Kali, Baby

Kali is one of the most well known and worshipped Hindu goddesses.

She is usually depicted as naked and blood thirsty, with disheveled hair and four arms. Her left arms hold a bloody sword and a freshly severed human head. She has three eyes. The only "clothing" she wears is a girdle of human arms cut off at the elbow and a garland of fifty skulls.

This is somewhat at odds with the typical beneficent image of  a god like, say, Jesus.

There are various stories regarding her emergence as a god. One is that she killed a couple of demons and, in celebration, drained their blood. Drunk from the slaughter, she began to dance and became overjoyed with the feel of the dead flesh under her feet. She danced wildly out of control until her husband, Shiva, threw himself under her feet to stop her. She is typically depicted standing with one foot on the chest of her husband.

Legend has it that she will eventually continue the dance, which will bring about the end of the world.

Another story has it that the demon Raktabija could never be killed because each drop of his blood that touched the ground became another him. Kali spread her tongue over the battlefield preventing any of Raktabija's blood from touching the ground, which enabled the gods to destroy him.

The beauty of all this is that she is considered to be the ultimate manifestation of the Divine Mother.

Kali has an insatiable thirst for blood but intends her bloody deeds for good. Worshippers believe she may get carried away by her gruesome acts but that she is not evil. They believe that on the highest level her destructive energies can be seen as vehicles of salvation and ultimate transformation.

In Sanskrit the feminine form of the word black is Kali, so she is also known as the Black Goddess. Whether you interpret black as the merging of all colors or the absence of all color, it is a symbol of the infinite and a sign of Kali's all embracing, comprehensive nature; a transcendence of all form.

To some the Black Goddess is death, to the wise she represents the death of death.

Kali deals with the horrible aspects of life most people will not think about. She embodies horror, rage, unkempt fury and chaos but is worshipped as a goddess and not mistaken for a demon.

As you may have guessed, in Hinduism the polarity of good and evil are blurred.

Kali's most important place of worship is the cremation ground, preferably at the dead of night.

Kali is also associated with intense sexuality.

She is considered to be the triple goddess of creation, protection and destruction. A multi faceted Great Goddess responsible for all of life from conception to death. Therefore she is worshipped with fertility festivals as well as through blood sacrifice. Her initiations expand consciousness through fear, ritual sexuality and intoxication from a variety of drugs.

This is one very versatile god. A god whose worshippers cut a lot of slack. She is a multi tasker who inspires fear and love. A bloodthirsty killer who justifies the slaughter in the name of doing good. An intensely sexual deity who embodies the sweet purity of motherhood.

Gods like this make religion fascinating.