...My pilgrimage to Shakti Peeths in the tantric heartland of West Bengal meeting Baul minstrels and a jungle yogi on the way.
...She is in an absolute rage. Eyes are red with intoxication. Hair is disheveled. Small fangs protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling, dripping with blood.
...The Navadurgas, or the nine manifested forms of Goddess Durga, are venerated during the festival of Navaratri. In the Chandi Path, the Navadurgas are known as the Relievers of Difficulty and each Devi is endowed with unique powers and characteristics.
...Devi Durga is usually depicted riding into battle on a lion, with ten arms, each hand holding a celestial weapon or assuming a mudra (symbolic hand gesture).
...Devi Durga is known as the Invincible One, the Mother of the Universe. Lord Shiva called Ma Durga by 108 names in order to please her. Each name represents a quality that she possesses.
...Shakti Peeth, or “Seat of Shakti”, is a sacred place of eternal power— a significant shrine or pilgrimage destination — where a part of Devi Sati’s body, or a piece of her jewellery, fell to earth. Shakti refers to the Goddess worshiped at each location, all being manifestations of Sati; later known as Parvati or Durga.
...In the morning of time, in the golden age of Satya Yuga, when the mountains and plains and forests of the world were newborn, there was a lake – the most beautiful lake the world would ever know. It sparkled like liquid gold. Into it poured the clearest streams from the glaciers of the Himalayas.
...Drukpa Kunley is also known as the 'fertility saint', and Chimi Lhakhang is visited not only by the Bhutanese but by couples from all over the world hoping to conceive.
....Any Yoga Teacher Training, if they’re doing the job properly, are life changing. People who come are usually ready to experience transformation in their lives. For sure, after a month of living in a monastery in Nepal your view/perception of the world shifts.
