10th Annual Festival
November 2, 2013
Begun in 2004, this year marked the 10th anniversary of SHARANYA’s Kali Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and provide spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother, we came together on the night of November 2, 2013 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, and worship Maa Kali as The Ageless One, Goddess of Crossroads, Black Mother, She Who is Beyond Time.
Fifty-one of us were present for the puja, a heterodox ceremony that incorporates traditional elements from both Vedic and Tantric rites. Hindus, Pagans, Sufis, and a collection of multi-religious and spiritual people assembled with reverence and respect to honor Her. Chanting Her names and opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship.
Kali Puja Festival
Puja means flower offering, or worship with flowers. On November 2, 2013, in correspondence with Kali Puja in West Bengal and the festival of Diwali, and in alignment with Samhain and the Day of the Dead, SHARANYA kaula (family) gathered with community from around the Bay Area to celebrate. We began by opening our hearts…
Love is the Offering
Bhaktashankari brings to her work transforming the space for Maa the open-hearted love of a devotee enriched by Her blessings. Each candle, image, cloth, flower and foodstuff is specially prepared and presented with love and care that our Divine Mother may be comfortable and pleased by Her surroundings.
Creating Sacred Space
Twice each year, SHARANYA kaula transform the Cultural Integration Fellowship in San Francisco, creating a mandir (temple) for worship. In the fall and in correspondence with the festival of Diwali and Mahakali Puja in West Bengal, we offer the Kali Puja Festival. This year marked our 10th annual festival. In this image, we begin the…