Living Goddesses? (rituals, Earth, experience, pray, spiritual)

[Bishka]

This article, talks about living goddesses. Do you believe in them? Could someone direct me towards a source that talks more about it?

[Hema]

Hindus in my country don't really practice this but there is something similar. Sometimes people do a ritual called Pooja to God as Mother. The Mother principle is manifested in different ways which we call Devis - pronounced "Daveys". These are given forms to represent different qualities of the Divine Mother. People call them goddesses but they are manifestations of that one God. For Devi Pooja in Trinidad, nine young girls are worshipped and given gifts. When I was little I was one of them. I loved the gifts. It was fun. I think in the Devi Pooja and even in the case of the "Living Goddesses" you speak about, people are worshipping what these girls represent. They are worshipping the Divinity within them. They represent purity. Similarly, when a woman gets married, she is considered as another Devi who is Lakshmi. She is considered as a Lakshmi or light entering her husband's home.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by Hema

. When I was little I was one of them. I loved the gifts. It was fun. I think in the Devi Pooja and even in the case of the "Living Goddesses" you speak about, people are worshipping what these girls represent.

If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me more about your experiences?

[Hema]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me more about your experiences?

No I don't mind. What I went through was just a one time thing though. It was just for one evening...for a few hours. They did Arti to all of the girls. Arti is a ritual of light. An earthen pot or deeya is lit and placed in a tharia (a brass plate) and this is waved in a circular motion about three times front of the person receiving Arti. They did other rituals like apply tilak for us (the dot on the forehead). I can't remember too much, they probably tied a sacred thread on our hands. I can't remember much. I was about ten at the time. I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, in that I didn't have any earth-shaking spiritual experience. Rituals like Arti can be done to almost anyone because it symbolizes the worship of Divinity within that person. I remember that I was in awe because I had never witnessed anything like that before. I thought it was cool that I was being worshipped. I was generally happy throughout the whole thing. I was even happier when I saw the gifts coming.

[Bishka]

Hema, are outsiders (non-Hindu's) allowed to be at these sort of experiences? This is a fascinating subject to me and I would love to know more!

[Hema]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

Hema, are outsiders (non-Hindu's) allowed to be at these sort of experiences? This is a fascinating subject to me and I would love to know more!

In Trinidad, when Hindus or even people of other religious denominations hold prayer meetings at their homes, the neighbours are usually invited, no matter what religion they belong to. This is how we are in my country. I can't say for other countries but I don't see why it should be a problem.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by Hema

In Trinidad, when Hindus or even people of other religious denominations hold prayer meetings at their homes, the neighbours are usually invited, no matter what religion they belong to. This is how we are in my country. I can't say for other countries but I don't see why it should be a problem.

Do you have any resources that I can read about this process?

[Hema]

I was just asking my mom about the Pooja and she told me that it was during Nawratri. It's a certain time of year dedicated especially to Devi worship - it lasts nine nights and is dedicated to worshipping God as Mother. It was on one of those evenings that I participated in the Pooja.

This is basically what Nawratri is about:

For the first three nights, God is worshipped as Durga - she is fierce and sits on a tiger. She represents the qualities that we must have to fight our inner demons and destroy our negative tendencies.



For the second three nights, God is worshipped as Lakshmi to symbolize that we must replace our previously destroyed negative qualities with positive and Divine qualities. The lotus represents the crown chakra and is a symbol of enlightenment.



For the last three nights, God is worshipped as Saraswati. Saraswati symbolizes knowledge and Divine wisdom.




The nine nights represent what we as inviduals must go through in the process of self-realization and attaining our main goal in life - destroying our negative tendencies, realizing one's true self and attaining Divine wisdom.

[Aupmanyav]

Check the following for the Living Goddess of Nepal: (http://hinduism.about.com/cs/godsgod.../aa090903a.htm, http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/kumari.php). Thanks Hema, for the beautiful pictures.

Mother Goddess (Durga - meaning one who is like a fortress to her devotees in distress) worship is very popular in India. People who give primacy to the worship of the Mother Goddess are known as 'shaktas' (Shakti - power). This has resulted in general respect for women in India. In many regions, Bengal or South India, girls are addressed commonly as 'mother' (Ma or Amma).

Mother Goddess is worshipped for nine days during harvest festivals, in April and in October, as a woman coming back from her husband's house to her father's house bringing in prosperity. Sisters also, are looked in the same way.

During these celebrations, it is a practice to worship nine pre-puberty girls as the representation of the Mother Goddess that may include washing their feet, lying postrate in subjugation, annointing them with flowers and garlands, worshiping them with lighted lamps, asking for their protection by tying a thread on their wrists (bound to protect), applying tilak (red mark and rice on the forehead), offering them refreshments and water, offering them beetle leaves, giving gifts, praying for the welfare of the family, and finally asking them to return to a more prosperous family for the next celebration.

[qwert18]

wow i'd never even heard of this