-- anonymous
Durga. She's one of the goddesses who is not to be trifled with. Single-handedly, she defeated the Demon Army that even the gods themselves could not overcome.
And who is the Demon Army? It is made up of soldiers from our own lower selves - the un-redeemed, unresolved, and unconscious aspects of ourselves that sabotage us, stand in our way, and show up in the most awkward and ungraceful moments of our lives. They are like skeletons that spring forth from the ground, armed with shame, blame, anger, despair, and resentment.
These un-integrated aspects are our most unloved parts. We don't want to own them, so we attribute their existence to other people, such as our parents (who will undoubtedly go wrong here and there), teachers who do not recognize our talents, bosses who demoralize us with criticism instead of support, friends who mistake our intentions, relationships gone south, even to institutions like government, school, church. And truly, we do receive woundings from many quarters.
These wounds impact our self-worth, which can become so damaged that we are vulnerable to predators. We then select relationships where we are under-valued, used, and even abused, and are unable to defend ourselves. Our own thoughts can be every bit as dangerous as external predators.
Durga might be a good archetype to befriend. Armed with great resourcefulness and abundant weaponry, she defends against our own ignorance of the divine spark at the source of our being. She says, STOP beating yourself up, and start fighting against the thoughts of unworthiness, the thoughts that say no, the self-doubt and self-criticism, the barriers to manifesting the light that has a home within you.
Although we have a divine origin and a divine destination, mistakes and wrong turns are taken by us all in our path through this messy world. Sobonfu Some, a teacher of the Dagara wisdom traditions of West Africa, says that she does not beat herself up because the world itself does enough of that!
When we cultivate gentleness, honesty, and acceptance in the conversation with our skeleton soldiers, we can benefit from the lessons in our experiences. Having fought our way through the brambles, finally to an embrace of all we have endured, we essentially draw a map of the landscape through which we have come, and can offer it to other travelers. Our suffering then is transformed into a healing salve for the pain in others. A sweet and fragrant flower has grown where there was once muck and mud. If you have ever planted a garden, you know that first, the weeds must be cleared. It is okay to pull them out by the roots. Whatever stands in the way of our best purposes can be let go.
At last, we reach a place where those who criticize us, those who demoralize us, those who attempt to curtail our freedom or who denigrate what we cherish - the enemies from within or without - will be met with Durga: Talk to the Hand. Either make a positive contribution to what I'm working towards, or get out of my way.
When Durga defeated the Demon Army, the gods gifted her with treasures, saying: "Bless us with all that is good for us."
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
Shine it on!
Ms. Kiva's Mom
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