waking state. The unconscious is to be influenced through the conscious, through conscious effort.
Kali, The Mother Hideous as some aspects of Kali are, do you find Nature pleasant? Do you find all the manifestations of life pleasant? Is Nature not very often hideous too? Be consistent in your thinking, and do not cover the festering evil-smelling sores with fragrant flowers. Kali is represented with four hands, one boon giving, one protecting, one destroying holding the sword, and one holding the decapitated head. And destruction is nothing more than going back to the cause. Thus, Kali is the most perfect and the most significant symbol of the whole cosmic process ever conceived. Everybody wants to worship the pleasant aspect of the Divine, but the terrible aspect has its place, too, and you see it everywhere in nature if you only dare to open your eyes and look at things without prejudice and passion. But what Mother really likes most of all is the ‘cremation ground', the heart in which all the dross of life has been burnt to ashes. The Tantrikas wanted to take an undaunted and synthetic view of the totality of life. Why only worship life? Why do you not worship death? Is there any reason in worshipping life only? Be consistent. The Truth is to go beyond all life and death. And this idea the best of the Tantrikas tried to perfect in every way. The symbol of Kali may be hideous to look at, although it has got its pleasant aspect also, but it is the greatest symbol that can be used. Is our modern civilization all pleasant? Does it not imply death also? Is poison gas pleasant? Are guns pleasant? Are lust and greed conducive to peace? And do you not find unpleasantness, ugliness and destruction in nature? Are not some of our thoughts hideous? Swami Vivekananda says: