Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power

by Laura Amazzone

Overview

Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power is an exploration of the many faces of the Goddess Durga in ancient and contemporary culture. This book takes us on a pilgrimage to goddess temples and natural shrines, to visit shamans and living goddesses in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, and to India for the annual ten-day Durga Festival. The mythology, rituals, philosophy, and spiritual practices of this distinctly female-centered and millennia-old tradition of Durga offer an alternative model of female potential and empowerment, focusing on peace, healing, spiritual liberation, and realization of inherent divinity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761853138
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/23/2010
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Laura Amazzone is an author, teacher, jewelry artist, and Yogini. She completed her master's degree in philosophy and religion with an emphasis in women's spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2001. Laura teaches goddess classes and workshops in California and is adjunct faculty in the Yoga Philosophy program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xvii

Introduction Encountering Durga xxi

The Teachings of Goddess Durga

Chapter 1 Durga: Goddess of Paradox 3

Chapter 2 Tantra, Kaula, and Sakta Tradition 13

Chapter 3 Durga as Bhagawati: The Power of the Yoni 27

Chapter 4 The Art of Pilgrimage and the Durga Puja 43

Durga Puja: The Ten-Day Harvest Festival

Day 1 Saraswati: Goddess of Creativity 57

Day 2 The Kumari: Living Virgin Goddess 69

Day 3 Mai, Ajima: Ancient Mother, Ancient Grandmother 83

Day 4 Laksmi: Goddess of Abundance 95

Day 5 The Eight Matrkas: The Power of Women in Groups 109

Day 6 The Yogini: Goddess and Priestess of Erotic Arts and Mysteries 125

Day 7 Kali: Goddess of Transformation 145

Day 8 Taleju: Women's Blood Mysteries 163

Day 9 Nine Durgas: Goddesses of Liminality 179

Day 10 Durga's Victory 201

Glossary of Sanskrit Terms 211

Bibliography 219

Index 229

Editorial Reviews

Laura Amazzone is a modern day yogini. She is a scholar as well as a practitioner and her new book Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power embodies this duality....True to feminine form, Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power is a balanced read, utilizing the logical brain and the intuitive heart. The book itself is in a non-linear layout, meaning it does not need to be experienced from start to finish- it is cyclical and can be picked up, flipped through and enjoyed from any angle.

Common Ground

Amazzone's voice is strong and clear. Goddess Durga promises the transformation, empowerment, and dignity that is our birthright.

Marisa Tomei

Amazzone's powerful narrative of her personal experience backed by extensive field and library research is a must read for anyone interested in the relationships between the divine female, women's spirituality, and women's empowerment. It is a splendid example of feminist writing in which the author is deeply engaged in her own journey. Hers was a pilgrimage to the source, and of personal renewal and redemption promising hope for the return of the goddess in Western consciousness.

Elinor Gadon

Scholarly and fierce, the work of Laura Amazzone draws from our ancient strength. The time for this wisdom is now.

Alice Walker

Amazzone's powerful narrative of her personal experience backed by extensive field and library research is a must read for anyone interested in the relationships between the divine female, women's spirituality, and women's empowerment. It is a splendid example of feminist writing in which the author is deeply engaged in her own journey. Hers was a pilgrimage to the source, and of personal renewal and redemption promising hope for the return of the goddess in Western consciousness.

Amazzone's voice is strong and clear. Goddess Durga promises the transformation, empowerment, and dignity that is our birthright.

Laura Amazzone is a modern day yogini. She is a scholar as well as a practitioner and her new book Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power embodies this duality....True to feminine form, Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power is a balanced read, utilizing the logical brain and the intuitive heart. The book itself is in a non-linear layout, meaning it does not need to be experienced from start to finish- it is cyclical and can be picked up, flipped through and enjoyed from any angle.

Scholarly and fierce, the work of Laura Amazzone draws from our ancient strength. The time for this wisdom is now.

From the Publisher

Laura Amazzone is a modern day yogini. She is a scholar as well as a practitioner and her new book Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power embodies this duality....True to feminine form, Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power is a balanced read, utilizing the logical brain and the intuitive heart. The book itself is in a non-linear layout, meaning it does not need to be experienced from start to finish- it is cyclical and can be picked up, flipped through and enjoyed from any angle.

Common Ground