Goddesses of Creation at the Art Gallery of Alberta

She is devouring, ferocious, and awe-inspiring. She is nurturing, tender and benevolent. In Hinduism the Goddess (Shakti) enacts the cycle of creation as envisioned by the Gods Vishnu and Shiva. The Goddess is represented in various forms throughout the history of art in India, and in classical Sanskrit religious literature, like the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Recent scholarship asserts that many important characteristics of the female divine are derived from folk and oral traditions, as well as from aristocratic and literary ones. For example, the Goddess Kali can be seen to have roots in the fierce Goddesses of village traditions, and as such has been called by revered Hindu scholar A.K. Ramanujan a "Goddess of the Tooth". In contrast, he calls the benign and motherly Lakshmi and Bhudevi "Goddesses of the Breast." Featuring the return of the AGA’s 12th century Shiva Bhairava, the exhibition encourages the viewer to discover the multiplicity of forms and meanings in these images of the Goddess.

On Now:  December 1, 2018 – March 24, 2019
Thursday, January 10:  FREE Bharatanatyam Performance from 6-7 pm

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Elizabeth Herbert.

Happy Navratri 2016!

Image Source

Every Autumn, my Mom and I participate in a festival known as Navratri or "nine nights".

It is a celebration of the feminine principle, or Divine Mother personified in the multiple forms of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.  This year it takes place from October 1 - October 11.

In India, it is popular for ladies to wear colorful clothes as an all-day reminder of the beauty and power (shakti) of creativity.

During this auspicious and exciting time, delicious sweets are served, ancient stories are retold, dancing and celebrations spread happiness and the Goddess is said to shower blessings and fulfil wishes.

If you wish to attend local celebrations check out the schedule of events at the Bhartiya Cultural Society of Alberta.

May you (yoginis AND yogis) unleash your creative potential and shower the world with compassion, abundance and wisdom!

Jai Mata Di!

Small Things with Great Love

Image Source: Wikipedia

Last weekend, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of the greatest Karma Yoginis of our time was officially recognised as a Saint.

Having visited Nirmal Hriday, Mother Teresa's Kalighat Home for the Destitute and Dying in 1999 I can tell you it is the most terrifying place I have ever been.  The sickness and suffering of the patients was unforgettable, but the faith, kindness and dedication of the volunteers was truly the most awe-inspiring and unparalleled gift of Karma Yoga, or selfless service that I have ever had the privilege to witness.

As a small token of my thanks, respect and admiration for Saint Teresa and the countless volunteers and donors who have made her mission possible, I share the prayer which is said to have hung on her wall for many years:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies,
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you,
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight,
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous,
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten,
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough,
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. 
It was never between you and them anyway.

Here is a beautiful quote you can print and color to remind yourself that every small thing done with great love makes an impact:  Saint Teresa Quote Coloring Page

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta ki - Jai!!!

The Devi Mahatmya



Image Source: Wikipedia

Every Navaratri I read the Devi Mahatmya, the story of the Divine Mother's battles with the forces of evil! 

In it, she helps destroy Madhu and Kaitabha who come out of the dirt in Vishnu's ears while he is in Yoga Nidra.

Then she defeats Mahishasura the Buffalo-Demon.

Later, she vanquishes the dreaded Raktabija who can replicate himself from drops of his blood.

Finally she slaughters Sumbha and Nisumbha who rudely pull her by the hair and try to force her into marriage.

Although it sounds gruesome, I remind myself that these "demons" represent negative thoughts.  And the goddess, our own inner light.

Happy Navaratri!

Today is the first day of the annual Hindu nine-night festival of the Divine Mother! 

Each fall for the past ten-ish years, my Mom and I have celebrated this festival together. 

Our first introduction to Navaratri was in Val Morin at the Sivananda Ashram.  We arrived just as the leaves were turning from lush green to a spectacular rainbow of gold, orange and red, clueless but eager.  We left the morning of the year's first snowfall with more than we could ever have expected!

Tantric priests performed Pujas, offerings of rice and flowers, japa, Devi Bhajans, and readings from the Devi Mahatmya. 

 photo borrowed from Wikipedia

Written by Rishi Markandeya around 1500 years ago, this Great Glory of the Goddess tells the story of how the Divine Mother (known by many names including Kali, Chandika, Devi, Shakti, and loads more) kicked some serious demon butt and saved the Devas!  They had to put all their powers together to create her and then had to spend aLOT of time writing and singing songs about how awesome She is to thank her!

We were told that if you practice all nine days (plus a tenth for blessing books and tools of your work or spiritual path) with sincerity and devotion, all your prayers, spoken and unspoken will be answered.

The End.

Or not...You know how it goes - every year I come up with new prayers, and so every year it's like starting from scratch...

On our own, we don't practice as formally as we did at the ashram.  Our pujas are held each day whenever our schedule allows, and we act as our own pujaris.  Our altars are dynamic and personal. 

Our flowers are simply whatever we grew ourselves or nature provided us.  Mostly we're just grateful for whatever the frost hasn't taken! 

This year we've been blessed with a bumper crop of marigolds that we have been re-seeding ever since that first Navaratri when part of our karma yoga was deadheading the flowerbeds in Swami Vishnudevananda's Samadhi Estates. 

This humble little flower, sacred in India for it's fiery color, represents "Plasticity" according to Sri Aurobindo's disciple, The Mother who considered that the highest attribute of a yogi.

Styling our own ritual has become a part of the devotional practice.  We honor our own craftiness, courage, creativity and abundance.  We trust that our "mistakes" will be overlooked. 

We embrace unconventional thanks and praises too, like Rob Brezny's heartfelt and hilarious poem/prayer:  A Prayer for Us.

And we eat fruits and Indian milk sweets and just in general - whatever we please - as in, whatever we think would please the Goddess in us!

I encourage you to craft your own ritual to the Divine Mother for the next couple of weeks. 

Make a little altar somewhere where you can sit for a few minutes each day and offer your longing, your dreams and your gratitude to the Divine Mother.  See Her in your Self.

I will post more in the next nine days as we celebrate the three main personalities of Shakti:  Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.  Shakti means power.  Empower your yoga practice by checking out the tools and rituals of the ancient yogis for yourself, embracing those that feel right to you now. 

I'd love to know how and where you're celebrating so please leave your comments and feedback!

Jai Ma!

Kali's Kitchen

It seems to me, one of the most profound skills in meal preparation is the timing.  The art of transforming raw ingredients into nourishing and appetizing dishes, all ready and fragrant when your guests arrive at the table is no small task!

Lately I've been referring to my tiny cottage kitchen as Kali's, a place where delicious things manifest, and are devoured with relish, sometimes comepletely unexpectedly! 

I've noticed though, that like the Coconut Smoothies (go to the Kali's Kitchen Prasad page for the recipe!) that are sometimes served on the front step or sipped in the car or in the temple-living room, Kali's kitchen has no edge!  Kali's kitchen is my yoga mat, my relationships, my mind... In fact it seems, Kali's Kitchen is everywhere!

Kali is the great Mother Goddess of time and material nature.  She is sometimes frightening, sometimes sweet.  Like time itself, she can be comforting, or terrifying.  Kali's nature is to transform; to thrust us into the purifying fires, and bring forth the rasa, the divine flavor of each individual.

My teachers have always emphasized that spiritual concepts need time to "cook".  We need time to roll the ideas around, rearrange them, chew on them, combine them with the other ingredients in our spiritual pantries, and last but not least, subject them to the fire of our intellect and our own experience and roast 'em till they make us drool!

There is a saying in Sanskrit that in any situation, we learn just 25 percent from our teachers.  We learn 25 percent from eachother, and figure out 25 percent by ourselves.  The last 25 percent, we learn over time...

Many of you have studied with me during your Hatha Yoga Teacher Trainings or weekly asana classes.  We cover alot in a very little time.  I encourage you to give yourself time to integrate the ideas and allow them to grow fragrant in your own mind.

I often wonder how you're doing, and hope I run into you again so I can ask, "So how's that stuff we studied together cooking for you?"  So I offer you this, Kali's Kitchen, as a place to revisit those ideas once you've had a chance to gnaw on them for a bit, or to gather more of the ingredients you find appetizing to craft the feast that is your own personal philosophy and your own personal sadhana, or spiritual path.

I pray that this offering may nourish you; that you may savor the rasa, the juice of this beautiful lineage of teachings we have the privilege of exploring together. 

May the Goddess of Time treat you kindly.  May you be blessed with noble companionship and as many pots of tea as it takes to reach enlightenment in this lifetime! 

Om...