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Om Shanti,
Today we are going to explore further the myth of goddess Durga. She represents the positive energy (divine force / Siddhi) known as shakti (force, power, feminine energy) that is used against the negative forces of wickedness or evil.
In Sanskrit Durga means: Unbeatable or invincible. Her archetype is very strong not only in modern India but also across the world as many woman are rising up and reclaiming their power which has been limited and diminished in most patriarchal societies, including the Western World. In Christian tradition neither the wise women has been acknowledged nor the wild one. Woman’s wisdom has been limited and mostly boxed into the duty of the mother or a servant, the wild woman has been suppressed, often ridiculed or shamed.
In India the myth about Durga has been created during the early hegemony of the patriarchy. It is really empowering to know it.
So let’s start at the beginning.
Durga lived in her own queendom, far away from people and their troubles. She was a living radiant beauty, a shining morning star, like a rising Venus. The world at her times was ruled by man who were having their regular battles and arguments. One day however the world has been threaten by the Evil bigger than ever. There was neither the army, nor a leader who could defend it. Over time more and more people were suffering the consequences of the war and the hunger. The generals and a king gathered together to debate on the solution to the growing problem. When they run out of all reasonable solutions, they were left with only one – asking Durga for help. None of them wanted to do it, due to their pride, as it would mean that they were not able to sort it out by themselves, nevertheless they agreed that they had to ask the Goddess for help. So they sent a servant with the message. A servant presented the situation and a plea from the generals and the king. The Goddess listened to him, yet she said that the world didn’t need her yet, if they sent a servant with a message, so she said: Tell the King that I may come if he asks me to do it directly. The king was not happy with this answer, so he sent his general for her. The general was begging her for help, she was showing all her compassion for the world but she said firmly, that if the king was not ready to see her himself, it meant that he didn’t need her help yet. The war was getting really tough, man were dying in huge numbers every day. After another lost battle, the King himself went to see Durga asking her for help. Durga welcomed the King, listened to his troubles and then she promised to intervene, as she knew that by now they really, really need her.
You may know the rest of the story form Day , when we were exploring the archetype of Kali. Durga went into the battle field, transformed herself into the invincible Kali and killed the monster, bringing peace and harmony back to the world.
I find this myth fascinating, and very relevant even nowadays, when still most of the leadership positions in the world are kept by men. How long will it be like that? How long will we tolerate imbalanced between the feminine and masculine forces? Is it the time for woman’s wisdom and her wildness to be invited back into the world stage? Is it the time of the Mythical Durga – a Divine Feminine to be invited to intervene in the world taken over by the chaos and destruction? I believe that we are at the dawn of the new society, when both the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine are able to be recognized and respected, each for their unique contributions. Is the world ready yet?
Chanting Om Dum Durgayei Namaha / Dum Dum Durgayei Namaha is said to bring protection, prosperity, beauty and intelligence, all the aspects of the Divine Mother / Devine Feminine.
Meaning of the mantra:
Salutation to She who is beautiful to the seeker of truth and terrible in appearance to those who would injure devotees of truth.
Let’s contemplate on it together, inviting the archetype of Beauty and Power – the goddess Durga – to step down on Earth again but this time staying here for every empowering every woman and every man in setting up the healthy boundaries, respect and action when the call and the intention is pure and clear.
Happy empowered Chanting,
Om Shanti,
Magdalena
Ps. Would you spare a minute and write a short testimonial about your experience so far with our daily chanting? You can do it as a comment to the blog or send me private message to my e-mail: magdalena_atkinson@yahoo.co.uk
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