Chaitra Navarātri
DAY Seven - tues 28 MARCH
Devotion & Goddess Kālarātri
Devotion is complementary to compassion, as our own attitude towards the Divine and deeper inner being, which stands far beyond our ordinary personal life and mentality. Devotion consists of receptivity and surrender to the higher powers of consciousness within and around us. It rests upon faith in a higher power that is benefic, loving and wise and is always there for us to connect to. It is connect to communion, communication and trust, which is necessary for any sharing of knowledge or insight.
The main healing principle of Bhakti or devotion is that whatever we honour as Divine, meaning whatever person or experience in which we recognise a Divine presence, becomes a spiritually transformative factor. Bhakti works through the power of surrender. Whatever higher power that we surrender to will naturally aid and guide us. Whatever we surrender to, in essence, we draw into ourselves and allow to help us. This of course means surrendering to a higher truth and grace, not to the ego of another person.
Devotion to the Divine neutralises most of our human problems born of selfish craving. For one who has love of God there can be little by way of sorrow. There are many terms for Bhakti, which means partaking of the deity, such as prema or love, pranidhana or prapatti, meaning surrender. Most of us are holding on to our problems in life and do not know how to let them go. Many of us do not know that we are holding on and can let go. Negative emotions and attachments only reside within us because we provide them a space to exist. When we fill our inner space with devotion and compassion, there is little room for regret, fear, anger, jealous or greed to remain.
Goddess Kālarātri helps us let go of all that which is keeping us stuck. She is a beautiful representation of our capacity to really see ourselves, and without fear, jump heart first into higher awareness. That process can be scary and unknown, as our Ego has identified with the problem. When we become our problems, they may actually begin to feel ‘safe’. Letting them go can seem ‘unsafe’. So Kali says to destroy the tendencies that keep us in tamas guna and cultivate the strength to move closer to Sattwa.
More on cultivating Sattwa Guna tomorrow.
Love,
Kris x
NINE DAYS, NINE AVATARS
7. Kālarātri
Kālarātri is the 7th of the 9 forms of Goddess Durga known as Navadurga. She is worshipped on the 7th day of Navarātri.
Kālarātri is one of the fiercest forms of Goddess Durga and she is known to bestow courage and power to her devotees. Her appearance invokes fear but she is known to make her devotees fearless.
She destroys the demons without any compassion or partiality. Lord Shani (Saturn) has a lot of correlation in the mode of operation to Goddess Kālarātri. When you surrender to this form of mother Durga you will get the courage and wisdom needed to fight and defeat your own inner demons. She can also bless her devotees with Siddhis and Niddhis.
The word Kālarātri in Tantra refers to the darkness of night, a state normally frightening to ordinary individuals but considered beneficial to worshippers of the Goddess. Black references primal darkness before creation and also darkness of ignorance. Hence this form of goddess is considered as one who destroys the darkness of ignorance.
Invoking Goddess Kālarātri therefore empowers the devotee with the devouring quality of /kala/ (time) and the all-consuming nature of /ratri/ (night) – allowing all obstacles to be overcome and guaranteeing success in all undertakings. In summary, Kālarātri is the personification of the night of all-destroying time.
This form primarily depicts that life also has a dark side – the violence of Mother Nature that encompasses death and destruction.
Goddess Kālarātri rules the Crown Chakra or Sahasrara Chakra. So focusing your mind on your crown chakra will help you connect with Goddess Kālarātri on the 7th day of Navarātri.
Ritual
Ritual is a way for us to be in relationship with the Divine and a way for us clear our karmic debt simply just by being alive. Being in this body is a divine blessing from the Divine Mother and a great responsibility. Ritual is considered Yajna; offering, worship, sacrifice and opens a doorway for the cosmic energies of the Devi to enter our world.
With all puja, there are 5 elements:
1. Preparation - light your ghee lamp or candle, take your seat. Light the incense. Prep and clear the space.
2. Purification - purify Durga with water, the altar and then yourself (dip your fingers in the bowl and flick it)
3. Invitation - open with the Ganesh mantra Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha once. Ganesh is envoked whenever we sit puja, to remove any obstacles that could obstruct our prayer or evolution.
4. Union - Katyayani mantra (see below) any amount of times (can be chanted 108 times with mala for a longer ceremony). Keep your awareness on the Crown Chakra during recitation, as if the mantra was unfolding from a subtle pranic field.
5. Offering - offer her a leaf, flower. water or fruit, or all 4.
The main ingredient is devotion. Don’t worry about ‘getting it right’. This is a goal oriented tradition, not a ‘way’ oriented tradition
Kālarātri Mantra
ॐ ह्रीम श्री काल रात्रि दुर्गायै नमः |