Chthonia

This week's podcast is about Kaumari, the Shakti (primal energy) of the Hindu war god Kaumara (also known as Skanda or Kartikeya). This violent goddess, associated with the vice of attachment, also has a paradoxical role as the Kanyakumari Devi, a virgin child goddess of South India and Nepal.

This week begins our series on the Asta Matrikas, eight fierce Shaktis who represent the powers of the Hindu gods themselves. We start with Chamunda, known as the slayer of anger (Chanda) and passion (Munda). However, Chamunda is much older and a more independent figure, the Shakti of the Devi herself, and very dangerous if […]

This is the last podcast on the Das Mahavidyas. This week we look at Kamala, the Tantric manifestation of Mahalakshmi. While Lakshmi is associated with her husband Vishnu and a model of obedience, Kamala is wholly independent of any spouse, and has a few dark attributes that go with her beneficent demeanor.

In the second-to-last episode about the Mahavidyas, we look at Bhuvaneswari, the goddess who is the embodiment of the material world.

This week's goddess is not as dark, but extremely powerful, the Queen of the Sricakra. She is known for restoring the god Kama (Desire) to the world after being destroyed by Shiva, and doing battle with the demon created from Kama's ashes, Bhandasura (the "good" demon).

Bhagalamukhi means "crane-faced"; however, she is not portrayed as a crane, and equally mysterious is her connection to the color yellow, which seems to provide a connection to Vishnu. She is known as the Paralyzer; we look at the deeper meaning of this Tantric goddess, always shown holding the tongue of the demon Madan.

This week's episode looks at the Hindu goddess Tara, listed as the second Mahavidya in traditional order. Unlike the tender Buddhist Tara, this Tantric goddess is associated with the fire of cremation and has a fierce appearance. However, they are both associated with liberation, and Tara shows us that the way to enlightenment is not […]

Continuing our Mahavidyas series, Dhumavati is an inauspicious goddess associated with old age, poverty, and sickness. But she is also the goddess of the Void between Death and Life, and plays an important role in teaching us to stay in the present.

This week's episode is about the Goddess of Destruction and consort of Bhairava, the destructive aspect of Shiva. As with our other Mahavidyas, Bhairavi also has powerful life-affirming aspects.

In our continued series on the Das Mahavidyas, we look this week at Chinnamasta, the self-decapitating goddess. Her image is gruesome and somewhat shocking; however she represents a sublime reality about life and death.