Slaying the demons!

If you know me on Instagram or Facebook, I post a lot of images depicting the Goddess in her many varied forms slaying demons. In the scriptures it was often she who did the slaying because she symbolized raw, organic power, known as shakti and sometimes it took that to defeat these demons.

The symbolism is that it's an inner battle, not an outer one. Although you can use the images, stories or chanted verses to build up the energy from the outside in to help yourself move past your self-defeating inner voice. I often do this, but you gotta do it until you can feel that she has won, or that the tension has released in your body, that's an indication often than you've moved through the energetic block. Not always meaning its gone, but that you've won the battle for that day at least.

My friend just said to me in a chat "To arrive at true faith, one has to go past collective doubt, pretension and fear." Then continued with a talk about his beloved grandfather moving beyond the trappings of usual tradition and ritual to soothe the pain caused by said tradition, which is amazing and exactly what I want to be able to do with my teaching, with my friendship, with my love for you in any capacity.

This morning I felt a draw to go up Chamundi Hill. Chamundeshwari, more popularly known as Durga (unless you read the Devi Mahatmyam, then Chamunda is Kali specifically, another reason why I like going up there) who in the story defeated the buffalo demon named Mahisasura who was in a tyrannic rule over Mysuru (which is even an Anglicized version of his name, Mahisuru, or Mahisapura. The town being named after him). And she did it on the top of that hill, so there is a big temple up there. There are 1034 steps (although most will tell you 1008, but I've counted them lol) that one can walk up to the top and visit the temple there obtaining the blessings of the Goddess, and then down again. Which symbolizes trekking from the root chakra to the crown chakra cleaning the way of karma and samskaras as you go. Or if you're lazy, you can just drive up and get a similar feeling if you're so inclined to visualise and feel these things releasing.

Anyhow, I went up there, driving slowly, chanting on the way. Thinking of old patterns that were no longer serving me, or my "demons" if you will, and allowing them to fall away as I went. Some were stubborn so as I said in her temple behind her I imagined she coming out and slaying them with all the weapons in all her ten arms and then they becoming a whole part of the energy of myself and the universe. So rather than destroy them, embracing them and what they symbolised for me at that moment, so they become integrated.

I felt very full after this, but then went into the Mahabaleshwara temple behind it, an ancient Shiva temple that was actually there before the Chamundeshwari one was there. I did the same, sat, felt blessed and blissful then left, walking slowly, intentionally, looking people in the eye with a smile and a prayer even sometimes. Got on my scooter and went down the hill, slowly and softly, feeling the peace come over me. Then on the way through town I stopped at my favourite temple in Agrahara and sat and ate the prasadam they offered me, feeling even more cleansed and blessed. I googled this temple in Lakshmipuram that was funded by Pattabhi Jois and went by, finally, I'd been wondering about it for years. It was closed but now I know where it lies so I can visit before I leave next week.

Then finally as I pulled into Gokulam I purchased flowers and went to my little Kali temple, she being the symbol of the most raw, organic, and ancient (Adya in Sanskrit) form of Shakti to finish off the job of clearing myself energetically. And that rawness is why I love Kali, she will do whatever it takes to move past or through the thing you're holding on to. She is a strong, touch, let loving part of your inner self that we all can draw on. Even in this way of visualising, feeling her be there and slicing to shreds these things you're working on. It can happen, not quickly, but a bit at a time. As I did over the last many years, slowly found ways to let go and let god in.

Anyhow, that was my Tuesday so far and it's only 1:30pm, before that I practiced with a friends and helped him with his drop backs and then ate breakfast. So it's been a full one and yet is still not finished. See you soon!