The Yin Principle!
Hello all,
Namaste! All of you, my dear blog readers, know about my website - swaroopa.net. I have started my business, Swaroopa store, which can be accessed from the Shop tab on my website, for those who are interested in a personal reading. There is also the Swaroopa Store link, on my blog's left side. Now, to the post!
Wishing all a very Happy Vijayadashami. The day that brings Vijaya- victory in every endeavor one starts. Today I am putting the deep intentions to bring up my store and business- my next area of my spiritual exploration. Last four years were about writing and making my own concepts and value points more polished. Yes, I will continue to write. But I will also start putting more focus into my store and business. According to my understanding the spiritual concept is -"Where we put our focus expands in our life". So, without my intentional focus how will my store and business take solid roots, right? So, on this Vijayadashami day, I am taking the deepest intentions of bringing up my store and business.
Same
way, I wish every single one in this seven billion of ocean of people
every victory in any endeavor that is to better oneself, one's people,
one's group, humanity or Earth without devaluing, putting down, taking
advantage or using even a single soul. To such endeavors, I deeply
invoke the grace and blessings of the Universal Intelligence! Tadasthu!
So, it is!!
Hope all of you are doing well, keeping yourself safe, socially distanced, and availing the vaccines whenever you are able to. Last week, ten days were the days of the Goddess- Navarathri according to Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). Nava- nine, rathri- nights of the Goddess. On these days, the Goddesses are celebrated and respected. As we know, Hinduism has thousands of Goddesses. Durga or Kali, the ferocious or terrible forms and Lakshmi or Saraswathi, the calm, compassionate forms. Why do Hinduism have so many different Goddesses? I had previously written a perspective about the Goddesses of Hinduism.
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| Goddess Saraswathi Image credits - Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Can we see double standards here, even in the dawn of the twenty first century? Only few months back from my home state of Kerala in India, I heard a beautiful girl who just got married was abused and put to death. Two years before another girl died by being bitten by a snake. Same way, we hear Afghanistan going back to Taliban rule, which brings a very different reality for the ladies and the girls. In the US, in the 19th century, ladies had to fight with tooth, nail and claws to get their voting rights. Ladies were considered objects to possess. This mentality still exists in many parts of the world.
In many places, women are not allowed to go alone outside whether to the market, or bank or to drive. In some countries, women are asked to stop their education, help with the household activities and take care of the younger siblings. In the rural villages of India many times it is -"Ladki padke kya karegi? Usko baad mein ek ghar sambhalna hein". Meaning- "What is the point of a girl getting educated? She is meant to take care of the household." Really? Are we truly in the twenty first century?
Current dynamics of women in the society: Here, I would like to Thank my parents who gave me a book at 3.5- 4 years of age. My dad guides and helps me with my doubts and my mom pushes me to break the boundaries. Both of them supports me to go for the highest potential I can ever achieve. Hence today, you are reading my blog. 😊🌸 It is not easy for a girl to achieve or further take up something very different from what the ordinary, everyday society routes for. I was born in the seventies and was a young girl in the nineties. There were other voices in the family who thought instead of giving education to a girl, she should be married off. So, I know the dynamics and I understand it deeply.
In an alternate world, if I had been born to another set of parents, I would have been married off at 17 or 18 years of age. At the time of my marriage, I had already taken two Masters and was ready to go into the work world. Later, I took another Masters. Even after three Masters, being in the modern country of the USA, I still found tons of circumstances, perspectives and mindsets stacked against me. In India- an interviewer in the 1990s had literally told me- "If you had been a man, I could have given you the job", employment as a scientist. In the USA, I had been asked, "You are on dependent visa. Why do you need a driver's license?" So, I deeply understand the stack of cards kept against a girl or a woman.
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| Women- Equal voice and opportunities in the society Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Nope, I am not saying men have no struggles. Of course, they very much do. But women in a still current, man's world has to put in double, triple and even four times the effort to get to the same positions or top layers a man gets to with more ease. Above this the society, also doesn't make it easy with the attitude of a woman's place is in the home and she just needs to take care of the kids. Yes, taking care of the kids is indeed first and foremost a mother's job. But a bright mother who is educated, confident and holds her own position is an excellent model to the young ones.
Before proceeding further let me comeback to the last day of Navarathri- Vijayadashami. This day in South India, the Goddess Saraswathi is prayed to, who is the Goddess of knowledge and wisdom. In Hindu mythology, Saraswathi is the consort of Brahma. Brahma is the creator God and according to mythology, Brahma first created Saraswathi. (Then, technically isn't she the daughter of Brahma? A question to be pondered upon. But this is mythology- no questions should be asked! 😅) Brahma made Saraswathi, so beautiful, he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her.
But as it was his first creation, he had given her abundant knowledge and wisdom. She could think, will and take decisions for herself. She looked at Brahma, who was old, with beard and double her age. It seems first she was not ready to marry him and tried to run away. Brahma chased her and put forth his request again. Finally, she obliged, but said- "I am not going to have kids. The four Vedas are my kids. I will live, reading, studying and interpreting them, being the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge". Remember, according to Hindu mythology, this is the first woman- totally self-willed, having a voice and standing up for herself. This is the Goddess to whom we as Hindus pray to on Vijayadashami - the day that gives victory.
Now, let me take up Christianity. In that before Eve comes into the picture, there is mention of a first wife to Adam called Lilith. She like Saraswathi was confident enough to say she cannot be just a home maker but have her own will, word as well as career. Later, Lilith was considered an evil woman who managed to have her voice and will power. So, ladies who were powerful in their own will and voice has happened in mythology. Saraswathi, Savithri who fought with the God of death itself to keep her husband alive, Lilith in Christianity and in Islam, Khadija who was the wife of Prophet Muhammed, who was a very powerful lady with a voice. To start with it seems, she used to guide and teach the prophet. Then, how come today in the twenty first century, women need to be afraid to speak up, have a voice, are getting killed due to dowry, acid being thrown at their face, honor killed or raped and left to die??
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| Education of women is a must for a great society Image credits - Pixabay.com |
If a girl is educated....: All of us as humans are trying to bring innovation and progress to the society. Open the internet, switch on the TV or read the newspaper. It is all about information, education, knowledge and how to bring change to society or humanity- infrastructure development, innovation, science and technology, information technology, how to leapfrog the society to twenty second or twenty third century. But in between this, many times we forget the one sure-fire way this can be achieved.
Women, women and women! Education of women!
Let me explain. Even in the twenty first century the first job of a mother is considered bringing up the kids. So, many times ladies take a break to be with the kids for 2-3 years or in economically backward countries stays at home with the kids. So, from birth to around five to seven years of age, who is the baby seeing, the most? The mother or the women folks. Only after sixteen or eighteen, the kid as a male or female goes outside the house to conquer the world as well as their destiny. The first five years is when the brain and the mind of the baby develops at rocket speed. So, at that time who is better to be around? A well-educated woman who takes the kids to the library, read stories to them, watch Discovery/ Science/ National Geographic channel with them or a lady who stopped her education at second or third grade who cannot read and is illiterate?? Think! Even an illiterate mother who deeply values the education of her kids, daughters included brings great change in the lives of the kids and later society.
We are trying to tinker and fix the outer circumstances as society or family and don't give a second glance to the inner reality of the mind, emotions and intellect of the humans. The ladies are forced to stop education, are kept away from education and asked to become robots doing physical work. My question- if ladies were meant to be brainless or mindless robots, why so many are given brilliant minds, intellect, interests, ideas and passions? This shows Earth was never meant to be a man's world. It happened like that because men found themselves with more physical strength and women were thought to be protected.
The knight in shining armor had to protect the damsel in distress. But after rescuing her, she was tied up in a castle away from the crowd who could harm her. This concept is weaved into the psyche of the humanity from time immemorial and it still continues to this day. Many bright women end up tied at home and kitchen with very less opportunities. Otherwise, why in many places or countries, women are not able to interact, live and thrive freely. My question to all of humanity- Should respect be given only to one's own mother, family member or lady of the community or group? Shouldn't that respect, honor, worth and value be extended to any girl or lady or how about the other gender or others, whoever they are- blind of caste, race, skin color, religion, political party or ethnicity? Isn't the human mind and heart big enough to embrace all?
Why these fights, arrogance, entitlements and one upping another, even today in the so called "modern times"? Doesn't an animal coexist with another? Yes, of course they bare teeth to an intruder or someone attacking their boundaries. But we humans are not animals. We have a well-developed fore-brain and logical mind that makes us humans compared to the animalistic behavior. Okay, as it is a blog post about ladies, back to Yin principle. My question is - Is it enough to pray and respect the Goddess in the stone form? How about respecting the feminine in the human form or in one's own Self- the intuitive, emotional and many times deeply repressed feminine side? How about acknowledging that side within oneself?
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| Goddess Durga - The all powerful one! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
The Vamabhagah: The left side, the feminine according to Sanskrit and Hindu mythology. The Divine feminine, or the Yin principle! The intuitive, emotional and feeling aspect of the humanity. The last two thousand to five thousand years humans had to fight and toughen it out with nature, wild animals and other tribes or groups. Humans started as cavemen. At that time, it would have been pointless to argue with logic, emotions or feelings. In those days physical strength or the Yang- masculine principle was a must to tackle nature, wild elements of it and animals or other predatory species.
In Malayalam, there is a proverb- "Don't preach Veda to a wild animal". At that time a spear or sword or good physique to run or fight out a wild animal was a must. Thus, the masculine side of humanity blossomed and bloomed. But that doesn't mean the intuitive, emotional or the feminine side should be suppressed and not given a voice, value or worth. That is what unfortunately has happened in the last two thousand to five thousand years. While the masculine side had a gala time, the feminine side of humanity was suppressed.
Let us take an example. Say a person is a terrific entrepreneur, business person or a great executive. They achieved a lot in life, earned and is a terrific person in the society. They were helped in this venture by their ambitions, go-getter attitude and leadership- all of masculine side. Now, every evening they come home to a huge, expansive and enormous house- empty and very silent. Are they going to feel at the top of their world? Most definitely or most probably, no. Every achievement or effort becomes worth-while, if there are people to share, take part and give company in our success.
That loving, kind, compassionate and nurturing side is the divine feminine- the yin principle or the Goddess energy. (If she is suppressed, she can become bitter and passive aggressive as well. But my blog will be only about positivity and positive mindset.) But Goddess doesn't mean humble, docile, weak and meek energy. Nope. Kind and compassionate, but can bare the teeth or cut the head, if boundaries are crossed or their kith and kin are endangered. Think about a lioness or tigress. Such strong feminine figures who if given a chance with education, value and voice can bring up genuine, authentic, strong and powerful humans, leaders as well as change agents, who bring progress and transformation to humanity.
It is high time, humanity start to give more power and voice to its own feminine side- intuitive, nurturing and emotional, whether within the person, in the family or society. Each household within their folds keep ladies or mother figures who if they understand their own power or value can bring up terrific, strong, sensitive and compassionate humans- a rare commodity even in this twenty first century where it is fights, ego clashes, agenda pushing as well as arrogance taking charge of situations. What about compassionate leadership or kind leadership or peaceful leadership? All of us read about Jesus and how he was kind, compassionate and peaceful. Is it enough for that Jesus aspect to remain within the pages of Bible or should that aspect take physical form as males and females who bring kind, compassionate, but go-getter, ambitious leadership so that a whole lot of people feel nurtured, valued and appreciated?
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| Woman entrepreneurship (Btw, my favorite color) Image credits - Pixabay.com |
The Yin Principle: It is not enough to talk, debate and pray to the Goddess. Instead as humans, each person should start to embrace both sides of their own nature- masculine as well as feminine. Masculine is needed so that the person is courageous or bold enough to take charge and be a leader. But the feminine also is important where above caring just about themselves and their particular group alone, humans start caring about a whole lot of people- care, concern and nurturance. The Divine feminine!
For myself, from 2016, I had to access my own masculine side to become courageous and bold to put out my thoughts and ideas out there. Same way, it is not easy for humanity to access the feminine side. It was suppressed and repressed for last 2000 to 4000 years. In the USA, in the 1940s or 50s, girl child or ladies where meant to be "Only seen, not heard". Be nicely bedecked and sit pretty. That is about it. But don't you open your mouth or say your opinion or value point.
Last week, I saw the documentary called "Self-made" on Netflix about Madam C.J. Walker- a woman, black entrepreneur, political and social activist in the late nineteenth century. The amount of shaming, put downs, guilt tripping and devaluing she had to go through, was heart wrenching and paining. But the unfortunate fact is even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, it has not become a walk in the park for ladies or girls. Ladies are silenced, raped, murdered, acid thrown on face, not respected, given value or listened to. So, even though outer physical progress is there, has the real, inner change of the mind and perspectives happened?
My question- if a male leader is welcomed, shouldn't a female leader also be appreciated? Why should men as well as women feel intimidated if the dress that Soul for this particular lifetime chose to wear happened to be of a female? Does it matter? If we can pray to Goddess Saraswathi or have Lilith or Khadija in the stories of thousand years before shouldn't such female leaders become everyday happening in this twenty first century? Even today should women have to fight for equal opportunities, equal pay, equal voice and equal value?
Why ladies have to fight for education, to have a career, speak their mind through a vote or go to the market alone in their own car driving themselves? Remember ladies in many parts of the world can only dream or imagine this. That status quo has to change. Brilliant female leaders also should walk this Earth. It is not enough to pray to Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Durga, Kali, Mother Mary or to Wife of Prophet Muhammad. Such nurturing, powerful and valued females should come in the real life and lead others in a kind, compassionate, peaceful, but with strong and powerful voice, leadership skills and mindset. That day the Yin Principle also would find her rightful place in this world.
Finishing with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi on this Vijayadashami time who had high aspirations for the Indian female. Give it a thought and meditate on the same!
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| Mahatma Gandhi quote Image credits - AZ Quotes |