How I met Goddess Kamalatmikangi

 

KAMALATMIKANGI

Acrylic on Canvas

Size: 30”/30”

30.5.2018

It began with a desire to understand and learn more about Mahavidya Kamlatmika. The Goddess of abundance and prosperity. The tantric form of Goddess Lakshmi. Her name translates into Lotus Soul, or the one who is the very embodiment of the divine lotus, who resides within the Hridaya Kamala or the Lotus of the heart.

Flowering of consciousness at every level. The provider of satisfaction. Growth in an ordered and structured form. Unfolding awareness. Discipline and self-love. Beauty, grace, fertility, love and expansion. Beauty and love as expressed in our material manifestations. The beauty of perception, whereby we are given the capacity to recognize absorb and appreciate the divine beauty inherent in everything. These are a few of the qualities I connect with this goddess.

About 7 years back I came across a group of goddesses known as the Mahavidyas. Ten in number they were the Dasa Mahavidyas. The ten goddesses of Supreme Cosmic Wisdom. Each of them leading the adept and devotee towards enlightenment, through ten unique and multifaceted paths. I was drawn to these goddesses immensely and held a desire in my heart to create paintings of each of them.

When creating any form of deity art, I like to connect with the deity through meditation and visualization. In the beginning, they are just fascinating personalities, or beautiful images I might have encountered and felt drawn towards. As with any human relationship, I begin to spend time with them. learning more about them. Usually this is through reading stories and sifting through classical texts that speak of them, listening to and writing down hymns and mantras dedicated to them. This exercise allows me to tap into the energetic field of the deity. Then I try to find sacred symbols often yantras or mandalas associated with them and draw these repeatedly while contemplating on all that I have learnt about them.

The drawing of yantras works on many levels. At the physical and mental plane geometrical drawing has the capacity to direct the mind into a state of ease and orderliness, thus channeling the flow of thoughts into a steady and direct focused stream.

As one gets drawn further into the intricacies of yantras, the astral and subtle energy fields of these sacred geometrical forms get activated. The yantra transforms into a two-way portal. The artist can tune in ,get elevated and connect with the divine energy of the deity while simultaneously the powerful grace and vital energy of the deity gets invoked into our 3^rd dimensional experience. At this stage the deity begins to communicate and guide the practitioner, through various channels. It could be visions, intuitive nudges and inspiration reaching through any and all of our senses of perception. One might experience chance encounters with people, books, animals or experiences that guide and direct us towards our higher self and help with life on the earthly plane.

My own connection usually comes in the form of visions, colors and shapes as well as Intuitive knowledge and direct guidance at times.

On my path to understand and establish a relationship with the Mahavidyas I also drew the yantras for Mahavidya Kamalatmika and wrote her mantras to deepen our bond before attempting to draw her physical form. Much like a portrait artist would try to understand and get a feel for their subject.    While on this path I felt inspired to create a mandala that would celebrate her essence. So, I drew a cosmic lotus that expands infinitely and started coloring it in hues I associated with Mahavidya Kamaltmika. Very early on into the painting process, I started experiencing her presence in a rather tangible manner. My heart felt like it had been drawn open and filled with joy and a soft loving energy. A gentle nurturing energy I felt throughout my being. This is what the goddess appears to me as.

As I spent more time on the painting and reached the outer layers, I began to notice a very distinct, unusual and interesting shift in the energy surrounding the process. It was as if a wild untamed and earthy being joined in with this part of creating the mandala. The energy was feminine, grounding, organic and powerful and almost lyrical. It was also youthful and vibrant and I experienced this in my own body and psyche. This shift inspired and nudged me strongly to shift the palette of the mandala, Moving from soft roses and pinks to earthy and vibrant rich greens. Curious I meditated to understand this new feminine being and a tinkling laughter reverberated through my being and identifying itself as Matangi.

Matangi is another one of the Mahavidyas and is the goddess of creativity, she is described as Wild, Playful and ecstatic. Where Kamalatmika is referred to as the tantric form of Lakshmi , Matangi is said to be the tantric Saraswati. Her skin is like an emerald green forest and she had chosen to come play with me as I proceeded with the mandala. Nearing completion a divinely intuited name arose in my mind. The mandala emerged a unique blend of two wisdom goddesses and was to be named Kamalatmikangi ( Kamala + Matangi ).