Kali and dark path questions

[Angelus_Errare]

and if you are do you have any good info on her? please let me know, i have been her follower from behind the scenes not telling anyone of my dark path. i was afraid that my family and friends would cast me out so to speak , but i have finally decided to come out of the broom closet and face myself. i was wondering such things like what are some of her attributes, and such like that. and what is the best way to follow her? and i am also wondering other things about the dark path of any God/Goddess any information is very welcome! :D thanks for reading this!

[Kalika]

and if you are do you have any good info on her? please let me know, i have been her follower from behind the scenes not telling anyone of my dark path. i was afraid that my family and friends would cast me out so to speak , but i have finally decided to come out of the broom closet and face myself. i was wondering such things like what are some of her attributes, and such like that. and what is the best way to follow her? and i am also wondering other things about the dark path of any God/Goddess any information is very welcome! :D thanks for reading this!

Kali is my patron. I have some links for her at home that I can post for you later. Try a search engine under "Kali Ma" and see what you come up with. Most things you'll see are going to be leaning more towards Hindu traditions, but not all.

The best way to follow her is follow your heart.

Her attributes? I've always seen her as "creator and destroyer of all things". She gives life, and she can take it away. She can shape and mold time... She can represent any aspect of the triple goddess (maiden, matron, crone). It all depends on how she appears to YOU.

I don't follow a "dark" path... and don't think that you HAVE to just because the goddess you feel drawn to is considered a "dark" diety. They all have both aspects in them, you just have to look closely. Embrace both, and you'll have quite an experience. ;)

Blessings,

Kalika

[Kitsune]

In many ways, Sekhmet is similar to Kali. Generally, she is seen mostly as a destroyer, but she is also the patron Goddess of physicians as well. Might be worth your while looking her up too.

[whitewater]

i believe Kali is a hindu goddess,an incarnation of Devi,the great Mother goddess.heres an excerpt from a book.

"Her skin is black,her...tongue lolls out of her mouth. she carries the symbols of life and death in her 4 arms and wears a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed limbs around her waist...Kali came to earth to fight a host of demons.She became so bloodthirsty that she continued to slaughter after the battle was won.She even killed her husband,Shiva. standing on his corpse finally stopped Kali"s rampage."

[Ron]

i believe Kali is a hindu goddess,an incarnation of Devi,the great Mother goddess.heres an excerpt from a book.

"Her skin is black,her...tongue lolls out of her mouth. she carries the symbols of life and death in her 4 arms and wears a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed limbs around her waist...Kali came to earth to fight a host of demons.She became so bloodthirsty that she continued to slaughter after the battle was won.She even killed her husband,Shiva. standing on his corpse finally stopped Kali"s rampage."
That's not exactly what I was told about her, but ummm I suppose it's close?? Galadraal will come explain!

[Toby Stimpson]

This is a good question, and ironic actually becasue I just wrote up an essay talking of Kali to a friend of mine. Kali is one of my Matrons as well, and I see her as the chaotic mother of death and rebirth. Death it's self is chaotic...strinking anyone at any time. And so too does kali, for she destroys what she wills at any time. Here is what I wrote for a fireend of mine who could'nt understand my love for the Ma. And Kalika, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
-----

Kali, the Dark Mother of chaos

First and foremost, let us talk of Shakti, divine female energy. Shakti is what is percieved to be the Goddess, the female principle. All Gods have some shakti energy in them, but their Shakti side is personified in their consorts, the Goddesses. Shakti, like Brahman, is formless and unknowable, but through it's manifestations it has form. Like I said, all Goddesses are Shakti, as all Gods are Shakta, Shakta is the male principle, and together these two forms of energy make up a part of Brahman which is the underlying divine principle that is called Allah, God, YWVH, Ahura Mazda, The Great Spirit, The Dagda, the Mother Goddess...etc,.

Shakti can pe personified as both gentle and fierce. In it's gentle form, it take on the role of such Goddesses as Laksmi, Sarasvati, and sometimes Parvathi. These are the consorts of Vishnu the Preserver, Brahma the Creator, and Shiva the Destroyer. Laksmi represents the subjugated female, devoted wife and servent. Sarasvati represents the distant but still devoted wife.

Parvathi however represents eqaulty, for in every instance she is shown eqaul and standing next to, rather than below and subserviant to Shiva. Where Vishnu can be said to be gentler than Shiva, so too can Laksmi be thought of as gentler than Parvathi. From Parvathi comes the fiercer more grotesque forms of Shakti, the more potent forms of female energy.

Kali, also known as Mahamaya, is the dark Goddess of death and destruction. It is said that when the Asura Raktajiba threatened the Gods, any drops of blood that poured from him would turn into another Raktajiba, until the entire battlefield was covered with clones. In desperation they turned to Shiva, but found him meditating and in deep trance. They thus then turned to Parvathi, who took on the form of Kali. Kali is described as a monstrous and yet at another level beautiful creature. Her long black hair dishevelled flowing over her back. Her skin darkened black or dark blue, Her breasts bare, and adorned in all manner of remains. Her most powerful features are: her giant red tongue that wags out of her fanged mouth; the garland of skulls she wears about her neck, a total of 108 skulls representing her titles and names; The skirt of severed arms around her waist; sometimes she is also shown wearing children's bodies as earings. She can be said to be more demonic than divine, and yet this form is merely a symbol in it's self...as explianed a few paragraphs down.

When Parvathi took on the form of Kali, she rode into the battlefield and ordered the Gods to start to attack the demon clones, and with her huge tongue she drank every drop of blood until Raktajiba was defeated and dead. It was at this time, that, drunk on the blood, she went a rampage through the universe, destroying anything that got in her way. In desperation of his wife, Shiva threw himself under her, and she danced ontop of his body until she calmed down. It was then that she returned to her Parvathi form and embraced her husband. Kali's main symbolism is that of chaos and destruction, but also of the fundamental creative forces behind such things. Shiva has been regarded as the scientific God for his symbolism corresponds with the most fundamental qauntum rules of the universe. So too does Kali, for through destruction comes growth and recreation.

Another part of her symbolism is that of embracing the disgusting and grotesque things in life inorder to destroy our ignorances. If a man, filthy and homeless, walks the streets of Toronto or Ottawa, he is regarded mostly as something to avoid. The people do not want to interact with him because of their ignorances. They dislike such people becasue thye see only the filth and see only the homelessness, and thye see only the outside. While on the inside something beautiful may be just waiting to be discovered, they miss out because of their shallowness. Through Kali, devotees begin to see the beauty in such grotesque forms and when that happens our ignorances are taken away, becasue we no longer abhore such things. We begin to move away from the shallow outside view and look deeper. This is why Kali is in such a monstrous form, she is trying to teach us that even Gods, who most regard as soldiers of the light, can come in ugly bodies. But, when you begin to see what is underneath the ugliness, you begin to see what is inside and that is what counts. Another very important symbol for Kali is her ability to take away the fear of death. In Hinduism, where reincarnation is a basic tenet, physical death happens over and over, and we do fear death becasue we cannot rememebr what is afterwards. Kali, as a goddess of death and rebirth, takes away the fear of death inorder that rebirth may come more peacefully.

Sacrifice in the worship of Kali is not so much a giving up of one thing inorder to gain something new, but to let a bad part of you go inorder that the hole formed from such loss may be filled with something more beneficial or refilled with an attribute you already possess. It is also a means of rebirth and rite of passage. It represents spiritual growth, and this idea is not exclusive to Kali's worship but can be found in all of spirituality. This can be seen in her physical symbolism, in some depictions she is shown with four arms. An arm raised up with a sword, ready to come down on the ignorant; a severed head lifted up as example of the ignorant; a bowl collecting the blood of the ignorant; and a hand extended down in blessing and protection. In some cases she is holding the trident of Shiva, showing her dominance over masculinity and her husband in general. The head in this case represents the ego, and when the head is severed from the body we have lost our ignorance. The body thuen becomes free. And the sword raised up is a warning that we will lose our heads if we allow our ignorances to flourish, because it is those ignorances thta will destroy us...not Kali. The hand extended down on the same side as the sword however represnts the promise of protection against such a situation. This is symbolism and not reality, but we can find the same ideas in Buddhism. In Buddhism, the whole idea is to let go of our ego and to accept reality. Or rather let go of our ego and our selfish concepts of self, inorder that we may see reality. Kali is the chief Goddess in the Tantra sect of Hinduism, which is closely connected to Vajrayana sect of Buddhism (Lamaism) in Tibet and Bhutan.

Let us talk of Durga. Durga is another fierce and powerful Goddess, also sometimes called a form of Parvathi. In other legends she is an independant form of Shakti, but still closely attached to Parvathi. It is said that when the Buffalo Demon Mahisha threatened the world, raising an army of Rakshashas and other Asuras, the Gods found they were outmatched. And so, in some tales Parvathi took on the form of Durga, and in others the Shaktis in all Gods emerged and formed Durga. She was given a weapon by each Gods to adorn her many arms, and rode into battle upon her tiger or lion mount, Kali joining her side. Using her power and the combined weopons of all Gods, she lay waste to entire battlefields of Demons until at last she faced and defeated Mahisha. Her power alone to destroy entire legions shows the true force of female energy in it's fiercest form. Kali and Durga are regarded closely, due to the fact that thye represent the powerful and independant sides of Shakti. Durga is represented as a woman riding a lion or a tiger, wearing a bright Sari, her hair loosly flowing down her back.
-----

Kali worship is not a dark path like Kalika said. It's more embracing the disgusting inorder that we may see both sides of any view. There is an old axiom, there are three forms of truth: your truth, their truth, and THE truth. Because of our ignorances, we regularly only see our side of the story instead of the whole story. Anywho, thats the way I see the Ma and the so called 'dark' path in general. Namaste!

Galadraal

[Ron]

(he wrote the eassy for me!!!)


rhyssss ... holy ***! this calls fer a sexie partie! says:
who did you write that essay for?
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna says:
you lol

[Toby Stimpson]

LOl...yep...I wrote the essay for him...smart fella he is ;)

[Desdemona]

This is what I have found about Kali so far. My studies continue, and Galadraal's essay has the lion's share of information, though the legends I have read have the gods creating Durga, and Kali springing from the forehead of Durga at the climax of the battle.

From http://www.open-sesame.com/Kali.html
Kali is a very powerful goddess. She rules time, karma, dharma, fire, life, death, witches, creation, destruction, reincarnation, evil, dissolution, ecstatic experiences, cremation, duality, paradoxes, criminals, the past, the present, the future, cosmic truth, the phases of the Moon, the spiral of life, uncompromising sexuality, those who stand outside society, and all finite things.
Kali is all about cutting away the things that are holding you back from reaching your full potential, both in this life and the next. Worship of her liberates you from having to reincarnate, the arms on her belt represent the work you will no longer have to do if you devote yourself to her. How do you devote yourself to her? You become a child again. She is the primaeval mother of all things, the original Earth Mother. Worship of her goes back to prehistory, even pre-Shiva. In some villages Kali is represented by a black rock, or a triangular-shaped well representing the force of all creation, the Yoni.

Here is an excerpt from a prayer to her.

Like a small child
refusing to let go
of its soft and furry
but stiff,
dead kitten,
I weep,
pleading for you
to restore my illusion.

Over and over again
I call
your name.

After the coals of your skillful devastation
die down,
you float in,
filling charred, empty spaces,
with the fragrance
of lilacs,
the sweetness of your unfathomable love.
Since I have followed her, my life has become amazing. Her love and support have transformed me. I have been promoted three times in my job, my marriage is wonderful, I have all the things I need, and have amazing personal power, which people seem to pick up on. :bigredblu All this coincided directly with bringing her into my life, and learning the lessons she had to teach. :uhhuhuh:

Now for some other stuff. Kali correspondences.
Stones: Obsidian, Carnelian, Black Tourmaline, Snowflake Obsidian, Black Onyx, Hematite, Garnet, and Bloodstone and Ruby.
Shells: Conch
Incense, essenses: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Geranium
Favorite days: Tuesday and Saturday
Esbats: Full or New Moon, you will have to ask her. She comes to me in the form of Mother, not Crone, so she prefers me to honor her on the Full Moon. The New Moon in November is her night. November is her month.
Sabbats: Samhain
Favorite colors: Red and Black
Favorite animal: The crane is Kali's sacred bird. All black animals, but especially dogs, sheep, and birds are sacred to her.
Sacred number: 5
Sacred letters: All the consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet are her sacred letters.
Offerings: Marigolds, sweets, spices, incense, alcohol, blood, and meat, especially lamb and goat, are traditional offerings to Kali, but since Kali is everywhere, she eats what you eat. So anything you love, she would love. The sound of a string of tinkling bells is said to be pleasing to her. I would also like to add that she responds very well to music, especially if you are the one singing!
Chakra: Root
Planets: Pluto, Saturn, Moon, Earth
Elemental Correspondence: Fire
Aspects: Maiden, Mother and Crone. Yep, she does it all

From an Indian site on Kali Puja http://www.theholidayspot.com/diwali/kalipuja.htm

Performed on the night of Kartik Amavasya, which falls in October/November, Kali Puja is an intense invocation to the fearsome goddess. The main purpose of the puja is to seek the help of the goddess in destroying evil – both in the outside world and within us.

The legend goes that long ago the demons, Shambhu and Nishambhu, disturbed the peace of Indra, the king of gods, and his empire (heaven). After extensive and endless battles, the gods lost all hope and the demons became stronger.

The gods took refuge in the Himalayas, the holy mountains, the home of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The shaken gods sought protection from Mahamaya Durga, the goddess of Shakti.

Kali was born from Durga's forehead as Kal Bhoi Nashini, created to save heaven and earth from the growing cruelty of the demons. Along with Dakini and Jogini, her two escorts, she set on her way to end the war and kill the devils.

There was chaos all around. After slaughtering the demons, Kali made a garland of their heads and wore it around her neck. In the bloodbath, she lost control and started killing anyone who came her way. The gods started running for their lives. The only source of protection seemed Lord Shiva, Durga's consort.

Seeing the endless slaughter, Shiva devised a plan to save the world. He lay down in the path of the rampaging Kali. When the goddess unknowingly stepped on him, she regained her senses. The well-known picture of Ma Kali, with her tongue hanging out, actually depicts the moment when she steps on the Lord and repents.

That momentous day is celebrated ever since. Kali, also called Shyama Kali, is the first of the 10 avatars (incarnations) of Durga. Kali Puja is performed essentially to seek protection against drought and war, for general happiness, health, wealth, and peace. It is a tantrik puja and performed only at midnight on Amavasya (new moon night) in November
Books on Kali: http://paganpaths.net/books.html#kali
Last of all, but not least, Kalika is right. The best way to follow her is with your heart. ;)

[Kalika]

i believe Kali is a hindu goddess,an incarnation of Devi,the great Mother goddess.heres an excerpt from a book.

"Her skin is black,her...tongue lolls out of her mouth. she carries the symbols of life and death in her 4 arms and wears a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed limbs around her waist...Kali came to earth to fight a host of demons.She became so bloodthirsty that she continued to slaughter after the battle was won.She even killed her husband,Shiva. standing on his corpse finally stopped Kali"s rampage."

This is only one person's vision of her - one persons interpretation - one "myth". She won't appear to everyone like this - though she does appear to some this way. :) To me, she's always appeared young, with black hair, and blue skin. She'll appear to a person as they are comfortable seeing her - or in a way that will get their attention. Don't limit yourself to what others see - your vision may be unique, and not specifically what others have seen, or the common vision of her - but you'll know all the same. :)



This is what I have found about Kali so far. My studies continue, and Galadraal's essay has the lion's share of information, though the legends I have read have the gods creating Durga, and Kali springing from the forehead of Durga at the climax of the battle.

From http://www.open-sesame.com/Kali.html
Quote:
Kali is a very powerful goddess. She rules time, karma, dharma, fire, life, death, witches, creation, destruction, reincarnation, evil, dissolution, ecstatic experiences, cremation, duality, paradoxes, criminals, the past, the present, the future, cosmic truth, the phases of the Moon, the spiral of life, uncompromising sexuality, those who stand outside society, and all finite things.


Kali is all about cutting away the things that are holding you back from reaching your full potential, both in this life and the next. Worship of her liberates you from having to reincarnate, the arms on her belt represent the work you will no longer have to do if you devote yourself to her. How do you devote yourself to her? You become a child again. She is the primaeval mother of all things, the original Earth Mother. Worship of her goes back to prehistory, even pre-Shiva. In some villages Kali is represented by a black rock, or a triangular-shaped well representing the force of all creation, the Yoni.

Well put. :)

[Desdemona]

and if you are do you have any good info on her? please let me know, i have been her follower from behind the scenes not telling anyone of my dark path. i was afraid that my family and friends would cast me out so to speak , but i have finally decided to come out of the broom closet and face myself. i was wondering such things like what are some of her attributes, and such like that. and what is the best way to follow her? and i am also wondering other things about the dark path of any God/Goddess any information is very welcome! :D thanks for reading this!Here's a Dark Goddess/God thread. ;)
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=52533

[bshore]

and if you are do you have any good info on her? please let me know, i have been her follower from behind the scenes not telling anyone of my dark path. i was afraid that my family and friends would cast me out so to speak , but i have finally decided to come out of the broom closet and face myself. i was wondering such things like what are some of her attributes, and such like that. and what is the best way to follow her? and i am also wondering other things about the dark path of any God/Goddess any information is very welcome! :D thanks for reading this!

Um, I'm a little confused. You say you've been following her for some time, but don't really know her attributes?

Well, my advice to you would be to not declare your path until you are prepared to answer all questions people may ask you about her. Since you are nervous about telling people, knowing as much as possible is essential to helping people understand and accept your path.

Sorry, I don't know much about Kali, but thought I would give you some friendly advice anyway. Good luck, it's always hard to "come out of the broom closet" as you said.

[Romani Vixen]

Some feel that Kali is present in many different forms throughout many different pantheons. She can also take many forms.

She called to Bill, she had a flowing white dress and (if I remember correctly) blonde hair.

[Desdemona]

Some feel that Kali is present in many different forms throughout many different pantheons. She can also take many forms.

She called to Bill, she had a flowing white dress and (if I remember correctly) blonde hair.VERY interesting and cool! :)

[Kalika]

Some feel that Kali is present in many different forms throughout many different pantheons. She can also take many forms.

She called to Bill, she had a flowing white dress and (if I remember correctly) blonde hair.

I'll repeat... especially for beginning pagans... THIS is important to remember. :)

Don't force anything, if she wants to come to you a certain way... she will.

[Angelus_Errare]

Um, I'm a little confused. You say you've been following her for some time, but don't really know her attributes?

Well, my advice to you would be to not declare your path until you are prepared to answer all questions people may ask you about her. Since you are nervous about telling people, knowing as much as possible is essential to helping people understand and accept your path.

Sorry, I don't know much about Kali, but thought I would give you some friendly advice anyway. Good luck, it's always hard to "come out of the broom closet" as you said.
its alright , i was just wondering what other people's attributes were with her i know about her and what i think of her but i just wanted to "broaden my horizions" so to speak , thanks everyone for your replies!!! :D

[Toby Stimpson]

Some feel that Kali is present in many different forms throughout many different pantheons. She can also take many forms.

Thats very true, a few of my friends worship varying forms of the Dark Goddess...and they all recognize that the image we have of the Dark Goddess is merely a personality and form. I believe she is in the form of Lilith, Hecate, Morrigan (possibly the other War Goddesses), Cerrydwen, Green Tara from Vajrayana Buddhism and a few others I can't remember right now. This is no surprise really being that the Aryans who moved down into India a few thousand years ago were of the same people that the Ancient Greeks and Romans, Celts and Middle Eastern cultures originated from. Well, I should say the middle eastern cultures like the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Sumerians WERE Indo Aryans, so the first form of Lilith would have been Kali before the Jews Demonized her. It should also be interesting to note that the Romany Gypsies have a 'Goddess' (she's been turned into a saint with the fall of Christianity) named Sara which many scholars have calimed is a form of Kali.