Day 308, Friday, November 8, 2024
Reflections
The photos included in this post are also featured on the cover of my book, “Images of Indian Goddesses.” Such images had triggered the strong emotions while I was researching and writing my doctoral dissertation. I held them in my heart-mind for years. And then when I finally stood mesmerized in front of them all my emotions poured out.
INSPIRATION
Kali in Himachal
While driving in the lower Himalayan Mountains with my husband, we viewed the River Bias as its flow shimmered in the deep valley. The intention of our trip in the state of Himachal Pradesh was to photograph the images of the Indian goddess Kali enshrined in the locally well-known temple.
I had seen goddess photos in art history books, describing such local temples, and this one had attracted my attention. The natural surroundings through which we drove – mountains, forests, river, rivulets – affected the tender positive fine emotions that had surfaced at the edge of my artistic mind. Simultaneously, they were awakening physical sensations throughout my body. I was ready.
I stood facing the Kali image bedecked with shimmering gold ornaments and brocaded silk attire, her face partly covered with fineries. But once I had her darshan, the “Hindu looking at” tears overwhelmed me. My body shook. I had to sit down. I wondered why I was feeling the way I did. But I let the eyes shed my emotions.
What happened to me when I mindfully looked at the statues of David and Kali was experiencing joyous pleasure as a culmination of an aesthetic experience.
Like a spiritual awakening, such an intense emotion is either experienced all of a sudden or built up gradually in anticipation. For Kali, I had been imagining it from the hour we left the city and began winding through the mountain peaks. The pleasant summer day, the bright light, the gentle breeze, the glimpses of the shimmering river from the mountain slopes had already put me in a light, happy, and contented mood. Saturated with intellectual knowledge about the symbols and meaning of the goddess, the mere viewing of her stirred within me an artistic sensitivity. Ideally the combination of intellect and emotion is what stirs aesthetic pleasure and triggers deep emotion. That’s exactly what had transpired when I couldn’t stop my tears.
Journal Prompt
Journal about a time when you were emotionally affected by artwork or a religious image that surprised you.
Today’s Practice
Meditation: “Body”
Read, reflect, and journal.