Goddess of the Week: Devi

Image by premasagar via Flickr

You want a life of blue skies and applesauce? Get a goldfish. Want decades of heartache and anxiety? Try having children. Sure, motherhood has its moments, but they are mini-armistices interspersed between frantic days and exhausted nights. You can try doing this work without a goddess, but you can make margaritas without alcohol too. They question is, why?

There are many fabulous mother goddesses, but for mothers feeling as stretched out as a cheap bra, I'd recommend the Hindu goddess Devi. Devi actually evolved from last week's goddess, Shakti, and she is a composite of the goddesses, Parvati, Durga and Kali. She takes the form of each depending on the need. As Parvati, she's a loving mother and wife. She embodies infinite patience and kindness. As Durga, she's a warrior goddess; she's tough but just, except when she gets really pissed off and Kali pops out of her head and starts spilling blood (but only the blood of demons and annoying drivers who give you mean looks when they think you're taking too long to pull out a parking space -- like they even know how much time it takes to strap kids into car seats and collapse a double stroller. Damn them. They totally deserve a few minutes in a dark alley with Kali.)

As a great three-in-one goddess, Devi understands that there is no need to be a hero. A hero thinks he can do everything by himself, but that's why heroes get beaten up by monsters, stranded on desert islands or frozen to death in blizzards. Why be a hero when you can be a goddess? Devi says don't even try to do it alone. Let your goddess sisters help you. In fact, you can even let your minor gods help you. They won't know when to pop out of your head and kill demons like the goddesses. The minor gods are often surprisingly dense when it comes to reading goddess minds, or even body language or verbal cues. They're just sometimes stupid that way. But minor gods are often very willing. They just need direction. That being said, if you must do it alone, know this, you have everything inside you that you need. You are what you need. After all, you're a goddess.

Channel this goddess: when juggling life's demands, especially those involving motherhood, when you feel like you have to be everything to everyone, and when you are feeling insecure about what you can actually do.

Coppertop: This goddess is for you. I hope you like her.

Need a goddess: I am at your beck and call! Leave a message in the comments section and I'll see what I can find.