Shakti Rising
In the ancient tradition of yoga there is the concept of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva, represents the male form of matter, our physical form and Shakti the female essence of energy. It is written that Shiva is considered almost fully inert, Kaphagenic, if you would in his manifest state whereas Shakti is pure power and movement, Pitta and Vata combined; without her Shiva does not move.
Today, International Women’s Day, is a celebration of the divine feminine that exists in all of us regardless of what gender you identify with. I like to call it Shakti Day because it is a celebration of the power and movement of pure consciousness that exists inside each of us. Cultivating our power and movement to be a force of truth, Satya, in the world is one of the highest missions we can have in this embodied experience that we call life. How we use our Shakti gives us insight into whether we are in a state of wellness or dis-ease from an Ayurvedic perspective. Shakti and consciousness go hand-in-hand.
Using our energy to cultivate good in the world, to stand in the face of injustice in all of its forms – racism, sexism, homophobia, speciesism, etc. in a state of Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance)— is how we grow our Shakti as a balanced force to exist in the cosmos and within our physical bodies. On the reverse side, using our Shakti to cultivate violence, hate, anger and separatism will only lead to an energetic imbalance in the universe and land in our bodies as a state of distortion and imbalance; it’s simple Ayurveda AND simple physics – for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.
And, where does this begin? This begins with our consciousness. How we use our Shakti comes from our state of being. My mother always said to reflect before acting. At the small age of 6 she taught me that raising my consciousness would serve me well.
Isn’t that interesting?
