“Shakti Rising exposes in a deep way the practices of the Mahavidyas as an ensemble to arouse and balance the energy of the Shakti in us. Kavitha Chinnaiyan underlines the constant cosmic play of the ten goddesses as if they were dancing in our unconscious, to unify and bring out the balance between light and darkness. This guide of self-discovery, based on a profound comprehension of yoga, Advaita, and tantra, is also very practical, and the exercises proposed are efficient. The images of the Mahavidyas will make the primal energy of the Shakti shine and manifest in front of your eyes. The reading itself is a sadhana. A precious book!” —Daniel Odier, author of Tantric Kali, Tantric Quest, and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening “Kavitha Chinnaiyan is a gifted and insightful scholar-practitioner. Her book is original, practical, and rooted in her deep understanding of the yoga and tantric traditions. Kavitha brings new wisdom to the mystery of the Mahavidyas, the feminine energies of transformation. Highly recommended.” —Sally Kempton, author of Awakening Shakti “A remarkable journey along a path whose pavestones are the ten Mahavidyas, the creative forces of existence that are energetic doorways to either suffering or freedom. Read Shakti Rising in order to understand how the swirling energies of life have meaning for you, how you may transform their shadow qualities into light qualities, and how to go beyond and see that what you truly are is awareness itself. You will emerge from this reading as you unwittingly entered: free and joyous.” —Jerry Katz, editor of One: Essential Writings on Nonduality, and founder of www.nonduality.org “Finally, and just in time, we are waking up to the vital need to honor the deep feminine. Kavitha’s wise writing on the great wisdom goddesses shows how to respect and understand the feminine powers of life that have been maligned and suppressed for so long. Her timely book is the perfect interweaving of goddess awareness within a structure of practices that deepen wisdom and help us to live a fuller, deeper life, embracing feminine consciousness through the ten great wisdom goddesses. Read this book, and awaken to the power of the feminine resurgence in your life.” —Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, author of Yoni Shakti “With the charming combination of personal insights gained through ardent spiritual practice, research, and study, Kavitha brings the Mahavidyas to life, where they become portals to inner beauty, joy, and fulfillment. I recommend Shakti Rising highly.” —Shri Param Eswaran, father of ParaTan Inner Sakthi Yoga, and founder of the Mahavidya Temple in Tamil Nadu, India, and Mahavidya Inner Health in Seremban, Malaysia “This book is filled with marvelous paradoxes—it unites both progressive and direct spiritual paths, and although rooted in rich and arcane Vedic imagery, it remains perfectly accessible and simple to apply. Above all, Kavitha has somehow captured the quintessence of a timeless wisdom and brought it down from the mountaintops for us all to learn from. I bow to both the author and the teaching.” —Richard Rudd, author of Gene Keys, and founder of www.genekeys.com “With the deft use of everyday examples that all readers can relate to, and an engaging, conversational writing style, Kavitha Chinnaiyan brings the Mahavidyas down from their lofty mystical perches so that they may tease our imaginations, sport with us, inspire us, and eventually lead us from the shadows to the light. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever wished to delve deeper into the subject, and of course, for anyone seeking to access and unlock the divine energy that resides within all of us.” —Roopa Pai, author of the award-winning The Gita: For Children “Shakti Rising is my favorite kind of book. In our overly busy, twenty-first-century lifestyles, many of us ‘seekers’ find ourselves with more desire than time to explore topics that pique our interest. Through her extensive breadth of knowledge, practice, and experience, Kavitha distills the Mahavidyas in an extremely digestible way for those of us who might fantasize about becoming renunciates, but have unavoidable things like jobs, families, bills, and responsibilities to tend to, to create a useful work we can integrate into daily spiritual practice and inquiry.” —Elizabeth DiAlto, author of Untame Yourself, and host of the Untame the Wild Soul podcast “In Shakti Rising, Kavitha Chinnaiyan presents an in-depth look at the Mahavidyas, ten aspects of the divine mother. Although there are a few books in English out there on this subject, she gives a deeper meaning to each goddess, which has helped me gain more clarity on their aspects. I really liked the practical meditations, creating a deeper and personal connection to the dark and light side of the goddess. I look forward to using this book with my students.” —Mavis Gewant, sacred artist Publisher’s Note This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books Copyright © 2017 by Kavitha Chinnaiyan New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5674 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com Cover design by Amy Shoup; Interior illustrations by Jane Adams; Acquired by Catharine Meyers; Edited by Gretel Hakanson All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Chinnaiyan, Kavitha M., author. Title: Shakti rising : embracing shadow and light on the goddess path to wholeness / Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan ; foreword by Greg Goode. Description: Oakland, CA : NonDuality, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2017015521 (print) | LCCN 2017037951 (ebook) | ISBN 9781626259119 (PDF e-book) | ISBN 9781626259126 (ePub) | ISBN 9781626259102 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: ?Sakti (Hindu deity) | Shaktism. | Mind and body. | BISAC: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Spirituality Divine Mother, The Goddess, Quan Yin. | SELF-HELP Spiritual. | RELIGION Hinduism Theology. | BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & Personal Growth. Classification: LCC BL1225.S18 (ebook) | LCC BL1225.S18 C45 2017 (print) | DDC 294.5/2114--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017015521 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017015521 Contents FOREWORD V 1. THE HIDDEN PATH 1 2. THE PATH OF THE DIVINE FEMININE 13 3. KALI 27 4. TARA 47 5. TRIPURA SUNDARI 65 6. BHUVANESHWARI 85 7. TRIPURA BHAIRAVI 103 8. CHINNAMASTA 121 9. DHUMAVATI 141 10. BAGALAMUKHI 159 11. MATANGI 179 12. KAMALATMIKA 199 13. THE DYNAMIC SHAKTI IN OUR LIFE 217 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 227 RESOURCES 229 NOTES 233 GLOSSARY OF SANSKRIT TERMS 237 BIBLIOGRAPHY 245 Foreword I n Shakti Rising, Kavitha Chinnaiyan presents something new—a path that combines the fierce beauty of the divine feminine with the radical clarity of non- dual investigation. It’s a natural combination, because many people find non- duality by itself to be rather distant and masculine. Kavitha calls this the path of the Mahavidyas. Its primary influences are tantra and non-dual self-inquiry, but it also includes elements from traditional Vedanta, Yoga, and Kashmir Shaivism. What are the Mahavidyas? According to tantric philosophy, the Mahavidyas are ten aspects of the divine feminine that manifest as distinct cosmic personalities or wisdom goddesses. Each Mahavidya has different character attributes and different ways of guiding us to liberation. The Mahavidyas can be seen as creative forces, devotional deities, psychological metaphors, guides to our deep inner work—or better yet, all of the above. Since there are ten Mahavidyas, the question may arise, “Which one do I work with?” The answer itself feels liberating, and Kavitha presents it in fascinating detail. In short, all of the Mahavidyas have something to teach us. They teach us to love ourselves and work with the hidden parts that might be holding us back from freedom. A Mahavidya is a complex persona and a ray of divine light. She has a certain look, which may or may not be pleasant. She also has a strong, uncompromising personality. Her psychophysical and energetic attributes serve as her teaching tools. And each Mahavidya is so detailed and complex that most students can find something to relate to. For example, Kali is shocking and scary, yet she also teaches us the ways of nonviolence. Tripura Sundari looks beautiful and enchanting, yet she teaches us how to realize freedom from attachment. Dhumavati appears uncouth and filthy, yet she teaches us the reflective path to Self-knowledge. And there are seven more! We are not obligated to work with just one Mahavidya. The path of the Mahavidyas is a matter of “both/and,” not “either/or.” The path is as varied as the richness of our own personality. As I mentioned above, this path involves both tantra and non-dual inquiry. Each of these spiritual activities contributes a unique element not found in the other. For example, tantra encourages us to see all of phenomenality as divine. Everything is worthy of our spiritual attention, not just the things that irritate us right now. When we add tantra to non-dual inquiry, we open up vast new areas for investigation, such as the energy currents in our body and the painful, unacknowledged parts of our personality. These phenomena may not be seen when we use non-dual inquiry on its own. Because tantra helps us work with the deeper facets of our personality, we become less prone to spiritual bypassing. All in all, tantra provides a healthy, holistic new terrain within which we can do our inquiry. On the other hand, non-dual inquiry brings something helpful to tantra. Inquiry can help reduce our sense of separation from aspects of the world, body, and mind. With less felt separation, we find our hearts and minds to be more open. We become less likely to see the Mahavidyas as separate from us. Non-dual inquiry also gives us greater freedom to engage tantra in a way not limited by literal interpretation. We’re able to understand the Mahavidyas in new ways that go beyond their official verbal descriptions. This freedom from literalism is crucial, because tantra requires us to see things in terms of other things. For example, in chapter 1, Kavitha says, “In tantra, we see everything in existence as a manifestation of Shakti and learn to see her beauty even in her most depraved or heinous forms.” The ability to see beauty in heinous forms requires a generous kind of nonliteral seeing. It requires flexibility and creativity. These qualities emerge from non-dual inquiry, which includes inquiry into language, meaning, and truth. The path of the Mahavidyas is an auspicious blend of powerful spiritual methods. Tantra brings depth and excitement to the mix. Non-dual inquiry brings clarity and flexibility to the mix. I recommended the path highly. —G G REG OODE