Mahakali

Kali is the avatar where parvati, the shakti merges with shiva, the rudra or destroyer and attains victory over negativity. This negativity is often not external. Over the years the myths and folklore has made a more black and white version of Kali's triumph over asura. Asura is opposite of sura, which is positive energy, nature spirits. Asura is therefore the negative or evil spirits causing disharmony. Kali over generations and in different mythos has been narrated as an avatar of durga who appears in Rudra or bhayankar form (ferocious, fiery, the roarer). She slays heads and drinks the blood, performs tandav (fiery dance) on the fire which can destroy the earth. Shiva lays down at this point and asks Kali to perform the dance over him to save the earth from being destroyed. Kali in her rudra form doesn't recognise shiva, steps on his body and gains consciousness. She hangs her tongue out in lajja(shameful). It's our conscious mind that needs the courage to slay the negativity that resides in us but at the same time to find peace and gratitude to not destroy ourselves in the process of discarding our negativity. 

Aham Brahmasmi

Myths, the present entangled in past, the fictions of mind, the traces of belief that may be false.

The practice of believing and living the culture, the gift and joy of colors and the emotions that shape up as drawings on my paper. 

Shaman

Heal my soul today.

Let me live in present. 

Heal me with the perfume of palo santo

The creepers of pain has gripped my heart. 

My shaman calls the eagle for help. 

He sweeps down the mountain, undoing the knots of sadness, I had been knitting in silence. 

His claws tear into my ego 

His beak rips open my sheltered fear. 

My body shakes, the burden of sorrow is being unloaded.

I try to grip onto the last bit of my pride. 

The calm eyes of the eagle stares

 as He speaks

Let go the freedom is yours. 

The snake in my dream

The snake in my dream. 

Few months ago I woke up in the middle of the night startled, panting and dripping sweat. I looked at my arms and legs they were fine and as normal as it was before I fell asleep. 

What happened?

I was in an arena full of people. People whom I knew but I could hardly recognize. They all spoke amongst themeselves but I did not understand them. Suddenly, a huge snake leapt out of a box kept nearby. Without giving us time to think he approached us in fierce speed. The arena had peculiar small and crooked steps. As the entire crowd headed downwards, I ran upwards away from the crowd. The snake, now in vigorous speed did not follow the rest  but charged directly at me. As I climbed higher I reached a wall. I could either jump down the stairs and break my hands and legs or let the snake kill me. I did both. 

In seconds I opened my eyes again only to find myself in a hospital, surrounded by several people I didn't recognize. My hands and feet were melting as I laid on bed asking the doctors about my family, recalling names that I remembered. They answered none of them existed there. 

I woke up paranoid, looked at my bed and touched my skin it did hurt a little bit but I was alive. What happened? 

Kemon the stingray illustrated by Mythsinart

This series is about a love story between different kinds. 

Can a stingray ever fall in love with a clownfish? Why not? We always try to look for love with an image that we have designed over years in our lives. Our failure becomes our biggest obstacle and based on those perceptions we try to look for a perfect human being.

The truth is, we aren't perfect and our love might have always been there for us we just never wanted to walk out of the box. 

To buy the entire series please write to us at mythsinart@auroville.org.in or call us on 6384512182.

Kemon and Po illustrated and published by Mythsinart.