The Goddess Within

I would say without hesitation that I'm hindu but I've never been particularly religious. I like to think of it as belief on a macro level. I believe in the philosophy but avoid the rituals. I adore the colourfulness of the stories but I wouldn't blindly swear to their historical and factual accuracy. Fact or folklore, I sit in awe of them regardless. I forget sometimes of the beauty of the religion and even of the very rituals that I avoid.

Last week a friend of mine invited me to a Pooja at her house which was being held in honour of Mataji. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending a Sunday at a Pooja but as it was for a friend I was happy to make the sacrifice. In the end, although I was very hungover from the night before having gone to bed at 6am, I was glad I went. The sun was shining, all the women and girls looked beautiful in their sarees, and the food was delicious. But that's not why I was glad.

What struck me most was the surprising spiritual connection, the strength of womanhood, and the uplifiting inner peace that I felt during the bhajans. It made me realise for the first time about how much importance a woman is given in hinduism. The manifestations of strength (Shakti), wisdom and learning (Saraswati), good fortune (Lakshmi), destruction (Kali), etc, all denoted by female deities. Sitting in that room with women and girls of all ages singing bhajans to Mataji, I felt a strong sense of sisterhood, a strength in womankind, and a conviction that there is a goddess within all of us.

It was unfortunate that I could only be present during the bhajans for a short time as my cousin and sister-in-law arrived and I left the room to keep them company. My cousin laughed that I was probably relieved at having an excuse to leave the room. I said not at all, I'd been enjoying it. He thought I was joking and I was too hungover to protest.