Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

[Guest guest]

-

<sanjulag

 

Friday, August 25, 2000 12:59 AM

Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

 

 

Hi, I put together the following piece, hope member friends enjoy it.

 

=========================================================

Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

=========================================================

 

The worship of a mother goddess as the source of life and fertility

has prehistoric roots, but the transformation of that deity into a

Great goddess of cosmic powers was achieved with the composition of

the Devi Mahatmya (Glory of the goddess), a text of the fifth to

sixth century, when worship of the female principle took on dramatic

new dimensions. The goddess is not only the mysterious source of

life, she is the very soil, all-creating and all consuming.

--

Hello Nitin,

 

Thank you for sharing this with us. It is well written and very clear to

understand.

I appreciate, as I am sure many others do as well, this recognition of the

feminine

as divine, and the significance of bringing this symbolism back to prominence in

our

consciousness.

 

With love,

Gloria

[Guest guest]

Hi Gloria,

 

Glad you enjoyed the piece.

 

Warmly,

 

Nitin and Sanjula G.

http://www.exoticindiaart.com

 

 

--- Gloria Lee <glee wrote:

>

> -

> <sanjulag

>

> Friday, August 25, 2000 12:59 AM

> Mother Goddess as Kali -

> The Feminine Force in Art

>

>

> Hi, I put together the following piece, hope member

> friends enjoy it.

>

>

=========================================================

> Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

>

=========================================================

>

> The worship of a mother goddess as the source of

> life and fertility

> has prehistoric roots, but the transformation of

> that deity into a

> Great goddess of cosmic powers was achieved with the

> composition of

> the Devi Mahatmya (Glory of the goddess), a text of

> the fifth to

> sixth century, when worship of the female principle

> took on dramatic

> new dimensions. The goddess is not only the

> mysterious source of

> life, she is the very soil, all-creating and all

> consuming.

> --

> Hello Nitin,

>

> Thank you for sharing this with us. It is well

> written and very clear to understand.

> I appreciate, as I am sure many others do as well,

> this recognition of the feminine

> as divine, and the significance of bringing this

> symbolism back to prominence in our

> consciousness.

>

> With love,

> Gloria

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!

/

[Guest guest]

, sanjulag wrote:

>

> A devotee poet says:

>

> "Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion?

> She appears black because She is viewed from a distance;

> but when intimately known She is no longer so.

> The sky appears blue at a distance, but look at it

> close by and you will find that it has no colour.

> The water of the ocean looks blue at a distance,

> but when you go near and take it in your hand,

> you find that it is colourless."

>

> …… Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86)

>

> Kali's nudity has a similar meaning. In many instances she is

> described as garbed in space or sky clad. In her absolute,

primordial

> nakedness she is free from all covering of illusion. She is Nature

> (Prakriti in Sanskrit), stripped of 'clothes'. It symbolizes that

she

> is completely beyond name and form, completely beyond the illusory

> effects of maya (false consciousness). Her nudity is said to

> represent totally illumined consciousness, unaffected by maya. Kali

> is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes

of

> ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.

 

Thanks Sanjulag. One thing has always puzzled me and maybe someone

can help. Are there different forms of Goddesses? Some more

frightening than others? Harsha's poem "Vision of the naked goddess"

describes a form of the Goddess that is pleasing and benevolent and

not like the usual descriptions of Kali. Which Goddess is that? Do

different mystics see different goddesses and why should that be if

all is one? What does anyone think? What do you say Harsha? I mean

are we all artists imagining what ever we like and painting the world

according to our needs? No offense intended.

 

Your brother in deep thinking and heavy duty psychology

TLP

[Guest guest]

, sanjulag wrote:

>

> A devotee poet says:

>

> "Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion?

> She appears black because She is viewed from a distance;

> but when intimately known She is no longer so.

> The sky appears blue at a distance, but look at it

> close by and you will find that it has no colour.

> The water of the ocean looks blue at a distance,

> but when you go near and take it in your hand,

> you find that it is colourless."

>

> .. Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86)

>

> Kali's nudity has a similar meaning. In many instances she is

> described as garbed in space or sky clad. In her absolute,

primordial

> nakedness she is free from all covering of illusion. She is Nature

> (Prakriti in Sanskrit), stripped of 'clothes'. It symbolizes that

she

> is completely beyond name and form, completely beyond the illusory

> effects of maya (false consciousness). Her nudity is said to

> represent totally illumined consciousness, unaffected by maya. Kali

> is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes

of

> ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.

 

Thanks Sanjulag. One thing has always puzzled me and maybe someone

can help. Are there different forms of Goddesses? Some more

frightening than others? Harsha's poem "Vision of the naked goddess"

describes a form of the Goddess that is pleasing and benevolent and

not like the usual descriptions of Kali. Which Goddess is that? Do

different mystics see different goddesses and why should that be if

all is one? What does anyone think? What do you say Harsha? I mean

are we all artists imagining what ever we like and painting the world

according to our needs? No offense intended.

 

Your brother in deep thinking and heavy duty psychology

TLP

------------------------------

 

Dear TLP,

 

 

The short answer is yes, and the long answer could fill a book! Many, many

images of

the divine feminine are seen and exist in art. From a psychological viewpoint,

they

may be said to be projections of one's imagination, in fact the Tibetan Book of

the

Dead exhorts the dead soul to remember that all the visions he may be seeing in

the

Bardo realm are his own projections.

 

Harsha is due back any day now, by the end of the month as I recall it. Many

others

here can give you a better explanation of the "all is one" idea, but as I

understand

it, this apparent diversity of the many IS the expression of the One. In any

case,

they are inseparable from one another.

 

You are correct to notice there is often a discrepancy between "imagining the

world

as we like" and reality. It is often said as it was above of Kali, that truth is

"beyond name and form" and ignorance is characterized as the veil hiding

reality.

This sure gives us a lot to talk about tho, doesn't it?

 

Love,

Gloria

[Guest guest]

Scuse me, resending since it hasn't shown up yet here.

 

 

, sanjulag wrote:

>

> A devotee poet says:

>

> "Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion?

> She appears black because She is viewed from a distance;

> but when intimately known She is no longer so.

> The sky appears blue at a distance, but look at it

> close by and you will find that it has no colour.

> The water of the ocean looks blue at a distance,

> but when you go near and take it in your hand,

> you find that it is colourless."

>

> .. Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86)

>

> Kali's nudity has a similar meaning. In many instances she is

> described as garbed in space or sky clad. In her absolute,

primordial

> nakedness she is free from all covering of illusion. She is Nature

> (Prakriti in Sanskrit), stripped of 'clothes'. It symbolizes that

she

> is completely beyond name and form, completely beyond the illusory

> effects of maya (false consciousness). Her nudity is said to

> represent totally illumined consciousness, unaffected by maya. Kali

> is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes

of

> ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.

 

Thanks Sanjulag. One thing has always puzzled me and maybe someone

can help. Are there different forms of Goddesses? Some more

frightening than others? Harsha's poem "Vision of the naked goddess"

describes a form of the Goddess that is pleasing and benevolent and

not like the usual descriptions of Kali. Which Goddess is that? Do

different mystics see different goddesses and why should that be if

all is one? What does anyone think? What do you say Harsha? I mean

are we all artists imagining what ever we like and painting the world

according to our needs? No offense intended.

 

Your brother in deep thinking and heavy duty psychology

TLP

------------------------------

 

Dear TLP,

 

 

The short answer is yes, and the long answer could fill a book! Many, many

images of

the divine feminine are seen and exist in art. From a psychological viewpoint,

they

may be said to be projections of one's imagination, in fact the Tibetan Book of

the

Dead exhorts the dead soul to remember that all the visions he may be seeing in

the

Bardo realm are his own projections.

 

Harsha is due back any day now, by the end of the month as I recall it. Many

others

here can give you a better explanation of the "all is one" idea, but as I

understand

it, this apparent diversity of the many IS the expression of the One. In any

case,

they are inseparable from one another.

 

You are correct to notice there is often a discrepancy between "imagining the

world

as we like" and reality. It is often said as it was above of Kali, that truth is

"beyond name and form" and ignorance is characterized as the veil hiding

reality.

This sure gives us a lot to talk about tho, doesn't it?

 

Love,

Gloria

[Guest guest]

> Hi, I put together the following piece,

> hope member friends enjoy it.

>

> =========================================================

> Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

> =========================================================

 

~ I am a new guest here, being a member of the Ramana

and Papaji lineage. I very much enjoyed the clarity

of the piece on Kali. Thank you for the energy you

put into developing it, and for offering it here.

 

Xan

[Guest guest]

Hi Xan,

 

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Warmly,

 

Nitin G.

http://www.exoticindiaart.com

 

 

--- Xan <xanma wrote:

>

> > Hi, I put together the following piece,

> > hope member friends enjoy it.

> >

> >

>

=========================================================

> > Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Art

> >

>

=========================================================

>

> ~ I am a new guest here, being a member of the

> Ramana

> and Papaji lineage. I very much enjoyed the clarity

> of the piece on Kali. Thank you for the energy you

> put into developing it, and for offering it here.

>

> Xan

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!

/