Shaktipat Stories
"Durga Ma came into my life back
in April 1992. I can still remember that fateful day as clearly
as yesterday. I took the Shaktipat Intensive with her in Toronto
that April and my life has not been the same since. I probably
shouldn't write in the past tense because the grace that was
bestowed then, I can feel this very day.
"I had not experienced the Divine in such a real way until then. I had pranotthan in
less than 48 hours during my second meditation following initiation. I remember
sharing this experience with her. I exclaimed, “God paid me a visit last
night!” It rings now as it did then.
"The image I have of my relationship with Durga Ma is that She and I are
traveling together on a long pilgrimage of which She is quite familiar. We
finally reach the sacred Divine Mother Temple (Shakti/Durga/Kali) that She
had talked about so lovingly. We enter the temple together and She, through
some sacred, secret language, communicates with the Divine Mother and introduces
me to Her, and She speaks to me.
"Durga Ma has opened a direct channel for me to the Divine. This in very
real to me. She has demonstrated to me in an EXPERIENTIAL way the existence
of God and that we can and do live in Her abode. I hold Her with the greatest
reverence in my heart.
"Ancient scriptures talk about the need of having a guru to light a sadhak's
path. Well Durga Ma is That One. She is the lighter of my lamp!"
Kalki (Basil C.)
"When I was ushered into Durga
Ma's private room, I had no idea I was going to receive the next
initiation. What was revealed to me was the kind of thing that
is so obvious, no one would ever think of it. At first I was
in shock. On one hand, it was so simple I couldn't believe it.
On the other hand, it changed everything.
"I felt honored and a little
dumbfounded. My world had forever been changed. I felt mature
and immature at the same time. It was like I was old and young
all at once. Thinking about it made me dizzy.
"I was almost numb driving home
that day. The revelation was running around in my head, and apparently
it was having more than just a metaphorical affect on me. As
I drove my minivan on the toll road towards home, all the electrical
door locks began locking and unlocking uncontrollably. The circuits
had literally blown out the door locks! How much more symbolic
can you get?
"I mean, I was blown away, but
my car, too? It was too much. I had to replace all the door locks
in the van. And in another way, all the locks in my life were
blown away, too. Thank you, Durga Ma."
Rupa (Diane R.)
"When I first began Surrender Meditation I frequently experienced kriyas
[spontaneous movements], primarily in the form of leg and arm movements. Although
this flipping and flapping was bizarre in its sensation of being initiated
by something other than me, it wasn't violent, and Durga Ma assured me it was
not uncommon. Since lying on the floor to meditate went against my cross-legged-straight-back
image, the kriyas somehow reassured the skeptical part of my mind that I was,
indeed, surrendered.
"During those first months I
came down with a sinus infection. My mind was quick to point
out that there was no way I was going to be able to surrender,
but I took out my meditation cushion, said my mantra, and began
my meditation anyway. Ten or so minutes later my mind said, "See,
you can't meditate in this condition." I opened my eyes
and looked to my right. Instantly, my head was slammed back into
position with such force that, should it have kept going past
center all the way to the left, I would have had whiplash! But
my head stopped, facing forward, with no ill effects. In the
meditation that followed (or, I should say, continued) I had
my first experience of nada — I heard what sounded like
a train going very fast, right next to me. It was absolutely
real and almost deafening. This lasted several minutes."
Kalyana (Kathryne P.)
