Praise Her
A Goddess for Breaking Down Old Structures and Inviting the New
Kali helps us ask for what we want, honor our anger, and express our sexuality
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What if we had the power to overcome fear? What if we asked for what we wanted and walked away if we didn’t get it? What if, instead of the sanitized, airbrushed women our society values, we were wild, sexual, and messy? What if we called or texted when we wanted to instead of playing hard to get? Or better yet, what if we were hard to get, because we were more interested in our own lives than in the lives of other people?
We can call on the goddess Kali to help us get there. She teaches us to face our fears, ask for what we want, honor our anger, and express our sexuality.
The story of Kali
According to one version of Hindu mythology, Kali was called on by the powerful warrior goddess Durga to help save the universe from a half-buffalo, half-demon named Raktabija. The demon had amassed too much power and was wreaking chaos across the earth and heavens. The three Gods of the Hindu trinity, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, couldn’t stop the demon because Raktabija was immune to the powers of all men. He was not, however, immune to the powers of the goddesses.
The three deities implored Durga to save the universe by defeating Raktabija and his army, so she jumped into battle. The fight was difficult: Every time a drop of the demon’s blood hit the earth, a new warrior appeared. Even for a kickass goddess like Durga, this created a challenge. Then Kali appeared out of Durga’s third eye and went on a killing spree. As blood poured from the demon, she licked it up before it spilled to the ground, which stopped the warriors from multiplying. This is why Kali is often depicted with her tongue hanging out, wearing a necklace of skulls.
Kali quickly helped her sister goddess win the battle against evil. But once the demon was defeated, she didn’t stop her wild dancing — or her killing. She was uncontrollable. The force of her movements threatened to damage the world so Lord Shiva, the God of Destruction, threw himself at Kali’s feet to get her to stop. Eventually, Kali was appeased and she entered back into Durga. Space was…
