In Mahasiddha Yoga, you learn theory about all kinds of topics, but you also learn certain initiations. For example, you receive initiation into the reality of the Great Macrocosmic Powers (Mahavidyas), ten different lenses through which you can look at Creation. They are each very different. They are ten different faces of Shakti. The most well-known are Kali and Tara.
You learn about them as laws that govern certain aspects of life, like time, death and transformation. You also get to know them as entities, as beings, and by relating to them; all of them can really enable you to see life from a completely different perspective. This is fascinating because, as humans, we go through life with our own worldview. We come with certain biases. By practising with the Great Macrocosmic Powers, it is as if you enter an entirely different existence.
Entering Into Communion with the Great Macrocosmic Powers
When you enter into communion with one of the Great Macrocosmic Powers, suddenly you see the world as a play of beauty, and magic, and wonder. Or you enter into communion with a different Great Macrocosmic Power, which will show you that actually everything in essence is made of smoke, and is just a show on a screen. Or you enter another of these powers, and you suddenly see life as a continuous game of sacrifice and burning.
All of them are true and unique perspectives. Usually, we resonate with one of them, as how we naturally see things. You have such a soul-awakening experience by connecting to these different powers, because suddenly you get such an enriched approach to being, which you cannot undo. It is like you have suddenly been reborn a thousand times.
In this spiritual school, you receive mantras to work with the Great Macrocosmic Powers so that you can assimilate all the insight, understanding, and knowledge that comes through the lectures. You can have a visceral experience of these different realities, and they shape you on a very deep level, which gives you a spiritual awakening that is ancient. These are ancient traditions, which we practice today, in this time and age when we are quite disconnected from these kinds of ancient rituals and traditions, and it is bringing it very practically into our daily life.
Deepening into Study
In the Yoga and Tantra course, you learn about them in a way which allows you to get to their essence, but which is also very accessible and understandable; “Ok, what would it mean for me?” These teachings are for anyone who is looking genuinely for a spiritual path. This school is offering these initiations that are very precious. In the past, you would have had to pass through many trials to have access to such initiations; here they are offered in a certain rhythm and integration as you progress through the course. This is a big gift to be able to experience.
One of the Great Macrocosmic Powers is called Lakshmi or Kamalatmika. She represents the experience of fulfilment, of perfection, and the accomplishment of things. This is the ultimate, ecstatic experience of the fullness of life, where all things are a lively celebration of creation. She represents an abundant feeling of pure existence.
Another Great Macrocosmic Power is called Dhumavati. She is the experience of total emptiness, of letting go of everything. When you have let go and abandoned fully to the desert, you actually get to the fullness which Lakshmi represents. By daring to dissolve into nothingness, you find that same fullness. Dhumavati represents a high and refined state of consciousness, but in a very subtle and silent way. If you practice communion with her, it is almost like dissolving into nothingness.
This article was transcribed by Zita from the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW9vLNbrjvk
