An Ode to Women: Shrines of Strength, Beauty, and Divinity
When I first became a spiritual teacher, I was introduced to Dus Mahavidya, the ten cosmic Goddesses on the sacred path to Tantra. Each Goddess possesses unimaginable powers and thus is capable of making the impossible possible (and vice versa). I remember asking my spiritual teacher – my father – how I could relate to Kaali, Durga, and other such powerful Goddesses.
“Aren’t they too high for me to reach and too powerful for me to approach?” I asked.
My father suggested that I cultivate a motherly relationship with the Goddesses. This would allow me to become effortlessly expressive when it came to my sadhna (spiritual practice or meditation) for them. So I studied and lived in an environment where I loved and honored these Goddesses just as if they were my biological mother. Throughout this process of worshipping the Goddesses, I developed an insurmountable respect and admiration for women.
As a result, women have had a tremendous influence on me, and they still do to this very day. Feminine energy is insanely powerful and devastatingly beautiful in all of its forms!
I believe that feminine energy is much more receptive to cosmic consciousness. That’s why a woman has been given the incredible responsibility of bringing a new life into the physical realm. Us men would probably freak out over just the thought of nurturing a soul within us for an entire nine months. Most of the women I know are also much more easily connected to meditation compared to men. There have been many times where I have witnessed a mother intuitively know that her child is in trouble, while the father doesn’t sense a thing.
There are many stories about our masters and how highly they regarded women: Lord Shiva’s better half is known as Shakti (which means strength), and it is said that He will be shaved (lifeless) without His Shakti by his side. Lord Krishna’s life is filled with countless instances where He treated common women, queens, and even prostitutes like goddesses. He transformed each woman that He came across. Even today, there are still some women in India who will not get married because they claim to already be married to Lord Krishna.
It’s really important to be aware of how men treat women in their lives. I’m not talking about the usual things, like complimenting her or taking her out on a date. Of course, we men should know to do these things, but we also need to understand that these gestures only bring temporary happiness to both parties. Our overall level of consciousness needs to be raised. The entire world has yet to realize that feminine energy is a significant and potent force. If this dynamic feminine energy is not channeled in the right direction, there’s a good chance that the spiritual aura of our planet will be disturbed.
We must stop objectifying women. Women are more than things to be used. Our educators, artists, storytellers, and most importantly, our media authorities, need to be held accountable for this. In many of society’s arenas, women are reduced to objects of pleasure. Whether you like it or not, the media heavily dominates society: from the helpless fairy tale princess movies that girls grow up with to the provocative magazine covers on the supermarket shelves.
Women are encouraged to be sexy in order to be accepted by men. This problem reaches far and wide on a global scale. In Los Angeles, I often pass by billboards with degrading messages that advertise “100% nude girls” or “Girls, Girls, Girls.” It makes me feel like I’m in the market of human trading. This type of content is not empowering for men or women. No one benefits from this exchange at all. It is totally unconscious behavior.
We need to change this. Women need to step into their power! It’s time that women acknowledge that they are divinity personified. When you begin to channel your energy properly there is literally nothing you can’t do. The ancient custodians most likely knew this, and they saw women as a threat to the masculine ego. Therefore, they systematically suppressed feminine energy. This is why we have the problems we do today. If male and female energies were balanced equally, things would be in perfect order. Sadly, right now they are not.
A few years ago, when I was working in a high-profile financial firm in New York City, every woman in the office was an object of pleasure for the men who held senior positions. Commenting on and gossiping about them as part of the daily routine. I am looking for the Kaali consciousness in these women. In India, fierce Goddesses were known to extinguish evil forces and literally shake the universe. Where has this strength gone?
Another important thing to mention is that not all men are on the side of suppression and oppression. Many men have been bold enough to pave the way for the divine female. They have sacrificed their egos in order to give deserving honor to the women in their life. Women need to be aware of this and appreciate these efforts. Our problem has to be solved from both sides equally. If men move aside to give rise to the feminine conscious, women must respect that in return. We have all been tasked with creating a just and social world, but it can only be done if both men and women come to mutual respect for each other.
You don’t need to answer me right now, but I want the men reading this to meditate upon one question: How do you treat the women in your life?
And for the women reading this, how are you treated? And how do you wish to be treated?
These are questions for you to reflect upon in your moments of stillness. Think about the answers when you aren’t surrounded by your ego. There is a new wave of consciousness developing a different paradigm when it comes to equality. I will see you there.