On the Divine Mother at Navaratri – Part 1/2
Jai Ma!
Narendra has asked me to write about the nature of the Divine Mother on Navaratri. The Mother is worshipped on the Hindu New Year.
I always love to write about the Mother. I’m afraid there’ll be no holding me back.
This might go on for a couple of nights!
(I’ll attach a bibliography at the bottom of more articles on the nature of the Divine Mother.)
I’m going to go farther than just talk about the Mother. I’m going to talk about the whole Trinity.
In the course of it, I hope to show that Christianity and Hinduism worship the same Trinity and that the Trimurthy is itself a subset of the Mother.
What Vedantists call Brahman, Atman, and Shakti (the Divine Mother), Christians call the Father, Son (Christ), and Holy Ghost. (1) What the two sets are pointing to is exactly the same.
Parabrahman is the One, the All, whom Christians call the Father and the Godhead.
Atman is the Son, the Christ, the buddha nature, the firebrand plucked from the burning. Called also the Self and the soul, the Atman is the second member of the Trinity.
The Divine Mother is the third. She accepts the divine spark into her womb of matter, mater, Mother, and raises it up until it’s ready to know the Father. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
They are not entities, but levels of consciousness, known in corresponding levels of enlightenment.
As the story goes, Parabrahman, the Godhead, the Father wanted to know itself and had no way to do so, given that it was everything. How would you know yourself in that situation?
Knowing presupposes a subject knowing an object. Who is there to be an object when there is only one universal Subject?
Ibn Arabi explains what God chose to do: “I was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known, and I created the creation so that I be known.” (2)
The first thing God did was to “create the creation” – to create an illusory, holographic dreamworld, run on God’s laws.
The second thing was to create a version of Itself, a counterpart, to straddle the formless and form-filled worlds and operate this newly-created dream realm. We call the dream manager and operator the Divine Mother.
Into the Mother’s womb of matter, God dispatched sparks of itself, with the same mission: All of them were to find out who they are.
Who were they? God. When one of them realized their true identity in a moment of enlightenment, God met God. You wondered how God would come to know Itself? Well, this is how the mission was accomplished.
The operator of the dreamworld, the Divine Mother, has come to be known by a thousand names: Procreatrix/Prakriti; Creator, Preserver, and Transformer; the Holy Spirit, Dharma, the Comforter Spirit, etc.
She is the one who operates the natural laws, against whom no word of disrespect should be spoken lest it rebound.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, is said to be an Incarnation of the Mother
Mary, Mother of Christ, was one of her direct Incarnations, apparently. Anandamoyee Ma was probably another.
I’ve had the great privilege of speaking to the Mother through Linda Dillon on An Hour with an Angel.
She confirmed with me that she is One with the Father – that she isthe One – that there is no essential difference between them other than the roles “they” have chosen.
Divine Mother: You may address me however you choose — Father/Mother One, All — but certainly I come to you this day in what you would think, or feel, as the presence of the Mother. (3)
There is no true separation between the Father and me. There is delineation and definition, just as there is in your own roles and the choices that you have made time after time. (4)
We can only get sure confirmation from the Mother. Never did I suspect that I’d be talking to her and getting it.
The only contentious equation in the Trinity might be whether the Holy Spirit = Shakti or not. And the Divine Mother confirmed that for me as a reasonable statement to make:
Steve Beckow: Is it correct on my part to say that Shakti is equivalent to the Holy Spirit?
Divine Mother: Yes. That would be a very good statement of clarity. (5)
So we can see that, in our quest for a cross-cultural spirituality, we can equate certain foundational elements of both Hinduism and Christianity and from there branch out to find equivalences in many other religions.
I hope I haven’t been too complicated, so far.
(Concluded in Part 2, tomorrow.)
Footnotes
(1) I believe Egyptians called them Osiris, Horus, and Isis. That’s just a guess.
On Hinduism, Christianity, and the Trinity, see “Christianity and Hinduism are One” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/cross-cultural-spirituality/christianity-and-hinduism-are-one/
(2) Muhyideen Ibn Arabi, Kernel of the Kernel. trans. Ismail Hakki Bursevi. Sherborne: Beshara, n.d., 3.
(3) “The Divine Mother: The Role of Clarity,” Oct. 8, 2013, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/10/08/the-divine-mother-the-role-of-clarity/
(4) “The Divine Mother: You Are Experiencing Love in Ways that You Have Not Known Before,” channeled by Linda Dillon, November 14, 2013, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/11/the-divine-mother-you-are-experiencing-love-in-ways-that-you-have-not-known-before/.
(5) “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2,” October 17, 2012, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/10/17/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/.
(6) “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2,” oct. 17, 2012, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/10/17/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/.
Sri Shankara also confirmed the equation in another edition of An Hour with an Angel:
Steve Beckow: What is the connection between what Hindus call Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the gunas or the cosmic forces of rajas, sattwa and tamas?
Sri Shankara: I can answer this very quickly. There are no differences.
These are cultural understandings. Now, you know, particularly to answer your first question, that in India there is a very lengthy, rich and proud tradition of belief. And I do not say this in any way to diminish, because, as I have said to you, the theme is unification. We have simply spent more time and more focus.
But yes, your understandings and your efforts to bring unification of terms — because that is what it is; it is simply language; it is different words for the same energies — [are welcome.] Now, do I ask you to stop using these words? Of course not.
But is there inherent in your growing understanding a cross-cultural, as you have put it, spiritual underpinning? Because we are not speaking religion. We are speaking spirituality. We are speaking faith. We are speaking the core of your life.
You do not have to change your language or your reference points, because they all end at the same place [Brahman or God]. They all begin, travel and end at the same place. (“Sri Shankara: Everywhere You Look Will be a Monsoon of Love,” June 26, 2013, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/06/26/sri-shankara-everywhere-you-look-will-be-a-monsoon-of-love/.)
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On the Divine Mother at Navaratri – Part 2/2
The active Mother (Shakti) stands on the inactive Father (Shiva)
(Concluded from Part 1, yesterday.)
She also confirmed the following important equation with me. It may be somewhat contentious for some people and I regret any upset it may cause.
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva = Creator, Preserver, Transformer = Rajas, Sattwa, Thamas
The first three terms are the Trimurthy; the second three are functional descriptions; and the third are the cosmic forces, also known as the gunas. The Mother confirmed that they are all the same.
Here’s that discussion, which may not interest people unfamiliar with the gunas:
Steve Beckow: I have a question for you from our Hindu readers. They want to know if the gunas, the cosmic forces which are called rajas, sattwa, and thamas, are the same as the Trimurthy [Triad] of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Divine Mother: Yes. We are the same as that triad.
SB: And the Trimurthy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is a subset of the Universal Creative Vibration that you are at your essence. Is that correct?
DM: That is correct. [The Trimurthy] is much the same as we have been speaking of. It is a way in which my beloved children can come to know me and to have that experience. It is formless, and yet it is form. It is a way of connection, and it is a way of understanding and entering into a higher vibration of being. So it helps the emergence into my energy.
SB: Sort of like stair steps?
DM: That is correct. (1)
“We are the same”: She’s confirmed that the gunas are a subset of her; specifically, of her energy as the universal creative vibration which we know as Aum or Amen. Aum is not coterminous with the Mother; nothing is. The Mother uses the Aum vibration to create worlds.
But look again, in our hunt for identities. Let’s divide the sine wave that Aum is into its components: A-U-M = Akar, Ukar, and Makar. And what are they? We find they are the forces of creation, preservation, and transformation.
At the risk of blowing everyone’s circuits with complexity, we now have the following, extended but very useful statement of equality:
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva = Creator, Preserver, Transformer = Rajas, Sattwa, Thamas = Akar, Ukar, Makar (AUM) = a subset of the Mother.
The two equations suggested here strike me as basic identities in a cross-cultural spirituality.
“The macrocosm and the microcosm rest in the Mother’s womb; now do you see how vast it is?” Sri Ramakrishna asked us. (2) Indeed, we do.
The Mother herself has confirmed with me that she’s much “larger” than our version of “Shakti.”
Divine Mother: When I have spoken about … Shakti, I have spoken about a part of me. As I have said, I am the bridge. I am the clasp between the Father and the universe and your world. And Shakti has been experienced — yes, inter-dimensionally for eons, as you well know – but she is not the totality of my being. My being is bigger than you can fathom, dear one.
So I do not simply mean that she is an aspect manifesting. But it is simply larger than any of you can imagine, particularly at this point. (3)
The Mother encompasses everything with form, everything material, and, as it turns out, everything knowable. The Father cannot be known. We cannot approach the Father without knowledge of the Christ or Atman first; then knowledge of the Mother second; and at last we enter the unknowingness of the transcendental Father. (4)
It turns out that these three entities are levels of consciousness. Or levels of love. Or levels of bliss. All roads lead Home, to the higher dimensions beyond the seven-chakra system.
So for the benefit of all devotees of the Mother on Navaratri, this is the most up-to-date account I can give you on the nature of the Mother we all worship.
Happy Navaratri!
Happy New Year!
Jai Ma!
Footnotes
(1) “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2,” Oct. 17, 2012, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/10/17/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/.
(2) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in Swami Nikhilananda, trans., The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1978; c1942, 106.
(3) “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2,” Oct. 17, 2012, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/10/17/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/.
(4) Which enlightenment experiences happen at the fourth, sixth, and seventh chakras.
Ascension occurs beyond the seven-chakra system. The opening of the seventh chakra or Sahasrara leads to Brahmajnana or God-Realization, a transcendental experience. But it’s still only halfway up the mountain.
Beyond it is Sahaja Samadhi, which is the culmination of our Ascension. Sahaja is a permanent heart opening and is known as mukti or moksha, liberation from Third-Dimensional birth and death.
Bibliography
- “On the Nature of the Divine Mother or Holy Spirit” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/on-the-nature-of-the-divine-mother-or-holy-spirit-/
- “The Divine Mother is not a God among Gods” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-is-not-a-god-among-gods/
- “Transcript of the Divine Mother on An Hour with an Angel, May 7, 2012” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/transcript-of-the-divine-mother-on-an-hour-with-an-angel-may–/
- “What Differentiates Father from Mother? The Mother Answers,” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/?p=287670
- “Every Religion Worships the Mother” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/every-religion-worships-the-mother/
- “Our Original Sacred Partner” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2015/03/28/our-original-sacred-partner/
- “The Light and Love of the Mother” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2015/04/25/the-light-and-love-of-the-mother/
- “I am Love, Change and Constancy” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/i-am-love-change-and-constancy/
- “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/
- “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 2/2” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-22/
- “The Divine Mother: The Role of Clarity” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-the-role-of-clarity/
- “The Mother Calls Us” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-mother-calls-us/
- “Universal Mother: Your Family is the Legions of Light, June 18, 2013” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/universal-mother-your-family-is-the-legions-of-light-june-18-2013/
- “The Divine Mother, Aum, and Love” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-aum-and-love/
- What It Means that the Mother Should Address Us This Way” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/what-it-means-that-the-mother-should-address-us-this-way/”
- “The Law-Giving Mother and Her Lawful Universe” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-law-giving-mother-and-her-lawful-universe/”
- “The Natural Law was Created by the Father through the Mother” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-natural-law-was-created-by-the-father-through-the-mother/
- “In the Beginning Was the Word” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/in-the-beginning-was-the-word/”
- “Is the “Holy Spirit” Feminine?” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/holy-spirit-feminine/”
- “The Father and the Father … by the Mother” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-father-and-the-father-by-the-mother/
- “The Divine Mother is All We Can Know” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/the-divine-mother-is-all-we-can-know/”
- “How the Divine Mother Was ‘Born’” at http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-mother/how-the-divine-mother-was-born/
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