(I don’t use the Kali Oracle very often, but this morning she called to me, so I knew she had something to share with us that would be meaningful and helpful to all those who are struggling with something right now. May her message shine the light of wisdom on your heart.)
GUHYA KALI: Our divine mother who knows all, with every answer and every mystery within her power to disclose, provides knowledge at the right time and in the best way. An answer to your question shall be provided. Do not immediately dismiss intuitions that are unexpected or lead you into unknown territory. Rest and reflect upon your insights, allowing your wisdom rather than a reaction, to distil their usefulness and value. An entirely new perspective about a matter of importance is awakening. A secret shall be revealed, and all you need to know will be given to you.
Guhya Kali means ‘secret Kali’. She is the dark tantric counterpart of the bright goddess, Lalita Tripura Sundari. She has the same triune nature, but does not dwell in the light and is not accessible to anyone who simply calls upon her as a loving mother. She is so powerful and so potentially disturbing in her fierce liberation that she is shrouded in mystery, unknowable to any except those who are able to tolerate her revelations. The tantras teach that to connect with her requires inititiation and the guidance of a teacher.
What does this mean? There are some insights we must be readied for. Even though they are ultimately helpful, we are unable to accept some truths without the experiences that prepare us to understand – and even embrace – what we would have tried to avoid at any cost. It can take time to become ready to deal with the pain that arises and to recognize uncomfortable truths, even though it is the good kind of pain that frees you and will eventually end rather than keep you trapped in a loop of repetitive suffering.
Guhya Kali dwells in the shadows, in the cremation grounds, in the place less accessible, emotionally and psychologically. These are the interior realms where only the most committed adepts dare to venture. We do not choose her. When we are ready, she chooses us. When we enter an experience that shakes the foundations of our current understanding, there is often a period of disbelief, shock and confusion that precedes newfound clarity. You may feel that your entire world has been turned upon its head. When a revelation takes us beyond the breaking point of what once provided emotional or psychological safety, we are catching a glimpse of her handiwork.
This is why we need holding by someone – not in the old way, but by an enlightened witness who shows up as a therapist, healer or spiritual teacher, a mentor, or even a friend evolved enough to know how to love, empower, and be in wisdom rather than try to rescue you. If you are enough of a spiritual badass to have attracted Guhya Kali, then no matter how difficult things may temporarily be, you can be sure you don’t need rescuing! You just need support and presence as you take the steps now necessary.
There are teachings in the Guhya Kali tantras that depict her seated upon her ‘lion seat’, or simhasana, which is a posture in the physical practice of yoga that releases negative energy. Her appearance is not merely for stirring things up. There are systems that are comfortable at one level, but at another, are holding a lot of negative energy which needs to be discharged. Her appearance lets us know that whatever is being challenged by our new perspectives has been a source of negative energy in our lives, even if we believed it was a support. We don’t have to dismiss or disregard what has been, nor be ungrateful for all we learned from it. However, it is time to realize the true nature of certain circumstances, to take off rose-colored glasses and see things for what they are.
Her scimitar shows her ability to be free from conditioning so that deeper mysteries can be understood. Her mace shows her power, strength and authority, including her capacity to deliver powerful blows that will destabilize false structures and help us discover truth when we are ready and capable of bearing witness to it. Her two hands in blessing reassure us that we shall be able to recognize, process, and prosper from the truth, and we do not need to fear the revelations unfolding in our lives. This is Kali, after all. If she rocks your world, it is to till the soil of the soul, so that abundant new life can flourish.
INVOCATION RITUAL (Say the following prayer)
Mother of mystery, Guhya Kali, she who bears the secrets and is always working to a higher plan of divine protection and spiritual awakening, I humbly bow in honor of your presence. I trust that when the time is right and my being is ready, you will show me what I need to see and know. Such revelations can bring relief and also the challenge to further heal and grow. You provide freedom from that which once held me hostage. I trust in what you show me because, in revelation, you also provide means for integration and liberation. Please bring those who can assist me in processing your truths. May your loving wisdom continue to manifest grace for the spiritual benefit of all beings. Jai Ma Kali!
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ANAHATA KALI: Beautiful, powerful Mother of the Sacred Universal Heart, who lives within our hearts as the wisdom and healing power of love. Your heart knows how to heal, and how to open, how to break and repair itself to become stronger and wiser than before. Your heart cannot be contained or constrained by what has taken place. Your heart wisdom and empowerment are growing. Soon, you shall have the wisdom and courage to accomplish something very important for your soul journey. Trust in the invisible workings of divine love. Let your heart be at peace.
The journey of the soul is the journey from the head to the heart. Anahata is the Sanskrit name for the ‘heart chakra’. Anahata Kali is the goddess who secures the awakening transformation and liberation of the heart. Love is her expression. When Kali Ma touches the heart, it becomes capable of love that is increasingly unconditional, fearless and compassionate. Such empowerments often manifest through loss and betrayal. In responding to such challenges, we grow our heart’s capacity for love, processing and healing emotions of grief, betrayal and anger. Our heart becomes stronger through the process. The human heart is capable of overcoming enormous negativity. It is an astonishingly powerful and beautiful temple of spirit.
We can underestimate the extraordinary power of the heart by focusing on its sweetness, love and light as though they were weaker than anger, fear or the consuming intensity of grief. We can only begin to understand the spiritual worlds and how they operate when we let go of the human perspective. A human believes that the heavier and denser something is, the more powerful it is. A heavy emotion like anger or physical situations that appears gridlocked are given more weight than the intangible realms of spirit. Yet, spirit is behind all things, in all things. Being invisible does not impede its effectiveness, if anything, it enhances it.
For something so seemingly invisible, love has unconquerable power. We affirm this in expressions, such as, ‘love can move mountains,’ or ‘love will always find a way’. Yet, we are conditioned to believe that there is more power in what we can see and control, rather than the spiritual power of love. Such conditioning pulls us away from heart connection and into the fear-based belief system that we need to control things, or there will be no benefit, not safety, no happiness. However, we can never be safe if we are disconnected from the spiritual home of the heart where all healing, wisdom, true guidance, spiritual protection and regenerating vitality resides.
The backlog of emotional pain stored in our hearts can sometimes cause us to shut down, even when we know that in closing down our hearts, we love out on love’s joy and wisdom. We may go through the emotions of living, but without the real emotional juice and revitalizing engagement with life. Kali Anahata bring a message from the Divine Mother that she is supporting you in healing your heart. She wants you to connect to more profound joy in life. As you trust yourself, and trust in her, you can heal even long-term karmic scars. You can learn to return to love, to be in love, to live the love within your ever-beautiful heart.
For those who live from the heart space, it can be hard to remember what it was like before. Yet, many still live in such a way – driven by fear, plagued with anxiety, hardened through living in a way that is oppressive to the spirit. The oracle asks you to acknowledge how far you have come, and where you would like to go – not so much in terms of external markers, but in terms of emotional freedom. If you have been focusing on healing a specific issue in your life, the oracle indicates you have the strength, wisdom and courage of the heart to accomplish that.
For those who have had their heart broken – in love, in spiritual communities, by friends or family members, by God or life itself – the message here is that something deeper is taking place. The shattering of structures, even of ideals, gives the heart the opportunity to break free and open up to a greater and more satisfying experience and expression of love. Becoming non-defensive, softening and opening to Spirit with unconditional trust places you in a position of astonishing protection, empowerment and grace. Keep your heart open to the Divine Mother. Through that openness, the right thing shall emerge at the right time. The walls we built around our hearts need to be broken down so we can fulfil our sacred purpose and path. Trust that the pains of your past do not have a place in your future. No matter what appears to be, she knows the way through. Temper your fierce emotions without denying them. Keep bringing yourself back to your center. Continue to find the moderate and peaceful resting place within, even as you make radical progress on your path. The oracle predicts the successful completion of a time of spiritual initiation. Grace yourself with the gift of relief, and trust that all is well.
INVOCATION RITUAL
Rest your hands over your heart and sense, feel or intend to make a heart connection with yourself. Let yourself feel held, loved, protected, seen and cherished. Allow yourself to feel a heart connection with Kali. Your heart and hers are gently spinning in loving and playful dance with each other. Whatever you need to say to her – be it a prayer, a concern or a feeling of gratitude – do so now. Speak to her from your heart.
Place your hands in prayer at your heart and repeat her mantra several times, feeling your heart connection with her deepening as you do so.
Jai Ma Kali!
Allow yourself to be soothed by her presence within your heart as it becomes strong and radiant, shining love for the spiritual benefit of all beings. Finish by bowing your head to your hands in prayer. You have completed your ritual.