Each month in addition to worship and regular events, we host satsangs every purnima (full moon) and amavasya (new moon) in our home temple. These are an opportunity to meditate and chant, as well as listen to teachings on esoteric matters and lived experience (upadesha), or to learn about the sacred texts and their lessons (pravachan). We welcome you to join us.
In the sacred texts of Tantra, we learn of the Maa’s expression of virtues. She is Divine Mother, and we honor Her as such. Yet, it is also true that sexuality, the fecundity of menstrual blood, the wild and untamable nature of reality, and all things antinomian come together in Her, expanding our notion of the Divine beyond motherly limitations. Through Her, the Dark Goddess, we see the potential for liberation because Devi is able, as dictated in the scriptures and by the lineage of the ancients, to lead aspirants to the highest and most engaged reality. – SHARANYA Discourses on the Tantras
You may also wish to attend classes (either in person or online through Kali Vidya) and participate in our other gatherings to learn more about and come to experience directly Her mysteries.
Class offerings
- Ritual Practices of Shakta Tantra – This three-part course is an introduction to worship and devotion of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess of Hinduism, the all-pervading Shakti, and Kali Maa, Dark Mother, the Supreme Goddess of Shakta Tantra. Participants will learn the context and content of worship in the living goddess tradition of Western Shakta Tantra called Sha’can. Puja basics, including how to honor Devi (Goddess) Kali at home, will be taught. This offering may be particularly rewarding if you are considering training with us, are looking to incorporate Kali worship or worship of other forms of the Divine Mother from the Hindu tradition into your existing spiritual path, or are seeking a fuller experience with your dedicated worship in community.
- Tools for Transformation – This lecture and practice workshop series is focused on Yogic and Tantrick tools for transformation. All offerings include both educational and immediately useful, hands-on components; and all are set within a framework that recognizes a great spiritual truth: the personal is the planetary. Our work and commitment through each event is to broaden and deepen your experience of how changing yourself means changing the world. Sample workshops have included:
- The Path of the Yoni: Tantrik Tools for Acceptance and Empowerment. Let’s discuss, celebrate and explore reverence for women’s sexuality; viewing our bodies in a healthy way; the Tantric traditions of Kamakhya; and together dispel myths about tantric sex while unearthing the power of our yoni.
- Tantra & The Shamanic Path. Learn and begin working with the fundamentals of incarnation, the subtle body, personal responsibility and liberation beyond space and time. Exercises may include recapitulation, stalking awareness, dreaming work, and the power of gratitudes.
- Tantra & Spellcraft. Delve more deeply into the history of what has birthed some of today’s magical traditions; learn about initiations, spellwork, and the basics of casting a circle, working with the elements and directions, grounding and centering through Tantric practice. Open to notions of what it means to hold integrity in the practice of magic.
- Tantrik Awakening. Discover the primary techniques of pranayama (breathwork) and nyasa (placement) as spiritual technologies. Explore Bhakti Yoga (the path of surrender to the Divine through devotion); and learn the fundamentals of Kundalini within a Shakta Tantric marga (pathway).
- Gods and Goddesses of India Series – Offering an introduction to the Western practitioner who seeks to know Hindu deities more concretely and practically, this series has three parts:
- Goddesses of India – An introduction to the most commonly seen goddesses in India: Durga, Parvati, Kali, Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Lalita.
- Gods of India – An introduction to the most commonly seen gods of India: Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Ganesha, Krishna, Rama, Agni.
- Goddesses of Tantra – An introduction to the Dasa Mahavidya and others of the Tantric persuasion.
- Fierce Mothers: Tantrik Goddesses of Self-sacrifice – This workshop opens doorways to the raudra (fierce) goddesses of India, including Camunda, Chinnamasta, Bagalamukhi, and several other of the Mahavidyas. This is a path to embracing feminine power and self-acceptance through Divine love and inspiration.
Mother Goddess Earthly & Divine
I found the Hindu chants workshop to be extremely informative, lovely and powerful. I believe it was perfect for Unitarian participation because it addressed the spiritual, emotional and intellectual aspects of this practice, as well as lots of live practice…I have actually been using some of the chants, several times a week, having incorporated them into my normal meditation routine. Given that I work in a fast-paced environment in a pretty harsh town, I love the connection I feel to these chants and how incorporating them has resulted in a calmer, more intuitive me.
Chanting Workshop: Vedic Mantras, Hindu Classics, & Goddess Devotionals
SHARANYA was recently invited by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto to be part of a series of chanting workshops dedicated to connecting members to various world traditions through song and chant. We were honored to be part of the series and grateful to Terry Passarotti from their congregation for asking us to join…
Amavasya (New Moon) & Solar Eclipse Reflections
Tuesday was both the New Moon and Solar Eclipse. Personally, I really did not know what to expect. Often, the New Moon energy is not something with which I am comfortable; I always feel the dark, void, or emptiness…which is not within my comfort zone. On Monday, I had started some hypnotherapy work with my…
Purnima (Full Moon) Practice & Meditation
The full moon is a time of expanded awareness, the moon a sacred instigation to move more deeply into our unconscious, into our dreams, and into our inner spaces for insight and embodied wisdom. Yesterday evening, we gathered in the Sanctuary to harness some of Soma’s power, opening to the moon’s energy, elixir of both…