Hello Everybody!
Kali Ma and Unconditional Love
A friend of mine brought up recently how important it is to "Remember to love your family and friends for the individuals they are, not for who you think they can become." And I added: nor for who you think they should be.
The conversation went into some unexpected directions including an extended discussion of the Hindu Goddess "Kali". Specifically about her aspect as a destroyer of demons and her tendency, once released, to get carried away. I had to throw in a joke, of course: "Unconditional love for Kali. She kills demons. She drinks their blood. She dances on corpses. But she's not all bad. She has a pretty smile and she's fun at parties."
Just what is it about Kali that makes her the most worshipped Goddess in the Hindu Pantheon? I mean, she is a bad-ass. She's basically the kind of fearsome foe to demons that you might expect her to be: the right tool for the job. Not being Hindu, I don't actually know what all those Indians are thinking. But I decided to interpret it like this:
"She was created with infinite power, think of it as elemental, the very epitome of power. Once unleashed, she is capable of ending all existence. And that ecstasy of destruction is equal to the bliss of ultimate love and creation. In her un-leashed state, Kali no longer discriminates about what she destroys. That is why she is depicted dancing joyfully upon the corpse of her lover. It's a depiction of pure power without discretion.
"It no longer matters what triggered her wrath, she is as beyond that as she is beyond any limitation including choices as to who is the enemy and who is not. And since, ultimately, we are all one, there is no difference. That's why if you invoke Kali you are just as likely to experience her presence as an attack on the self as you are to witness it as a powerful and overwhelming vengeful assault on others, because it's the same thing."
You get it, right? Discretion is not her forté. She does not stop to judge nor censor herself in her work. She was, in this aspect, not created to be loving, kind or understanding. And as there are many different types of demons to be overcome, she just goes nuts and destroys everything in her path, lest she be incomplete in her task.
In other words, Kali is a girl you want on your side when you really need a warrior. But, look out, because what exactly is "your side"?
Do you love the President of the United States whenever he does exactly what you want him to do? Is that the condition? How about your kids, your husband or wife? How about gay people? "Sure, as long as they don't get married--- yikes." That's the deal with unconditional love. It just does not involve judgment. It's all inclusive.
I pretty much thank my lucky stars that most people don't ask me about my personal beliefs before they book a counseling session with Sheryl and I because I could not explain it. It's as expansive as it can be, my belief system. It's the right tool for the job. No, I'm not perfect, of course not. By striving to be expansive I've already excluded anybody with a more focused and finite belief set. Well, too bad, sorry, because no matter what, none of us can be all things to all people. We just want to be accepted for who we are, and we might as well return the favor starting with the people closest to us. But I can't think of a single reason not to extend that out to everyone. Take your own stand though, it's a free country, and Kali is waiting in the wings to hear what you decide.
-- Paul Hood
When I read Paul's newsletter entry this month the thought that popped into my mind was "is unconditional love possible in all cases"? I know that for me it would be very hard to love someone who hurt me or people I love. And yet I also know that that is where forgiveness comes in. That return to a state of grace, that state where unconditional love can flow, is one of the main benefits of the practice. Paul told me that he knows of a family that was actually able to forgive and then befriend a man who murdered one of their children. In honor of the Hallmark celebration of love coming up this month I looked online to find that story and instead found many. Here's a link to just one.
--Sheryl Karas
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MAMA LOVE PERFUME
Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.
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BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)
THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.
Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .
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WHERE TO FIND OUR ART
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart
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WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS
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