More Than Just Stories
When I was younger, I thought myths were entertaining stories about gods, goddesses and impossible events that had little relevance to my everyday life.
That all changed when I first heard the ancient stories of the Hindu Goddesses.
The more I listened, the more I realised these myths weren't asking me to believe the impossible. They were inviting me to recognise something deeply possible within myself. Ancient myths were never simply stories. They were maps of human consciousness developed with the evolution of our consciousness in mind.
Across thousands of years they have helped us understand love and loss, courage and fear, abundance and generosity, grief and transformation. Their larger-than-life characters make them unforgettable, but their real purpose is to illuminate the landscape of our own lives.
Take the story of the great Goddess Durga.
According to the ancient texts, a terrible force of chaos had spread across the world. The gods themselves were powerless to restore harmony. So they did something extraordinary. Together they performed the greatest fire ceremony ever imagined, calling upon the supreme feminine power to intervene.
From the radiant flames emerged Durga.
Magnificent.
Ravishingly beautiful.
Adorned with exquisite jewellery.
Riding a lion.
And yes... she had ten arms!
Every god offered her a sacred weapon, not because she was going to wage war, but because each represented a different quality of consciousness. Together they formed an unstoppable force for restoring balance.
The Sword of discernment.
The Trident of balance.
The Disc of awakened consciousness.
The Thunderbolt of unwavering resolve.
The Bow and Arrow of focus.
The Spear of right action.
The Conch of truth.
The Lotus of liberation.
The Pot of wisdom and devotion.
The Snake of awakened consciousness.
Wonderful story.
But is this story recounting history? It is told as if it really happened and I believe it did happen.
The real question is...
What is this myth trying to awaken in us?
The demons are not strange creatures hiding in distant forests or living in remote castles trying to take over the world. They are fear, self-doubt, resentment, greed, perfectionism, addiction, anxiety and every habit that quietly steals our peace.
We've all met those demons.
Durga is the part of us that instinctively knows, "Something isn't right here."
She is the courage to speak up when silence no longer serves.
She is the strength to pull up our socks and take the next courageous step.
She is the fierce compassion that protects what matters and refuses to abandon what is sacred.
And perhaps one of my favourite insights is this...
When Durga faced overwhelming forces, she didn't battle alone. From her own infinite nature emerged the Matrikas—the Mother Goddesses—each embodying a unique strength such as wisdom, courage, protection, fierce compassion or unwavering truth.
I love this image because it reminds us that we don't have to be everything at once. Life awakens different qualities within us as we need them. Sometimes we need the clarity of Brahmani, sometimes the fierce protection of Varahi, sometimes the ferocious love of Kali Maa.
Together they remind us that the Divine Feminine is not one quality, but a whole constellation of strengths already living inside our own skin.
Each embodies another aspect of feminine intelligence, reminding us that we don't have to possess every strength ourselves. Life has an extraordinary way of calling forth exactly the qualities we need, often through other people, unexpected opportunities or hidden reserves within ourselves.
According to the Yoga tradition, these qualities are expressions of Shakti—the primordial life force that animates all creation. This extraordinary power lies dormant within each of us as Kundalini, traditionally symbolised as a coiled serpent resting peacefully at the base of the spine. She is not asleep because she is weak, but because her immense potential has yet to be realised.
Through practices such as mantra, meditation, yoga, self-inquiry and conscious living, we gradually awaken this inner intelligence. As Kundalini rises through our chakras,(energy centres along our spine) it reveals more of our true nature.
Courage, wisdom, compassion, creativity, discernment and unconditional love are not qualities we need to acquire. They are qualities we uncover.
Perhaps this is what the Matrikas are really reminding us.
We are far more than the personality we have been conditioned to believe ourselves to be.
Within each of us lives a whole constellation of divine qualities, waiting to be awakened at just the right moment.
This is Shakti.
The mysterious life force that grows forests from tiny seeds, spins galaxies through space and carries every breath effortlessly through our bodies.
It is the fierce intelligence that protects life, restores balance, nurtures growth and gives us the courage to create what is needed. This is motherhood in its deepest sense—not limited to women or to those who have children, but a universal force of love, wisdom and protection that lives within us all.
Perhaps that is why these myths have endured for thousands of years.
They remind us that we are not here to become someone else.
We are here to remember who we truly are.
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