Shaktism

It focuses on the Hindu Divine Mother cult, here represented as Lajja Gauri or Aditi, the
original mother of the Cosmos, and as the mystical yantra known as Sri Meru.
Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that focuses worship on Shakti or Devi - the
Hindu Divine Mother - as the absolute, supreme God. It is, along with Shaivism and
Vaisnavism, one of the primary schools of devotion in Hinduism.

Shaktism considers Devi as the Supreme Brahman Himself, the "One without a second",
with all other forms of divinity, female or male, considered as merely its various
manifestations. In the details of its philosophy and practice, Shaktism resembles
Shaivism. However, Shaktas, practitioners of Shaktism, focus most or all of the worship
of Shakti, the dynamic feminine aspect of the Supreme Divinity. Shiva, the masculine
aspect of divinity, is considered exclusively transcendent, and his worship is generally
relegated to an auxiliary role.

The roots of Shaktism go deep into the prehistory of India. From the first known
appearance of the goddess in Paleolithic Indian settlements more than 22,000 years ago,
through the refinement of her cult in the Indus Valley civilization, her partial eclipse
during the Vedic period, and her subsequent repaving and expansion in the classical
tradition, Sanskrit, has it been suggested that, in many respects, "the history of the Hindu
tradition can be seen as a revival of the feminine."

Throughout its history, Shaktism has inspired great works of Sanskrit literature and
Hindu philosophy, and continues to strongly influence popular Hinduism today.
Shaktism is practiced throughout the Indian subcontinent and beyond, in many forms,
both tantric and non-Tantric, however, its two largest and most visible schools are the
Srikula, strongest in southern India, and the Kalikula, which It prevails in northern and
eastern India.

Shakti and Shiva

Shaktas conceive the Goddess as the supreme, supreme God. She is considered at the
same time the source of all creation, as well as its realization, and the energy that
animates and governs. It has been observed that "nowhere in the world's religious history
do we find an entire system oriented toward women."

Shaktism's focus on the Divine Feminine does not imply a rejection of masculine
divinity or castration. However, both are considered as inactive in the absence of Shakti.
As stated in the first line of Adi Shankara's renowned Shakta hymn, Saundaryalahari: "If
Shiva is united with Shakti, he is capable of creation; if he is not, he is incapable of even
agitation." This is the fundamental principle of Shaktism, as underlined in the well-
known image of the goddess Kali walking over the seemingly lifeless body of Shiva.

Broadly speaking, Shakti is considered to be the cosmos itself - it is the embodiment of

energy and dynamism and the motivating force behind all action and existence in the
material universe. Shiva is its transcendent masculine aspect, providing the divine basis
of all being. "There is no Shiva without Shakti, or without Shakti Shiva. The two of
them are one."
As expressed by historian Ramachandra VR Dikshitar, "Shaktism is dynamic Hinduism.
The excellence of Shaktism lies in its affirmation of Shakti as Consciousness and of the
identity of Shakti and Brahman. In short, Brahman is static Shakti and Shakti is dynamic
Brahman." In religious art, this cosmic dynamic is powerfully expressed in the half-
Shakti, half-Shiva deity known as Ardhanari.

Shaktism views the Devi as the source, essence and substance of almost everything in
creation, visible or invisible, including Shiva himself. In the Devi Bhagavata-Purana, a
central Shakta scripture, the Devi states:

"I am the manifest Divinity, the unmanifest Divinity and the Transcendent Divinity. I am
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, as well as Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. I am the sun and
I am one of the stars, and I am also the Moon. I'm totally animals and birds, and I'm the
outcast as well, and the thief. I am the low person of terrible deeds, and the great person
of excellent works. “I am a woman, I am a man, and I am neutral.”

The religious scholar MacKenzie C. Brown explains that Shaktism, "clearly insists that,
of the two sexes, the feminine represents the dominant power in the universe. However,
both sexes must be included in the latter if it is truly definitive. The masculine and
feminine are aspects of the divine, the transcendent reality, which goes beyond, but still
understands them. Devi, in her supreme form as consciousness transcends gender, but
her transcendence is not separate from her immanence. "

Brown's analysis continues: "Indeed, this affirmation of the uniqueness of transcendence

and immanence constitutes the very essence of the divine mother's ultimate triumph -
there is, in short, that she is infinitely superior to the male gods - Although she is that,
according to - but transcends her own feminine nature as Prakriti without denying it."

Association with Tantra

A widely misunderstood aspect of Shaktism is its close association with Tantrism – an

ambiguous, often provocative concept that suggests everything from orthodox temple
worship in South India, to black magic and occult practices in North India. , to ritualized
sexual practices in the West. In fact, not all forms of Shaktism are Tantric in nature, just
as not all forms of Tantra are Shaktic in nature.

When the term "Tantra" is used in connection with authentic Hindu Shaktism, it often
refers to a class of ritual manuals, and - more broadly - to an esoteric methodology of
Goddess-centered spiritual practice involving mantra, yantra, nyasa , mudra and certain
elements of traditional kundalini yoga, all practiced under the guidance of a qualified
guru after due initiation and oral instruction to complement various written sources.

In its social interactions, Shakta Tantra is “free from all types of caste and patriarchal
prejudices. A woman or a sudra has the right to act in the role of guru. All women are
considered manifestations of Shakti, and therefore are objects of respect and devotion.
Whoever offends them incurs the wrath of the great goddess. Everything has to realize
the latent Feminine Principle within itself, and only by 'becoming a woman' does it have
the right to worship the Supreme Being."

More controversial ritual practices, such as the "Five Ms" or panchamakara, are
employed in certain circumstances by some Shakta tantric sects. However, these
elements tend to be exaggerated and sensationalized by commentators who are
misinformed about authentic doctrine and practice. Furthermore, even within the
tradition there are great differences of opinion regarding the correct interpretation of the
panchamakara, and some lineages reject them altogether.

In sum, the complex social and historical interrelationships of Tantric and non-Tantric
elements in Shaktism – and Hinduism in general – are a highly charged and nuanced
topic of discussion. However, as a general rule:

"The ideas and practices that together characterize Tantrism permeate classical
Hinduism; it would be a mistake to consider Tantrism apart from its complex
interrelationships with non-Tantric traditions. Literature history demonstrates that
Vedic-oriented Brahmins have participated in Shakta Tantrism from its incipient stages
of development, that is, at least since the 6th century. Although Shakta Tantrism may
have its origins in goddess cults, any attempt to distance Shakta Tantrism from Hindu
Sanskritic traditions will lead us astray.”

main deities

Shaktas can approach the Devi in any of a large number of ways, however, all of them
are considered but various aspects of the supreme goddess.

With the many names used to refer to it -? Devi, Caika, Ambika, Kali, and a profusion of
others - It is easy to forget that the Devi is in fact one, the Devi reveals that she is one
without a second, saying: "I am alone here in the world. "Who else is there besides me?"
After this proclamation of divine unity, which has been called the mahavakya or great
dictum of Devimahatmya, she explains that they are all but projections of her power, as
are all the other forms she inhabits.

The primary Devi form worshiped by a Shakta is his Ishta-devi. The selection of this
deity may depend on many factors, including family tradition, regional practice, guru
lineage, personal resonance and so on. There are literally thousands of forms of the
goddess, many of them associated with particular temples, geographical features or even
individual towns. Nevertheless, several very popular goddess forms are known and
worshiped throughout the Hindu world, and virtually every female deity in Hinduism is
believed to be a manifestation of one or more of these "basic" forms. The best-known
benevolent goddesses of popular Hinduism include:

•Adi Parashakti: The Goddess as original, Transcendent Source of the Universe.

•Durga: The Goddess as Mahadevi, material manifestation of the Supreme Divinity
•Lakshmi: The Goddess of material fulfillment, consort of Vishnu
•Parvati: The Goddess of spiritual realization, consort of Shiva
•Saraswati: The Goddess of cultural development; consort of Brahma, identified with the
river Sarasvati
•Gayatri: The Goddess as Mother of Mantras
•Ganga: the goddess as divine river; identifies with the Ganges River
•Sita: The Goddess as Rama's consort
•Radha: The Goddess as lover of Krishna
•Sati: The goddess of marital relations, consort of Shiva original Tantric Deities
Main article: Mahavidyas, Matrikas and Yogini
Goddess groups - such as the "Nine Durgas", "Eight Lakshmis" or the "Fifteen Nityas" -
are very common in Hinduism. But perhaps no group reveals the elements of Shaktism
better than the Ten Mahavidyas. Through them, Shaktas believe, "the truth is detected in
ten different aspects, the Divine Mother is worshiped and approached by ten cosmic
personalities." The Mahavidyas are considered Tantric in nature, and are usually
identified as:

•Kali: The Goddess as Cosmic Destruction, death or "devourer of time"

•Tara: The Goddess as guide and protector, or the Goddess as Savior •Lalita-
Tripurasundari: the goddess who is "beautiful in the three worlds", the "Parvati Tantra"
•Bhuvaneshvari: The Goddess as Mother of the World, or the goddess whose body is the
earth/Cosmos
•Bhairavi: The fierce goddess
•Chhinnamasta: The Self-Decapitated Goddess
•Dhumavati: The Widow Goddess
•Bagalamukhi: the goddess who Paralyzes enemies
•Matangi: The Goddess Outcaste, the Prime Minister of Lalita, the "Saraswati Tantra"
•Kamala: The Goddess of Lotus, the "Lakshmi Tantra"
Other important groups are the goddess Sapta-Matrika, "who are the energies of
different main gods, and are described as helping the great Shakta Devi in her fight with
the demons", and the 64 Yoginis.

Historical and philosophical development

The beginnings of Shaktism are shrouded in the mists of prehistory. The first mother
goddess figure discovered in India, belonging to the Upper Paleolithic, has been carbon
dated to approximately 20,000 BC. Thousands of female figurines dating as early as c.
5500 BC have been recovered at Mehrgarh, one of the most important Neolithic sites in
world archaeology. While it is impossible to reconstruct the spiritual beliefs of an
eliminated civilization so distant in time, current archaeological and anthropological
evidence suggests that the religion of the great Indus Valley civilization is probably a
direct ancestor of modern Shaktism.

As the Indus Valley civilization slowly declined and dispersed, its peoples mixed with
other groups to eventually give rise to the Vedic civilization. Shaktism as it exists today
began with the literature of the Vedic Age, developed further during the formative
period of the Hindu epic, reached its full flowering during the Gupta Age, and continued
to grow and develop thereafter.

The most central and fundamental text in Shaktism is the Devi Mahatmya, composed
about 1,600 years ago. Here, for the first time, "the various mythical, cultic and
theological elements relating to various female divinities were brought together in what
has been called the "crystallization of the Goddess tradition."

Other important texts are the canonical Shakta Upanishads as well as Puranic Shakta
oriented literature such as the Devi Purana and Kalika Purana, the Lalita Sahasranama,
the Devi Gita, Saundaryalahari of Adi Shankara and the Tantras.

Elements of Shaktism – in particular, the ubiquity of goddess worship in some form –

have infused popular Hinduism. Its pervasive influence on religion is also reflected in
the Hindu adage: "When in public, be a Vaishnava. When among friends, be a Shaiva.
But in private, always a Shakta."

Recent developments related to Shaktism include the emergence of Bharat Mata

symbolism, the increasing visibility of Hindu saints and gurus, and the prodigious rise of
the "new" goddess Santoshi Mata following the release of the Indian film Jai Maa
Santoshi in 1975. Linda Johnsen in 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism' notes:

"About 10,000 years ago today, images of the goddess are everywhere in India. You'll
find them painted on the sides of trucks, stuck to the control panels of taxis, postered on
the walls of stores. You will often see a colored painting of the goddess in conspicuous
places in Hindu homes. Normally the image was hung high on the wall, so you have to
crane your neck back, looking towards its feet. In India, Goddess worship is not a "cult",
it is a religion, a spiritually and psychologically mature tradition. Millions of people
come every day with sincere longing for the Mother of the Universe."

To adore

Shaktism encompasses an almost infinite variety of beliefs and practices – from

primitive animism to first-order philosophical speculation – that claim access to the
Shakti believed to be the nature and form of the Devi. Its two largest and most visible
schools are Srikula, strongest in southern India, and Kalikula, prevalent in northern and
eastern India.

Srikula: Family of Sri

The Srikula worship tradition focuses on Devi in the form of the goddess Lalita-
Tripurasundari, who is considered the Great Goddess. Rooted in the first millennium

Kashmir, Srikula became a force in South India no later than the 7th century, and today
is the predominant form of Shaktism practiced in regions of South India such as Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Tamil areas. Sri Lankan.

The best-known school of Srikula is Srividya, "one of the most influential and
theologically sophisticated movements of Shakta Tantrism." Its central symbol, the Sri
Chakra, is probably the most famous visual image of the entire Hindu Tantric tradition.
Their literature and practice is perhaps more systematic than that of any other Shakta
sect.

Srividya largely views the goddess as "benign and beautiful." In Srikula practice, on the
other hand, all aspects of the Goddess – whether evil or soft – are identified with Lalita.

Srikula adepts most often worship Lalita with the abstract Sri Chakra yantra, which is
considered as the subtle form. The Sri Chakra can be represented visually, either as a
two-dimensional diagram or in a three-dimensional, pyramidal shape known as Sri
Meru. It is not unusual to find a Chakra or Sri Sri Meru installed in the temples of South
India, since - as modern doctors claim -. "There is no doubt that this is the highest form
of Devi and that some of the practice can be done openly, but what is seen in the temples
is not the Srichakra worship that is seen when done in private."

The Srividya paramparas can be more broadly subdivided into two streams, the Kaula
and the Samaya. The Kaula, or Kaulachara, first appeared as a coherent ritual system in
the 8th century in central India, and its most revered theorist is the 18th-century
philosopher Bhaskararaya, considered "the greatest exponent of Shakta philosophy."

The Samaya or Samayacharya finds its roots in the work of the 16th century
commentator Lakshmidhara, and is "fiercely puritanical attempts to reform tantric
practice so that it conforms to upper-caste Brahmanical norms." Many Samaya
practitioners explicitly deny being either Shakta or Tantric, although scholars maintain
that their cult remains technically both. The Samaya-Kaula split marks "an old dispute
within Hindu Tantrism", and one that is hotly debated to this day.

Kalikula: Family of Kali

The Kalikula form of Shaktism is most dominant in northern and eastern India, and is
most widely circulated in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha, as well as parts of
Maharashtra and Bangladesh. Kalikula lineages focus on the Devi as the source of
wisdom and liberation. They generally stand "in opposition to the Brahmanical
tradition," which they consider "too conservative and denying the experimental part of
the religion."

The main deities of Kalikula are Kali, Chandi, and Durga. Other goddesses who enjoy
veneration are Tara and all other Mahavidyas and regional goddesses like

Manasa, the serpent goddess, and Sitala, the smallpox goddess – all of them, once again,
are considered aspects of the Divine Mother.

Two major centers of Shaktism in West Bengal are Kalighat in Calcutta and Tarapith in
Birbhum district. In Calcutta, devotion to the goddess Kali is emphasized as:

She is "the loving mother who protects her children and whose fierceness guards them.
She is apparently fearsome -. With dark skin, pointed teeth, and a necklace of skulls -
But inside beautiful She can guarantee a good rebirth or great religious understanding
and her worship is often common - especially in festivals such as Kali Puja and Durga
Puja worship may involve contemplation of the devotee's union with or love of the
goddess. , visualizing their forms, chanting mantras, praying before their image or
yantra, and giving. Offerings ".

In Tarapith, the manifestation of Devi as Tara or Ugratara is ascendant, as the goddess

who gives liberation. The forms of sadhana performed here are more yogic and tantric
than devotional, and they often involve sitting alone on the ground, surrounded by ashes
and bones. There are shamanic elements associated with the Tarapith tradition, such as
"goddess conquest, exorcism, trance, and spirit control."

The philosophical and devotional foundation of all these rituals, however, remains a
generalized vision of the Devi, as a superior, absolute divinity. As expressed by the 19th
century saint Ramakrishna, one of the most influential figures of modern Bengali
Shaktism:

"Kali is none other than Brahman. That which is called Brahman is really Kali. She is
the Primordial Energy. When that energy remains inactive, I call it Brahman, and when
it creates, conserves, or destroys it, I call it Shakti or Kali.. What you call Brahman I call
Kali Kali Brahman and they are not different, they are like fire and the power to burn: if
you think about fire you have to think about its power to burn. If one recognizes Kali
you also have to recognize Brahman;.. again, if one recognizes Brahman one must
recognize Kali. Brahman and its power are identical. It is Brahman who addresses as
Shakti or Kali."

Festivals

Shaktas celebrate most important Hindu festivals, as well as a variety of local, temple or
deity-specific celebrations. Some of the most important events are the following:

The most important Shakta festival is Navratri, also known as "Sharad Navratri" because
it falls in the Hindu month of Sharad. This festival - often in conjunction with the
following tenth day, known as Dusshera or Vijayadashami - celebrates the victory of the
goddess Durga over a series of powerful demons in the Devi Mahatmya. In Bengal, the
last four days of Navaratri are called Durga Puja, and they mark one particular episode:
Durga's iconic murder of Mahishasura.

While Hindus of all denominations celebrate the autumn Navratri festival, Shaktas also
celebrate two additional Navratris – one in spring and one in summer. The Spring
Festival is known as Vasanta Navaratri or Chaitra Navatri, and is celebrated in the Hindu
month of Chaitra. Srividya lineages dedicate this festival to the form of Goddess Devi as
Lalita. The summer festival is called Ashada Navaratri as it is celebrated during the
Hindu month of Ashadha. The popular Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu observes its
grand Navaratri celebration during this period. Ashada Navaratri, on the other hand, is
considered particularly auspicious for devotees of the boar-headed goddess Varahi, one
of the seven Matrikas named in the Devi Mahatmya.

Fifth day of Magha Gupta Navratri is very important for all branches of Shakta-pantha.
Especially on Vindhyachal Mahashakti Peetham, thousands of chandipatha and other
secret rituals performed today for Aadishakti. This is the festival of the union of Shakti
and Shiva. On the same basis Shiva-Shiv Sammoh is formed by Awadhoot
Kripanandnath at Awadhoot Ashram, Vindhyachal in 1980.

Lakshmi Puja is observed by Shaktas and many other Hindus on the night of the full
moon after the autumn Durga Puja. Lakshmi's biggest festival, however, is Diwali, an
important Hindu festival celebrated throughout India. In northern India, Diwali marks
the start of the traditional New Year, and is celebrated on the night of the new moon in
the Hindu month of Kartik. Shaktas celebrate it as another Lakshmi Puja, placing small
oil lamps outside their homes and praying for the blessings of the goddess. Diwali
coincides with the celebration of Kali Puja, popular in Bengal, and some Shakta
traditions center their worship of Devi Kali as the place of Lakshmi.

Jagaddhatri Puja is celebrated on the last four days of the Navaratis, following Kali Puja.
It is very similar to Durga Puja in its details and observance, and is especially popular in
Bengal and other parts of Eastern India.

Gauri Puja is performed on the fifth day after Ganesh Chaturthi, during Ganesha Puja in
western India, to celebrate the arrival of Gauri, Ganesha's mother, to come and bring her
son back home.

There are variant dates of Saraswati Puja, depending on the region and local tradition.
Usually, on the fifth day of the Hindu month of Phalguna, students offer their books and
musical instruments to Saraswati and pray for her blessings on their studies. In some
parts of India, Saraswati Puja is celebrated in the month of Magh, in others, during the
last three days of Navratri.

Big Shakta temple festivals are Meenakshi Kalyanam and Ambubachi Mela. Meenakshi
Kalyanam observes the happy occasion of Devi's marriage to Lord Sundareshwara
centered at the Meenakshi Amman Temple, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It extends for 12
days, counting from the second day of the lunar month of Chaitra, in April or May.
Ambubachi Mela is a celebration of the annual menstruation of the goddess, held in
June/July at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam. Here the Devi is worshiped in the
form of a yoni-like stone rather than a natural red-tinged spring flow.

Temples

Additional Information: List of Shakti Shakti Temples and Peethas

There are thousands of Shakti temples; big or small, famous or unknown. Moreover,
countless cities, towns, villages and geographical places are named after the various
forms of the Devi. "In this vast country, sacred resorts of the goddess are innumerable
and the popularity of her worship is demonstrated even in the place names of India."

On several occasions, different authors have tried to organize some of these into lists of
"Shakti Peethas", literally "Seats of the Devi", or, more broadly, "places of power".
Numbering from four to 51, "the Peethas a popular theme of medieval writers, many of
whom took the greatest freedom in making the names of places, goddesses and their
Bhairavas."

Criticism

Shaktism has sometimes been dismissed as a superstitious, black magic-infested

practice, which hardly qualifies as a true religion. A representative criticism of this type
issued by an Indian scholar in the 1920s:

"The Tantras are the bible of Shaktism, identifying all forces with the feminine principle
of nature and teaching undue worship of the wives of Shiva and Vishnu to the neglect of
men. It is true that a large number of the inhabitants of India are guided in their daily
lives by tantric teaching, and are slaves to the gross superstitions inculcated in these
writings. And indeed it can scarcely be doubted that Shaktism is Hinduism reached its
worst and most corrupt stage of development."

Scholars of various kinds attribute the criticism to ignorance, misunderstanding or

sectarian bias on the part of some observers, as well as the unscrupulous practices of
some Shaktas. "It is in this context that many Hindus in India today deny the relevance
of Tantra to their tradition, past or present, identifying what they call tantra-mantra as so
much hot air."

In Hinduism, it is not uncommon to come across claims that the Shaiva and Vaishnava
schools of Hinduism lead to moksha, or spiritual liberation, while Shaktism only leads to
siddhis and bhukti - or, at best, to Shaivism. For example, the late Shaiva leader Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami taught that worship of the feminine manifesto is simply a
vehicle to reach the unmanifest masculine or Parasiva. Subramuniya's successor, Satguru
Bodhinatha Veylanswami, recently published an essay on different Hindu approaches to
God that do not discuss Shaktism at all.

Shakta theologians respond that each of the forms of the Divine Mother is a Brahma
Vidya, or the independent path to supreme wisdom. The sadhaka of any of these goddess
forms "ultimately attains, if his aspiration is such, the supreme goal of life - self-
realization and God-realization." Mataji Devi

Vanamali of the ashram in Rishikesh Vanamali summarizes the Shakta position as

follows:

"In its transcendental aspect it is Prakriti, the form of absolute Brahman. Therefore,
when we worship the Divine Mother, we are not only offering worship to the Supreme in
its aspect of motherhood, but also worshiping the Supreme Absolute. She is that aspect
of the supreme power by whose grace alone we shall finally be liberated from the
darkness of ignorance and the bondage of maya and brought to the abode of immortal
knowledge, immortality, and happiness."

Expansion beyond South Asia

The practice of Shaktism is no longer limited to South Asia. Traditional Shakta temples
have sprung up throughout Southeast Asia, America, Europe, Australia and other
countries - some enthusiastically attended by non-indigenous as well as the Indian Hindu
diaspora. Examples in the United States include the Kali Mandir in Laguna Beach,
California, and Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, a rural Srividya temple in Rush, New York.
Temple fever was, in fact, recently the subject of an in-depth academic study exploring
the "dynamics of diaspora Hinduism", including the serious entry and participation of
non-indigenous people in traditional Hindu religious practice.

Shaktism has also become a focus of some Western spiritual seekers attempting to build
new Goddess-centered religions. An academic study of Western Kali enthusiasts noted
that, "as shown in the stories of all cross-cultural religious transplants, Kali
devotionalism in the West must assume its own indigenous forms if it is to adapt to its
new environment." However, these fusions between East and West can also raise
complex and worrying issues of cultural appropriation.

Some writers and thinkers, "especially feminists and participants in New Age spirituality
who are drawn to goddess worship," have explored Kali in a new light. She is considered
a "symbol of wholeness and healing, associated primarily with feminine power and
repressed sexuality." These new interpretations originate mainly from "feminist sources,
almost none of whom base their interpretations on a close reading of the Kali of Indian
origin", and tend to demonstrate the difficulty of "importing the cult of a goddess from
another culture, when the meanings Deep symbolic meanings embedded in native
culture are not available."

A powerful motivation behind Western interest is that many of the central concepts of
Shaktism - including aspects of kundalini yoga as well as Goddess worship - were once
"common to the Hindu, Chaldean, Greek and Roman civilizations", but were replaced in
largely in the West, as well as the Near East and the Middle East, with the rise of the
Abrahamic religions:

"Of these four great ancient civilizations, practical knowledge of the internal forces of
enlightenment has been preserved on a large scale only in India. Only in India has the
internal tradition of the goddess supported. This is why the teachings of India are so
valuable. They give us an idea of what our own ancient wisdom must have been like.
Indigenous people have preserved our lost heritage. Today it is our turn to locate and
recover the tradition of the living goddess. We would do well to begin our search in
India, where for not a moment in human history have the children of the living goddess
forgotten their Divine Mother."