Kali Bhakti (announcement)

After a brief hiatus, Kali Bhakti is back online.

AN AUDIO-VISUAL EXPLORATION OF INDIA'S SACRED GEOGRAPHY 

[Where is the fucking counterculture? Mythos Media.]

Falling in love with Kali

By William Clark

It was on the night January 8th, 2000 that I fell in love with Kali. Despite having no previous introduction to Hinduism, I was graced with a vision of her which completely changed the course of my existence. Ever since that evening, I have sought to transmute my life into an offering for that black goddess who I saw dancing within my heart.

Traveling to India immediately became a top priority of mine. I found myself heading there within two years of my darshan (“divine vision”) and will undoubtedly be visiting this country again and again for as long as I am able. During this time, I have immersed myself in the study of Indian culture and religion, focusing primarily on the state of West Bengal where Kali enjoys a particularly exalted position of popularity and reverence. I have acquired a comfortable grasp of the Bengali language and my passionate interest in the folk music of that region has led to the attainment of some specialized knowledge in that area as well. While back home in the USA, I decided to spend some time learning the basics of field recording and photography in order to document the ongoing pilgrimage which has become the central pivot of my existence. During my last visit to India from 2011-2012, I began developing www.kalibhakti.com as a way to share my journey with those who might wish to come along for the ride.

Kali Yantra Variations

From shabdabrahman 

More on the site. 

Also check out :

Amar Shadh Na Mitilo

Amar sadh na mitilo was originally composed by Kamalakanta Bhattacharya and is here sung by Pannalal Bhattacharya. It describes a person who is highly dissatisfied by the cruelty and selfishness of society. The poet desires to escape this world and prays to Goddess Kali for shelter. The lyrics translate to English as follows:

Ma,

My desires are not over, my wishes are not fulfilled.
Everything is coming to an end, o Mother.
From the first day of my life, I wish I would call you,
to take me on your lap, o Mother.
Nobody in this world, loves,
This world doesnot know, how to love
Where there is only sharing of divine love
My soul yearns to be there.
After getting hurt, I gave up desire
After suffering, I´ve forgotten worldly wishes
I have cried a lot, cannot cry anymore
My heart is torn apart.

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Kali The Cremation Ground of Bakreshwar Temple

By William Clark

[For an earlier conversation see Alterati.]

A narrow, unpaved road beginning near the main temple complex guides you along a winding path flanked on opposite sides with a motley arrangement of grave markers. As you approach the cremation ground’s main entrance, a small roadside temple presents itself. The phrase “JAY MA SMASHANA KALI” (Victory to Mother Kali of the Cremation Ground) is written above its doorway in bright red Bengali script. Housed within this shrine, a murti (sacred image facilitating divine communion) of Kali depicts her standing upon her husband––Lord Siva––in characteristic pose, brandishing a sword and holding a severed head with her right hands while her left hands give the mudras (symbolic hand gestures) of abhaya (fear not) and varada (conferring boons). Although essentially depicting the dark mother goddess in her popular form, a few macabre embellishments have been added here to emphasize the particularly fierce nature of her smashana (cremation ground) aspect. Wavy red lines, flowing from the corners of her mouth around her cheeks and down her neck, have been painted to represent oozing blood. On Kali’s left and right sides, two semi-nude female shaktis (human embodiments of feminine force) gaze upward toward her as they dance, both of them smeared with gore and feasting on human flesh.

Bakreshwar’s sacred burning ground is separated from the surrounding area by a border of tombstones and a small river running along the side of it. Cremation here differs from others I have observed in that a network of connected trenches is employed to contain the improvised wooden pyres. The resultant fire, burning at ground level, is thus easily managed by the Dom who use bamboo poles to manipulate the wood and break the body down as it is slowly incinerated. Pieces of wood which have not burned away are removed, put aside, then later incorporated into fresh pyres.

Shabda Brahman

William Clark, who you may also remember from this audio interview or from Gonzomentary, has been making recordings and keeping a photo / blog during his time in India.

Most recent:

Kali Puja is celebrated on the New Moon day of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin. This is also the same day on which the famous festival of light, Diwali, is observed. Throughout this occasion, an intensely festive atmosphere pervades Kolkata: strings of holiday lights decorate buildings, flashing signs line the city streets, candles and lamps burn everywhere, and fireworks explode throughout the night. Although there is a lot of overlap with Diwali, for Bengalis this is definitely Kali’s special day. (Article)

[Check out some of the books, albums, and soon movies produced by Mythos Media and our various media partners.]

Making myth a living practice

Another fragment from the long piece I'm working on about magical thinking and the power of symbols for the Immanence of Myth:

  This is how myth can serve an active function in our lives. Consider the Hindu goddess Kali. The quintessential image of Kali Ma shows her dancing on the slain body of her initiate (or Shiva, depending), wearing a belt of human skulls, and a long tongue known for licking the marrow out of bone.  She is the devouring side of the mother archetype, a symbol that appears in many forms but possibly nowhere so clearly as here. For example, the mythological image of Lilith bears resemblance to Kali in many ways: at least one side of Lilith and Lilith-related demons pertains to the “devouring mother,” the strangler, the devourer of children. These derive from a number of related yet distinct air and desert demon sources, from ancient Sumeria or even possibly earlier. 

  Yet, Lilith also has another side, that of the seductress, luring men away from their societal commitment to the “good mother,” a motif that developed most clearly when the Lilith symbol was adapted by the Jews. This is an element which Kali lacks. To some, this is just an odd image painted on canvas. But to others, those who wish to enter the psychological domain represented by the symbol, she is much more. Worshippers of Kali become that initiate, offer themselves up as a sacrifice in a mythological sense, so as to effect a psychological shift whereby they release attachment to the elements of life that might otherwise bar them from becoming truly human. This path of practice does not require the asceticism of monk-hood because the binding glue, you might say, of possession is undone. 

  All mythic characters can be analysed and experienced in this way: as elements of the complex that makes up the individual, the culture, the natural necessities of the universe. All gods, demons, heroes, and villains are constructed from symbols which can have real, psychological impact. But only if engaged with directly, rather than passively. This kind of engagement can be arrived at through mythic art, though the audience must meet the artist halfway, with this knowledge and a willingness to participate. This is a difficult task for the modern, mythic artist, because audiences almost have to be tricked into this kind of participation. Entertainment takes center stage.