Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox. I celebrated with a ritual honoring Shakambari, The Green Mother Goddess. Devi temples often were built around sacred stones, the stone itself representing Devi. Goddess Shakambari is still worshipped in stone form at some Indian temples, such as the one in Sakarai. At the Banashankari Temple in Badami, Her natural stone form was replaced with a carved representation which is then dressed and decorated daily by a team of priests.
She is The Great Goddess, who contains all forms and is beyond form. She is shown as bestowing compassion and generosity, wisdom and inspiration and courage and strength. She predicted that She would come to be known as Durga.
Here She is honored with an offering of 108 stones, one for each of Her names (qualities) and with the papyrus, which was growing nearby and whose name in Egyptian meant “fresh, green, prosperous.”
When the gods praise Her after she has slain the demons disrupting the Peace of the three worlds, She says: “Oh Gods, I shall give you a blessing. Whatever blessing be your mind’s desire for the benefit of the world, that blessing I shall certainly give.”
A prayer was offered to restore reverence in the hearts and minds of the people towards what we call “Nature” (as if we were separate from it) to bring ecological balance, to create a harmonious world where all beings may thrive.
May it be so!
Lily L. Diamond
