Hindu Mythology (Female Deities)

Woman… a creature full of grace and beauty, eroticism and innocence, warmth and compassion. A source of inspiration, the embodiment of creativity, of sacrifice and offer. Warrior and mother, full of power, mystery and love!

Indian mythology is filled with stories of Goddesses who stand as equals next to the male Deities. In fact, their role is complementary, and their energy is required for the activation of the qualities of their male companions. Brahma is the creator of the world, but he needs the creative energy of Saraswati to complete the task. Until the Goddess appears from his breath, as a symbol of knowledge and creativity, Brahma seems to be baffled as to how to bring order into the chaos that rules the universe. Vishnu preserves and protects the worlds, but he does that while he is “infused” with the energy of his consort, Laksmi, i.e the energy of abundance and sustenance. Shiva sits for thousands of years in a cave in Mount Kailash, immersed in his meditation, but idle, as far as the mundane things are concerned (an idleness which causes chaos), until the Gods beg the Goddess to become embodied as Sati and “awaken” him. Shiva is the Spirit, the Higher Consciousness, the stable, indestructible and eternal observer, who is immaterial, and thus, cannot create anything material. His wife symbolizes the creative energy (Shakti) behind Higher Consciousness. Through their union, it is she who provides the energy and vitality, and she is the one who allows the immaterial spirit to become manifested and to create worlds.

On the human level, all of the female forces presented in the mythology hide our own archetypal qualities that remain unchanged through space and time. The grace of Laksmi, the wisdom of Saraswati, the fierceness of Durga, the decisive force for change that is Kali… All of the Goddesses are also parts of our own selves, and when regarded as symbols, they can unfold deeply hidden aspects of us. They remind us that all the qualities they stand for are also here; ranging from rage to compassion, from darkness to light. And even those that we usually blame are necessary and potentially sacred… By taking such an approach, our research on Goddesses can become extremely transformative.