G O D   I N   T E N
P A R T   2

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The ten Cosmic Powers are considered as feminine entities whose consciousness is quite close to the consciousness of God and who are like "administrators" of creation.

This is because their nature is more subjective and less objective (in other words, the perception of their influence and of their manifestation is the subtle domain of consciousness).

However, the Hindu pantheon contains many representations of these feminine deities who each, in a symbolic manner, illustrate their main attributes and characteristics from the Macrocosm.

In spiritual Tantric practice, physical aspects constitute an important base for elevating one's consciousness. Besides various iconographic representations and graphical symbols (yantra, mantra) the Tantric tradition confers a tremendous importance to devotion to the ten Great Cosmic Powers.

The spiritual purpose for such a procedure is, starting from the physical level, that the individual consciousness gradually ascends to a state of transcendence characteristic to the Great Cosmic Powers who the Tantric practitioner adores.

Then, in an ultimate spiritual effort, the Tantric will accede to the state of Supreme Transcendent Void, the origin and quintessence of any divine energy.

Consequently, the principle at work in this case is the gradual elevation of consciousness, starting from inferior levels and moving up to a sublime, total experience of divine transcendence, without neglecting or interdicting any "mundane" aspects.


THE MYSTERY OF FULFILLMENT RESIDES INSIDE YOURSELF
This approach of reaching and experiencing the ten Great Cosmic Powers has a unitary, holistic character, in which the parts of the whole intermingle in harmony in order to create the image of the Whole.

This aspect becomes more obvious by the awakening and ascension of Kundalini Shakti. For instance, this energy may be either latent, "sleeping" in Muladhara chakra, or it may become active, purifying and activating all the levels of our being.

The polarization of Kundalini has a different correspondent in the human being. Thus, when Kundalini Shakti is sleeping in Muladhara chakra the person is somewhat "awake" for the exterior world, even though, considered through the point of view of the Supreme Transcendent Reality, this world is ephemeral.

When this energy is awake and active and reaches as high as Sahasrara chakra, the practitioner becomes "dead" for the outer world, yet from the point of view of the divine reality, he is unbelievably lucid and awake.

Each of the ten Great Cosmic Powers ( Kali , Tara , Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Tripura Bhairavi , Chinnamasta , Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamalatmika) have a characteristic sadhana , but still each sadhana has 3 fundamental points:

1. Devotion to the image of the deity (of the Great Cosmic Power chosen for devotion at a certain time);
2. Concentration on the yantra (geometrical representation corresponding to the field of beneficial influence of a certain great cosmic power).
3. Mental emission of a mantra corresponding to a Great Cosmic Power.

Nonetheless, in our devotion to these ten Great Cosmic Powers we have to differentiate between them and Matruka.

The first represents the gigantic sphere of consciousness of the divine energy that encompasses the whole universe. While the later represents the cosmic forces of the most important gods of the Hindu pantheon, and in the oriental tradition they are known as the consorts of those gods. They are: Maheshvari, Vaishnavi, Brahmani, Kaumari, Indrani, Narasimhi, and Varahi.

Thus, with some guidelines which clearly go through the Tantric tradition and through the practice of the devotion to the ten Great Cosmic Powers, we will introduce brief and representative characteristic of each Great Cosmic Power in the following articles in this section.