Kimberly Simon

“together, when our love and trust is great enough to let us be vulnerable and thus make space for revelation to arise. This intellectual merging involves a subtle Tantric embrace of thoughts and energies rather than a physical merging. It is no less an embrace for being subtle. The image of Shiva and Parvati sitting together in a grove on the crest of a mountain not only carries the archetype of divine lovers, it also stands for the mysterious creative moment when two or more people enter a “we” space together. In the “we” space, our essences connect, and we are then hooked up with superconscious source of insight. Physicist David Bohm called this process “dialogue.” Dialogue happens when, like Shiva and Parvati, we recognize”
― Sally Kempton, Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga

“She is also the power behind spiritual awakening, the inner force that unleashes spiritual power within the human body in the form of kundalini. And she is a guardian: beautiful, queenly, and fierce. Paintings of Durga show her with flowing hair, a red sari, bangles, necklaces, a crown—and eight arms bristling with weapons. Durga carries a spear, a mace, a discus, a bow, and a sword—as well as a conch (representing creative sound), a lotus (symbolizing fertility), and a rosary (symbolizing prayer). In one version of her origin, she appears as a divine female warrior, brought into manifestation by the male gods to save them from the buffalo demon, Mahisha. The assembled gods, furious and powerless over a demon who couldn’t be conquered, sent forth their anger as a mass of light and power. Their combined strength coalesced into the form of a radiantly beautiful woman who filled every direction with her light. Her face was formed by Shiva; her hair came from Yama, the god of death; her arms were given by Vishnu. Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu his discus, Vayu—the wind god—offered his bow and arrow. The mountain god, Himalaya, gave her the lion for her mount. Durga set forth to battle the demon for the sake of the world, armed and protected by all the powers of the divine masculine.1 As a world protector, Durga’s fierceness arises out of her uniquely potent compassion. She is the deity to call on when you’re”
― Sally Kempton, Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga

“Shiva and Parvati symbolize the moment when we get spiritually naked”
― Sally Kempton, Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga

“Other Names for Parvati: Gauri (gow-ree)—The Fair One Minakshi (mee-nak-shee)—She with Eyes Like Slender Fishes Shive (shi-vey)—Feminine form of Shiva Girija (gi-ri-jah)—Daughter of the Mountain Uma (oo-mah)—Maiden Haimavati (hai-muh-vah-tee)—She Who Belongs to the Mountain King Himavat”
― Sally Kempton, Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga