Any Hindu goddess buffs out there?

[Pedro99]

I need to read more about her but thought I'd ask here first cos I'd love to hear some of your thoughts. So for the past few years I've seen depictions of the Hindu goddess Kali pop up, you know,.on TV, or maybe in online articles. I'm always struck by how familiar her face seems and particularly the face she is pulling.   

 

If I Google Image search "Kali" it's like I'm looking at posters that I've always had up on my walls except maybe they've only been 15percent visible. Or say, you can only see them at certain angles. Not literally of course, it just how damn familiar she is.. Her face is much much more familiar to me than my own mothers. 

 

Is it just the face shes so often pulling evokes a memory of a common human emotion? Does anyone who's reading this think she looks, like, way too familiar?  

 

Seeing the pictures also makes me feel uneasy, like subtle fear, but more like I want to fight her back with my own machete/sword for pulling her stupid mocking face. It almost sounds like I'm locked in a fight of anger...  Dude I don't know, I don't really get into these kinds of things, I'm mostly a rationalist with mystic curiosities but I'm just so struck by her image and what it could mean. 

 

I asked elsewhere about this and it was suggested that I attempt to communicate with this "Kali" and kill something to appease her. Lol uhh yeh, I don't think I'll be doing that just yet - maybe if she's way hotter than the photos she's been putting up. 

 

Edit: in certain altered states I'm sure I've encountered a similar presence. 

This guy:

also pops up on a kali image search, but I don't know him, I'm sure he's cool though..

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Pedro99

[Strontium Dawg]

Kali is shiva's opposite. She is necessary. She is the destroyer, but from her destruction Shiva creates anew. Solve et coagula in alchemical terms. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette in the common parlance.

 

[Pedro99]

Hmm that's really interesting, once again like with all things spiritual and shamanistic it seems to suggest a fear of the loss of ego. If only it were so easy to truly let go. 

[Strontium Dawg]

[fyzygy]

 

 

[Micromegas]

I'm pragmatic. I'd look into the emergence of Kali as part of the later developments of Hinduism and what historical function she serves, since she is not well attested in the earlier texts (Rig Veda) I believe and does not have an Indo-Iranian or Proto-Indo-European origin (i.e. she is specifically Indian when placed into a historical context). I think what you're describing has more to do with your own subjective feelings than any particular insight about Kali. This is not altogether to say generalizations about common human emotions are not apposite to a degree. No doubt Kali has a psychological function for Hindus. No doubt our subjective idiosyncrasies will find various gods to project onto in a globalized world. And no doubt those gods had a similar function in their historical context as well as a focus point for aspects of cognition. In the Hindu pantheon I would suggest there's a god for every emotion a person might encounter, with intricate relations between them as Glaucus indicates. So the question is, why Kali, and why now, for you? But understanding the historical context of Kali may help a great deal in working this out, is a "rationalistic" approach, but certainly takes a bit of work.

[sharxx101]

Kali is Parvati - Shiva's wife

Parvati is an incarnation of the mother goddess of Hinduism, Shakti, who takes many incarnations through Hindu legend. ... Shakti incarnated herself as Parvati and was born to the mountain Himalaya, who was also a god, in order to marry Shiva to produce the promised warrior son.

 

Shiva, Parvati & Ganesha

Shiva's wife was Parvati, often incarnated as Kali and Durga. She was in fact a reincarnation of Sati (or Dakshayani), the daughter of the god Daksha. ... The other gods appealed to Shiva to end the violence and, complying, he brought Daksha back to life but with the head of a ram (or goat).

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by sharxx101

[sagiXsagi]

Very cool post, Micromegas... 

My perception of Kali comes from an awesome book I read when pretty young, I have still very bold visuals from many of the books scenes, including descriptions of Kali sculptures. I remember she and her followers were evil. LOL.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mystery_of_the_Black_Jungle

 

I also think that micromegas post strongly relates with greek god pantheon, where we virtually have so many gods, thats there's obviously something for everyone.. This is propably something people are missing since the installation of monotheistic religions almost everywhere, and thats why westerners feel frawn to polytheistic religions, especially the polytheistic hinduism. 

[toby]

You definitely want to look at Kubjika.

Mark Dyckowski has done some excellent translations, especially the Manthanabhairavatantra 

 

Some brief discussion below. These aspects of God all have associated sounds and letters ◉‿◉

 

 

The matrix of energy can be understood as that of Speech. This universal power through which the cycles of existence are perpetuated consists of the primary energy of the phonemes that together constitu te the womb of Mantras. Laid out in a triangular diagram, called Meru, they are assigned to fourtyeight small triangles drawn within the triangle. In one scheme their contents are symbolized as 48 Siddhas who reside in the Yoni. The last two, the letters <<H» and «KS» represent the god and the goddess in the centre in the vertical dimension. Energizing conjunctios are in this way occuring in a num ber of ways. Each male siddha is in conjunctio with the female trian gle in which he resides. All of them together are contained in the one cosmic Yoni in the centre of which is the universal hierogamy that compliments and completes the individual conjunctios. The phonemes thus arranged according to their normal alphabetical order constitute the male Aggregate of Words: - Sabdarāśi.

One could say that this is a dominantly male Yoni despite the multiple conjunctios that generate energy both universally and throu gh each particular. To set the balance, a second Yoni is required which is dominantly female. This is achieved by laying out in the same fashion another order of the alphabet which is female. This is called Mālini «the Goddess who wears the Garland of Letters». This second Yoni represents the withdrawal of the energies into the primordial chaos in which male vowels («seeds») are higgaldy piggaldy conjoi ned to female consonants («yonis»). These two, Sabdarāśi and Mālini are, along with mandala and mudrā, Mantra and vidya, one of a triad of conjunctios that together constitute the triadic universe. Their conjunction analogously makes the ritual powerful along with its Mantras and yoga. In this case Mantra is the Nine-syllabled Mantra (navātmāmantra) which is the sound-body of the god Bhairava and the vidyā is the One-syllabled Vidyā (ekākṣaravidya) which is the l-body of Kubjikā. This is the syllable «AIM». Its triangular form with an upward slanting line toped by the nasalizing point nicely represents the Yoni with its clitoris (the female phallus) and the seed that arouses it to fertility and power.

 

[toby]

On 03/10/2020 at 6:00 PM, Glaukus said:

Kali is shiva's opposite. She is necessary. She is the destroyer, but from her destruction Shiva creates anew. Solve et coagula in alchemical terms. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette in the common parlance.

 

 

From a Saivist non dualist perspective, Kali, Kubjika, Sakti, Kundalini are all the same energy, as is Shiva.

 

Brahma is associated with creation, Vishnu and his avatars are sustaining, and Shiva destruction. 

The above 3 are also associated with will, knowledge and action respectively.

 

As soon as Sakti is seen as separate from Shiva the descent (or movement) into duality is begun.

 

There is so much under the umbrella of Hinduism, what I'm saying is more a Kashmiri Saivist, or Tantric view where Shiva and associated Goddess are primary.

[fyzygy]

Soon God will cease from dreaming, awaken, and we shall be ... ?

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by fyzygy

[toby]

Awareness changes everyday, and we shall be.

[Strontium Dawg]

On 09/06/2021 at 6:15 PM, toby said:

 

From a Saivist non dualist perspective, Kali, Kubjika, Sakti, Kundalini are all the same energy, as is Shiva.

 

Brahma is associated with creation, Vishnu and his avatars are sustaining, and Shiva destruction. 

The above 3 are also associated with will, knowledge and action respectively.

 

As soon as Sakti is seen as separate from Shiva the descent (or movement) into duality is begun.

 

There is so much under the umbrella of Hinduism, what I'm saying is more a Kashmiri Saivist, or Tantric view where Shiva and associated Goddess are primary.

I suppose my take is that we are in a world of duality, that's where we spend our time, so, while the ultimate nature of these forces transcends duality, our perception is limited. 

[toby]

Yes, perception is limited by attachment to various things the ego craves. Maya.

[Change]

^^ Your a hindu goddess 

its eazy to get attached to your beautiful eyes Toby 

 

[fyzygy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_Yuga

 

I always thought the Age of Kali was named for the goddess, not some demon. 

 

[thegreatartist]

On 03/10/2020 at 10:00 AM, Glaukus said:

Kali is shiva's opposite. She is necessary. She is the destroyer, but from her destruction Shiva creates anew. Solve et coagula in alchemical terms. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette in the common parlance.

 

 

Thanks for sheding some light on that. I used to live with a girl that got possesed by all kinds of spirits and personas. Ones she was riding my dick and got possesed by Kali. Had to break her eyebrow before she came back.

[saguaro]

On 08/11/2022 at 2:34 AM, thegreatartist said:

 

Thanks for sheding some light on that. I used to live with a girl that got possesed by all kinds of spirits and personas. Ones she was riding my dick and got possesed by Kali. Had to break her eyebrow before she came back.

 

Don't stick your dick in Kali