The Divine Feminine
This first week of May we will celebrate both Teacher Appreciation Day and Mother's Day. It seems fitting that we celebrate teachers and mothers, both important figures in shaping who we are, in the same week. Mothers and teachers - compassionate, nurturing, and kind - are revered in the yoga traditions for the role they play in both the material and spiritual development of every being. Mothers and teachers are the backbone of humanity.
A number of yoga traditions, including the popular tantric yoga, center around Shakti, the playful, creative, feminine aspect of the divine, often described as a motherly Goddess, or sometimes the Divine Mother. These Goddess based traditions honor the feminine aspect of divinity by recognizing the divine feminine qualities (compassion, nurturing, love, and kindness) in all of us. These traditions celebrate these qualities and the vital role they play in societies.
Whether you're a mother, a teacher, a woman, or a man, we ALL possess the divine feminine qualities. And it's these exact qualities the world needs now more than ever.
The patriarchal structure of power and oppression is an egocentric structure that values dominance, competition, and greed — the very qualities we see wreaking havoc across the globe in the form of war, supremacy, climate destruction, and so much more. In yoga philosophy we call this type of egoism “asmita”. Asmita is often referred to as “I-am-ness”, and is the result of identifying with with our role in the world (what will give me name, fame, and fortune?). Asmita is the ego’s constant quest to keep up appearances while silencing the inner voice, and blocking our hearts and minds to intuitive, spiritual guidance.
Yoga, as described in the Bhagavad Gita as well as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, is a process of uncovering our divine feminine qualities that are hidden and concealed by the ego. It’s a common cliché in yoga parlance to say yoga is about eradicating the ego. However, yoga doesn’t attempt to destroy the ego so much as it attempts to align it with a higher perspective.
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”
~Bhagavad Gita, 2.47
This higher perspective is one of non-attachment. The popular verse from the Bhagavad Gita (2.47), “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”, describes the perspective of non-attachment. This profound verse quite simply states that we should pay close attention to how the ego responds. Do you envision a particular outcome for yourself, are you resisting your responsibilities, are you afraid of criticism or blame? These are all signs that the ego is controlling your actions. What’s required then is a still and quiet awareness, an attunement to your inner voice, your divine feminine qualities of care, compassion, and love. This attunement to our higher self is how the ego begins to work without expectations. And that is the aim of yoga - for the ego to act simply for the sake of acting (selflessness).
The vedas recognize 7 types of mothering archetypes that exist world. What each of the 7 archetypes has in common is that each has a responsibility to guide us in spiritual growth and serve as a model for selfless, non-egocentric action, the way our own mothers and teachers do. By honoring and recognizing these mothering archetypes we can begin to see the role they play in making the world a more peaceful and happy place to be.
To all the mothers, teachers, and those embodying the mothering archetypes, thank you for your selflessness, thank you for your compassion, thank you for your love. You are the keepers of humanity.
For ways to tap into your own divine feminine check out this post from last year.