Shakti Rising: Embracing Shadow and Light on the Goddess Path to Wholeness

This book is well written, informative and inspiring. I had no prior exposure to Shiva/Shakti (beyond having heard the terms) and didn't even recognize the term Mahavidyas prior to this book. Each chapter identifies a goddess, followed by an explanation of her symbolism, her role in creation, her role in our bodies and discussions of her shadow and light. The chapters contain contemplative exercises as well as relevant anecdotes and examples. I read the book through for the first time, with notes and highlights as I would a text book of sorts. Portions of the book were challenging because I have no background in many of the areas discussed (even concepts such as non-duality, witnessing, arisings and vasanas). At first, I found myself overwhelmed. But when I took at step back and paced myself (this is not a book someone such as myself could read through in a short time), I was amazed how much information was distilled into each (roughly) 20 page chapters. Even upon re-reading a paragraph or two, I often see something that I didn't quite get the first time. This speaks to the skill and knowledge of the author. This is a book I believe I will revisit and re-read and continue to learn from. I appreciate the supportive and loving tone by which the lessons are presented and our practices encouraged.

I love knowing that this book is written by a woman with a scientific background. In case you missed it, she is a respected cardiologist and an academic, writing with perfect clarity and subtlety about the fields of energy which are operating in all the layers of reality from what seems ordinary to the most sublime. The language is easy to read and yet never simplistic. She speaks from her knowledge of biology and psychology as well as her experience of long term spiritual study and practice.in a number of traditions. The wisdom that emerges is as deep as it is practical. It is power packed from start to finish.

Path to self reflection and spirituality can be challenging. The process can be confusing as well.Knowing the negatives that are weighing us down is the key to addressing and resolving them. In her new book ‘Shakti Rising’, Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, MD captures the rich essence of Mahavidyas, the divine feminine, to clearly identify the shadows that hold us down, and brilliantly delivers approaches to target them and turn those shadows into the light of Mahavidyas.Shakti Rising invokes soul search to find one’s true ‘Self’. Once that is accomplished, author Kavitha talks about different issues that weigh us down in life, the shadows of Mahavidyas. Kavitha explains the shadow and light of all ten Mahavidyas. She charts the journey towards turning around shadows(the negatives that weigh us down) to harness the light(energy) of the each Mahavidya, leading us to the direct path to liberation. In the direct path, Kavitha states – “we go directly to the source of our being”.Each shadow(negative) is explained with real life situations which we all can relate to. Enriching the narration with her own personal experiences, Kavitha demonstrates how she turned them around. She details specific exercises to begin the journey to resolution of the issues. Exercises are clearly illustrated and are simple enough to incorporate in busy day schedule.Through Shakti Rising Kavitha brings the wealth of deep knowledge from the Yoga Shastra, Kundalini Vidya and Tantras into applicable terms that can be put to immediate use. Fairly new on the spiritual path, I was able to relate with the Mahavidyas whose shadow have been weighing me down and begin the exercises for resolving them.With her up lifting writing style and a delivery resonating passion, Kavitha lights up the path to self resolution and spirituality. I highly recommend Shakti Rising as an essential guide to both new and not so new to the spiritual path.

There are many teachers who emphasize how we can enrich our lives by means of meditation and other spiritual practices. There are other teachers who help us explore specific areas of life and deal directly with the various challenges that arise. Kavitha Chinnaiyan MD, true to her specialty in medicine as an integrative cardiologist, combines both of these important values in a very powerful manner.By means of exploring ten critical areas of life, represented by the ten Mahavidyas (ten aspects of the Divine, beautifully represented by goddesses from the tantric tradition), Kavitha gives us valuable insights as to how we can harness the power of our awareness as we explore, face, and overcome various challenges that come before us (represented by the shadow side of each Mahavidya).Kavitha writes in a creative, clear, and engaging style as she provides a plethora of wisdom in a delightful manner. She helps us accelerate our spiritual, mental, and emotional growth and enjoy life more fully in the process.

Build a relationship with the 10 Maha Vidyas. This book is packed with so much information and wisdom. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the 10 goddesses. Kavitha goes into depth about each goddess’s shadow aspect, light aspect, and cosmic principle, how this relates to yamas and niyamas, and how this pertains to one’s personal sadhana and self-inquiry, and it’s application in daily life. There is internal consistency within the organization of each chapter to get a intimate understanding of each goddess, and yet each chapter links to the next to create a narrative that leads to a comprehensive system of working with the Maha Vidyas as a complete practice. Loved the book, and will refer back to it again and again! Also took Kavitha’s related self-study course on the Maha Vidyas after reading the book. The course has so much more to give that goes beyond the book including mantras, meditations, goddess stories in the Puranas (myths), altar ideas, self-inquiry practices, and life practices, also chock-full of information and beautifully organized. If you want to go deeper into practice, the course is totally worth the cost.

A wonderful introduction to the Mahavidyas, or Ten Wisdom Goddesses, an aspect or practice within Sri Vidya and other forms of Shaktism (Goddess worship) and traditional Tantra (ie. not the Hollywood couples retreat variety).For me, this practice really embodies the yogic concept of svādhyāya, or self-reflection/ introspection.A key takeaway for me with this book is how we can even become attached to our own suffering or negative bias towards ourselves, clinging to these ideas and habitual thought patterns and behaviours despite the harm they do to us. Also how we can become overly attached even to things and identities - even certain people and communities - that, on the face of it, might seem positive influences in our lives, but, in reality, are maybe holding us in a box of our own creation.Overall, I'm finding this to be a very well written, candid and pragmatic read that feels both empowering and challenging while sidestepping many of the platitudes that put me off other self-development books.A high recommend!

I purchased this book after completing a meditation course offered by the author for free, I thought that it was a nice way of showing gratitude. Shakti rising is very clearly written, and surprisingly practical. This is a book (in my opinion) for those of us on an inward journey, who are ready to embrace all that they encounter in doing so. All the best

I found this book to be a really enjoyable read, containing a lot of interesting ideas which challenged a lot of things I had taken forgranted. You may not agree with everything in it, so I would keep an open mind, take what serves you, and use that to further your journey along your own spiritual path (whatever that looks like).

Amazing book that feels like spiritual psychology. Very well written and teaches a lot about yourself

Good book: thorough and insightful...but dense in places, requiring re-reading. Would definitely recommend to those interested in spirituality and tantra.