The Invocation of Kali
Working on a post about why the moon is not boring almost put me to sleep.
Following the moon and her cycles is one of the easiest ways of staying in tune with your cosmic consciousness. Still, there is a mass of information, both astronomical and astrological, scientific and metaphysic, which can eclipse the simplicity of moon tracking. This info is ALL OVER THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW, and frankly, I’m exhausted. My intention in writing about the moon was to show that you don’t need to understand all the little details of a metaphysical practice in order to use it… and then I got overwhelmed by all the little details.
I will finish that piece, with just the right amount of detail, and post it when it’s time. For now, I’m taking a cosmic cue to keep it simple by sharing this post about cutting the shit.
One of my favorite God forms is Kali, an aspect of Durga, from the Hindu pantheon. She represents a dark maternal force: in her most impersonal form she is the blackness of the void, the cosmic womb in which all of the universes were born; at her most immanent she is the terrible mother aspect… And I’m not just talking about a mean mama bear who will do what she has to when provoked. Kali will do what she has to by any means necessary WITHOUT provocation whether you like it or not and even if it kills you, everyone you know and the entire universe… She is just that devoted and focused. Kind of like an extra-dimensional Serial Mom.
The point is that she requires annihilation in order facilitate creation. Because baby, it’s creation. She knows what goes into it (blood, skulls, and attachment), far better than we mortals, and she flawlessly embodies this knowledge.
In response to the chicken and the egg riddle she might take the egg, break it, make an omelette, then take the chicken and snap its neck, then eat the omelette, the shell, the chickens and the hen house.
You might protest at first, or ask her to explain herself, but she wouldn’t because she doesn’t have to answer. She knows her mission. Her focus and intention are shockingly refined if completely unknowable. All she’d do is pick her teeth with her ancient manicure. Only then, wringing your hands, would you notice that she’d already given birth to 14 new chickens, 3 dozen eggs and a few incubators, along with a forest, a Sawzall and a hammer and nails. All while you were complaining that she wasn’t doing it right.
My point is this. Whatever you may be working with, struggling with, or succeeding in right now, it is always a good idea to lighten your load and trim away the non-essentials. Trouble is we get obsessed with the minutiae and don’t know what to let go of or how.
If you’re on a trip to find the Holy Grail, and you figure out it’s in New Haven, you could totally stop at the Outlet Mall on the way. I love outlet malls. I can always think of a good reason to go to an outlet mall and I would therefore be justified… I just wouldn’t be very effective in my Grail-Seeking.
The amazing part about Kali is that she knows it’s all about the Holy Grail, whatever yours may be. She keeps us connected to our goals and destinations, she just couldn’t give a fuuuuuuuuck about the details or detours on the way. She empowers our creative potential, but she’s not a helicopter mom adoring every little thing. She’s kind of intolerant. She does what she does whether we like it or not because she knows what’s most important and will do anything to see it manifest. She makes our dreams come true by brutally eradicating all non-essentials. She encourages alignment and integrity by unapologetically destroying all that is not aligned. She encourages life by facilitating death.
When you call on Kali you are not necessarily asking to be overtaken by her. You are welcoming her force to align with yours. This aspect of the mother is not always appropriate. The fall equinox, however, is arguably the most appropriate time to call this force into your sphere and then exercise it.
The Fall Equinox is one of two moments in the year when day and night are equal lengths. In the Northern Hemisphere night is about to get longer. The ripe, black potency of night is analogous to Kali, and in the solar calendar, the fall equinox is when that powerful darkness begins to dominate our experience. The darkness outside encourages us to connect with the light inside. She’s ready. Chomping at the bit, hungry for heads, and so relieved that now is her time.
The ritual I’m about to offer will give you a way to invoke Kali and harmonize your frequency with hers. IT IS A VERY POWERFUL EXERCISE, so I would recommend only doing it once. Although its inspiration comes from the Equinox, it is a practice that should support any Full Harvest/Vine/Blood Super Moon Eclipse in Aries practices you might be working or wondering about. I think it might even help with the cluster-buggery of Mercury Retrograde.
Most importantly it makes some space for you to pause, open up, and empower that which is aligned with your truth, while a big, loving, nasty, beastly, unrelenting Super Mom comes in and cleans up your psychic room for you. Don’t tell her how to clean it, because she knows. She will not do your laundry. She will burn your unnecessary clothing, and maybe your room, but only if you didn’t need them anyway.
Offered in Service,
Mikey D.
Kali Invocation
1. Find a picture of Kali that fascinates you.
2. Make some quiet space and time for yourself. 10-20 minutes is plenty.
3. Do some sort of practice that brings you into a sacred space; whatever works for you. At the very least, light a candle and take 3 deep, grounding, centering breaths. Imagine a solid, 3 dimensional shape of white light around yourself, and affirm 3 times that you are protected and safe.
4. Close your eyes and actively summon up all the stuff that’s annoying you: people places and things; beliefs, behaviors and ideas; goals, dreams and disappointments. Really drum them up, call them into your conscious mind, and give them a lot of space in your awareness. Do this for 2-5 minutes.
5. Open your eyes and bring your attention fully to your picture of Kali. Take the whole thing in, then notice any individual details. Say what you see either out loud or in your mind. Keep noticing details, calling them out as your eye is drawn to them. After 2 or 3 minutes of this, back up and take in the whole picture again. Let your awareness be saturated with Kali. You can even start repeating her name, chanting it to yourself. Do this gentle, saturated gaze with or without chant, for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Close your eyes again and formally invoke Kali. Ask the frequency of her energy to move through you, to permeate your being and experience, and to remove any and all non-essential aspects of your existence. In quote form it could be as simple as this: “I invoke you, Kali Ma. I call upon you to trim away all that is not essential to the highest expression of myself at this time.”
7. Take a little time to sit with Kali as she harmonizes her frequency with yours. I'd give this a full 5 minutes, at least. When you are ready, pause, offer her thanks, offer yourself thanks, and offer thanks to the whole universe for this gift of empowered alignment. Affirm that you are protected and safe, then slowly open your eyes.
The only thing I have to mention, by way of caution, is that you should never think about anything bad happening to anyone. Especially not in a ritual. That’s why this is split up so that you summon up all the annoying people places and things, then you call on Kali and ask her to guide you towards your own brightest light by removing all that is not aligned from your path. At no point are you asking Kali to remove anything or anyone specific. You are focusing on the less than desirable in order to give it its due diligence, so that once Kali starts doing her thing you don't have any second thoughts. You do your thing (clocking your undesirables) so she can do hers (steering you toward the desirable by clearing your path).