Chthonia

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.

In the wake of fears of the Coronavirus, I thought it would be timely to discuss Matangi, one of the Mahavidyas associated with pollution and impurity. Matangi shows us how the Divine is present in the impure–and the unwanted.

I talk with Dr. Joanna Madloch about the Slavic witch Baba Yaga. Joanna grew up in Poland with traditional Slavic folklore, and we discuss the common motifs and meanings of the old witch who lives in the forest, in a house that moves, and is only found by those who are lost.