Embracing the Multifaceted Divine Feminine: How to Connect with Your Feminine Energy

One of the questions I hear often is “How do I connect with my feminine energy?”

Before that can be answered its important to answer another question which is “What is feminine energy?”

Most of us know feminine energy as a set of qualities and characteristics that are traditionally associated with women, although they can be expressed by individuals of any gender. These qualities can include traits such as nurturing, intuition, empathy, emotional depth, creativity, receptivity, and the ability to connect with others and with the natural world.

The growing recognition to reclaim and honor the feminine in both men and women is due to a larger cultural shift towards gender equality and the recognition of the diversity and complexity of the human experience.

And like our girl Lizzo says, “About damn time!”

But connecting to our feminine energy is not just about connecting to the soft, nurturing, and receptive parts of us. There’s so much more to the feminine beyond those traits. The divine feminine is multifaceted and powerful.

Many of our ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Hindus have recognized the divine feminine in the form of goddesses.

In the philosophical and spiritual tradition of Tantra, which emerged around 500-1000 CE, the divine feminine is often referred to as Shakti, which means "power" or "energy."

Shakti is the primal creative life force that is said to underlie all of existence, and it is often depicted as a goddess or divine feminine figure.

Tantra teaches that Shakti resides within every individual as Kundalini energy, which lies coiled at the base of the spine and can be awakened through various practices.

To connect with the divine feminine in Tantra one must cultivate a relationship of reverence and respect for the feminine aspect of the divine. This can be done through practices such as meditation, prayer, ritual, honoring the body, Goddess worship, and devotion. One can also connect with the divine feminine though creative expression such as dance, art, or music.

One of the many reasons why I teach and practice Tantra with my clients is because Tantra emphasizes the importance of balancing both masculine and feminine energies within oneself, as well as within one’s relationship and the world at large.

This involves acknowledging and honoring both the qualities of the divine masculine (such as strength, action, and clarity) and the divine feminine and cultivating a sense of harmony between the two.

There are many different Goddess honored in the tantric tradition; each hold different qualities of the divine feminine.

One of my personal favorite pieces of Goddess wisdom comes from Sally Kempton, a book called Awakening Shakti. Awakening Shakti was one of the many books I read as part of my training and affirmed the deep knowing that the divine feminine is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional.

Below are a few of the Tantric Goddesses that I’ve sat with in practice over the last two years.

Kali

Kali

Kali, the Goddess of Revolution, is a fierce and powerful goddess associated with transformation, destruction, and rebirth. She is often depicted as a dark-skinned goddess with a fierce expression, wild hair, protruding tongue, multiple arms, a necklace of skulls, and a sword or other weapon. She is seen as a protector and destroyer of ignorance and ego.

Kali represents the fierce aspects of the feminine that is associated with transformation, liberation, and destruction of ignorance and delusion. She is a symbol of truth that lies beyond all appearances.

According to Kempton, she is also associated with the power of motherly love, which is expressed in her fierce protection of devotees and her ability to cut through delusion to reveal the truth.

Meditating on Kali, can awaken your own inner strength and courage, and learn to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of life with greater ease and clarity.

Lakshmi:

Lakshmi is a goddess of abundance, prosperity, and wealth. She is believed to have emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean, along with other precious gifts such as the elixir of immortality and the wish-granting tree. Lakshmi is considered the consort of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the universe. She is often depicted as a radiant goddess with four arms holding lotus flowers, adorned with jewels, and associated with flowers and elephants.

Lakshmi is said to bring wealth and success to those who honor her, but her true gift is the abundance of love and compassion that flows from her heart. According to Kempton, in the human world Lakshmi is the Shakti of success, wealth, romantic attraction, artistic accomplishment, and that indefinable gift we call “good taste.”

She is a powerful ally in the pursuit of material and spiritual wealth and abundance. Lakshmi continues to invite us to worship her by making ourselves beautiful inside and out.

Parvati:

Parvati is said to embody the energy of feminine grace and beauty. She is a goddess of love, devotion, and sacred marriage. According to Sally Kempton's book Awakening Shakti, Parvati is a symbol of the power of devotion, surrender, and creative potential. In her various forms, she represents the aspects of the Divine Feminine that are nurturing, compassionate, and protective.

She is often depicted as a beautiful women with serene expression, holding a lotus. One of the most well-known stories about Parvati is that of her marriage to Lord Shiva. In this tale, Parvati is determined to win the love and devotion of Shiva, who is known for his asceticism and detachment from worldly affairs. Through her steadfast devotion and unwavering love, Parvati eventually wins Shiva's heart and becomes his wife and consort. Together, they represent the union of the male and female energies of creation, and their marriage is considered to be the ideal model for marital harmony and devotion.

This story is often interpreted as a metaphor for the power of devotion and surrender in spiritual practice.

Parvati is often invoked as a powerful ally in the process of inner transformation and spiritual awakening. Her energy is associated with the power of devotion and surrender to the divine, and by cultivating a relationship with her and invoking her blessings, we can tap into the power of love and deepen our connection to the divine consciousness, allowing us to experience a sense of peace, harmony, and unity with all of creation.

Dhumavati:

Dhumavati is the Crone Goddess of Disappointment and Letting Go. She is a Tantric goddess who is often depicted as an old and ugly woman with a fierce and terrifying appearance. She is often associated with the experience of loss, separation, and adversity and is sometimes referred to as the widow goddess or the goddess of inauspiciousness.

Despite her fearsome appearance, Dhumavati is revered as a powerful and compassionate goddess who can help us navigate the challenges and difficulties of life. She represents the transformative power of letting go and surrendering to the divine will, even in the face of hardship and suffering.

Dhumavati became one of my favorite teachers during the divorce. She helped me cultivate qualities of detachment, resilience, and surrender through one of the most challenging chapters of my life.

She asks the question: Can your inner equilibrium survive that level of collapse? Can you find your inner grove when everything falls away?

Lalita Tripura Sundari

Lalita Tripuri Sundari, the Goddess of Erotic Spirituality.

Lalita, also known as Lalita Tripura Sundari, is a Hindu goddess who represents the playful beauty of the three worlds. She is often depicted as a young, charming, and graceful goddess with four arms, holding a bow and arrow, a noose, a goad, and a sugarcane bow.

In the Tantric tradition, Lalita is revered as one of the most powerful and transformative goddesses, representing the energy of divine consciousness that pervades all of creation. She most successfully holds together the apparent opposites of executive power and sexuality, and of sexual and spiritual love. Her energy is associated with the power of attraction, and by cultivating a relationship with her, we can tap into the power of love and creativity to manifest our deepest desires and bring our dreams into reality.

Lalita embodies a powerful archetype of the feminine that is seldom seen in the human world. She is the queen who rules through love, standing in her independence while never compromising on pleasure.

Connecting with one's feminine energy is not just for women, but for anyone who seeks a balance of both masculine and feminine energies within themselves and in the world around them. Tantra provides a pathway to honoring and cultivating the divine feminine through practices such as meditation, prayer, ritual, creative expression, and devotion to goddesses.

By embracing the multifaceted nature of the divine feminine, from the fierce and powerful Kali to the graceful and loving Parvati, one can tap into a primal life force that connects them to the universe as a whole.