dharaṇī garbha sambhūtaṃ vidyutkānti samaprabham । kumāraṃ śaktihastaṃ taṃ maṅgaḻaṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥ “Born of the Earth’s womb, as brilliant as glorious lightning; Youthful One, with spear (Shakti) in his hand, salutations to you O Mangal.” ~ Hymns to the Navagraha Lately I find my contemplations drawn inexplicably to Mangal, the planet Mars. Which is strange because I don’t work directly with its planetary energies. At least, not on a personal level. But then again. I shouldn

On So Many Levels… Every student reached the top of the mountain to greet the Goddess. In varying speeds. But everyone was safe; no injuries. Despite the initial rain, the delays, the long jeep rides, the spartan sleeping quarters. You all persevered. You kept your cool. You earned your spiritual gold. How’s that for an adventure and a half? Thank you for your trust and putting in all the work, months and months of preparation, physical and spiritual, where so many would have

On Amavasya’s moonless night, the radiant headless mother Chinnamasta returns to my awareness. Our recent Sacred Journey in Nepal began on Her Jayanti day, after all. Bless us she did! Chinnamasta entered my own spiritual life very, very subtly, many years ago via the teachings of Wild Heart Magick — and now we see why, her own Spiritual Name contains ‘Wellspring’, mirroring the lifestreams of the goddess. Kavitha never ever claimed to ‘channel Chinnamasta’ — but in hindsigh

This question was posed to us today. What brings you back to your center, returning you closer to calm and clarity? What inspires you to bring nourishment and strength back into your own cup? The catch? It cannot be somebody else. Or addictive substances For spiritual initiates, we are given sadhana or ‘spiritual practice’. Sometimes one who is adept creates this for themselves. It could include kriyas, mudras, asanas, mantras, or devotion to a specified deity. Additional rit

My favorite temple so far… Dandeshwar, not far from the larger temple complex of Jageshwar. But much smaller. Both considered to be once the focal point of Pashupatas over a thousand years ago — roaming tantriks and sadhaks who lived with the wild, emulating Shiva in his pashupati form as lord of animals. (In my earliest awakening remember it was the animal spirit guides that came to me first) The call of the Devadaru haunts my being; even now as I nurture my phlegm-spewing l

The alchemy of all things, whether matter or spirit, requires the unification of Fire and Water, the solar and lunar powers, the embodiment of ‘as above, so below’. Similarly: Knowledge cannot shine without Discernment, Spiritual cannot flourish without Body, and Truth cannot stand without Courage. All things are governed by the laws of the Sun and Moon, the Fiery and the Sublime, Purusha and Prakriti. In the Himalayan mountains I was reborn by Fire; now, in the Saharan deser

TRAINING DAY 01 Mirroring the start of all creation, our lesson began with the pranava … followed by unraveling the first 3 Shakti Bijas. I have not done a proper Training Retreat for so many years, overtaken by sacred journeys, that I’ve forgotten how much I miss lecturing and sharing — particularly the Puranas, those mythology filled with sacred symbology and encoded teachings. I have forgotten that spiritual story-telling is one of my biggest gifts, and today, over a relax

On this full moon tonight, it is Shiva who fills my mind, in His Jyotirswarupa form, the Pillar of Light and Fire. This is one of my favorite stories: “Brahma, Lord of the Creative Mind, was having an argument with Vishnu, Lord of the World. Brahma believed that, since he knew all things, therefore he must be the Supreme God. Vishnu disagreed, saying that the fact one needed validation denotes a lack of true supremacy. He himself, on the other hand, is revered by all of life

(Sapta = seven; Matrika = matriarch) Inspired by — and made possible — through the 7 beautiful priestesses of our recent Shakti Retreat in Siwa. Drawing upon the shakti of Pleiades and the Big Dipper hanging over us in the desert. Brought forth by the mantras and bhakti of us all. “At the most crucial moment, surrounded by countless demons of ignorance, Durga shook Her body, and from Her third eye, Chamunda the Frightening emerged. From the fanged mouth of Chamunda, the prist

“Lord Shiva went into deep meditation, and divine sparks of light radiated from His third eye (representing the element Ether). The Gods of Fire and Wind, Agni and Vayu, gathered these sparks, and transported them into the sacred river Ganga. Mother Ganga, the Great Goddess of Water, held these divine sparks in Her Womb, known as the beautiful Lake Saravana, and after time, beautiful lotus flowers began to emerge from the deep mud below the lake. From the biggest lotus, a bab