All goddesses are forms of the Shakti; all gods are forms of the Shaktimaan. Shakti and Shaktimaan are inseparable. Shakti belongs to Shaktimaan because only he can hold the power. Therefore, the actual god is Shiv-Parvati, Radha-Krishna, Sita-Raam, Shiv-Kali etc inseparably.
Kali is a form of Shakti or Prakriti (counterpart of Shaktimaan or Purush). She is the divine feminine power to nurture like a mother. Kali is the mind, in simpler words, Kali controls Shaktimaan as if she is the mind and Purush is the body. If you see pictures of Kali, you’ll find that Shiva is lying on ground, looking at Kali who has accidentally stepped on him while dancing. In this form, Shiva has complete consciousness but he lies under kali’s power. This indicates that the body is slave of thought-process. On the other hand, Kali has accidentally stepped on him, indicating she was not conscious at the moment but she is full of power. When they both work in harmony, only then, there is balance and only then there is creation. This is also true for normal male and female in humanity. Women have the power to create but they need men’s guidance, even if that is in passive way. This once again proves that Shakti and Shaktimaan belongs to each other.
The worshippers of Kali are called Shakta, because Kali is the form of Shakti. In one hand, Kali has the nurturing form of a mother, on the other hand she is also a fierce goddess. There is a common misconception that Kali is the goddess of darkness and this narrative is spread in a negative way. This is not true, Kali got this name because she is the remover of darkness (kalima, কালিমা in Bengali). Moreover, Kali is also controller of Kaal (means Time in English). Kali is synonymous to power and this can be understood by the way her name is uttered. The way one says ‘Radhe Radhe’, is very different from how one shouts ‘Jai Kali’ or ‘Byom Kali’ or ‘Jai Tara’. The tonality of the former is much softer.
There are different types of Kali – Bhadrakali, Koushiki Kali, Shmashaan Kali, Raksha Kali, Dakate Kali and more. And each of these has her own importance. The usual well-known form of Kali is Bhadrakali, where her form is not so fierce and she is worshipped as a mother and remover of darkness from life. Shmashaan Kali is the dark form of kali and she is worshipped in shmashaan (cremation ground). It is mentionable that one should not worship Shmashaan Kali inside home because of the intensity of her power. The power is not negative, it is just that if worshipped in this form, Kali can make the home environment similar to that of the cremation ground to simply accustom with her nature of power. Dakate Kali is also a fierce form because she got her name from the fact that dacoits or robbers used to worship this form before committing robbery. The history of Koushiki Kali is such that she incarnated to kill demons named Shumbha-Nishumbha. Therefore, her worshipping is done to remove enemies from one’s life. Raksha Kali’s puja is done to get protection from enemies be it a human enemy or an inhuman entity. Our Shiv-Kali Oracle cards has 12 forms of Shiv and 12 forms of Kali, to which one can ask for guidance and blessings.
If you see the typical form of Kali, you’ll see that she is naked, with hair open, her breasts are covered with a garland of deceased demons’ heads and her waist is covered with a belt of deceased demons’ hands. She shows her tongue to express shame as she has stepped on her husband mistakenly. One interesting thing is that, just before she stepped on him, she was in a destructive mood. This proves that when masculine and feminine come together, only then destruction stops. Today’s feminists should learn something from this and think twice before saying “I don’t need a man”, because that is destructive for the humanity. Anyway, the reason she is naked is that her beauty cannot be contained by any clothes. Kali’s four hands contain a Kharga (a type of weapon), a severed head of a demon, Abhay Mudra and Ashirbaad Mudra. She has these severed limbs on her because of her motherly nature. She indicates that she is the mother of all; if someone commits crime, she will punish them but as she is the mother, she won’t throw them away rather she will show them the path of enlightenment through punishment.
Kali is often portrayed as a feminist because of her appearance- the untied hair, the nakedness, husband under feet- all are indications of going against toxic patriarchy. However, I don’t want to humiliate Kali by calling her a feminist. Her sense of responsibility distinguishes her from feminists. The very task she performs- to kill the demons and consuming darkness to give us light, is far from the feminist propaganda. Her nakedness portrays her as a mother who is giving birth to children, whereas today’s feminists are often against becoming a mother. Also, feminism now days are about hating men, whereas Kali has complete devotion, submission and love for her husband Shiv. It is not like she is deliberately dancing in joy on top of Shiv, rather she is ashamed as she stepped on her husband- that’s why she is biting her tongue to showcase her womanly lajja. This is a popular gesture in many Indian culture to show that one has done some mistake. Kali has a motherly nature and a sense of responsibility unlike feminists. She is feminine, not a feminist; both are polar opposites.
First, you have to understand what is masculinity, what is femininity and their differences. Femininity does not mean being immature or girly. Masculinity is not about torture and oppression. Femininity means being kind, caring and compassionate; masculinity is about achieving goals in life and being disciplined. Femininity is about taking care of loved ones through emotional care; masculinity is about taking care of loved ones through providing and protecting. Masculinity is about guiding; femininity is about cooperating that guidance. Femininity avoids conflict, masculinity suppresses conflict. Masculinity is a personality; femininity is a character. Both femininity and masculinity have duties that are not similar but equally important. Irrespective of gender, a person possesses both types of traits. A man may show kindness to street children, a woman might have to meet daily targets to bring food to the table. But there are some boundaries in this aspect. Whenever, there is a lack of duty and sensibility, the balance between masculinity and femininity gets disturbed. Also, there are gender roles in society. Men are shamed when they are too much soft, women are disliked when they are too much goal-oriented. And this is logical because the basic founding concepts of masculinity and femininity orient gender roles. I mentioned earlier that we are going through soft times as there is no survival crisis. Think about times when there was war, foreign oppression or natural disasters. At that time, the traditional gender roles prevailed where the men would go out and find resources for the family to survive. The women would take care of the family. Today, men are shamed for being masculine and housewives are shamed for taking care of the family. And the reason of such behaviour is a political narrative. Women are usually more emotional and impulsive, that’s why it is easy to manipulate them. Today, women are taught to be goal-oriented and men are told that its ok to be sensitive. However, this harms both parties because deep down and subconsciously, most people still want to follow their traditional gender roles. Men still want to provide for their family, they still want compliant wives; women still want to marry guys who have more money and status than them, they still find it hard to make decisions independently. So, when the political narrative is spread, it tells people to become unnatural. And we all know that anything that goes against the nature, will cause a payback. That payback is here through mental trauma, emotional damage, loss of personality for men, loss of character for women, unhappiness, cases of suicides, divorces etc. This is a crisis that is often taboo to discuss. To be happy, it is necessary for men to develop more of their masculine side by being more goal-oriented, dutiful, decision-maker. On the other hand, women can be happy by cultivating more of their feminine sides- by being kind, compliant and caring about own character. The topic of masculinity and femininity is vast and beyond the scope of this book; but remember that you all deep down know what is right. If you are triggered, it simply means you are fed with a narrative that has no proven result.
Among many rituals of Kali worshipping, one is Bali (sacrifice). And this is a bit controversial as many consider it as an immoral act against humanity. In previous times, people would sacrifice cows, ox or even humans during worshipping. These days, this practise has reduced significantly, some places sacrifice of goats happen. Now, one thing is to be understood that the ritual of sacrifice has reduced based on the realisation that a cow’s milk is more important for a child than to sacrifice it to the goddess. Anyway, the scriptures like Yajurveda mention that any sacrificed beings will definitely attain the paradise. Sacrifice of animals is recommended as per our scriptures but that is also like the sacrifice of animals inside human mind (Shatt-ripu, 6 sins of Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moha, Maad, Matsarya). After the Vedic period, Purans and even in the Geeta, it is mentioned to only sacrifice the animals of our mind.
In tantra, Kali’s significance is immense. North-East India and some parts of West Bengal is the hotspot of tantra. Especially in different shaktipeeths like Kamakhya and Tarapeeth, tantra-sadhana happens prominently. Tantra is considered the left-hand path of spirituality where the sadhak focuses on attaining God through unconventional practices like consuming meat (Mangsa), alcohol (Madya), fish (Matsya), mudra and sex (Maithun) [Panchamakara]. Interestingly, this left-hand path is considered the fastest way to attain God because it is the hardest; it is not even for everyone because it is not as simple or entertaining as it sounds. Most people follow the normal Vedic way of spirituality where we live normal life, worship at home, performs sangsaarik duties etc. The next level (harder than 1st path) is becoming a Vaishnav/Gaudiya Vaishnav and turn towards Lord RadhaKrishna; the third level (harder than 2nd path) is becoming a Shaiva and worship Lord Shiva. The fourth level is Shakta and worshipping Kali (right hand path, harder than 3rd path). The fifth level is this left-hand path of Tantra where Shiv & Kali are worshipped together through unconventional ways with the motto of attaining samadhi (harder way of lifestyle). The sixth and seventh stages are Sidhantachar and Kolachar. Samadhi happens when the Sannibesh occurs (God and Human becomes inseparable). Tantrics focus on awakening the kundalini to attain this state of samadhi. The mentioned 5 levels are not superior or inferior to each other, these are just different schools of thoughts and the practices are different in each segment. A Vaishnav might not be comfortable to practise the rough path of Tantra, a Tantric might not find solace in normal Vedic practices. So, it is not like one should choose the path he/she does not like because without respect, determination and self-realisation he/she will never succeed.
In Bengal, there have been many great sadhak of Kali or Tara, namely Shree Ramkrishna, Bamakhyapa, Ramprasad, Kamalakanta etc. And in Bengal, there is a completely different genre of music, called Shyama-Sangeet, songs about Kali and her glory. These songs are not as fierce as mother’s description. Among different types of Kali worshipping, the form of widely-accepted Bhadra Kali is the latest. Before 1700s Kali Puja was not a social occasion. Due to the related aspects like darkness, tantra, dacoits, heavy rituals and rumours of negativity normal citizens used to stay afraid of worshipping Kali. In this sense, the tantric and dacoits are some of the oldest worshippers of Kali. Today, some of the most famous Kali temples are in Tarapeeth, Dakshineshwar, Adyapeeth, Kamakhya, Kalighat and more. Tara Ma is one form of Kali. We see her a lot in Buddhist religion and also, Tarapeeth is one of the 51 sati-peeths in India. The word Tara comes from ‘Tarani’, which means a medium (Tarani also means ‘a boat’) to cross. Through Tara Ma, one can cross the materialistic realms fast and step into spiritual realm.
I have kept Kali as ‘The Empress’ because she is the epitome of divine femininity, queen of Shaktimaan Shiva and mother of the whole universe.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Empress card is often associated with nurturing, abundance, and creativity. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as fertility, motherhood, and abundance. The upright Empress may represent a person who is nurturing, supportive, and creative, or it can indicate a period of growth, abundance, and prosperity.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Empress card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as neglect, lack of creativity, or a feeling of being stuck. The reversed Empress may represent a person who is neglectful, controlling, or overly focused on material possessions. It could also suggest a lack of creativity, a lack of abundance, or a sense of being blocked in terms of growth and development.
Sources:
Lectures of Rajarshi Nandi
Lectures of Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri
A Fool, 21 Devatas & Bharat 
A guide to the ‘INDIAN TAROTS’ cards created by Cardzz Solution
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