About the Book
The wisdom of the Mahavidyas, the ten wisdom goddesses who represent the interconnected darkness and light within all of us, has been steeped in esoteric and mystical descriptions that made them seem irrelevant to ordinary life. But with this book, written by a respected cardiologist who found herself on a spiritual search for the highest truth, you re invited to explore this ancient knowledge and learn how it can be applied to daily struggles and triumphs and how it can help you find unreserved self-love and acceptance.The pursuit of contentment is an innate part of the human experience, arising from a fundamental sense of lack or inadequacy all the things we believe to be wrong with us when we compare or judge ourselves. In our search for peace and happiness, we may find ourselves fighting the shadows within us, trying to repress or disown certain qualities, especially our anger, violence, discomfort, craving, and disappointment. But in order to stop this fight, we must expand our understanding beyond the dualities of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and beautiful versus ugly, and accept the parts of ourselves we ve tried to deny.Pulling from Eastern traditions including tantra and yoga, and focusing on the feminine principle of divine energy also known as Shakti, this book bridges the divide between dualistic concepts and non-dual philosophy. By exploring the symbolism of the Mahavidyas (Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Tripura Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Matangi, and Kamalatmika) each with a veiled face representing a destructive quality that perpetuates ignorance and suffering, and a true face representing the wisdom that stimulates profound transformation and liberation you ll learn to embrace and incorporate every aspect of who you are.With practices, self-inquiry prompts, and stories from the author s own spiritual seeking, this exploration of the divine feminine will gently reveal the source of your fear, pain, and suffering, showing you that when you allow those parts of yourself to arise and simply be, you can finally begin to heal, overcome your limitations, and open to the light and beauty of your true nature.
About the Author :
Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, MD, became drawn to the direct path through the teachings of Greg Goode and Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, and to tantra through the influences of Sri Premananda, Sally Kempton, and Swami Lakshmanjoo. She blends her expertise in cardiology with her knowledge of yoga, tantra, and the Direct Path in her program for patients to discover the end of suffering. She is a cardiologist at Beaumont Health System, and associate professor of medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI.
Review :
"Shakti Rising exposes in a deep way the practices of the Mahavidyas as an ensemble to arouse and balance the energy of the Shakti in us. Kavitha Chinnaiyan underlines the constant cosmic play of the ten goddesses as if they were dancing in our unconscious, to unify and bring out the balance between light and darkness. This guide of self-discovery, based on a profound comprehension of yoga, Advaita, and tantra, is also very practical, and the exercises proposed are efficient. The images of the Mahavidyas will make the primal energy of the Shakti shine and manifest in front of your eyes. The reading itself is a sadhana. A precious book!" —Daniel Odier, author of Tantric Kali, Tantric Quest, and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening
"Kavitha Chinnaiyan is a gifted and insightful scholar-practitioner. Her book is original, practical, and rooted in her deep understanding of the yoga and tantric traditions. Kavitha brings new wisdom to the mystery of the Mahavidyas, the feminine energies of transformation. Highly recommended." —Sally Kempton, author of Awakening Shakti
"A remarkable journey along a path whose pavestones are the ten Mahavidyas, the creative forces of existence that are energetic doorways to either suffering or freedom. Read Shakti Rising in order to understand how the swirling energies of life have meaning for you, how you may transform their shadow qualities into light qualities, and how to go beyond and see that what you truly are is awareness itself. You will emerge from this reading as you unwittingly entered: free and joyous." —Jerry Katz, editor of One: Essential Writings on Nonduality, and founder of www.nonduality.org
