"Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create." -Saundaryalahari
Yesterday was a beautiful day, beginning with a sunrise meditation amongst a group of incredible humans. The gathering has a specific purpose - we intended to call upon the Divine Feminine and invoke it into our lives, in attempt to create meaning and develop understanding about what it actually is. At least that is how I am relating to it. I think all spiritual practices must have a clear intent underlying the purpose and meaning behind these rituals, otherwise they lose their power and potency. Everything that we do can be a 'spiritual practice', if by saying this we are simply referring to the fact that we are cultivating some type of change or transformation (is it okay to use the word transcendence here?) of our current limited sense of self to a greater sense of being. Whatever that might be. With sincerity, devotion and willingness as qualities we can connect to within us, that we can use to amplify a ceremony or ritual, we might find significant changes in our lives for the better. And this is the key point - that we are moving towards some higher idea of living, of existing, of being. This is the transcendence I am referring to. Transcending our current state of existing for something... higher?
But.. how do we do that? How do we change ourselves for the better? That is the topic of this post and hopefully we can explore it together with an open mind and heart to this possibility. I truly believe that as we begin to understand these concepts experientially, meaning we open ourselves to the possibility of them but then go on to actually see the truth for ourselves, there is no going back. The concepts discussed are only here to support an observation, so we can talk about it and share it. Just like we all agree that the sky is blue, and this allows us to move forward in a progressive manner instead of continuing to argue over whether a better word is suited to describe it, we might allow these 'concepts' or 'words' such as Shiva Shakti to seep into our consciousness in a manner that is actually useful to us, in our daily lives, in a practical manner.
That being said, let's dive right in. WTF is Shakti, anyways? Shakti refers to one aspect of reality, what we might think of as the unseen reality. It is unpotentiated energy, potential energy, or simply energy. We also might refer to it as the Divine Feminine, for it is from this 'energy' that all things are birthed. From a quantum physics standpoint, the science language attempting to explain the metaphysical or unseen forces that govern our existence, everything arises from this energy. In some experiments we have discovered that particles exist in an unmanifest state until observed, which they (the particles) collapse into a manifest state. The manifest state, aka material reality, what we CAN see? This is a result of Shiva and Shakti uniting. Shiva is the directive, linear aspect of Consciousness. It is the penetrating observation that causes the unmanifest to collapse into the manifest. Yet without Shakti, Shiva can create no-thing. In some ways, it is the Shiva that creates, but it is the Shakti from which creation arises. Again, Shakti is the birthplace, the womb. It is dark in there, but it is in this darkness that inception can occur, for it is also nourishing, accepting, and loving.
Shakti is the egg in the womb where energy lies waiting, dormant, for the sperm of Shiva to penetrate it and actually create some-thing.
It is where all ideas, all invention, all art, music, technology... all of humanity's beautiful creation has sprung forth from this unmanifest state of existence.
But, Shakti alone is not enough. It requires the perfect union between its opposite force, Shiva, to occur. This is the true yoga - the union between opposites, which allows for life to be created. In a perfectly balanced state of Shiva/Shakti union, the individual human might realize that actualized potential that lies within. Perhaps this is the true meaning behind 'Self-actualization' or 'Self-realization'. Enlightenment, maybe? When we awaken to the fact that, within us lies an infinite, unbounded energy just waiting for the direction of our masculine nature to act upon it and will it forth.
To wrap up this post and save further discussion for later, consider this. The only thing preventing us from doing what we want, is the failure to act. The failure to have trust that our action will produce the desired effect. But, with full confidence in the masculine force within us, the will, the Shiva in every being... we find a marriage between it, and its beautiful opposite the Shakti that provides the energy for it to be so. Whatever 'it' happens to be.
In a small way, it might look like approaching a new friend and doing something we wouldn't normally do. The Shakti, the feminine energy in us, incepts the idea to approach the person... and the Shiva, the masculine energy, puts the unseen thought into action so that it might become seen in our manifest world. On a bigger level, we might have the thought birthed within our heart to do something big, like change our career or organize a change to something in our communities. On the biggest level, it looks like the highest and best vision we have for ourselves, each other, and our planet. A dream that exists as a seed, waiting to be penetrated by the light of Shiva and acted upon continuously, with full faith behind the power of this marriage, until it becomes seen. Just because it is not here in this manifest reality does not mean that it cannot be so.
Contemplate these ideas. Look at the way life has unfolded and question where this can be observed in action. Bring it close to home, inside the heart, and water it with an open mind. Fertilize it with faith. It is possible that doubt is just an imbalance between our Shiva/Shakti essence, a disconnection between the masculine and feminine energies that lie within each of us. Think about a time when you acted with full faith. What occurred? There was the right effort, applied at the right time, in the right place, with not too much force (masculine), nor too much softness (feminine). It was perfectly balanced - the opposites met and collapsed into unity, and this harmonization was revealed before us as a natural flow of life. This has happened to all of us, I am sure of it. We are just now understanding the actual mechanisms behind how it is occurring, and through this collective comprehension, our Consciousness has the ability to enter into these states more and more often.
Let the Shiva and Shakti reveal themselves to you in your own language. If those words don't work, use others, or maybe don't use them at all. If it helps you, great, I am so thankful. And if it doesn't, so be it, I am also thankful. The meaning behind the words in this post are ultimately up to us to decide, and if we choose to use them as a tool, we might begin to see just how powerful they really are.
"Second-hand knowledge of the self gathered from books or gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself, turning the mind inward." - Tripura Rahasya, 18: 89
Yoga practices allow the balance of these energies to happen through intention and focus, but they are not the only way. Rightful living is a way. Balanced living is a way. Acceptance and love are ways, because this allows our energy to balance naturally, and the internal love affair between ourselves and our Self can occur. The current state we see before us, with our unseen, potential state. What that potential state looks like is up to us. It is also up to us to create it.
Thank you for reading... love to you all. May your journey be blessed with this balance, and may we watch as it unfolds in a the beautiful marriage called life.