guiding spirits

today i'm thankful for . . . guiding spirits

since my introduction to yoga many years ago, i have been exposed to the whole new universe of spirituality. would not refer to myself as a particularly *religious* person (i'm a recovering catholic) but definitely feel that i've finally started to come to terms with my *spirituality*. i definitely don't believe that there's one puppet master in the sky – by any name – pulling all the strings. i do believe that there are spirits that guide us all. what we need and what we're going through at any particular time may change which particular spirit is guiding us at any particular moment. some spirits watch over us. some keep us out of trouble. while still others call to us to teach us something.

since my divorce two particular spirits have been calling me and yesterday i heeded their call. i had been reading and learning as much as i could about kali and durga for some time. have always been drawn to kali in particular because i've always admired her strength. she emits fierceness and energy but yet still maintains a nurturing side. i knew it was a big commitment to be a devotee of kali yet the draw continued. i decided that i was ready to carry her with me so i decided i should get her name tattooed on my wrist in sanskrit. my studies had taught me that she was the destroyer of egos and i knew it was a lesson that i needed to learn so i knew it was the right thing to do. durga is known as a great goddess and is the slayer of demons. the demons i am trying to slay are the impediments in my life caused by the old patterns which have guided me to this point. it's time to take control of my own life and live it as i see fit – screw what others think.

the more i read and learned about kali and durga, the more empowered i felt. the more i knew i had found my guiding spirits. the interesting part of all of my studies and research was that i somehow felt that i'd always been called to kali even before i knew who she was. i finally know why ... kali is sometimes known as the "mother of all language". well, that just was the final nail in the coffin for me. language has always been my love and now i knew why.

the two pics in this post are of my less than 24hr old tattoos. the top one is durga and the bottom one is kali. they're not great but i wanted to show them off. better pics soon after they heal.