Eileen Alm

Kali - Goddess of Death and Life

Last Fall I had an inner level experience with facing fears and Kali was there to support me. Kali is the Hindu Goddess of death, the awakener and the destroyer. Facing fears means change and Kali is perfect to help with this. With change comes awakening and knowledge. But if the change is resisted, then the change can be painful or destructive. Many people resist change because it is easier to stay put even if it is not a good place to be. Sometimes something must be destroyed (like an old belief) before a beneficial change can take place; like an enlightened truth to replace the old belief.

There are many scary stories about Kali; she has been portrayed in movies as evil. She is the Goddess of death, but also of life. Kali comes into the world during a war between the gods (who represent truth and oneness) and the demons (who represent ego and separateness). The battlefield is really the inner levels. The demons are winning until the Goddess Durga arrives. At the peak of the fighting she calls on her most potent aspect, Kali, who leaps from Durga's brow and charges onto the killing ground, destroying the demon army.

Kali wins the battle; however, she is so immersed in her dance of destruction she is unaware that the job is done. If she continues dancing, she will destroy the entire world. Fortunately her consort, the god Shiva, knows what to do. Taking the form of a baby, he lies down on the battlefield. As soon as Kali sees the baby, she stops, and cradling it to her breast, begins to nurse. Death gives way to new life. Kali is also known as the Divine Mother.