21/02 – 29/02 2024 at Auroville
www.shaktikumbh.org

Words can hardly describe what I experienced and felt during the 9 days of the Shakti Kumbh 24 at Auroville held at the occasion of the Mother’s birthday, birthday of Auroville and the anniversary of the Supramental descent. How did I hear about Shakti Kumbh in the first place? I have been working with the divine feminine energy for a few years already and became fascinated by her power and grace, when we
are ready to surrender and align with her. Last year my husband went on a trip to Delhi and Rishikesh. At that time the Shakt Kumbh was held there for the first time. He saw the poster, took a photo and sent it to me. The moment I saw the logo of the Bharat Shakti envisioned by the Mother with the Sri Yantra depicted on it, I knew, I had to participate the next time. The fact, that was also important for me is that all
knowledge and all speakers or at least the majority would come from the spiritual land of Punya bhoomi (can be translated as the land of good karmas) – the source knowledge. And I couldn’t have been more fortunate.

Over the course of 9 days we moved from the number 1 symbolising the unity consciousness over symbolism of the other numbers such as manifestation in the material world and the connection of consciousness and matter, over to the number 9 to merge back as an individual with the divine. We laughed, we cried, we danced, we drew, we whirled and certainly we expanded. I came to find a purpose. I am not sure if I found one, but what became clear to me is to live the divine in the mundane and to be guided at every step of life as the “servant of the servant of the
servant of the Gopi” (from lecture on Bhakti by Sukhvinder Sircar) – cooking a meal for your family, stepping out of your house, smiling to the person passing by, watering your garden…

Spirituality, the divine feminine, is not just a concept written down in a book, even though the “Shakti Leadership” by Nilima Bhat is very special, but our general attitude towards life despite the fact of being a leader or a sweeper.
I made only a few notes during the retreat as I didn’t want to be distracted by writing everything down as an information. However, some unavoidable wisdom I wanted to note and take a deep imprint, which I would like to share with you:

✦ Retreat is a collectivity, where we can show who we really are, that we cannot share with everyone.
✦ When you take care of your shakti, shakti takes care of you.
✦ You don’t have to take care of everything, just the one thing – shakti.
✦ If you don’t want it (sankalpa), you don’t get it.
✦ Let us live a 100 years by serving others.
✦ You combine matter and spirit in the selfless service/non-doership/karma yoga.
✦ We always have a choice to accept or to let go.
✦ Importance of a prayer: be more aware and make conscious choices.
✦ Free will is not about doing what you want, but making conscious choices for parāśakti.
✦ Lower mind is governed by unconscious patterns.
✦ A surrendered person has a courage of the devī. It is not the ego that becomes courageous.
✦ When you act in a karma yoga attitude, automatically bhakti settles in the heart and jñāna in the intellect.
✦ An idea of a perfect life is a borrowed idea. We live by so many borrowed ideas.
✦ Qualities of a woman: muditā (delight unadulterated by self-interest), mamta (nurture, creative
energy).
✦ You can be a little flower on the side of the road, however not less significant.
✦ Your children might forget you, but the source will never forget you.
✦ You have to stay with the dharmic action and at the same time offer it to the divine.
✦ Take one step at a time and still be open to changes.
✦ Shakti is pure energy. Each energy has its own intelligence.
✦ You have to feel it to heal it.
✦ Wombs are the holders of love.
✦ I, the divine Mother, am always with you.

All speakers and conveners were almost like supernatural or maybe “supramental” human beings. However, for me personally a few stood out and catapulted me into a state of deep gratitude and humility: Maa Gyan Suveera sharing her wisdom in every single word –  ww.maagyaan.com, Gitanjali J B – an etheric being loaded with shakti power delivering a talk on university of the future in Ladakh – www.hial.edu.in, and Zia Nath with her gracefully divine whirling dance – www.realmsofdance.com.
Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to the whole organising team of wonderful women: Nilima Bhat – www.shaktileadership.com, Uma from www.upasana.in, Sudhakutti the organisation goddess, Usha the event manager, Jayaji in charge of the Unity Pavilion in Auroville, the whole camera team, and last but not least, the co-shaktis who took part in the 9 days retreat and whom I will hold always in my heart.

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