YOGINI, the Enlightened Woman

[Guest guest]

Aham Prema

I am Divine Love

 

" A Yogini is one who is possessed of magical powers,'' so we find in

the Thousand Names of Goddess Bhavani. Yet the foremost of these

magic powers is not the power to change the external world but the

ability to realize the Divine reality within ourselves. In the

mythology of the Devi (Goddess), the Mother archetype shapes herself

through mystery, beauty and abundance pervading all of life. The

supreme Shakti of Para Shiva, the Absolute Reality, She is ever

willing to create, yield or generate universal energies. She is the

supreme ruler of the universe who can grant all blessings and assuage

all sorrows. The Yogini reflects her energies in the human world.

 

A true Yogini is an enlightened woman with exuberant passion,

spiritual powers and deep insight. A woman attaining a transcendental

state through sadhana becomes a celestial Yogini, a female adept at

Yoga. She carries the energy of the Goddess within herself. The

Yogini unfolds the mystic beauty and power of the Goddess through her

transformational force of the Divine feminine. The Yogini's benign

nature leads one to the supreme reality of oneness, which is an ever

blissful state, resting in the inextinguishable flame of the

spiritual heart.

 

Yoginis communicate a sense of freedom and a sheer mastery in

whatever they do in life, whether it is mundane activities or deep

meditation. Their compelling gaze can hypnotize even a great yogi. In

the ancient literature, it is said that Deities called Yoginis are

capable of changing their physical forms at will, carrying all of

nature in their demeanor and expression. There are sixty four such

Yoginis through which the secret forces of nature operate.

 

In addition to these `cosmic' Yogini forces, Tantric scholars have

written about the human Yogini as an independent, outspoken,

forthright woman with a gracefulness of spirit. She is the feminine

counterpart of the great Yogi and carries similar insights, faculties

and energies but with a special beauty, grace and delight. Besides

great Yogis, there is a tradition of great Yoginis, either along with

the Yogis or on their own. For example, Mahavatar Babaji, the great

immortal guru of Kriya Yoga is said to have such a Yogini counterpart.

 

Tantric texts honor both women and the Earth alike as sources of

energy, vitality, and sustenance, providing physical and spiritual

well-being. The Divine Mother holds the key to all lasting

regeneration in this ecological age of strife and turbulence.

Reconnecting with the sacred feminine energy of the universe allows

us to restore the Divine balance within ourselves, celebrating the

Devi power, mystery and magic of transformation through which all

life breathes and evolves. In our surrender to the supreme power of

the Mother Goddess, she guides us through her Maya, the world of

illusion, taking us beyond all ignorance, suffering and pain. The

unifying power of the Divine Mother can bring about the healing of

all humanity and the entire planet, if we open up to her presence

beneath, above and around us. The Yogini is a female Yoga adept who

aids the Mother Goddess in her work of healing the planet.

 

In Hindu thought, the Yogini represents the Yoga Shakti herself, the

Kundalini or serpent power, which she embodies. The Yogini is also

the foremost of the resident powers or female Deities of the

different chakras (called Dakinis), through which the chakras are

energized. The Yogini possesses the inner power of Yoga and can

awaken it in others, not only generally but at any point or place in

the body or mind where she directs her attention. One's ability to

achieve the higher states of Yoga can be facilitated by an

association with such a Yogini who reflects this higher power of

Yoga. Such a Yogini is much more than a woman asana expert. She can

play with the full spectrum of the powers of consciousness, mind,

heart, soul and Prana, even while sitting still. She is particularly

adept at mantra, ritual and the invocation of the Divine forces.

 

By SHAMBHAVI CHOPRA

 

http://www.tathaastumag.com/index.php?hid=1700