Goddess Kali, one of the 10 Goddesses that form different aspects of Parvati. (Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari Shodoshi, Bhuvaneshvari, Tripura Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati,
Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala).
Goddess Kali is one of the many different aspects of Parvati, the manifestation of Shakti, which is said to be the primordial cosmic energy and the dynamic forces that move throughout the Universe. Shakti often described as feminine power is the personification of the creative, sustaining, and destructive energy. Kali appears for the first time in early Upanishad literature around 500 BCE when words like karma and moksha begin to grow with Buddhism, which rejected the materialistic obsession with society. Kali is born from the locks of Shiva’s hair along with her brother Virabhatra. She stands on top of Shiva, but together they invoke violence, sexuality, and an indifference to social disapproval.
Goddess Kali & Archetypes
Archetypes are guiding, inspiring, and living through us each day. Plato referred to archetypes as Forms, which he saw as pre-existing ideal templates or blueprints. Carl Jung called them “primordial images” and the “fundamental units of the human mind.” In The Structure and Dynamics of The Psyche, he also wrote, “Archetypes are the living system of reactions and aptitudes that determine the individual’s life in invisible ways.”
Goddess Kali embodies human discomfort with the dark side of nature. She is associated with rage and violence and also represents unbridled lust. Kali’s tongue is a symbol that mocks the limitations and assumptions of human observance. It reminds us of our raw essence and how, in nature, sex and violence ensure the survival of the fittest. Human contemplation judges sex and violence in ethical, moral, and aesthetic terms. Nonetheless, humans have to submit to sex and violence in order to survive.
How To Harness The Energy of Kali for Enlightenment
In tantra, the point of eroticism was not indulgence or subversion but a desire to confront one’s deepest fears. It demanded that the aspirant break free from the social structures, customs, and personal beliefs that offered them security. If they succeeded in doing so, they became a hero. Confrontation with fears is what gives birth to wisdom. And confronting our deepest fears is the epitome of what the archetype of Goddess Kali represents.
First, we must be willing to surrender to change and inner transformation, even if we are met with aspects of ourselves that are uncomfortable and weren’t aware of their existence before. Goddess Kali is there to help us transcend our mind’s limitations and break free from fears of needing to conform to social norms and family structures or the role that is expected of us to play within society. Kali pushes you over the edge and helps you connect with your innermost being by breaking down all mental and emotional barriers and limiting beliefs of who you should be or what you think you should do in order to be loved, appreciated, respected, and accepted.
Ultimately, Goddess Kali helps you become your unique, unapologetic self without needing to seek approval outside yourself but rather bring that approval from within, even if it means risking being ostracized, judged, or an outcast. The Kali archetype is fierce and ruthless and can destroy everything we have to rebuild on a more solid foundation. Such as relationships that limit one’s path to spiritual enlightenment or a career choice and lifestyle that restricts the achievement of your full potential.
This is why the Kali archetype is so vital for our spiritual evolution. In the end, it’s about self-realization. And we cannot have self-realization if we are still bound to restricting beliefs and a conservative mindset where through limiting ideas and self-perceptions, we see ourselves partially and not wholly. Without her, we cannot bring those barriers down and overcome our deepest fears by confronting our innermost selves, both shadow and light, the good and the bad we don’t want to see.
Goddess Kali & Reclaiming Self-Respect
Another fierce aspect of Kali is depicted in a story where Vishnu takes his various avatars, such as Parashuram, Ram, and Krishna, only to satisfy the bloodlust of Kali, who wants to drink the blood of men who treat her with disrespect. This depiction shows us why it is essential to understand her archetype and not fear the embodiment of this aspect of the divine, or Shakti
If you aspire to experience Kali’s archetype, know that it will certainly guide and help you see where change is needed first, even with those closest to you. Its embodiment is supposed to help you stand up for yourself and speak up to anyone who does not reflect the same self-love and self-respect you’ve acquired along your journey. Although it may be overwhelming at first to come face to face with that kind of power that is almost impossible to tame because of its raw and destructive force, which stems from within, it is more than necessary. Because that same force is what will allow the inner alchemy, transformation, and rebirth to occur. The most important thing is to stay self-aware, give yourself the proper space to feel your emotions with no judgment, and be willing to allow the path to reveal itself. Interestingly enough, most problems arise when we seek to be in total control.
Yes, we can’t deny that staying calm in the midst of a storm isn’t necessarily easy, especially when we are inundated with so many different aspects on an emotional level. But when Kali appears, we must be willing to give up control because, without this archetype, we cannot become conscious of all the underlying fears that prevent us from fully acknowledging ourselves and overcoming any form of mistreatment and oppression.
