Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power

By Laura Amazzone

Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power is an exploration of the many faces of the Goddess Durga in ancient and contemporary culture. This book takes us on a pilgrimage to goddess temples and natural shrines, to visit shamans and living goddesses in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, and to India for the annual ten-day Durga Festival. The mythology, rituals, philosophy, and spiritual practices of this distinctly female-centered and millennia-old tradition of Durga offer an alternative model of female potential and empowerment, focusing on peace, healing, spiritual liberation, and realization of inherent divinity.

Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Preface Part 3 Acknowledgements Part 4 Introduction Encountering Durga Part 5 The Teachings of Goddess Durga Chapter 6 Chapter One Durga: Goddess of Paradox Chapter 7 Chapter Two Tantra, Kaula, and Sakta Tradition Chapter 8 Chapter Three Durga as Bhagawati: The Power of the Yoni Chapter 9 Chapter Four The Art of Pilgrimage and the Durga Puja Part 10 Durga Puja: The Ten-Day Harvest Festival Chapter 11 Day One Saraswati: Goddess of Creativity Chapter 12 Day Two The Kumari: Living Virgin Goddess Chapter 13 Day Three Mai, Ajima: Ancient Mother, Ancient Grandmother Chapter 14 Day Four Laksmi: Goddess of Abundance Chapter 15 Day Five The Eight Matrkas: The Power of Women in Groups Chapter 16 Day Six The Yogini: Goddess and Priestess of Erotic Arts and Mysteries Chapter 17 Day Seven Kali: Goddess of Transformation Chapter 18 Day Eight Taleju: Women's Blood Mysteries Chapter 19 Day Nine Nine Durgas: Goddesses of Liminality Chapter 20 Day Ten Durga's Victory Part 21 Glossary of Sanskrit Terms Part 22 Bibliography Part 23 Index