I Surrender onto the Divine Mother!

Photos by Meady's Musings Copyright 2006 and by permission of Ranjiv (for statue pic)

Have you ever felt at times in your life where you feel compelled to simply fall to your knees and pray or just bow or simply surrender onto 'the Universe' not necessarily as in saying 'Thy Will Be Done'(although that too) but as simply a thankfulness to it or a surrender onto it's marvel,warmth,love,compassion and beauty?!

About five years ago I used to think of the universe in a motherly way and imagine the form of 'Mother Durga' but in a welcoming way as if she, the universal mother, would allow me to sit on her lap when I had troubles and comfort me. Seriously I used to have this vision often when I knew not what to do. But this was more like a visualization of me sitting there with her crying all my woes to her.

However last year this took a different turn or 'Bend in the River' for me. I guess it is when I realized to finally let go of it all and say 'Thy Will Be Done' and since then especially when it had now happened I almost felt as if I was being compelled to get on my knees or to bow in surrender to some higher will, way or force. When it first happened I was actually attending a workshop at a Jesuit university and although most people in the workshop were gawking at the huge Virgin Mary statue that I used as a landmark to get to my classroom I kept to myself how much it inspired me with awe. How much I felt I could go sit on her lap or more so based on how I was feeling at that stage, just to bow to her or be with her. But I just said nothing cause from the remarks made I knew it just would not be understood and the people who remarked had their own path to discover and were exposed to very different things in their lives thus far from what I knew of them which I guess caused them to react very differently from myself.

This was last year-2007. Then early this year-2008 I had this feeling to bow to a presence felt at the center of my gateway one evening earlier this year in which was the last Nav Ratri (a nine night festival dedicated to the Mother form in Hinduism) celebrations here in Trinidad and other parts of the Hindu world. Last night I had this dream that I kept thinking bout all day and in finale analysis of it feel what I dreamt of was a strong mother presence fleetingly visiting my home and leaving again! When I woke up in the morning I didn't realize it was the start of Nav Ratri ...a fact I only considered later in the day and confirmed with my mother.

Do you ever feel such a strong force to the point where you just want to surrender onto the Lord or the Universe or the Divine Mother or Father? A force so strong that you want to literally drop to your knees and pray or bow?

For those that do not know what Nav Ratri is they can check it up by doing a web search lots of info out there. However in Trinidad it is celebrated two times for the year. Once earlier in the year which coincides with Spring in India and once later in the year that coincides with the start of Autumn in India and just before Divali or Diwali celebrations. In Trinidad both Nav Ratris are celebrated in the same manner three of the days are dedicated to the Durga form of Shakti, three to Lakshmi and three to Saraswati.


My picture that I put together to illustrate this festival I have decided to call Shakti Melange and consists of snaps of the props from my 'Me Eat Manicou?' theatre production which I did in 2006. These particular snaps are from the shortened adapted version of the production I did for Petrotrin's Trinmar Operations Divali Show in 2006 which I titled 'Manick Escapes to Petrotrin'. The images of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are from the Petrotrin show. The image of the dancer is is Devani Ramnath of Clico Shiv Shakti Dancers who is portraying the character Maa Chinee or Mother Sugar (a character I created to represent the Shakti form or Universal Mother looking over the people of this imaginary village that was once a sugar plantation)from my Me Eat Manicou? show. Me Eat Manicou? was performed at Rudranath Capideo Learning Resource Centre, Mc Bean Village, Couva, Trinidad in 2006. And you can learn more about that production on my website http://www.meadysmusings.com The bottom pic is of a statue of the rakshas (demon) king-Mahishasura and is at Chamundi Hill, Mysore, India and was taken by my cousin on a trip to India in early 2008. In some parts of India the current Nav Ratri being celebrated is a celebration of the Universal Mother or Shakti destroying Mahishasura so she is then in that form called MahishasuraMardini meaning she who slayed Mahishasura. I don't see the point of making a statue to the demon though but...it's India!...and it is why I have the pic ordered such that the dancer who is representing Shakti as she performs is placing her foot on the head of the demon! :)

I hope you enjoy the pictures and let me know if you have ever had similar type experiences.

Wishing for Blessings from the Divine Mother! Jai Durga Maa! And I leave you with a snip of Devani's dance as Maa Chinee back in 2006 during Me Eat Manicou?