritually, emotionally, and in many other ways.
Someone who's easily triggered, who has plenty of pain and not really yet ready to take help, they should refrain from doing the work. And one thing that applies to everyone is that Goddess Kali's work is not meant to be through books, through podcasts, through YouTube. It's a work that requires a certain support. So while you may build up your curiosity and even meditation using the support you have in Leela podcast and other sources, but be mindful to go way more deep because you've got to have the strength, support, guidance before you jump into deepest and deepest of layers.
And one thumb rule is you should not be rushing this. You should be organically growing into this. You should be open and excited to move into this. Take some time today to reflect on your relationship with Kali consciousness, to navigate into the layers of your own inner feminine, and ask yourself how excited and ready you feel to transcend the old and step into the new, to let go of the limiting belief systems and step into the new.
How comfortable or uncomfortable do you feel to embrace and claim your sexual freedom, financial freedom, spiritual freedom? Because Goddess Kali is ready to pour all three layers of freedom on you, but you got to be ready and open too. I'll leave you with that note. Be safe, be well, and I'll speak to you in the next episode. May the teachings of tantra continue to guide you and heal you. And I hope Leela Gurukul helps you to unlearn the old and embrace the unknown mystical possibility unfolding for you. To support this podcast, share it among the seekers who are ready for the next step in their spiritual path.
Useful Links
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Visit cbmeditates.com to send your questions and to know more about Chandresh's work.
