Goddess Kali

It is important to realize that there may be inaccuracies in the descriptions given here. But the text of this presentation has been verified and approved by the esteemed people of this forum.

Yes. This is the very formidable Kali.

It took a fair amount of time to study it. We were hinted to specifically prepare ourselves :)

The text of the presentation has been abridged as much as possible, and I am posting only one part (if Maoshan permits, tomorrow I will post the second part for general reading)

The cult of the Black Goddess had its direct analogues in ancient times in many different parts of the world. In ancient Greece there was a female name Kalli and there was a city Kallipolis. The ancient Finns, before the introduction of Christianity, worshipped the Black Goddess named Kalma. The Semitic tribes (who lived in Sinai) had priestesses of the moon goddess called ā€œKaluā€. The ancient Celts worshipped the Goddess Kele, whose priestesses bore the title kelles. Kalek is a sorceress, a Celtic word. These are not mere coincidences. Kali is the Great Mother of all beings, worshipped under different names and in different forms almost everywhere.

Kali is the Primordial Creating Power - worshiping her conquers death. Kali is death itself, but she also liberates from the fear of death and opens the door to knowledge-perception of eternity.

Goddess Mother is not a servant of oneā€™s whims, one does not ā€œworkā€ with Her (and Her sacred symbols and images) like psychics do with subtle energies. The Divine Mother is worshipped, She is served with a sincere heart and soul, She is fully surrendered, She is loved. For many who are acquainted with Her, it is a priceless gift of a personal relationship with Her. The life of those who are ā€œmarkedā€ by Her acquires a special meaning.

Kali embodies very ancient, chthonic forces. This is a dimension where the concepts of good and evil do not exist. The most ancient goddess in charge of the cycle: life - death - life. She teaches man that there is no light without darkness and darkness without light. She can bring man face to face with his shadow. She teaches the wisdom of temporal cycles, teaches one to accept the good and the bad in oneself and in the world as part of the total universe. She teaches to understand that bad and good are subjective categories. Chthonic energies exist ā€œbeforeā€ the division of the world into light and dark (perhaps thatā€™s why many donā€™t understand and are frightening).

Perhaps archetypally Kali is complex. The chthonic layers are very ancient and go heavily into the shadows/deepness of the psyche. Recognizing them in ourselves and coming to understand the neutrality of being is the key to adequately harnessing the power of destruction and creation. Kali is essential to a full understanding of the world. She is wisdom as an understanding of the flow of life with its good and evil, the acceptance of the shadow in oneself, and the integration of oneā€™s shadow into life.


Legend

According to legend, an evil demon (asura Mahisha) seized power over the world by force and cunning. The goddess Durga was transformed into Kali during her violent rampage. She combined the flame of Shiva, the power of Vishnu, the strength of Indra and the abilities of many other deities. With a wild war cry she rushed into battle, tearing apart all enemies. From her breath whole armies were aroused and thrown into battle. Mountains crumbled, blood poured down like a river, and the sky itself turned black with terror. When she had slain all the demons, Kali overtook Mahisha and savagely cut off his head with her sword.

But the majestic goddess could no longer restrain her fervor and could not stop-she was intoxicated and poisoned by blood and struggle. She continued to destroy everything around her. Kali began a frantic dance, shaking the whole world and threatening to destroy it. To stop her, Lord Shiva threw himself under her feet, turned into a weeping child on a battlefield strewn with corpses (another version is that he simply fell on the ground in front of her, and she stepped on him in the dance). Kali finally stopped, stuck her tongue out in surprise, and began to soothe and breastfeed the infant. And in the evening, to propitiate the goddess, Shiva performed the dance of creation (ā€œtandavaā€).

Who is she?

Kali (Sanskrit ą¤•ą¤¾ą¤²ą„€, KālÄ« ā€˜dark; timeā€™) is the consort of Shiva, the most powerful and wrathful form of Shakti. She is a destructive manifestation of cosmic energy. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga (Parvati). The embodiment of fear, while she herself is beyond it. In the Vedic scriptures the name ā€œKaliā€ is mentioned as one of the seven tongues of flame Agni, which is the fire of transformation of matter into energy.

Kali is the goddess Mother, caring and protecting her children from evil forces, she destroys all appearances of evil. Giver of liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Protectress of the gods. Some sources praise Kali as the highest reality or the greatest of all the deities. She is the personification of cosmic forces, the manifestation of the kinetic energy of Creation. She is the creative force that sets Creation in motion. She gives the beginning of Creation, and at the same time destructive force leading to the end of the world.

Kali is the goddess of Time, the hypostasis of the cyclicity of existence and the process of changing eras and worlds, life and death. She brings rebirth through death and destruction of old forms. Kali is a manifestation of an aspect of Time of Mother Nature. She is the energy of transformation, change and conversion. Kali is a transforming force, but always remains unchanged. A destructive force for the Ego, terrifying and crushing egoistic tendencies, ignorance, illusions. Its essence is the true grace of Mother Nature.

KālÄ« is also derived from kāla (Sanskrit ą¤•ą¤¾ą¤² - ā€˜black, dark, dark blueā€™). The name Kali, meaning ā€˜Blackā€™, indicates the original darkness (not the opposite of light). Black, as we know, does not reflect white light, it absorbs it, and therefore black does not radiate energy, but absorbs it. Just as ā€œBlackā€ Kali absorbs energies. Therefore, in this sense, her name means ā€˜inclusiveness, completenessā€™. All 108 names of Kali the goddess, are presented in Kali Ashtottarashata Nama (praise hymn - as part of Kali puja during flower and rice offerings).


Forms of the Goddess

Kali is one of the ten forms/manifestations of Mahadevi, which are referred to by the Sanskrit term ā€œDashamahāvidyaā€ (Sanskrit ą¤¦ą¤¶ą¤®ą¤¹ą¤¾ą¤µą¤æą¤¦ą„ą¤Æą¤¾, daśamahāvidyā), literally meaning ā€˜the Ten Great Knowledgeā€™. This group of ten tantric goddesses, each of which is a separate aspect of the Mother Goddess. According to the Shiva Purana, Kali is one of the nine forms of Durga (ā€˜Navadurgaā€™).

In various traditions Kali has 8, 12 or 21 forms, the best known among which are: Adya-Kali, Chintamani-Kali, Sparshamani-Kali, Santati-Kali, Siddhi-Kali, Dakshina-Kali, Bhadra-Kali, Smashana-Kali, Adharvanabhadra-Kali, Kamakala-Kali, Guhya-Kali, Hamsa-Kali and Kalasankarshini-Kali.

ā€œMahakala-samhitaā€ mentions nine forms of Kali, among them: Dakshina-Kali, Shmashana-Kali, Bhadra-Kali, Guhya-Kali, Kala-Kali, Kamakala-Kali, Dhana-Kali, Siddha-Kali and Chandika-Kali. She is also worshipped in the form of the Great Mother Maha-Kali.

But in whatever forms Kali appears, She never ceases to be that one Power that is sung by ā€œDevi Mahatmyaā€: MAHAVIDAI MAHAMAI MAHAMEDHA MAHASMRITIH || MAHAMOHA CHA BHAVATI MAHADEVI MAHASURI || Great Knowledge, Great Illusion, Great Wisdom and Great Memory, Great Ignorance and Omnipotence, Great Goddess and Great Demoness!

(There are various legends in the scriptures describing the appearance of the goddess Kali. According to one of them, Kali emerges from the body of sleeping Vishnu, showing her formidable image to the forces of evil and protection for the bright forces of the Universe. In another legend, she emerges from the forehead of the goddess Durga, as a force to crush the demonic manifestations. Here she represents Durgaā€™s wrath, her embodied fury. The demons that Kali kills symbolize vanity, pride, greed, self-interest, envy, flattery, pretense, guile, malice, stupidity).

The most popular forms, especially revered in Bengal (where the worship of the goddess Kali is most common):

  • Adya-Kali - literally means ā€˜Primordial Kali,ā€™ or the supreme Shakti power of all things. The Tantric tradition has chosen this form for worshipping the goddess. For this tradition, it is the basic form of the Goddess. She holds within her all the other hypostases of Kali. Waves of consciousness and power constantly vibrate and change, but the goddess remains completely static.

  • Dakshinakali is the mildest form of Kali, also highly revered in India. This form bestows good motherly care and protection from misfortune. ā€˜Blessing Kaliā€™ , ā€˜granting benefits to Kaliā€™, ā€˜Mighty Kali, conquering deathā€™.

  • Samhara-Kali (or Vama-Kali) is the most terrifying and powerful form of Kali, appearing as the personification of death and destruction, but also as the giver of liberation.

  • Raksha-Kali is the form of Kali worshipped for protection against epidemics and drought.

  • Bhadra-Kali - ā€˜Devouring the flamesā€™, a fierce and terrible but beneficial form of Kali, as she acts as the protector of the good.

  • Guhya-Kali is the personification of Kaliā€™s eternal wisdom. Terrifying form of the goddess.

  • Siddhi-Kali - the beautiful form of the goddess, bringing spiritual benefits and filling with vitality.

  • Chandika-Kali - embodiment of Truth and spiritual wisdom, dissolving obstacles on the Path.

Mahakali (Sanskrit ą¤¹ą¤¾ą¤•ą¤¾ą¤²ą„€, MahākālÄ« - ā€˜Great Kaliā€™ / Supreme Mother Kali, as she is called in a particularly destructive aspect) is the highest form of Brahman and one of the three main forms of the Mother Goddess, Maha-Devi, whose other two forms are Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati. She is a powerful cosmic aspect and represents the guna of tamas. In the form of Mahakali, the Great Goddess represents the cyclic aspect of existence and maintains the cosmic order. The many-faced Kali possesses tremendous power. She is pure transcendental Shakti, full of darkness.

Mahakali is depicted with ten heads and hands. She has ten faces and three eyes on each head. In each of her ten hands is an attribute of one of the devas, representing his power. Mahakali is responsible for all the powers that these deities are, Mahakali contains all the powers of the Universe. All five elements are subject to her: water, earth, air, fire, and ether. Everything was created from the original darkness, and the dark appearance of Kali represents this darkness that gave birth to the entire world. Maha Kali is also revered as the guardian of nature, the loving and kind mother goddess.

Analysis of the appearance / her attributes

Most often she can be seen depicted with disheveled hair, with a necklace of severed human heads, a belt made of severed human hands. She has earrings in her ears made of corpses. She has four arms. In her upper left hand she holds a bloody sword. She is completely naked, and her body glistens with blood streaming from a necklace of severed heads around her neck.

She holds the severed head of the demon in her lower left hand. Her upper right hand is folded in a gesture of fearlessness, and her lower right hand is folded in a gesture of bestowing favors. Her fangs are monstrous and her face expresses fury (in some images, her expression is contented. She smiles furiously). Blood trickles from the corners of her mouth, giving a luster to her face. Her tongue is out of her mouth, her eyes glisten with blood-red fire, and her face and body are drenched in blood. With one foot she tramples the body of her husband, Shiva.

  • The ruffled and tangled hair is the mystery enveloping our entire existence and death.

  • The four arms of the goddess represent the full circle of creation and destruction contained within her. The four sides of light, the four major chakras, creating as well as destroying the rhythms of the universe. Her right hands, making signs of blessing and banishing fear, represent the creative aspect of Kali. Her left hands, holding a bloody sword and severed head, represent her destructive aspect.

  • Black (dark, dark blue) color means an unclouded state of pure consciousness. Infinity of space and eternity of time. Black symbolizes the superiority of Kali over all things, over the realm of death. The color emphasizes her all-encompassing and transcendent nature. The Mahanirvana-tantra says, ā€œAs all colors disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in it.ā€ In the same way, black means the total absence of color. This is Nirguna (absence of characteristics) - the nature of Kali as the supreme reality.

  • Kaliā€™s nakedness symbolizes the bright fire of truth that cannot be hidden under the coarse robes of ignorance. In her absolute, pristine nakedness, Kali is free from all the illusions of the world. She is beyond human convention and very straightforward. Her nakedness is primordial, fundamental, and transparent, like nature-the earth, the sea, and the sky. She is beyond ā€œfalse consciousness.ā€ Nudity is a perfectly enlightened consciousness, unaffected by lies, limitations.

  • Kaliā€™s full/lush breasts symbolize motherhood as a continuous act of creation.

  • Her necklace of fifty human heads is a succession of human incarnations. Each of these heads represents one of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet and symbolizes the great potential for knowledge and wisdom. The skulls show her ability to free the mind from identifying itself with the body.

  • She wears a belt of severed human hands, which are the basic tools of human labor. These hands symbolize the action of karma. Kali can nullify karma, to remove those devoted to her from the cycle of karma.

  • Her white teeth are a symbol of purity, and her sticking out red tongue reflects that she accepts and consumes all things, including those considered ā€œforbiddenā€ by society. The blood-red tongue symbolizes the guna rajas, the kinetic energy of the universe.

  • The bloody sword and severed head symbolize the destruction of ignorance and the dawn of knowledge. The sword cuts the knots of ignorance, delusion. The severed head of the demon - cutting off the human ego, false consciousness, which prevents the perception of the world. Kaliā€™s sword opens the gates of freedom. The severed head, bleeding, means the flowing out of the guna of rajas (purification of man, who is filled with sattvic qualities in his awakening to the truth).

  • Her three eyes represent the Sun, the Moon, and fire (or lightning). Creation, preservation, and destruction. Through them Kali is able to observe three periods of time: past, present and future. This attribute also explains the true, hidden origin of the name Kali: it is the feminine form of the word ā€œkalaā€ - the Sanskrit term for time.

  • The image of Shiva lying under Kaliā€™s feet symbolizes not only the superiority of the spiritual aspect of existence over the physical, but also the passive masculine potential of creation. Kali is His ā€œShaktiā€ - His Power, His divine energy - i.e., the feminine beginning of creation.

All things are created and destroyed in Kaliā€™s wild dance. Man must realize that he is only invited to participate temporarily in this frantic dance of life and death performed by eternal Mother Nature.

A more ā€œearthlyā€ description of how the energy of Kali can be used. Practitioner recommendations

The goddess has both creative and destructive functions. She is a protector, blesses and promotes spiritual development, forces to develop discipline, not to yield to base instincts, destroys the stronghold of all evils - the limited mind of man, which leads to the comprehension of the higher reality. The energy channel of the goddess Kali is recommended to all women to increase personal sexuality, attractiveness, fulfillment of desires. This channel is perfect for all those who wish to be protected from evil forces, to purify their souls, and to gain a non-divine understanding of things. The energy of Kali will help men to release their latent sexuality, to attract women, to understand their real desires, to clear a heavy personal destiny.

  • Enhancing personal energy
  • Opening of energy centers, especially such centers as the Svadhistana chakra (sexual chakra), the heart center, the Ajna chakra (spiritual development and vision chakra)
  • Increases confidence in yourself and your strength, confidence to act without thinking, analysis and doubts
  • Helps to attract a sexual partner or lover for a relationship. Kali channel gives development of sexuality and attraction, the opposite sex will be drawn to you;
  • Gains power over oneself, life circumstances
  • Heals many sexual pathologies in both men and women
  • Promotes earning, attraction and general management of money, monetary energy. Finance refers to the material sphere and ā€œlikesā€ confidence, which is what Kali energy gives to all its practitioners
  • Protects against enemies, evil spirits and demons. Used to destroy evil, destructive energy. Kali energy is used to purify space, machine, things, chakras, other people, for their energy field from various parasites and other subtle negative entities
  • Removes black magical influences (spoilages, curses, charms, etc.), which were applied to you recently or in the past (for example, decades ago, in childhood or even in past lives)
  • The Kali channel promotes deep learning, spiritual development, personal mission unfolding, revealing inherent abilities and capabilities
  • Significantly opens the heart and the ability to feel, experience and give deep love
  • Gives various powers: the power of wish fulfillment, protection from various negative phenomena in this world, magical powers, female and male power, the power of healing

Kali energy is also used:

to remove various blocks, negative attitudes, programs in any sphere (love, business, health, development), which prevent you from fully enjoying the benefits of life

to cleanse the subconscious and unconscious from traumatic past experiences (psychological and emotional trauma)

If you want to get out of the ā€œvicious circle of repetitive gray events of routineā€ and start living a real vibrant life

To disclose a variety of superpowers (clairvoyance, getting information from the same field of knowledge, the fulfillment of desires and others)

To improve sex life, improve relationships with loved ones (or to break up unnecessary already dead relationships), increase passion and attraction to a partner

For own comprehension and knowledge of the spiritual path

If you want to clean your apartment, house, car, loved ones, yourself from the negative energy or make a higher protection

If you constantly perform energy sessions of healing and purification for others.

If you want to rejuvenate your body, remove unnecessary negative information and all the ā€œgarbageā€ from the cells, destroy old unnecessary neural connections of the brain

For general expansion of consciousness and experiencing mystical spiritual experiences, including out-of-body and astral travel

Kali energy helps to recycle a personā€™s negative karma: this process may not be entirely pleasant. All heavy structures burn up in her energies to make room for new

The energy of Kali helps you see life situations as they are, without falsehoods or lies. It opens masks. It reveals what is outdated and needs to be gotten rid of here and now: attachments and energy cords, dependencies on different people, other peopleā€™s imposing patterns. Kali reveals and helps to get rid of energy vampires, limiting habits that get in the way of achieving goals. Kali can awaken a dormant force, unrestrained, free and not subject to anyone, whole, self-sufficient, absolutely not ready to compromise, fearless. This force fears nothing, submits to no one.

The other side of this force is creative, soft, kind, in perfect harmony with the world around it, relaxed, but also free, it has nothing to prove and no one to fight with. The love between the Divine Mother and her human children is a unique relationship. Kali, the Dark Mother, is one such deity with whom devotees have a very loving and intimate relationship, despite her fearful appearance. In this relationship the worshipper becomes a child and Kali takes the form of an ever caring mother. Kali resides precisely in the heart, and under her influence all limitations and ignorance are burned away in the funeral pyre. This inner funeral fire of knowledge is the jnana-agni that Kali bestows. It is she (if fearlessly met face to face in meditation) who gives sadhana tremendous power and supreme liberation.

She has a staggering intensity, a powerful passion for attainment, a divine fury that rushes out to crush all limitations and obstaclesā€¦ She is all about swiftness, about instant effective action, about a swift and direct strike, a frontal onslaught that sweeps everything before itā€¦ She is the worlds warrior who never shies away from a battle. Intolerant of all imperfection, she is not ceremonious about anything that limits man. The energy of Kali embodies freedom, freedom from social norms. It is the energy of freedom from social and ethical duties and expectations. This energy brings consciousness beyond convention. The black goddess Kali is considered a source of inspiration for all creative people, especially poets, whom she considers her favorites and chosen ones.

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Damn Kali in the house aint no playin around with her.

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:smirk::smirk::smirk: i know this one lady

Houseā€™s on fire now Ugnisssssss

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Oh, my UgniS! Oh yes, she means business. I am sure that she has given you her blessing to learn from her and assimilate her great abilities. :slight_smile:

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Excellent write up! Very interesting and informative.

As for Kali herself? Fierce! @Baya is correctā€¦she did not come to play! :skull:

Well done! Kudos to the team! :clinking_glasses:

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I KNEW there was sth epic about the Linux distribution

Oh waitā€¦

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woooo!! sound really powerfull this one nft , I hope to get it,would be it a great tool in our hands :heart_eyes: :fire:, I can t waiting for.

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The manā€™s head in her hand! Who is that?!
He looks familiar! :grin:

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Hahaha

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Takes just unlimited dedication and devotion ;)
Most definitely a grand connection to have.

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Thank you for the text

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The NFT art was created based on another image that was sent to Captain,
and yes I must say that it has been modified a lot from the original.
Some elements are very interesting, among all the head that originally belonged to the demon has been replaced by the head of what would seem almost a ā€œcontemporary manā€. (I got the same ā€œfamiliar vibeā€ in some ways)

When we asked Captain for details to appease our curiosity he replied that there is a long story behind it, but that the Goddess was very specific in designing this art.
The final result was chosen by Kali herself. (Words of the captain).

I donā€™t know if someday Captain will tell us the whole story or if it will be up to us to perhaps get Kali to tell us the details behind itā€¦

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It looks like Christopher Walken as Max Shreck in Batman Returns

Maybe itā€™s retribution for the part he played in the Natalie Wood scandalā€¦or maybe Kali just wanted more cow bell! :rofl:

EDIT to change ā€œCaptainā€ wanting more cow bell to ā€œKaliā€ wanting more cowbell.

EDIT: Added a video to explain the ā€œcowbellā€ reference

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Any new born is fiercely protected by its mother . Thatā€™s how kaliā€™s love is.
She is so fierce in protecting and showering her love and blessings.
You guys are Lucky and blessed to have her by your side.

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I wish I could be a part of this community project. I am a devotee of Goddess Kaliā€¦i missed it.

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OMG, Godess Kaliā€¦ I wish I knew this project when it started :sweat_smile:

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Divine creation, congratulations to all and thanks to Captain.

Is this Maa Kali herself and her connection to nft users ? Similar to Tara devi or Sekhmet ?

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:slight_smile:

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Thanks, it answered many things :pray:

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This writing is Beautiful. :heart:
How might one be ā€œMarkedā€ by Kali?

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