I was deeply saddened to hear of the attacks in Paris last night, just as I was completing the set of Spirit Beads devoted to the goddess Kali. The first thoughts that came to me were that we must not respond to these events with fear and anger. Doing so would only contribute to the very energies that gave rise to the attacks in the first place, and enough turmoil on the inner planes has been generated by them as it is. Instead, I found myself chanting the mantra that my spiritual teacher, Amma, encourages everyone to use: Om lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu: May all the beings in all the worlds be peaceful and happy. This, and similar prayers for peace can help calm and stabilize both the world and ourselves.
So Kali's appearance was not coincidental. As the fiercest form of the Dark Mother, she is the ultimate slayer of demons, called forth as a last resort when all the other gods and goddesses had failed. I have always found it interesting that this aspect of divinity is female. She is the destroyer of the ego, that part of us that mistakenly believes it is separate from the divine and all the rest of creation. She destroys the greatest enemies: ignorance, fear, and hatred, all of which give rise to the terrible violence we have witnessed today. And she will help us to do the same within our own selves, which is where the solution of all problems must begin.
+++ We've just had some workmen appear to work on the house, and they're doing it right in the middle of my "photography studio" outside. So, I will be listing those Spirit Beads in my Etsy shop tomorrow rather than today +++
Peace and Blessings.