MAMAN BRIGITTE is the Vodoun Goddess of death. She is the one of the Ghede loas, the deities associated with death and fertility. Her husband is Baron Samedi, the leader of the Ghede. Maman Brigitte protects cemeteries, especially graves that are marked with a cross. Since Vodou combines elements of Christianity with native African beliefs, the cross symbolizes both the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the crossroads, where the human world intersects with the divine. Maman Brigitte is usually depicted as white-skinned with red hair, and it is said that she is a form of the Celtic Goddess Brighid. Her name is also seen as GRANN BRIGITTE and MAMAN BRIJIT.
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Kuan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of all of the Chinese Deities. Her name is short for Kuan Shih Yin which means "Observing the Sounds of the World", and as the Bodhisatva of Compassion, She hears the cries of all beings. She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness and enjoys a strong resemblance to the Christian Mary and Tibetan goddess Tara. We see Kuan Yin as a beautiful, white-robed woman wearing necklaces of royalty, and in many images, She is depicted as carrying the pearls of illumination which had been granted her by the creatures of the Mother's Sea. In her right hand, She may be holding a jar containing the waters of life or may be pouring the healing waters from a vase. In Her left hand, She carries a Willow Branch to sweep away illness. Other times, She may be represented as a many armed figure with each arm containing a different cosmic emblem...including a lotus flower which signifies purity and grace.
There are numerous legends and myths surrounding Her. In one myth, She is the daughter of a cruel father who was trying to force Her to marry a wealthy man She did not love. She begged and pleaded with Her father to allow Her to enter a temple and dedicate Her life to serving the people. Her father allowed this, but made a secret pact with the monks to make life in the temple so difficult, that she would quickly become discouraged. As a result, She was forced to work both day and night while the others slept. But, Kwan Yin was such a compassionate goddess that she forgave the monks. The animals saw this and began aiding Her in Her chores. She finally had found joy in Her sanctuary.
But, Her father became enraged and attempted to burn the temple down. Kwan Yin put out the fire with Her bare hands and suffered no burns. Her father then ordered Her put to death. Upon Her death, Her lifeless body was taken to the land of the dead on the back of a beautiful white tiger where She was made into a Goddess for all of Her kindnesses and granted a place in heaven. But, She was unable to drown out the voices of those who were suffering and begged to be able to return to Earth to offer Her assistance to all those who cried out in pain. She returned to the Earth where She found a home on an island in the Northeastern Sea, a place of solitude and peace where She could chant for both the living and the dead and bring to those who prayed for Her song and comfort until all the suffering on Earth had ended.
She can help us during extreme pain and suffering as She is believed to listen to every cry. Indeed, the treason that She stays on Earth is to alleviate human ill health. She is also invited to help gain the knowledge and education needed to enhance our physical prowess. She is associated with sound and is referred to as the melodious voice which links music and voice as a healing meditation. And, by meditating on the qualities of Kwan Yin which can be found within each of us, we can cultivate both compassion and a deep sense of service.
Kwan Yin Meditation
Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes. Allow your breathing to become deeper as your body and mind begin to relax. Imagine that it is darkness, night time and that you are sitting atop of a hill and gazing out over the ocean. The full moon has just come up over the horizon, and the moonlight shimmers on the water. You sit gazing at the moon for a long time; it is powerful, but it is also soft and just watching it makes you feel calm and happy.
Now, the moon appears to be getting brighter.....and brighter....and brighter...until it is so bright that you can barely look at it. And oh so gradually, you realize that the moon is Kwan Yin Herself; Her entire body appears to be surrounded by a luminous cloud. She stands on a lotus that is floating on the waves. She smiles when She sees you, and you notice that there are tears of happiness in Her eyes. Imagine, now, that Her radiance is filling you. You feel Her strength and Her compassion becoming a part of you. As you repeat Her name, you begin to feel calm...oh so calm.
Finally, when it is time for Her to leave, She appears to be getting smaller....and smaller...and smaller...until the sea and the sky appear to vanish as well...leaving you to rest in contemplation of the beautiful, empty space that She has left. Allow yourself to become a part of that space. Then, when you are ready, come back into your body and stretch...slowly. Open your eyes now; look at the world around you; notice any changes in your feelings, your emotions.
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IDUN (pronounced EE-doon) is the Norse Goddess of eternal youth. She is the custodian of the western garden, in which grow the golden apples of immortality. When the Gods felt themselves aging, they would go to Idun for one of her apples, which restored their youth and vitality. Idun was once kidnapped by the storm God Thiazi who disguised himself as an eagle. The trickster God Loki had lured into her a forest away from her husband Bragi, the God of poetry. Thiazi swooped in and carried her off to his home. Without Idun's apples, the Gods began to age. They threatened Loki with torture until he agreed to rescue her. Thiazi, enraged that Idun had been taken from him, pursued Loki, but the Gods burned his feathers and he fell to the ground dead. With Idun and her apples back where they belonged, the Gods were soon restored to their youthful selves. Other names for Idun include IDUNN, IDUNA, IDUNNA, ITHUN, ITHUNN, and YDUN.
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Kumari, or Kumari Devi, is the tradition of worshipping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in South Asian countries. Kumari literally means virgin in Sanskrit, Nepali and other Indian languages and is a name of the goddess Durga as a child. In Nepal a Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. The Kumari is revered and worshiped by some of the country's Hindus as well as the Nepali Buddhists, though not the Tibetan Buddhists. In India a Kumari is generally chosen for one day and worshipped accordingly on certain festivals like Navaratri or Durga Puja. In the Indian state of Bengal this is a particularly prevalent practice.
While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous. The current Royal Kumari, Matina Shakya, aged four, was installed in October 2008 by the Maoist government that replaced the monarchy. Chanira Bajracharya, as the Kumari of Patan is the second most important living goddess
A Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepalese name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status.
The predominance of the Kumari cult is more distinctly evident among the Newar community inside the Kathmandu Valley as she has become an inevitable feature of their worship almost in every Vihar and Bahal and including the nooks and corners of Newari settlements. However, it was the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism that was responsible for establishing the tradition of worshipping a girl from the Sakya community as the royal Living Goddess.
The selection of the Living Goddess is a highly elaborate tantric ritual. Upon passing the preliminary test, this is merely concerned with their 32 attributes of perfection, including the colour of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. The 4 to 7 year poor girls from the Sakya community are made to confront a goddess in the darkened room. The sight of the Buffalo heads scattered around, the demon- like masked dancers, the terrifying noises theyencounter scare some of these innocent babies. The real goddess is unlikely to be frightened, so the one who is calm and collected throughout the tests is the only girl who is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship as the Living Goddess. Then as a final test similar to that of the Dalai Lama, the Kumari then chooses items of clothing and decoration worn by her predecessor.
The god-house Kumari Ghar is a store-house of magnificent intricate carvings where the Living Goddess performs her daily rituals. During her tenure in the god-house, Guthi Sansthan, the government trust fund bears her entire expenses including that of her caretakers. Under normal circumstances, her days in the god-house come to an end with her first menstruation, but if she turns out to be unlucky, as they say, even a minor scratch on her body that bleeds can make her invalid for worship. She then changes back to the status of normal mortal and the search of a new Kumari begins. It is said to be unlucky to marry an ex-Kumari.
On Indra Jatra, in September, the Living Goddess in all her jeweled splendor travels through the older part of Kathmandu city in a three tiered chariot accompanied by Ganesh and Bhairab each day for three days. It is really a grand gala in which people in their thousands throng in and around the Kathmandu Durbar Square to pay their homage to the Living Goddess. During this festival she also blesses the King in keeping with the tradition in which the first king of the Shah dynasty, who annexed Kathmandu in 1768, received a blessing from the Living Goddess.
The worship of the goddess in a young girl represents the worship of divine consciousness spread all over the creation. As the supreme goddess is thought to have manifested this entire cosmos out of her womb she exists equally in animate as well as inanimate objects. While worship of an idol represents the worship and recognition of supreme through inanimate materials, worship of a human represents veneration and recognition of the same supreme in conscious beings.
In the Shakta text Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi, the goddess is said to have declared that she resides in all female living beings in this universe. The entire ritual of Kumari is based on this verse. But while worshiping a goddess, only a young girl is chosen over a mature lady because of their inherent purity and chastity which are considered to be principle characteristics of Durga.
Hindu scriptures like the Jnanarnava Rudrayamala tantra assign different names to a Kumari depending on her age. A one year-old girl is called Sandhya, a two year-old girl is called Sarasvati, a child of three years of age is called Tridhamurti, on her fourth year she is Kalika, on fifth she is Subhaga, on sixth she is Uma, on her seventh year she is called Malini, on the ninth year she is Kaalasandarbha, on reaching tenth year she is Aparajita, on eleventh she is Rudrani, on twelfth year she is named Bhairavi, on thirteenth she is Mahalakshmi, on fourteenth she is Pithanayika, on fifteenth she is Kshetragya, and on sixteenth years of her age she is Ambika.
In India, Kumaris are worshiped only for a day and these names are assigned only until the ritual lasts, usually a few hours. But usually one cannot be a Kumari beyond sixteen years of age due to the onset of menstrual cycles.
The main target of a Kumari puja is to realize the potential divinity in every human being, mostly female. A Hindu spiritual aspirant sees the universal consciousness manifested in an innocent child.
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