Chidagni: The Goddess as the Fire of Consciousness

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CHIDAGNI: THE GODDESS AS THE FIRE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

By Shambhavi Chopra

 

Ma Kali gently tended the coals of my inner fires, stirring the

flames of Agni to manifest every magical colour, permeating the very

spanda or creative pulsation resonating throughout my being. At an

innermost level, Agni is the fire of consciousness, Chidagni, the

awareness of the supreme Brahman, the ultimate Existence in itself.

Chidjyoti, the `light of consciousness', is the power behind the mind

that illumines both sensory objects and our thought patterns, bathing

them in the beauty of its eternal radiance.

 

The universe weaves a divine tapestry of light and energy, which has

been tapped by our ancient Rishis and by Native Guides all over the

world resonating with nature's beatitude. The Seers perceived the

subtle vibrations, the `aliveness' of light, pervading the Tanmatras

or root essences of sight, sound, taste, touch or smell, as well as

the inner intuitive perception of one's sixth sense of Being. Our

mergence into the all pervasive light allows us to experience a pure

state of illumination inside and outside, ushering us through the

gateway of higher consciousness.

 

Shakti prevails on all levels, from supreme Brahman to the minutest

living organism. Every light form has its own shakti, from the rays

of the Sun to the luminescence of Moonlight. Brahma Shakti is chit

shakti, the power of consciousness existing as one with the Shiva

principle. Ishvara as the cosmic world is the power or will of God to

transform and nourish every living being. All the forces of nature

represent Shakti, unfolding the goddesses lila or play. Durga's light

protects and encircles us with her divine power. Kali is the

pulsating, stimulating relentless energy.

 

As the spirit of fire, Agni personifies Jyoti or light as perception.

The gift of sight is the power of fire, as seeing is our way of

cognizing light. The clarity of seeing discloses the essence of

everything that we observe. Kali is Charunetra, the `Devi with

beautiful eyes', viewing the entire cosmic play through her fire of

consciousness. She destroys all illusion in her role as Bhrama-

nasini, `the one who destroys all confusion', embodying the three

states of Creation- Preservation -Destruction as Brahma, Vishnu and

Shiva.

 

At the altar of sacrifice Kali is Agni, echoing its brilliance,

hissing its fiery magic yet tending the warmth of its dying embers.

Fire is a sacrifice unto itself, a sense of mysticism shrouding its

powers. At the fire altar is placed our own sacrifice of both inner

and outer natures, holding a deep reverence in its sacrificial act.

 

Cultivating the fire of awareness on every level enables one to

experience sheer Ananda or bliss. In the inner Yoga, Agni reflects

the fiery Kundalini force dwelling in the Muladhara holding all

deeper earth-like qualities. This `root fire' expresses the power of

our aspirations, rising from below and ascending heavenwards.

 

Our inner fires must be tended to with great care and a gentle

fanning, to keep their forces moving throughout our being. One must

prepare the ground for the fire's magnificent ascent through the

body, mind and soul. There are no shortcuts to higher revelations.

The search for the illumining light must begin within oneself. These

inner stirrings manifest when we quieten all exterior noise,

silencing all worldly distraction.

 

When guidance flows from the heart, its purity vanquishes the

perturbed questionings of a doubting mind. The loving flow of trust

in the heart's capacity to manifest higher thoughts will create the

space for sattvic or pure aspiration. The gentle calming of the soul

will awaken an inner intelligence, guiding the mind to read the

subtle nuances of the soul.

 

Kali opens the doors to the spiritual heart with her blessings. She

represents the highest flame of the fire which takes us from the

depths of our being to the most secret chambers of the heart. Hers is

the kindling power which ignites the fire to traverse its fiery path,

seeking out the blue flame within the spiritual heart.

 

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Hridaya, the spiritual heart, is the creative, unique home of the all-

consuming Agni in its purest nature. The tiny flame of the supreme

Agni rests in the womb of the heart. The heart carries the strains of

the entire universe as the ultimate abode of both the Devatas and the

soul. Goddess Kali resides in our hridaya, manifesting all time,

space, aspirations and experiences.

 

This tiny etheric space perceived within the heart through sadhana is

called Hridayaksha, the `heart space' or `dahara akasha', `the small

space'. Ma Kali sits enthroned in this diminutive space within the

heart in the inextinguishable flame of Agni. The vision of the

universe within it is the eternal Soma offering of endless joy!

Kali's grace unfolds as Siddhida, `the giver of siddhis', higher

powers and mystic renderings.

 

Agni is represented by an upward facing triangle, indicating the

striving of the soul's aspirations to higher truths. Familiarising

myself with life's journey, yoked by my sadhana I learned to nurture

the fierceness of Agni, sustaining its fiery flame of concentration,

awareness, perception, and insight.

 

Kali's triangular form of Agni was realised through meditation, its

varying hues and tempestuous heat purifying my lower energies through

burning their samskaras, the `subtle impressions of my past actions'.

As an upward pointing triangle one seeks her power of speech, the

very tongue of the Goddess, the tongue of fire! As a downward

pointing triangle, one experiences her flow of grace, through the

womb of immortality!

 

The ageless silence of the ancient Himalayas oriented my mind to a

gentle flow of Self-inquiry, bringing in its wake a deeper current of

inner grace. Waves of Bhakti Yoga or sheer devotion filled my being

with a sweet Soma, the divine nectar. Surrender to the Divine

consecrated my life with a surge of blessings, guiding me to

experience the ecstasy of their spiritual delight.

 

As Rakta Kali, her currents of blood (rakta) flow through everything.

Seeking the flow of blood comprises her deeper nature. There is

nothing through which her powerful currents do not course; yet her

aim is not to consume our blood but to direct its course back to our

soul, of which she is the mother. It is the very blood of life that

she brings to us, the prana or cosmic life force supporting the most

primal will of all life – to live forever.

 

The flow of the life force through Kali's grace awakens the Shakti,

her electrical power, providing us a relentless spiritual energy for

our sadhana. Ma Kali's Kriya Shakti, her power of yogic

transformation, guides us through all the impediments of illusion,

karma and our limited mindset. Her vibrant energies release a

lightning force like a sword, cutting through all negativity,

clearing the path for the ascension of the Kundalini fire.

 

The fine edge of Kali's sword energizes the celestial weapons of the

Devatas, the sadhana of the Yogin and the Prana of all life. Her

sword is not one of negation; it allows us to envision a reversal,

revealing the beauty of eternity cutting through each transient

moment. It strikes at the inertia of ignorance and death in order to

release the light within us. Kali's dynamism fans the flame of

Chidagni within the precincts of the spiritual heart, allowing its

fire to raise our vibrational levels, creating a sacred space for the

blossoming of all our sacred lotuses.

 

The Dark Goddess graced me with an innate proficiency in using the

fiery inner flame, raising my energy to higher planes, charring the

debilitating vulnerability of body and mind, dissolving the shadows

of darkness into the luminescence of Her spiritual love and Light.

 

Jai Ma Kali! Jagatadhatri!

Victory to the Mother as the Support of All the Worlds!

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