Shakti practices Stages of Embodiment ‘Quick’ Guide 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !1 Shakti Practices- Stages of Embodiment Quick Guide Consider this your short cut the Divine. I’ve compiled below a Quick Guide to refer to whenever you feel the need to engage with the Shak!- or face of the Goddess- at any point during your prac!ce. Any of the below prac!ces are powerful tools to s!r the pot for Fierce Miracles to arrive- and to rise. For our purposes here, there are 5 ways to work with a par!cular face of the Goddess: 1. Image- I’ve provided Shak! images 2. Mantra- Mantra to use in your prac!ces. More on this below 3. Body Movement- Sugges!ons for how to move your body to viscerally feel the stage and begin to embody each Shak!’s energy 4. Music- Spo!fy Playlists 5. Myth- Basic understandings of the myth for the Shak! face for each stage. Below we’ll break down each Stage of Embodiment into these categories for your quick reference when you need them *A note about the Spo!fy Playlists for Music- these are an ever-evolving project in service to The Unbridled Life. The best thing to do would be to subscribe to the list as I add and remove tracks all the !me. A great way to mix things up. If you have sugges!ons for the playlists, please send to me at [email protected] I’m always open to new music being added to the mix! First: a shakti invocation for anytime namas tasyai namas tasyai namas tasyai namo namah 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !2 If you sit down to connect with a Goddess and are not sure who to work with or just want to open the connec!on, this mantra is a great entryway into Shak! power. I o"en find that when I use this mantra and repeat it several !mes, I get clarity on who to work with, what is really happening in my life, and what stage is appropriate to work with at any !me. second: A word on release Practices Swaha Within the Tantric tradi!on, the word “Swaha” is one of the most powerful to evoke. This is the word to use when you need to let things go, brush things o#, move on, or just be done with the story, person or circumstance. My favorite way to use this word is in a series of three: Swaha Swaha Swaha There are more advanced mantras that belong with this release mantra, but for now, use it whenever you feel stuck, frustrated, over it, angry or just need to let that shit go. Swaha is o"en associated with the goddess Kali and can be invoked with the mantra Kali eh swaha. Whenever you are ready to release something or face a shadow, invoking Kali can bring her swi" and benevolent ac!on to this release. I bring this up now at the beginning as there will come !mes over the course of your journey where you are in one Stage of Embodiment, but feel it is !me to move on- for whatever reason. Kali is the Divine Gatekeeper that helps you move from one stage to the next. While she does have her own stage- Purifica!on- she shakes things up in the in-betweens by purifying you from one stage to the next. So use this mantra when you feel that urge to move, purify or shake up whatever is no longer serving you. Kali Eh Swaha! 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !3 third: A word on Mantra practice Mantra is o"en described as the entry way for the Divine to enter your heart and be expressed through you voice in devo!on to the Divine. Mantra has so many layers, and a study of the ancient language of Sanskrit reveals that these mantras are based on specific spiritual technologies to allow the Divine to infuse your very existence. Each le$er, vowel, word and sounds has a specific frequency to tune into the face of the Divine you are devo!ng to, which allows the Shak! to rise in the very pores of your being. Tradi!onally, mantra is chanted in rounds of 108- a great purchase for yourself would be a mala that you can use to count these mantras within your own prac!ce. There are many varia!ons on the 108 rule. My sugges!on: see what feels right to you each day, and honor that. Fourth: 40 Day Practices If you have determined that a certain Shak! is the energy you really want to cul!vate in your life, I highly recommend a 40 Day prac!ce to her u!lizing any of all of the below prac!ces. Within several tradi!ons, 40 days is a significant number that symbolizes commitment to change and to the process of awakening within you. By commi%ng to a 40 Day prac!ce of anything, you are commi%ng to yourself and your own evolu!on in the area you are working on. So if you feel called, engaging in a 40 Day prac!ce to a face of the Shak! (or any similar energy) will really help you in living fully your Stage of Embodiment and crea!ng Fierce Miracles within. Fifth: The Sacred Masculine- Shiva in the house Here’s the thing- whenever we are engaging with the feminine, it’s very important to give just as much energy and a$en!on to the masculine. Why? Balance. Shak! is wonderful and epic in the force she can create in our lives. But without the masculine, the feminine can be unruly, out of control and downright too much. Imagine our body if we had no skeleton to give us structure. We would- literally and figura!vely- be all over the place. In order for the feminine to fully be in her power and e#ect change in our lives, we must create balance and structure. 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !4 Remember this: When the lightening force of the Shak! gets to be too much, turn to her consort Shiva and chant: Om Namah Shivaya In whatever rounds or way that feels right to you. There is deeper work to do with the Lord of the Dance, but for today, this is a great start. Star!ng on the next page, I break down each of the Stages of Embodiment and a quick reference to the Shak! Prac!ces to engage with. Use this as an opportunity to come to when you need a di#erent prac!ce, or if on a given day you feel a di#erent energy arise that needs support. Use your intui!on below. Trust who you are guided to. And allow Her to be your ally in every step of your adventure. The Call of the Goddess 1. Image: 2. mantra: Ganesha to remove any obstacles and invoke protection for moving forward with grace and ease Om Gam Ganapataye Namah 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !5 Invocation to Lord Ganesha- remover of obstacles and divine protector. Invoke him when embarking on any journey 3. Body movement- Shaking movements- either through dancing, while out in nature, in your home or in bed. More informa!on will be found in the Stage Guide, but for now- allow your body to discharge any excess energy that may be built up in your system. With The Call o"en comes change, body pain, accidents, ‘things that go wrong’ which add up in our body as excess energy and fear. Shaking is a natural response to discharge this energy to bring your body back to neutral so you can move forward. 4. music: The Call of the Goddess Spotify Playlist 5. myth- The mythology of The Call can be found in every movie, novel, memoir, myth- it’s that moment when the hero or heroine is faced with a choice- stay the same, or embark on the adventure. Perhaps there is loss, illness, or some other event that the heroine could either give up, or choose to take a stand and DO SOMETHING about it. They know in that moment- I would rather die (or just came close to it) than allow this to con!nue on as it is. Hercules se%ng out on his quest. Katniss volunteering for her sister. Jesus taking a stand in the Temple. The CEO qui%ng her job to start a non-profit. The student staging a protest. These are all Calls of the Goddess- how did The Call show up for you? 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !6 Finding Courage: The Spiritual Warrior Durga 1. Image: 2. Mantra invocational mantra for Durga: Om Dum Durgayai Yamaha Om, I bow to the One who overcomes all difficulties 3. Body Movement Explore: Strength. Muscle Building. Warrior poses from a Yoga Prac!ce. Weight- li"ing. CrossFit. Archery. Kalari prac!ces. What of the above calls to you? This is likely where you will begin to really tap into your courage- in signing up for the class, taking the bow & arrow out to the shoo!ng range, engaging in a strength training rou!ne. By allowing your body to feel strong on the outside, you will open your heart up to feel strong on the inside. 4. Music 2017 Copyright Jen Blackstock and The Unbridled Life !7 Spotify Playlist: Finding Courage 5.