Article Response-Kali

Response to The Tantric way of the Goddess Kali

Chapter two of Lex Hixon’s book, Coming Home, inspired me and moved me. Upon reading this chapter, I was gripped with the physical sensation of difficulty in breathing and then an emotional reaction of tears. There were also more concrete reasons this chapter resonated with me.

First, Ramakrishna held no judgment about individual’s paths to enlightenment. He simply accepted their way of knowing and let it simply be. This touched me greatly because I am working very hard on letting go of resentments I hold around my experiences of mainstream Christianity. This resentment conflicts with my growing conviction that all paths leading to a higher state are right paths.

My increasing conviction that all paths lead to the same source is creating comfort and joy because it releases me from the need to be “right” or even to choose a particular path at this time. I feel my acceptance of other’s beliefs and practices will open me further to insights and experiences that I may be unconsciously blocking through negativity regarding Christianity.

Second, I believe that we are all made up of the same stuff: people, rocks, trees--all the same in the eyes of the Sacred. In the section of the chapter dealing with consciousness in all things, Ramakrishna claimed that even a clay cup held consciousness; this makes such sense to me. Modern thought around Deep Ecology and the Web of Life bring nature and science very much in line with Ramakrishna’s teachings; these concepts have made sense to me from the moment I heard them. Perhaps this knowing is why I take such delight in treasures found in nature; feathers, stones, acorns, etc seem like small pieces of perfection--manifestations and gifts of the Divine.

Another reason this reading so resonated with me is Ramakrishna’s teaching held the feminine aspect so sacred. The Divine Feminine feels right and home to me at my present moment of my journey. Perhaps this alignment with the feminine aspect arises out of my negative experiences with patriarchal forms of worship. However, I do not believe that my affinity for the female as conduit to the Sacred is entirely reactive. Women are intuitive, caring, and powerful. I struggle in environments heavy with Yang energy, which seems to be so pervasive in our society even today. Connecting to the female side of spirituality feels refreshing and rejuvenating.

Over all, the second chapter spoke to me. It made “sense” to me on many levels. Ramakrishna’s emphasis on consciousness in all things, acceptance of all paths without judgment, and focus on the divine feminine are ideas that I have contemplated. I feel more compelled to follow practices that encompass these concept in the future.