If you have been following our journey up until now you will know that we adore and worship the form of the Serpent and the mystical symbolism of it that is woven and vibrantly alive through India’s cultural and spiritual traditions. Last October we launched our collection ‘Rise‘, a celebration of the Serpent Power and all the ways that it inspires us, in both our personal growth and throughout the evolution of FARA.
The Serpent is an archetype of radical growth and transformation and represents our spiritual potential – the wisdom traditions of India also view the Serpent as a powerful form of the Goddess or Shakti. Shakti, as the Primordial Cosmic energy of the Universe, the embodiment of energy and dynamism, and the motivating force behind all action and existence within the material universe.
This Valentine’s Day, as we expand the Rise collection with stunning new pieces featuring the cosmic serpent, we want to celebrate one of the greatest love stories of all time. That of beloveds Kundalini Shakti, the Divine Feminine Serpent Goddess and Shiva, the Auspicious One who is Her Divine Masculine aspect, providing the ground of all being, the container within which Shakti does her wild, infinite serpentine dance.
Their love story symbolises the union of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine principles of the universe, as well as our inner journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening. In Hindu mythology, the love between Shiva and Kundalini is seen as Divine and eternal and represents the ultimate goal of human existence. And, quite magically, although this ancient and sacred tale of Love is from a very long, long time ago, it is also, happening right here, right now, in the realm of each of our hearts. Wherever we are!
It is said that our heart is the dance floor, where the inseparable lovers, Shiva and Shakti, dance their eternal dance and enact their cosmic love play.
Within our esoteric body, Goddess Shakti Kundalini is depicted as a coiled serpent lying dormant at the base of the spine. Her sleep is a reflection of our own ‘spiritual sleep’, our ignorance towards our true nature, a state which eventually stirs the longing that we feel in our heart and moves us, through out life times, towards Self-Realisation.
A yearning is ignited which inspires us to seek connection and realise a deeper understanding of Self. It connects us to a place beyond the thinking mind, deep within, that somehow knows that there is something more profound and meaningful to experience within ourselves and in life than we have been taught.
The power of this longing stirs Kundalini Shakti to awaken from Her sleep and to rise up through the chakras and unite with her beloved, Shiva, at the crown of the head. This rising in love and meeting is the Divine Union of Shiva and Shakti and the Sacred Marriage within ourselves which is, perhaps, the most exquisite Love Story that we can encounter.
It is a profound and sacred inner quest where, as spiritual seekers, we search for our inner Beloved, for this union with the Divine. Imagine a vast and bottomless ocean within your heart, Shiva is this ocean and we are each drops of that ocean embodying the Cosmic dance through the ripples, turbulence and ebb and flow of our lives. We perceive ourselves as separate from the ocean, even from the waves within the ocean, yet when we get quiet and calm and enter into the still deep waters of that ocean, we remember our vast and unbounded true nature. We realise that we are innately part of something cosmic and infinite. Our beloved Shiva. We return to our sense of mystical wholeness where we are connected innately to the cosmic source power and within that connection we have unlimited understanding and unlimited capacity to create and move with Love.
The energies of Shiva and Shakti dance together in every single human being and through each of our curious and passionate seeking we have the potential to experience and embody that Divine Union.
In just a few days on the dark moon we will also be celebrating one of our favourite festivals of the year, Mahashivratri, the Great Night of Shiva. The legends say that on this night, many many moons ago, Lord Shiva and his beloved Shakti were wed and devotees stay up throughout the night with their hearts turned towards Shiva with prayers of awakening and Divine Union.
We shared a beautiful in depth exploration of Mahashivratri last year on our journal which you can dive into right here to learn more about this magical festival.
For now, in celebration of Love and of beloveds Shiva and Shakti we want to leave with you a sutra, or verse, from The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche, a translation of the Vijnana Bhairava. This Tantric text is a conversation between Shiva, Bhairava, to his Shakti, Bhairavi, where they explore the wonder and mysteries of the world. It is both a timeless love song and transmission of yogic techniques from Shiva to Shakti who yearns intensely, to discover the Great Mystery of the universe within which we dance. Each verse invites us to experience ourselves as creation and, through our senses and curious wonder, to immerse and delight in our experience of being alive and discover our infinite nature.
