Working with Kali

[missinkblot]

For those of you who work with Kali, how did she call you? Do you start a devotional practice? What has your experience been?

I feel Kali called me to make an act for her and kind of commissioned it, set the stage where i would perform it etc. It is an act devoted to her. But it is also my first time working with a diety in this fashion, through performance art. She has been active in helping destroy some unhelpful things in my life.

Besides this act, i don't really do much as I am new to this whole diety thing and find it overwhelming since i feel it sprung on me. How do you develop a relationship to a diety, besides channeling her in art? Do you meditate on the image or name and wait for a response? Sorry if it is a bit of a silly question.

 

[Thee Nightfool]

I currently use the mantra provided to me by my Kaula guru. That's about it, really. A certain amount of "blade-sharpening" needs to be done with the mantra before a solid connection between Kalika and me can take place. 100,000 recitations is usually the standard; then you move on to yajna/agnihotra (fire offerings) to solidify the connection even more.

Once all that takes place (many moons later), then more in-depth practices are taught to the aspirant (yantra rituals, witchcraft/operant magic, etc). But to do the so-called good shit, you gotta submit fully to the Dark Goddess with all of these lengthy, fairly intensive practices. I probably won't ever reach that level, because I currently just seek connection with the Dark Goddess right now. This is but one Mask of many that she wears through history/time (my personal opinion).

 

[missinkblot]

I currently use the mantra provided to me by my Kaula guru. That's about it, really. A certain amount of "blade-sharpening" needs to be done with the mantra before a solid connection between Kalika and me can take place. 100,000 recitations is usually the standard; then you move on to yajna/agnihotra (fire offerings) to solidify the connection even more.

Once all that takes place (many moons later), then more in-depth practices are taught to the aspirant (yantra rituals, witchcraft/operant magic, etc). But to do the so-called good shit, you gotta submit fully to the Dark Goddess with all of these lengthy, fairly intensive practices. I probably won't ever reach that level, because I currently just seek connection with the Dark Goddess right now. This is but one Mask of many that she wears through history/time (my personal opinion).

Oh this is a good start! I feel she was clear in her purpose in my life and she is bringing me to places where i didn't expect, but i am kinda lacking a basic instructional manual haha. This gives me a good start to dive a bit deeper.

 

[Thee Nightfool]

Oh this is a good start! I feel she was clear in her purpose in my life and she is bringing me to places where i didn't expect, but i am kinda lacking a basic instructional manual haha. This gives me a good start to dive a bit deeper.

I'm not a guru or an expert, so I technically have zero authority here, but I've had years of study and practice + initiation via what is called mantra diksha, so I can kind of guide you in some direction, methinks. That said, I'd strongly suggest you find a teacher with a proper lineage of some kind. Depending on where you reside, that can be quite a challenge, but in the era of the internet, it can be closer than you think.

What do you currently do to connect with her? You mentioned performance art, which I'd be interested to hear about if you're comfortable sharing.

There are also some "open-source" mantras one can use to venerate her. For instance, her namah mantra (Om Kalikaye Namah) can be used with no initiation for a start. It effectively means "I bow to the goddess Kali". Or a simple "Om Ma Kali" if you are looking for a mantra that has a more "motherly" effect (if that is something you are seeking in your life... many aspirants come to her looking for a Mother than has been absent in their human lives... There is no shame in this).

Also, much like Hekate, the most powerful (and traditional) time to do puja (ritual) to Kali is during the Amavasya (new moon). Fitting since she is black as the Void-Moon itself!

 

[Keldan]

For context, I didn’t start through meditation or visualizing an image of her. I wasn’t even trying to initiate anything, she simply reached out with a message, and that was how it began for me.

Kali sent me a really beautiful message about how she wanted to support me in my life. Even so, I chose not to work with her, because our paths didn’t align. But I can still contact her. To me, she is a creation and destruction deity, and she often wants her followers to own their personal power.

If she’s been helping you in your life, the best thing you can do is go directly to her, appeal to her and ask how she wants you to connect. That’s usually the best option than trying to piece it together through other people’s opinions.

Also, try not to worry about not doing much. With the deities I work with, none of them demands devotion or offerings. If your capacity is low right now, it’s okay to keep things simple. If you feel called to do more, you can do more. Let it be natural, and let the connection develop in a way that fits who you actually are. Deities aren’t sitting around looking for reasons to punish you, they’re more understanding than people fear.