Shakti - The Feminine Energy

 

Shakti - The Feminine Energy

In Hindu philosophy and according to the ancient Hindu scriptures Shiva and Shakti are both present in equal form in each and every soul – according to this yoga philosophy they represent the male and female energy respectively. Scientifically this is represented by the XX and XY chromosomes which determine whether the person is a female or male. The sacral chakra represents Shakti, which is the Goddess of this chakra, it symbolises the duality between one’s internal landscape and the external environment. She represents the inner fluidity that allows us to seamlessly move with the duality that we come across in our day-to-day lives – light-dark, night-day, good-bad, push-pull and so on.

The feminine energy or Shakti, which literally means power, has five faces – it manifests as the power to be conscious, the power to feel ecstasy, the power of will, the power of desire and the power to act. It is the energy that is creative, sustaining as well as destructive – in Hindu philosophy this is represented by the nine goddesses which are revered during the Navratri festival. Shakti or Adi Shakti is the primordial energy lying at the base of our spine in the form of the Kundalini energy, the latent serpent energy which one has to awaken to reach a state of liberation.

In spirituality it is extremely important to respect the female energy – in Hinduism the female energy as well as the female have been given high regard and both are respected and worshipped. Without respecting the female energy, one’s kundalini can never be awakened and one then always vibrates in the lower chakras. A male who is sensuous and always thinks of females as objects of entertainment will never progress spiritually, unless he cleanses himself from deep within and removes all the negative concepts which are stuck deep in his sub-conscious.

It is extremely important for all those seekers of the ultimate truth to recognise the female attributes lying within the male body – these are love, compassion, motherly affection, joy, happiness, nature of giving and nurturing – develop these and practice these qualities in day-to-day life, then automatically you activate the Shakti lying within you. With the help of a Guru, the Kundalini is awakened and the seed of spirituality which the Guru instils in you, awakens the deep desire to move onto the path of liberation. Respecting and worshipping Shakti, the female energy within you helps you fast-tracking your spiritual progress. May the Shakti unify with the Shiva within us, thus helping us see the blooming lotus on the crown chakra – pure bliss and blinding light!