The Great Macrocosmic Power
of universal plenitude and splendour
The Spiritual Yogi Holiday Camp Costinești 2023 is integrated into the sphere of force of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika. Of the 10 Great Cosmic Powers, Kamalatmika is the 10th, the Macrocosmic Power of the plenitude and splendor of the universe.
The terrible force of time, the infinite compassion, the dazzling beauty, the all-encompassing vision, the absolute courage, the sacrificial power, the mesmerizing radiance, the sublime void, the perfect game, the splendour of totality – these are the macrocosmic personifications of the Supreme Feminine Energy, the 10 mirrors in which the Creator is reflected. We can see ourselves in any of them. Each of them can lead us to the Ultimate Reality.
The mistress of universal treasures, Kamalatmika, fulfils every wish in a flash
The last of the ten Great Macrocosmic Powers of the Hindu tantric pantheon is Kamalatmika. Orientals often invoke her as Kamala, while Westerners know her mostly as Lakshmi.Etymologically, Kamalatmika means "She who is like the essence of the lotus flower", a flower called kamala in Sanskrit. Source of a vast and complex symbolism that transcends the boundary of the vegetable kingdom, the lotus is the sacred flower of India. The chakras, the seven energy foci in the subtle structure of the human being, are frequently represented as lotus flowers. The dynamization and full activation of these seven subtle force centres of man (through yogic or other techniques) is, moreover, metaphorically and symbolically described as a full bloom of the lotus flower. Its petals correspond to the "spokes" of each subtle force centre and implicitly to the specific vibrational frequencies and directions of the subtle force centres.
The lotus has its roots deeply embedded in the mud of the swamps, but its flower is pure, immaculate and of a downright magical beauty. That is why it has become in Hindu spirituality a metaphor for the soul that alchemizes the mud of existence and breaks through to the surface, facing with its enigmatic force every obstacle. Oriental physicians even recommend the seeds of this plant of a rare vitality in cases of anaemia or physical debility.
In Indian mythology, the lotus goddess is the mate or female counterpart of the great god Vishnu, who has the function of maintaining Creation. Lakshmi herself arises from a lotus flower floating on the waters of the boundless ocean of Manifestation. In the Tantric tradition of the Ten Great Macrocosmic Powers, Kamalatmika is Lakshmi herself, the goddess of wealth, beauty, fertility, love and devotion. She is found among the Romans under the appearance of Venus, and among the Greeks under that of Aphrodite.
Tantric texts also speak of the ocean of Manifestation as the generative matrix of a grandiose godly being, the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika, but she arises from a conch shell, not a lotus flower. She is the Godly Mother who fulfils all the wishes of her fervent worshipers, she represents the fertile and miraculous waters of full success, but also a gigantic cascade of Heavenly Grace and love.
Kamalatmika protects genuine efforts
In several respects, Kamalatmika is similar to the Great Macrocosmic Power Tripura Sundari. Both are the very outpouring of godly Love, endless beauty and ecstasy. However, both aspects have specific features. Thus, Tripura Sundari governs the subtle form of bliss that springs from the very perception of the essential nature of the Immortal God Self (Atman). Kamalatmika represents the radiant beauty of objective forms, not only as a state of pleasure and delight which they impart through the five senses of man, but also as an unfolding of the Godly Nature in its creative, active aspect.Therefore, Kamalatmika inspires us to create forms in the outer world (its subtle physics), while Tripura Sundari allows us to reabsorb the outer world into our own consciousness.
In other words, the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika rules above all the objective domain of Creation, of the material world. That is why she is in a direct and intimate connection with Bhudevi or Bhumi, the goddess of the Earth, of the Physical World, who is considered the second consort of the great god Vishnu. However, Kamalatmika's abode is Heaven, the very realm of godly bliss, pleasure and delight, where every desire is swiftly fulfilled. In this realm the celestial form of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika originates, who is also the quintessence of all the tanmatras (subtle essences of the five senses). This represents the higher form of Kamala.
The grandiose godly Power always impels and sustains us to translate our burning aspirations into reality. Every project and every genuine endeavour is protected and inspired by the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika. The Goddess unbiasedly encourages both the goals we set for ourselves in the material world and the spiritual goals we persevere towards.
However, it is appropriate that the invocations to this Great Macrocosmic Power are not limited to material requests, because wealth, prosperity or success cannot bring us total fulfilment. The excessive satisfaction of passionate desires that animates a gregarious consciousness is similar to the unbridled appetite of a greedy man: no matter how much he indulges, he does not quench his hunger, but arouses it to unbearable intensities. Only the deeply spiritual search, the expansion of our consciousness within a natural and deeply spiritual process is able to give us the feeling of fulfilment.
Unexpected chances, godly synchronicities and surprising successes that occur when we pursue a certain goal are the result of her support, the faithful and eloquent expression of the Godly Grace that Kamalatmika manifests.
Kamalatmika overwhelms you with states of bliss
The Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika is the most worshiped of the universal pantheon of godly beings, most of the human beings today are seduced by the beauty of the outer world and consumed by material desires and lusts. Most people long for more pleasure, chance, fame, wealth, and often use all their tenacity to get them, although these gifts are only superficial and limited aspects of Kamala's power. Thus invoking and imploring Kamala (Lakshmi) only to fulfil such desires, which are insignificant from the godly perspective, people often forget to worship the Great Macrocosmic Power in its most elevated form.But for one who has attained a certain degree of discernment and wisdom, the most important aspect in life is the worship of the Godhead. The Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika awakens and intensifies this aspiration of reunification of the creature with its Creator, overwhelming those who worship it with sincere devotion with states of godly bliss and its Grace. A proof is the very fact that when we perceive the infinite sublime subtle energy of the Godly Attribute of Godly Omnipresence, the whole of reality becomes an outpouring of richness and incomparable beauty. Our true wealth is not property, money, possessions, but our inner endowments and resources, and what we are able to give to others from our abundance. The man who, according to current conceptions and standards, is very prosperous, but gives nothing more to those who are tried by suffering, to those who need support, is in reality very poor. The poverty and dryness of such a soul will attract in the next reincarnations the confrontation with extremely difficult life situations. By antithesis, the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika precisely symbolizes the ability to give unconditionally from what we have. In the highest posture of this inner attitude, we are totally detached from all personal interest or desire, whether they are connected with the external world or connected with our own experiences.
That is why it is very important to constantly take care of what exactly we intend to acquire and towards which life goal we direct our forces and energies. In ideal situations, when we set out to achieve something and our consciousness is very quiet, lucid and focused on the Beatific Creative Void, we actually achieve everything, by the ineffable grace of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika. By virtue of her godly nature, man has the freedom and possibility to desire anything, thus directing his actions towards the proposed goal.
Kamalatmika offers spiritual immortality
The Eastern spiritual tradition states that the only desire we should awaken and amplify in our heart is actually the aspiration to know God. Only in this way can we reach beatific peace, spiritual immortality and pure knowledge of the Absolute Supreme.It is necessary, therefore, for the human being to aspire to his own universalization, to rediscover his macrocosmic dimension, and not to dedicate himself to immediate goals that, by their very nature, have an ephemeral existence. This is, in reality, the supreme and perfect form of worship of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika, which is meant to put an end to all inner strife.
Kamalatmika also manifests herself wherever beauty appears in the surrounding world: in nature, in artistic creations, in human beings, etc. The level of elevation of personal consciousness is the real treasure of the human being, even though the materialistic conception has prevailed nowadays that the accumulation of material goods would have the greatest importance in life (but we all know that we will not be able to keep these goods for too long anyway time and we also know that we will not be able to take them with us after the death of the body).
Therefore, one of the important aspects of sadhana – the spiritual practice of worshiping the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika – is about developing our capacity for subtle perception to the maximum. In this way we can see and feel, for example, with all our being the extraordinary beauty of nature and the Macrocosm, as a splendid manifestation of the ineffable Will and Grace of God the Father.
In the Tantric tradition, the Great Macrocosmic Power of prosperity and spiritual as well as material wealth, Kamalatmika, is however different in some of its aspects from the goddess Lakshmi, the female counterpart of the great god Vishnu. As the Great Macrocosmic Power of the triumph of Godly Wisdom, Kamalatmika signifies above all that aspect of Lakshmi which is correlated with the practice of Yoga, which highlights that she also has aspects in common with the Great Macrocosmic Power of Time, Kali. Kali, who represents, among other things, the sublime and transcendent beauty of the Creative Void, is the foundation of the manifestation of Kamalatmika, which hypostasizes the beauty and splendour of Life in Creation. Moreover, one of the fundamental symbolic representations in the tradition of Hindu spirituality is that of the Lotus of Wisdom, support of the universal godly energy, which blossoms from the Supreme Creative Void, in the space of Pure Godly Consciousness. Therefore, for the emergence and manifestation of this Lotus of Wisdom and Spiritual Realization to be possible, it is first necessary for the aspirant to attain the state of Emptiness and purity of his consciousness. Only starting from this level, freed from all attachment or chaining desires, will we be able to fully perceive and enjoy what Kamalatmika offers us, the richness and astonishing splendour of life in its myriad names and forms.
But if we do not have this level of deep understanding and become attached to her enchanting gifts, Kamalatmika can become terrible like Kali (although she is integrated among eminently benevolent, gentle deities). It should be noted here that the reverse is also true: if our intentions, desires and actions are sincerely directed towards merging in spirit with the Supreme Reality (God the Father), the Great Macrocosmic Power of time, Kali, will reveal itself to us as the bright and the benevolent goddess Kamalatmika, thus bestowing upon us all the godly gifts, as a manifestation of the Grace and Glory of the Absolute Supreme.
Kamalatmika resides in our heart
As the tenth of the Great Macrocosmic Powers, Kamalatmika embodies the plenary manifestation of godly energy, especially in the realm of the material world (Physical Universe). Often people start approaching God because they want to gain health, prosperity and happy relationships in life. With the maturation of consciousness, they complete their spiritual knowledge and learn to observe and perceive the presence of God even in the most insignificant aspects of life, in the forms and manifestations of Nature. Thus they come to the conclusion that there is always a subtle and defining impulse directed toward achieving the essential communion with God, an impulse that can be found to a certain extent even in the sphere of worldly and material desires.As most tantric texts state, Kamalatmika has as its point of projection into the Microcosm of the human being the subtle force centre anahata chakra, manifesting at this level as an image of delight, happiness and our heart's aspiration for perfect happiness and beauty. That is why Kamalatmika is often visualized in a feminine pose of dazzling beauty, shining enchantingly at the level of the heart and spreading Godly Grace in the souls of all beings in Creation.
Traditionally, in its iconographic representation, the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika has the colour yellow. She is seated on a splendid lotus and performs with two of her hands the two essential mudras: the gesture of removing fear (abhaya mudra) and the gesture of offering gifts (varada mudra). In the other two hands she holds several blooming lotuses. In other poses, with one of these hands Kamalatmika distributes gold coins to the devotees, and with the other hand she offers a bowl of water.
Kamalatmika is often represented with two lotuses above her head, on either side, with one leg pointing towards the ground and the other leg bent beneath her. When identified with the goddess Lakshmi, traditional depictions show her in a novel posture, bathed in water projected from the trunks of two elephants standing to her left and right, respectively.
These elements in the iconography of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika have deep esoteric meanings::
• the lotus is a symbol of the spiritual development and evolution of the human being;
• water is a symbol of spiritual grace, love and communion;
• gold coins symbolize the wealth of spiritual endowments and the fervour of devotion.
Therefore, Kamalatmika is the Great Macrocosmic Power of abundance and prosperity in all its forms.
It is interesting to note that the Buddhist depiction of the goddess Tara is very similar to that of the goddess Lakshmi in the Hindu tradition; the differences are minor and only concern the gestures their hands perform. Both godly beings manifest the endless sublime subtle energies of the Godly Attributes of Beauty, Fertility and Godly Love. Moreover, these Godly Attributes constitute the main aspects of adoration and in the case of the sadhana involving Kamalatmika.
We recognize Kamalatmika in the splendours of nature
Indeed, the most obvious form of devotion of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika is to recognize in her the awe-inspiring Godly Beauty manifesting in Nature. For this, for example, meditation on the Sun's rays is indicated, not so much from a concrete, physical perspective, but especially from a spiritual perspective. The rays of the Sun can be seen as the forces and powers of the Godhead that are mirrored in Manifestation.Through her unconditional love, Kamalatmika "nourishes" all beings and things in the Manifestation, sustains them to grow physically and spiritually, and instils in them patience, intelligence and godly virtues. Moreover, as depicted both in ancient Egyptian art and in the famous ancient text of Hindu spirituality, the Rig Veda, the Sun's rays symbolize the hands of the Sun God (or Sun Goddess), which magically touch us and thus overflow upon us the Godly Grace of spiritual Enlightenment.
When we aim to visualize as best we can in the sphere of consciousness the power of solar radiation, we gradually succeed in priming and then accelerating the process of inner spiritual evolution, then supported by the grace of the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika.
Apart from deep yogic meditation on the rays of the Sun, any other way of reporting or spiritual approach that inspires us to recognize the presence of Godly Beauty in the forms that surround us is an effective way of worshiping Kamalatmika. Such ways are:
• Experiencing heightened emotions by listening to a piece of music or by admiring a work of art;
• Contemplating a splendid sunset;
• The deep impression that the beauty of a face produces on us;
• Intensely experiencing the joy of being alive and thus having the opportunity to admire the perfect beauty of nature;
• Our own involvement in a creative process, especially in the artistic field (music, painting, etc.).
The most direct and effective form of worshipping the Great Macrocosmic Power Kamalatmika, however, is that which involves the technique of Laya Yoga with the specific bija-mantra.
Other forms of worship are rituals (puja), which involve offering flowers, scented oils, incense, light (from candles), pure and fresh food (fruits, honey, etc.) in front of the iconographic or statuary representation (or yantra) of Kamalatmika. Although these forms of devotion start from external aspects, they should be carried out with deep spiritual maturity. In other words, in every moment of worship, it is necessary to be aware that the outer form is nothing but a reflection of the Godly Power of the goddess, whose subtle abode is in our very spiritual heart.
Kamalatmika also symbolizes the celebration of full success through initiation into the paths of knowledge of all the ten Powers of God. It is the triumph of spirituality enriched with all the gifts of the Macrocosmic Powers, it is the godly splendour in Manifestation.
Article reproduced from Yoga Magazine no. 51 and 52
Author: Yoga teacher Dan Bozaru
