Darshan with the Goddess
The Sanskrit word - Darshan - refers to seeing or being in the presence of a sacred person, object or deity. It implies a mutual interaction between the viewer and the perceived being. It is a powerful form of practice or worship within the Bhakti or heart traditions. We are blessed by the Grace of the Goddess everyday but how often do we pause to notice?
In our culture it is predominantly the patriarchal or masculine qualities that are valued; that for example of efficiency, utility, order, control and structured time. Often, we forget to balance these with the feminine qualities of unfathomable chaos, beauty, cyclical rhythms, love and being-ness. It can be a potent daily practice to consciously acknowledge the feminine in Her multifarious expressions. For example, we can notice the spiral pattern of water as it falls from the tap or how the mud on our boots is Her body rising to meet us. We can feel the pleasure arising from seeing the curve of a jar of herbs, the tickle of sweat on our skin, the pause at the red traffic light to notice the child laughing, the chaos of tangled string or the sour scent of decaying fruit. Our awareness can be touched by the crinkled skin on a gnarled branch, the dandelion growing between the paving stones, the rolling sound of the kettle boiling, or the frenetic buzz of the fly caught in the spider’s web. There are these and so many other precious moments to feel Her presence… to take Her darshan.
When we do re-establish our connection with the Goddess within ourselves we bring balance to our masculine and feminine qualities and this brings a much needed healing balm. These moments are opportunities to experience and celebrate the many faces of the Goddess. I invite you to notice how the conditioned mind expresses its preferences; for a straight path, a clean boot, a sunny day. As you reach for the headphones, anti-bacterial wipes, weed killer or deodorant reflect on which part of Her you are wanting to avoid or eliminate. Which part of Her do you not wish to embrace? For most of us it is the face of the crone, Kali, Grandmother or Cailleach (Celtic): she who murmurs the promise of impermanence, decay and death. We have been conditioned to look away, ignore or ridicule, or forget to remember. Remember, she also promises the renewal or the rebirth. If we straighten out Her curved path, dilute or sanitize Her expression, we will miss the guidance, wisdom and generous darshan offered by the Goddess in our everyday sacred lives.