RSS
Home
Ancient goddess spotlight: Kali
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
"The Destroyer"
The ancient Hindu goddess Kali (Kah-lee) is an aspect or avatar of the all-encompassing Indic goddess known as Devi..jpg){kind=avatar}
As one personality of Devi, who plays the role of creatrix, preserver, and agent of destruction, Kali is best known for her dark qualities, namely her chaotic and uncontrollable energy. Called "the destroyer" and "the emaciated black goddess," Kali is believed to be the activating force of the god Shiva. Unlike the other activator goddess Shakti (who is considered sex incarnate), Kali plays the role of "lord of the dance".
In direct contrast to her more benevolent sisters Uma and Parvati, who are "positive" avatars under the over-arching Devi, Kali exists to create chaos and bring death. Adorned with a necklace of skulls and armed with a foreboding staff topped with a skull, Kali is considered a terrifying warrior deity whose corresponding symbols are appropriately human skulls, blood, and cemeteries. Similar to her sister Durga, who represents another dark warrior goddess of Devi, Kali's ultimate purpose is to maintain balance, clearing the earth and the heavens of clutter, as it were -- not excluding mythical demons. Often represented with multiple limbs, she is almost spiderlike in her extensive ability to multitask her creation of havoc. Though different from the lighter, more gentle aspects of Devi, she is not perceived as evil -- only a complementary force of divinity.
Sources:
The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky (2002)
Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book by Miriam Robbins Dexter (1990)
Other articles of interest:
Ancient goddess spotlight: Durga
Ancient goddess spotlight: Inanna
Ancient goddess spotlight: Baba Yaga
Ancient goddess spotlight: Tara
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hathor
Ancient goddess spotlight: Rhiannon
Ancient goddess spotlight: Aphrodite
Ancient goddess spotlight: Shakti
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hestia
Ancient goddess spotlight: Minerva
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hecate
Juliette Frette
Related Articles:
Comments
