Tantra
World View, Spirituality, Hatha Yoga, Practice (Sadhana), Rituals
Shakti, Devis, Kundalini, Chakras, Mantras, Yantras, Guides (Gurus)



Research by
Michael P. Garofalo
Valley Spirit Yoga, Red Bluff, California

Heart     Shakti Devi     Cheerfulness     Hatha Yoga     Magic     Ritual 

Bibliography     Links     Quotations     Home    

Touching     Seeing     Hearing     Smelling    Tasting     Somaesthetics       

Tara: Star Goddess, Savioress, Tantric Buddhist Goddess

How to Live a Good Life     Virtues     A Scholar-Practitioner's Notebooks

Buddhism     Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tantra
World View, Spirituality, Hatha Yoga, Practice (Sadhana), Rituals
Shakti, Devis, Kundalini, Chakras, Yantras, Mantras
Links, References, Resources

 

The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word 'Tantra' is "book, scripture, written instructions, wisdom literature" and variations of "to spread, to expand, to weave." 


Alphabetical Subject Index to Cloud Hands Website    


Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers and Practitioners.  By H. David Coulter.  Forward by Timothy McCall.  Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Body and Breath, 2001.  Index, bibliography, appendices, 623 pages.  ISBN: 0970700601.  2002 winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Health, Wellness and Nutrition.  VSCL. 


The Book of Charkra Healing.   By Liz Simpson.  Foreward by Teresa Hale.  New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1999.  A Gaia Original.  Index, glossary, bibliography, 143 pages.  ISBN:  0806920971.  VSCL.    


Buddhist Goddesses of India  By Miranda Shaw.  Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2006.  Bibliography, notes, index, 571 pages.  ISBN:  0691127581.  VSCL. 


Buddhist Tantric Diagrams 


Chakras for Starters.   By Savitri Simpson.   Nevada City, CA, Crystal Clarity Publishers.  144 pages.  ISBN: 1565891562.  


Chakra Yoga.  Instructional DVD by Gurutej Kaur.  72 minute Kundalini Yoga practice program.  Sounds True, 1998.  VSCL. 


Chi Kung: Guides, Links, Bibliographies, Quotations, Notes   


Crazy Wisdom.  By Wes Scoop Nisker.   Berkeley, California, Ten Speed Press, 1990.  226 pages.  ISBN: 0898153506.  


The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice  By Georg Feuerstein.  Boston, Shambhala, 2003.  Index, notes, bibliography, 415 pages.  ISBN: 1570629358.  VSCL. 


The Eight Human Talents: Restore the Balance and Serenity Within You with Kundalini Yoga.  "Acceptance, Creativity, Commitment, Compassion, Truth, Intuition, Boundlessness, and Radiance."  By Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa.  With Cathryn Miehon.  New York, Harper Collins, 2000.  228 pages.  ISBN: 0060954655.  VSCL. 


Embodiment Training.  Developed by Will Johnson.


The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra  By Georg Feuerstein.  Boston, MA, Shambhala, 2011.  Revised and expanded edition.  439 pages.  ISBN: 1590308784.  VSCL. 


Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook
.  By Belinda Gore.  Foreword by Felicitas Goodman.  Santa Fe,  New Mexico, Bear and Company, 1995.  Endnotes, 284 pages.  ISBN: 1879181223.  VSCL. 


Essential Tibetan Buddhism.  By Robert A. F. Thurman.  Edison, New Jersey, Castle Books, 1995.  Notes, 317 pages.  ISBN: 0785808728.  VSCL. 


The Good Life: Virtues 


Goddesses 


Green Tara, White Tara, Maha Devi, Buddhist Tantric Goddess

 

 

                                    

 

 

Green Wizard 


Hatha Yoga Illustrated: For Greater Strength, Flexibility and Focus.  By Martin Kirk and Brooke Boon.  Champaign, Illinois, Human Kinetics, 2006.  Index, 231 pages.  ISBN: 0736062033.   VSCL. 


Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language
; Symbols, Secrets and Metaphor.  By Swami Sivananda Radha.  Foreward by B.K.S. Iyengar.  Spokane, Washington, Timeless Books, 1987, 1995.  Index, 308 pages.  ISBN:  0931454743.  VSCL.  


Heart Chakra and Loving Kindness


Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs and Practices (Beliefs & Practices)  By Lynn Foulston.  Sussex Academic Press, 2009.  292 pages.  ISBN: 1902210433. 


The Hindus: An Alternative History  By Wendy Doniger.  New York, Penguin Books, 2009.  Index, bibliography, notes, 779 pages.  ISBN: 9780143116691.  VSCL. 


Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, and Enlightenment  By Georg Feuerstein.  Foreword by Roger Walsh, M.D.. Prescott, Arizona, Hohm Press, 2006.  Revised and Expanded Edition originally published in 1990.   Notes, bibliography, index, 511 pages.  ISBN:  1890772542.  VSCL. 


How to Live the Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons


The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, Volume One.  Translated and annotated by Garma C.C. Chang.  Boston, Shambhala, 1989.  Oriental Studies Foundation 1962, Shambhala 1977.  Pages 1 - 356.  ISBN: 0877730954.  VSCL.   


The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, Volume Two.  Translated and annotated by Garma C.C. Chang.  Boston, Shambhala, 1989.  Oriental Studies Foundation 1962, Shambhala 1977.  Pages 357-730.  Index to pages 1-730.  ISBN: 0877730962.  VSCL. 


Hymn to Kâlî: Karpûrâdi-Stotra.  By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) in 1922.  From the Sacred Texts Archives. 
 


Hymns to the Goddess.  By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) in 1913.  From the Sacred Texts Archives. 


Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Deities, and Meditation.  By Dr. David Frawley. 
Lotus Press, 2008.  280 pages.  ISBN: 0940676508.  David Frawley (or Pandit Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री) is a Vedic teacher and educator with numerous books in several Vedic and Yogic fields published worldwide over the past thirty years. He is the founder and director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which offers courses and publications on Ayurvedic medicine, Yoga and meditation, and Vedic astrology.


International Journal of Tantric Studies   


Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire  By Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984).  Edited by Jonathan Landaw.  Foreword by Philip Glass.  Somerville, Massachusetts, Wisdom Publications, 3rd Edition, 1987, 2001.  Glossay, reading list, index, 167 pages.  ISBN: 0861711629.  Tibetan Buddhist Tantric interpretation of using the power of desire to energize and boost spiritual progress.  VSCL.    


Introduction to Tantra Sastra.  By Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon, 1865-1936).  Ganesh and Company, Reprint 2012.  158 pages.  ISBN: 9788185988115.  VSCL. 


Kindness, Loving, Heartfelt, Heart Chakra


Kashmir Shaivism 


Kama Sutra Temple


Kundalini.   By Ajat Mookerjee. 


Kundalini: The Mother of the Universe.  By Rishi Singh Gherwal in 1930.  From the Sacred Texts Archives. 


Kundalini: The Energy of the Depths.   A Comprehensive Study Based on the Scriptures of Nondualistic Kasmir Saivism.  By Lilian Silburn.  Translated by Jacques Gontier.  New York, State University of New York Press, 1988.  Bibliography, 223 pages.  ISBN: 0887068006.   


Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man.  By Krishna Gopi.  Introduction by Frederic Spiegelberg.  Commentary by James Hillman.  Boulder, Colorado, Shambhala, 1971.  252 pages.  ISBN: 1570622809.  VSCL. 


Kundalini: Yoga for the West.  By Swami Sivananda Radha.  With a forword by Herbert V. Guenther.   Introduction by Stanley Krippner.  Boulder, Colorado, Shambhala, 1981.  Index, bibliography, notes, 357 pages.  ISBN: 0394748840.   VSCL.    


Kundalini Yoga: The Flow of Eternal Power.   A Simple Guide to the Yoga of Awareness.  By Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa.   As taught by Yogi Bhanjan, Ph.D.  New York, Perigee Books, 1996.  Index, appendix, 321 pages.   ISBN: 0399524207.   VSCL.    


Laya Yoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini.   By Shyam Sundar Goswami.  Rochester, Vermont, Inner Traditions, 1999.  Index, glossary, 342 pages.  ISBN: 0892817666.  VSCL.    


Living with Kundalini.  By Krishna Gopi.  Shambhala, 1993.  401 pages.  ISBN: 0877739471.  


Loving Kindness


Mahanirvana TantraThe Tantra of the Great Liberation: Translated by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) in 1913.  From the Sacred Texts Archives. 


Meditation


Meditation for the Love of It: Enjoying Your Own Deepest Experience  By Sally Kempton.  Foreword by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, 2011.  Notes, glossary, index, 367 pages.  ISBN: 1604070811.  VSCL. 


Months of the Year:  Mystical, Mythical, and Magical Significance 


NonDual Śaiva Tantra explained in Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition by Christopher D. Wallis, M.A., Anusara Press, 2012. 


Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove


One Old Druid's Final Journey


The Practice of Tibetan Meditation: Exercises, Visualizations, and Mantras for Health and Well Being.  By Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche.  Inner Traditions Intl. Ltd., 2002.  160 pages.  ISBN: 0892819030.


Qigong: Guides, Links, Bibliographies, Quotations, Notes   


The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads.   By Arthur Berriedale Keith.  Delhi, India, Motilal Banarsidass Pubs., 1925, 2007.  Two Volumes, Chapters 1-29, Detailed Index, 683 pages.  Published in 1925 by Harvard University Press.  ISBN: 9788120806443.  VSCL. 


The Religion of the Veda.  By Herman Oldenberg.  Translated by Shridhar B. Shrotri.  "Die Religion des Veda."  Delhi, India, Motilal Banarsidass Pub., 1988, 2004.  Index, notes, 359 pages.  ISBN: 8120803922.  VSCL. 


Śaiva Tantra explained in Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition by Christopher D. Wallis, M.A., Anusara Press, 2012. 


Sakti: The Power in Tantra  By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D..  A scholarly approach.  Himalayan Institute Press, 2005.  220 pages.  ISBN: 0893891541.  Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the Spiritual head of the Himylayan Institute. 

 

 

 


The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga.  By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe, 1865-1936).  Dover Publications, 1974.  592 pages.  ISBN: 0486230589.  Fourth Edition, 1950, Ganesh and Company, India.  First edition in 1919.  "Woodroffe's The Serpent Power – The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga, is a source for many modern Western adaptations of Kundalini yoga practice. It is a philosophically sophisticated commentary on, and translation of, the Satcakra-nirupana ("Description of and Investigation into the Six Bodily Centres") of Purnananda (dated 1550 CE) and the Paduka-Pancaka ("Five-fold Footstool of the Guru").  The term "Serpent Power" refers to the kundalini, an energy said to be released within an individual by meditation techniques."  -Woodroffe  There are some online versions of this public domain title:  Serpent Power 1.  "The most important - because it accurately presents the traditional Indian Shakta Tantric position - of the Kundalini and chakra texts available today in the West is Sir John Woodroffe's (pseudonym Arthur Avalon) The Serpent Power, first published in 1919 and reprinted a number of times since then.  This is actually the translation of two important Indian texts and their commentaries,  the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, written in 1577, and the Padaka-Pancaka, containing descriptions of the centers and related practices, and Gorakshashatakam, which gives instructions for meditating on the chakras.  Woodroffe's book - his own chapters cover Shakta metaphysics and cosmology, Patanjali Yoga, and Tantric practice, as well as the chakras themselves - is unfortunately very difficult for the beginner, but it served as the inspiration and chief reference text (usually without acknowledgment) for many Western occult-esoteric and New Age writers.  It could be said without exaggeration that this book forms the basis of almost all contemporary Western understanding of traditional chakra doctrine and Kundalini yoga." - M. Alan Kazlev


Sex Magick  


Shakti - Wikipedia


Shakti and Shâkta.  By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) in 1918.  From the Sacred Texts Archives. 


Shakti Mantras: Tapping into the Great Goddess Energy Within  By Thomas Ashley-Farrand.  Ballantine Books, 2003.  272 pages.  ISBN: 0345443047. 


Shaktism


Shambhala Warriorship: Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, Yoga 


Somaesthetics, Body-Mind Practices


Sri Yantra


The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy  By Cyndi Dale.  Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, 2009.  Notes, bibliography, detailed index, 487 pages.  ISBN: 9781591796718.  VSCL. 


Tantra   77Kb.  A very informative introduction to the principles of Tantra.  


Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition  By Christopher D. Wallis, M.A.  Illustrations by Ekabhumi Ellik.  Woodlands, Texas, Anusara Press, 2012.  Index, endnotes, bibliography, three appendices, 506 pages.  ISBN: 978-1937104016.  VSCL.  The author is a Ph.D. candidate in Sanskrit at the University of California, Berkeley.  This book takes as its exemplar and focal point the lineages of nondual Śaiva Tantra most clearly typified by the Kaula Trika lineage.  Written for the educated lay reader.  The author shares his personal life, his spiritual life, his practices, his yoga, within this tradition of Tantra. 


Tantra in America    


Tantra Internet Links   By Nick Douglas.  


Tantra Kundalini


Tantra: The Magazine Online 


Tantra: Path of Ecstasy 
By Georg Feuerstein.  Boston, Shambhala, 1998.  Index, bibliography, notes, 314 pages.  ISBN: 157062304X.  VSCL.  An excellent introduction to Tantra, and a great starting point for readers.  I own, and have read and reread in the last ten years nearly all of the books by Dr. Georg Feuerstein.  If my understanding is correct, Dr. Feuerstein personally follows the path of Vajrayana Buddhism, a Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a lineage of Tantric Buddhism. 


Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy.  By Philip Rawson.  London, Thames and Hudson, 1973.  Lavishly illustrated.  ISBN:0500270325.  128 pages.  VSCL. 


Tantra Unveiled  By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Pd.D.  Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Himalayan Institute Press, 1999, 2007.  152 pages.  ISBN: 0893891584.  VSCL.  


Tantra - Wikipedia 


Tantras: Scriptures of Tantra


Tantra Texts at the Sacred Texts Archives


Tantra Works  By Nik Douglas.  


Tantric Sexuality: Sex Magick  


Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses.  By Dr. David Frawley.  Twin Lakes, WI, Lotus Press, 1994.  256 pages.  ISBN: 0910261393.  VSCL. 


Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Deities, and Meditation  By David Frawley, Ph.D..  (Pandit Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री).  Lotus Press, 2008.  280 pages.  ISBN: 0940676508. 


The Tantric Way: Art, Science, Ritual.  By Ajit Mookerjee and Madhu Khanna.  Boston, New York Graphic Society, 1977.  Index, bibliography, 238 illustrations, glossary, 208 pages.  ISBN: 0821207059.  VSCL. 


The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way.  By Daniel P. Reid.   New York, a Fireside Book, Simon and Schuster, 1989.  Index, 405 pages.  ISBN: 067164811X.   This book includes a chart that compares the power points (Chakras) found in Taoist, Kundalini Yoga, and Western physiology (p.395), and a chapter on breathing exercises (Chapter 3), which includes many pranayama exercises.  


Tara, Green Tara, White Tara, Maha Devi, Buddhist Tantric Goddess


The Tibetan Book of Yoga.  Ancient Buddhist Teachings on the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga.  By Geshe Michael Roach.  New York, Doubleday, Random House, 2003.  114 pages.  ISBN: 0385508379.  VSCL.    


Tibetan Buddhism: Shambhala Warriorship 


Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones and More.  By Andrew Biel, LMP.  Illustrations by Robin dorn, LMP.  Boulder, Colorado, Books of Discovery, 1997, 2005, 3rd Edition.  Index, glossary, 422 pages.  ISBN: 9780965853453.  VSCL. 


Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System  By Anodea Judith, Ph.D..  Llewellyn Pubs., 1987.  519 pages.  ISBN: 0875423205. 


Woodroffe, Sir John AKA Arthur Avalon, 1865-1936.  A noted judge and Indian law specialist in Calcutta, India.  A Sanskrit scholar and advocate for Tantric philosophy and practices.  Author of dozens of books, and a experienced lecturer.  Wrote under the pen name of 'Arthur Avalon." 


Yoga 


Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance.  By Will Johnson.  Rochester, Vermont, Inner Traditions, 2005.   151 pages.  ISBN:  0892816996.  


Yoga: The Iyengar Way.  By Mira Silva and Shyam Mehta.  New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.  Index, appendices, 192 pages.  ISBN: 0679722874.  Not a resource for Tantra, but this book is a very good reference tool for the study and practice of hatha yoga poses.  VSCL. 


Yoga: The Technology of Ecstasy.   By Georg Feuerstein, Pd. D..  Los Angeles, Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1989.  Index, notes, 344 pages.  ISBN: 0874775205.   VSCL.  Read Chapter 12: The Esotericism of Medieval Tantra Yoga; and, Chapter 13: Yoga as Spiritual Alchemy: Hatha Yoga.       


The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosphy and Practice.  By Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.  Foreword by Ken Wilber.  Prescott, Arizona, Hohm Press, 1998.  Index, bibliography, glossary, chronology, 686 pages.   ISBN: 0934252831.   VSCL.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended Reading about Tantra

 

                                      

 

Tantra: Path of Ecstasy  By Georg Feuerstein.  Boston, Shambhala, 1998.  Index, bibliography, notes, 314 pages.  ISBN: 157062304X.  VSCL.  An excellent introduction to Tantra, and a great starting point for readers.  I own, and have read and reread in the last ten years nearly all of the books by Dr. Georg Feuerstein.  If my understanding is correct, Dr. Feuerstein, a longtime yogi, personally follows the path of Vajrayana Buddhism, a Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a lineage of Tantric Buddhism. 


Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition  By Christopher D. Wallis, M.A.  Illustrations by Ekabhumi Ellik.  Woodlands, Texas, Anusara Press, 2012.  Index, endnotes, bibliography, three appendices, 506 pages.  ISBN: 978-1937104016.  VSCL.  The author is a Ph.D. candidate in Sanskrit at the University of California, Berkeley.  This book takes as its exemplar and focal point the lineages of nondual Śaiva Tantra most clearly typified by the Kaula Trika lineage.  Written for the educated lay reader.  The author shares his personal life, his spiritual life, his practices, his yoga, within this tradition of Tantra. 


Tantra Unveiled  By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Pd.D.  Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Himalayan Institute Press, 1999, 2007.  152 pages.  ISBN: 0893891584.  VSCL.  


Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire  By Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984).  Edited by Jonathan Landaw.  Foreword by Philip Glass.  Somerville, Massachusetts, Wisdom Publications, 3rd Edition, 1987, 2001.  Glossay, reading list, index, 167 pages.  ISBN: 0861711629.  Tibetan Buddhist Tantric interpretation of using the power of desire to energize and boost spiritual progress.  VSCL.    

 

 

 

 

Tantra
World View, Spirituality, Hatha Yoga, Practice (Sadhana), Rituals
Shakti, Devis, Kundalini, Chakras, Yantras, Mantras


Quotes, Notes

 

Yoga - Quotations, Sayings, Poems

 

    "Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति) from Sanskrit shak – "to be able", meaning sacred force or empowerment – is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism.  Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother' in Hinduism. On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and creativity/fertility, though it is also present in males in its potential, unmanifest form.  Not only is the Shakti responsible for creation, it is also the agent of all change. Shakti is cosmic existence as well as liberation, its most significant form being the Kundalini Shakti, a mysterious psychospiritual force. Shakti exists in a state of svātantrya, dependence on no-one, being interdependent with the entire universe.  In Shaktism, Shakti is worshipped as the Supreme Being.  However, in other Hindu traditions of Shaivism and Vaishnavism, Shakti embodies the active feminine energy Prakriti of Purusha, who is Vishnu in Vaishnavism or Shiva in Shaivism.  Vishnu's female counterpart is called Lakshmi, with Parvati being the female half of Shiva."
Shakti - Wikipedia

 

 

"Tantric philosophy also teaches that everything is to be experienced playfully, yet with awareness and a sense of sacredness in every gesture, every sensory perception, and every action. The path of Tantra is a spiritual one, which includes and appreciates the experience of our sexuality and sensuality as a conscious meditation, as a flowing together of the physical, erotic and cosmic energies.  If you were a devoted student of tantric philosophy, you would go through an extensive program of physical, sexual and mental exercises to heighten your sensory awareness."
-   Tantric Philosophy, White Lotus East 

 

Maha Devi            Kali   

 

 

"In the Shaivite tradition, the god's companions (kaulas) are described as a troupe of freakish, adventurous delinquent and wild young people, who prowl in the night, shouting in the storm, singling, dancing and ceaselessly playing outrageous tricks on sages and gods. They are called Ganas, the 'vagabonds', corresponding to the Cretan Korybantes and the Celtic Korrigans (fairies' sons). Like the Sileni and Satyrs, some of them have goat's or bird's feet.  The Ganas mock the rules of ethics and social order. The personify the joy of living, courage and imagination, which are all youthful values. They live in harmony with nature and oppose the destructive ambition of the city and the deceitful moralism which both hides and expresses it.  These delinquents of heaven are always there to restore true values and to assist the 'god-mad' who are persecuted and mocked by the powerful. They personify everything which is feared by and displeases bourgeois society and which is contrary to the good morale of a well-policed city and its palliative concepts.'
-   Shri Alain Daniélou, Shiva and Dionysus (reprinted as Gods of Love and Ecstasy), p. 99

 

 

    "Shaktism (Sanskrit: Śāktaṃ, शाक्तं; lit., 'doctrine of power' or 'doctrine of the Goddess') is a denomination of Hinduism that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi – the Hindu Divi ne Mother – as the absolute, ultimate Godhead. It is, along with Shaivism and Vaisnavism, one of the primary schools of devotional Hinduism. 
    Shaktism regards Devī (lit., 'the Goddess') as the Supreme Brahman itself, the "one without a second", with all other forms of divinity, female or male, considered to be merely her diverse manifestations. In the details of its philosophy and practice, Shaktism resembles Shaivism. However, Shaktas (Sanskrit: Śākta, शाक्त), practitioners of Shaktism, focus most or all worship on Shakti, as the dynamic feminine aspect of the Supreme Divine. Shiva, the masculine aspect of divinity, is considered solely transcendent, and his worship is usually relegated to an auxiliary role.
    The roots of Shaktism penetrate deep into India's prehistory. From the Goddess's earliest known appearance in Indian paleolithic settlements more than 22,000 years ago, through the refinement of her cult in the Indus Valley Civilization, her partial eclipse during the Vedic period, and her subsequent resurfacing and expansion in the classical Sanskrit tradition, it has been suggested that, in many ways, "the history of the Hindu tradition can be seen as a reemergence of the feminine."
    Over the course of its history, Shaktism has inspired great works of Sanskrit literature and Hindu philosophy, and it continues to strongly influence popular Hinduism today. Shaktism is practiced throughout the Indian subcontinent and beyond, in numerous forms, both Tantric and non-Tantric; however, its two largest and most visible schools are the Srikula (lit., family of Sri), strongest in South India, and the Kalikula (family of Kali), which prevails in northern and eastern India."
Shaktism

 

 

"Tantra's body-positive approach is the direct outcome of its integrative metaphysics according to which this world is not mere illusion but a manifestation of the supreme Reality.  If the world is real, the body must be real as well.  If the world is in essence divine, so must be the body.  If we must honor the world as a creation or an aspect of the divine Power (shakti), we must likewise honor the body.  The body is a piece of the world and, as we shall see, the world is a piece of the body.  Or, rather, when we truly understand the body, we discover that it is the world, which in essence is divine."
-  Georg Feuerstein, Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy, p. 53  

 

 

Durga              

 

 

Kundalini Shakti Bhakti Mantra

Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo Namo!  Primal Shakti, I bow to Thee!

Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Namo Namo!  All Encompassing Shakti, I bow to Thee!

Prithum Bhagvati, Prithum Bhagvati, Prithum Bhagvati, Namo Namo!  That through which Divine Creates, I bow to Thee!

Kundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo!  Creative Power of the Kundalini, Mother of all Mother Power, To Thee I bow!

 

Tantric Prayer

Obeisance to Her
Who is Pure Being, Consciousness, Bliss;
As Power,
Who Exists in the Forms of Time and Space
And All This is Therein,
Who is the Divine Illuminatrix in All Beings. 

 

 

 

Prayer to Maha Devi Lakshmi

 

Lakshmi

               

"I bow to you, O Mother of All Worlds, O Lotus Born, O Four-Armed Giver of Boons.  
Gently floating on the Shatki Seas, sitting firmly on the Heart of Vishnu.
O Maha Devi, sitting on a pink lotus, thank you for letting us see Your Beauty, elegance, exquisiteness, perfection.
Thank You for showering our soils with abundant rain, and for the millions of petals, flowers, fruits, seeds, nuts. 
Praised be you, Loving Devi, shimmering in golden adornments and wearing a splendid red silk gown.  
You are Shakti, Siddhi, Svadha, Svaha, Sudha.
You are the purifier of this world.
You are the evening, the night, the light, the darkness.
You are Glory, ecstasy, joyfulness, intelligence, and devotion.
You are Sarasvati. 
You are Maha Devi Lakshmi. 
You celebrate with us and You bring to us flowers, baskets of delicious food, a golden pot of coins,
sacred plants, your beauty, your smile, the world as it is right now.   
You are the Knower of Great Truths, the Watcher of the Here and Now. 
O Auspicious One, you fathom the Secret Knowledge and are Supra-Insightful, Supra-Intuitive, Supra-Genius.
You are the Science of the Self, O Devi, and you are the giver of the Fruit of Freedom (Mukti).
Logic, the knowledge of all Vedas, the Tantras, worldly knowledge, and Raja Neeti are all yours.
You are fully filled and are present everywhere in this world within and without your ideal, grandiose, or fierce forms. 
O Devi, who other than You could reside in the Hart of the Him who is the real form of all Yajyas, who is
contemplated by all Gods and Yogis.
O Devi, when you give up these entire Three Worlds, this entire creation goes to destruction, and then You Yourself choose to play with possibilities of an alternative world, compelled to give life anther spin again and again through dozens of Kali Yugas.   
By your grace only, a person gets a Wife, Husband, daughter, son, house, family, prosperity, peace and friends.
Those upon whom You, O Devi, bestow your kindness, they are so favored with good health, prosperity, safety, peace, and happiness.   
You are the Mother of these entire worlds, and the Goddess of Gods. 
Vishnu and You, O Mother, are present everywhere in this moving and unmoving creation. 
Please favor us with continued work, good health, wealth, home, farm, animals, enjoyables, clean water, and food. 
O Vishnu-Vaksha-Stal-Vaasini, help keep us Loving relations with our Wife, Husband, daughter, son, parents, family, spiritual community, alter-egos and friends. 
O Devi, Protect our valuables, books, art, jewelry, personal belongings, and home life.   
O Pure One, your presence moves us to now celebrate purity, kindness, truthfulness, and goodness. 
You help us, O Devi, to become admirable, virtuous, brave, fortunate, full of goodness, and intelligent.
O Devi, even Sri Brahma Ji is not capable of praising Your greatness.
Thus, Maha Devi Lakshmi, may You be satisfied with us and don't ever leave us."
-  Adapted by Mike Garofalo from Lakshmi Prayers, Celestial Timings

 

"Tantra means worshipping the Divine Mother.  Tantrics are her blessed children.  Whatever they have is by grace of the Divine Mother."
-  Pandit Rajmani Tigunait's father, Tantra Unveiled, p. 5

 

 

"In tantric imagery, the triangle represents the gate of birth.  Once you have faith, then you can give birth—properly, freely, fantastically.  When you’re willing to give birth to reality, you can’t begin by fighting for your territory.  The triangle represents a much more general and sane approach.  First there is a self-exploratory process, constant personal exploration.  But beyond that, there is just giving, opening, extending yourself completely to the situation, to what is available around you, being fantastically exposed.  That sense of openness can take place when you have faith and when you have developed dignity and a sense that you can actually give birth to another world.  Then you are ready to open up."
Ocean of Dharma, 6/26/2012 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Michael P. Garofalo's E-mail

 

Valley Spirit Yoga
Yoga Practice, Education, and Research

 

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