consciousness and recognise our
fundamental oneness with one another
and the cosmos. To do this, she must
put the ego in its place and ultimately
dissolve it. The ego, however, will fi ght
her to the death.
The demons personify the more
primitive and intransigent forces of ego.
They are the parts of us that
unabashedly crave power over others.
The demonic part of the self sees
everything and everyone, including the
higher powers of the universe, as tools
that serve the ego’s personal agendas.
The gods, as we’ve mentioned, also
represent aspects of the self, but they
represent the authentic Self, the unique
personal qualities of essence. The devas
represent our love, our dedication, our
good intentions, and the forgiveness and
compassion we display when we’re
aligned with the higher Self. Durga
arrives in our inner world to strengthen
those higher qualities, whether for the
sake of accomplishing good in the world
or for progress on the spiritual path.
As postmodern practitioners, we
usually prefer to take a gentler attitude
toward our dark side. Most of us long
ago rejected authoritarian religion, with
its talk of sin and insistence on
eliminating the darker forces within us.
If we are practitioners of a path that
emphasises our innate goodness, we
might prefer to ignore the negative
qualities in the self on the principle that
fi ghting the ego only strengthens it. If
we’re psycho-dynamically oriented, we
might be interested in bringing our
shadow qualities into the light so we can
integrate the power tied up in anger or
greed or pride. If we are walking a
nondual path, we may feel that all
struggle has to be given up, since
everything is ultimately one.
All these approaches are useful,
some on the level of personality, others
as part of the practice for
enlightenment. But there are moments
when the only way to put our narcissism
in its place is with a sword—the sword
of wisdom wielded by a warrior who
takes no prisoners. This is Durga’s role,
whether she is operating in the outer
world or the inner world.
In my life, the energy of the warrior
goddess with her upraised sword shows
up to remind me to get my striving,
performance-oriented ego out of the
way so that the deeper power can unfold
my life according to her evolutionary
imperative. Durga, in my
inner world, is the
unstoppable energy of
spiritual growth. When I
resist that, I often
encounter an
unexpected setback.
She might get in
my face as a kind
of cosmic “No!” to
my personal
agendas—and then
manifest as the deeper
awakening that follows
when I am able to let
them go.
Over the years, I’ve
been through this cycle
often. At times, egoic
illusions grow bigger, pile up,
and take over my world—until, like a
river in springtime, they become so
swollen that they must come bursting
forth. Then, nearly always, I hear the
roar of the goddess’s lion sounding
through my dreams.
Perhaps Durga shows up to guide me
through an impasse. Maybe I’ll make
some horrifi c mistake, and she’ll appear
to help me navigate the consequences.
More and more, I’ve learned in those
moments to bow to her in order to
spare myself the pain that
comes from resistance to the
shakti’s agenda for my
growth.
Whenever you feel
yourself caught in one of
those moments—when your
personal will seems blocked
by immovable obstacles—
consider that it might be a
signal from the shakti.
Then, try sitting for a few
minutes in meditation
and using your
imagination to bring
yourself into the
presence of Durga.FINDING YOUR
FEROCITYOne of the most powerful practices for
connecting with the goddess is to
imagine that with each inhalation, you
draw in her loving, protecting,
empowering energy, and with each
exhalation you breathe her energy
through your body. As in so much yoga
practice, the breath is the bridgeWith MINDBODY, all the
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