The order of the white moon goddess gallery presents
MAHA Devi
A Level III Final Project for The Sacred Three Goddess School by
~ Aethyia Danann ~
Level III Priestess of the Order of the White Moon
(© 2012. All original material in this site is under copyright protection and is the intellectual property of the author.)
Oh, Maha Devi, Great Goddess!
In the time before time,
You awakened and yearned to create!
In that moment, the miracle of creation began!
You are the Source of Creation:
You are Yourself without any characteristics.
You are Creation:
You are manifest in all characteristics.
You are the Transcendent Light!
You design, create and govern the Universe!
You are the Omniscient One!
Your Holy Light exists within each of us.
You are the Infinite Life force that is immanent in All That Is! You are the Divine Substance!
You are present in the smallest cell and the largest planet!
The Universe is Your Sacred Body.
You are the Divine Mother of us all:
Each of us possesses the energetic power that is Shakti!
We have come forth from You and shall return to You.
You are our Origin and You are our Destination.
Your Incarnations are Countless
for the needs of the Universe are great!
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the Font of Wisdom!
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In ancient times, Maha Devi, You incarnated as Saraswati, the river that nurtured one of Earth’s earliest civilizations. As the river dried, the wisdom of Your civilization spread throughout the Indo-European world infusing evolving cultures with ritual and artistic expression. You communicate to us still when we recognize the Sacred Potential that exists in Sound, Language, and Visual and Performing Arts.
yOU ARE DURGA, THE wARRIOR!
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Ma Durga, You have no consort or children, yet you are the Fierce Mother of us all! You appear to us, armed and dangerous, seated upon Your fierce lion. When we see Your inscrutable smile, we know that you are not teaching us to be aggressive, but to defeat the demons within ourselves. It is to You that we turn for protection. |
YOU ARE GANGA, THE CELESTIAL RIVER!
From the starry heavens, You are constantly flowing! Mother, Your blessed waters are flowing, from the Milky Way to the Majestic Himalayas, to the Sacred Ganges River to the Oceans of the earth. You are flowing constantly, filling us with your blessings, purifying us with Your sacred waters.
You are Lakshmi, The Auspicious One!
Sri Laksmi, Divine Incarnation of Abundance and Good Fortune! We give thanks! You teach us that as Your children we are worthy to receive Your blessings. You provide prosperity, healing, love and good fortune! You enable us to overcome obstacles in life. May we embrace beauty, grace and harmony, which will bring us closer to You.
You are Lalitha, the Beautiful One!
When the gods were in a losing battle against the forces of evil, they called upon Maha Devi to save them. You incarnated as Lalitha! With Your commanders – the Goddesses Mantrini (mantra) and Dandanatha (mudra) - You defeated evil with weapons of Pure Love! Holy Mother, we honor You for you bring Perfect Love into Our lives! Om Ma Shakti Namaho!
TOOLS TO HELP US KNOW GODDESS
RITUAL OFFERINGS The deities are honored with many different types of offerings: candles, scent, flowers, In this ritual I will use offerings representative of the five elements: candlelight (fire), incense (air), nectar (water), food (earth) and mantra (ether). |
SOUND MANTRAS - A short prayer that is repeated in honor of a deity or a spiritual concept. Some people use a mala (rosary) to repeat mantras a specific number of times (usually 108 times). Here is an example used in the ritual below: Pronounce with vibratory sound and emotion. Feel the sound in your chest: Jai Shree Devi Namo Nama Which means: Hooray for the Feminine Glory, the Goddess! I bow to You again and again! |
Figure 1 SHAKTI MUDRA
MOVEMENT MUDRAS - These are hand postures which increase the energies of healing and prayer. There is a Shakti Mudra. See Figure 1. |
BREATH PRANAYAMA – The discipline of breath control. Another way to experience the Goddess is to connect to the Kundalini energy that begins at the base of our spines and rises upward. Breathe deeply, as though you are pulling your breath to the base of your spine, then hold, and slowly release, envisioning the energy of Goddess rising up your spine. Try to create a rhythm by inhaling, holding and exhaling for equal amounts of time. |
Figure 2 Ganesh, the Son of the
Goddess
RITUAL PREPARATION
Prepare self, possibly with a light fast. A purification bath is very helpful.
Set up the altar with images of Maha Devi’s incarnations, flowers, offerings and oil for the self-blessing.
Charge the offerings and the oil with sacred intent.
Offerings:
- Candles (FIRE)
- Incense (AIR) Frankincense for purification, Myrrh for blessings and Sandalwood for spiritual awakening.
- Nectar (WATER)
- Food (EARTH). Maha Devi (The Great Goddess) is said to express her energies in three main forms: Tamasic (inert/introspective), Rajastic (kinetic/active), and Sattvic (having equilibrium/balance). Some foods that contain these energies are Cheese (Tamasic), Chocolate (Rajastic) and Honey (Sattvic). Ayurveda is the science that teaches us about how these energies are expressed in our bodies and how balancing these energies can improve our health.
- Cymbals are often used with Mantra. (ETHER)
THE RITUAL ITSELF
Cast the circle
Maha Devi, Mother of All That Is! May the circle be cast in honor of You, for the circle represents the innate unity of all Beings and all aspects of Nature! Divine Mother, You are incarnate in each of us!
Call the quarters
Maha Maya, all elements are energies that are borne of You!
EAST – I invoke the brilliance of Saraswati! Mother, bless me with Your Wisdom. I open my mind to You! May I awaken to You! Aum Saraswaty(ai) Namaha! (Chant three times. This mantra could be translated as: we worship You, Divine Saraswati)
SOUTH – I invoke the courage and strength of Durga!. Ma Durga, bless this circle. May I have the strength to control my greatest enemy: my ego! Aum Dugay(ai) Namaha! (Chant three times: we worship You, Divine Durga)
WEST – I invoke the purifying power of Ganga, the great river that flows from the starry heavens to the waters of the earth. Bless me, Mother, with purification. Aum Gangay(ai) Namaho (We worship You, Divine Ganga)
NORTH - I invoke the auspicious power of Sri Lakshmi! Bless me with understanding of Your Abundance. May all barriers that separate me from union with Maha Devi be eliminated. Aum Lakshmy(ai) Namaha! (We worship You, Divine Lakshmi).
ABOVE (ETHER) – I invoke the blessing of Lalitha, who is the Profound Power of Love! Bless this Circle with Your Holiness, Mother. Fill me with Your Compassion that I may become a channel of Your Loving-kindness! Aum Mahashakty(ai) Namaha! (We worship the Great Shakti, the Goddess).
Dedication of the ritual
Maha Devi – Great Goddess – I welcome you to my circle! I embrace your presence in my life!
Maha Shakti – the Great Divine Feminine - I dedicate this ritual to You!
Beloved Mother who is our Light, Life and Love! Welcome!
Offerings
Present the offerings slowly. Offer each gift to each Goddess as you would present a gift to a beloved guest. Speak to each of them lovingly.
Candles (Fire/Sight) – Receive this offering of Light, Maha Devi. I give thanks for the fire of your energy which enlivens my being.
Incense (Air/Scent) – Receive this offering of Scent, Sri Shakti. Mind to mind, I receive your guidance.
Nectar (Water/Touch) – Receive this offering, Mother of All! Your waters purify and heal my heart.
Food (Earth/Taste) – Receive the gift of taste, Queen of the Universe. Your abundance nurtures me in body and soul.
Sound (Ether) – Receive this offering of Sound, Divine Creatrix. chanting with cymbals: JAI-SHREE-DEVI-NAMO –NAMAH (meaning: Hooray-Feminine Glory-Goddess-I bow to you-I bow to you again and again)
chakra Blessing
Holding oil for self blessing
Bless me Mother for I am Your child!
Touching Crown with blessed oil
I am blessed Maha Devi – I am always connected to You!
Touching the Inner Eye
I see your presence in all that is
Touching the throat
I express your beauty in speech and prayer
Touching the heart
I am filled with your loving kindness
Touching the belly
I celebrate Your abundance with gratitude and generosity.
Touching the womb
I manifest goodness in my life.
Touching the base of the spine
I am always grounded in You.
Pranayama with mudra
Position hands in the Shakti Mudra and breathe deeply. While inhaling deeply visualize the energy flowing to the base of the spine, where it is believed the Goddess’ Kundalini energy rests. Exhale slowly, visualizing the energy rising to the crown chakra. To improve concentration it may help to mentally say: Aum (inhaling) Ma (exhaling). Continue this practice for several minutes, feeling closeness to the Goddess, enjoy the peace of Her Holy Presence. Receive Her blessing fully and when you are done, give thanks!
Thanksgiving
Mother of All! I offer my thanks for Your blessing. I dedicate myself to You.
Opening the circleI release the circle as I rejoice for:
The Wisdom of Saraswati; the Courage of Durga; The Purity of Ganga; The Abundance of Lakshmi; and The Love of Lalitha which remain within me!
RESOURCES
BOOKS
Ashley-Farrand, Thomas, Shakti Mantras: Tapping into the Great Goddess Energy Within, New York: Ballantine Books, 2003.
Hirschi, Gertrud, Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands, San Francisco, CA: Weiser Books, 2000
Kailash (Kurt A. Bruder), Following Sound into Silence: Chanting Your Way Beyond Ego into Bliss, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2008. This book comes with a DVD with mantras chanted by Kailash.
Morrison, Judith M., The Book of Ayurveda: A Holistic Approach to Health and Longevity, New York: Fireside/Simon & Shuster, 1995.
Vanamali, Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions, 2008.
MUSIC CD’S
The book by Kailash listed above has a great CD. This has the chant for Jai Shri Devi Namo Nama.
Some other good CD’s with mantras/sung prayers to Devi, in the Hindu tradition are:
Russill Paul’s Shakti: Tantric Embrace (The Yoga of Music and Chant).
Craig Pruess and Ananda’s: The 108 Sacred Names of Mother Divine.
WEBSITES
You can hear the chant (Jai Shree Devi Namo Nama) sung by Kailash:
http://omkailash.com/lyrics-translations-silence.html
This website has a series of stretching and sound exercise that you might like:http://www.devapremalmiten.com/divine-healing-exercises