Bagalamukhi

Burning golden light of divine protection, she arrests the flow of negativity, particularly that of our own making. She is divine intervention and sacred activity. She transforms our karma from that which hinders our joy to that which creates true happiness and bliss for ourselves and all beings. As you seek refuge in her, you are protected from gossip, slander and any form of negativity from others. A positive turning of the tide of fortune is predicted.

The eighth of the Mahavidya wisdom goddesses is Baglamukti. She is a beautiful avatar of Kali, known for her golden light. She is also called Pitambara Devi, or ‘the goddess dressed in yellow’. Her blessing is the bestowal of siddhis, or ‘yogic powers’, in particular, her power of stambhara, or ‘the power to paralyze, or immobilize. She is known for pulling the tongues out of demons, which seems gruesomely at odds with her beautiful appearance, but along with stambhara, has a deep spiritual significance.

The tongue is the symbol of speech. Speech is sound expressed with intention. Sound is a creative power. Intention gives it direction. To pull out the tongue of a demon is to end its capacity to create trouble. It is stambhara, in the sense of aborting or stemming the flow of negativity. Baglamukti halts negativity in its tracks, preventing it from doing any harm, nullifying its power to cause havoc. It is an act of protection. If you or another have said words you regret, or you’ve heard some nasty gossip, or jealousy or hatefulness stemmed from someone’s lips akin to a curse, trust that your spiritual refuge in Baglamukti will nullify its effect.

Ripping out the tongue acknowledges the power of negativity and the need to have zero tolerance for it. There is no pretending the negativity doesn’t exist. It means recognizing its sources within or around us and cutting them off at the root, thereby removing their capacity to influence us. Some may argue that this is ‘spiritual bypassing’, a term used for spiritual approaches that avoid life’s challenges rather than to face them and mature. That term may be misapplied to mean that we need to engage with toxic energies for our spiritual growth. This is a little like saying you need to keep beating your head against a brick wall to learn how to deal with the pain. There comes the point when you will realize you no longer need to continue. Understanding the nature of the behavior and of the pain it causes is enough. This is not weakness, but wisdom.

Baglamukti’s presence in a reading indicates that you are learning how to self-protect, to have enough self-worth to realize you don’t need to accept negative, undermining and toxic energies in your life. Your happiness and spiritual growth will increase as you clear them out. To do this, you may need to cut something off entirely. Sometimes, that is the only effective way. It takes spiritual strength to give yourself unconditional support so you can thrive, especially, for example, if childhood conditioning was laden with a duty to sacrifice your wellbeing to another’s emotional suffering. Arresting negativity is not only about dealing with projections from others. It is often more challenging and intricate work to conquer the ways we are cruel to ourselves. Baglamukti helps us accurately identify, and therefore, deal effectively with external and internal sources of sabotage or negativity. Harshness toward ourselves or others is very different from a healthy and humorous recognition of our weaknesses which helps us become less reactive and creates more happiness. Baglamukti is about tackling unhelpful toxic shame – that which leaves us feeling unworthy, that something is innately wrong with us, that we do not deserve love or respect. It does not keep us humble; it keeps us spiritually incapacitated. We need a healthy sense of self-worth to be committed to growth and learning. We need to believe we are worthy of our unique destiny.

When Baglamukti arises in a reading, a blessing of some sort needs to manifest. It may be a type of relationship you have never experienced before, or a new level of professional recognition or respect, or a realization of your innate beauty and value. This gift is essential to your continued spiritual progress which benefits you and all beings. To be able to receive it, some form of toxic negativity needs to be conquered, and so it shall be. Do not be afraid to affirm your right to thrive.

Invocation Ritual

Imagine, visualize, feel or intend that you are holding a golden mala. It is made of bright-yellow prayer beads stained with turmeric, a sacred healing herb with strengthening, protective healing properties sacred to the Goddess. The beads rest in your right hand as your left hand touches your heart. These beads are created with love and psychic energy from your heart to become a spiritual offering to the Divine Mother. Imagine each bead is

now a golden, shining sun. They shine radiant light all around

you, creating sacred space and shining positive healing energy

through all dimensions and in all directions, for the spiritual

benefit of all beings.

Say the following prayer aloud:

Golden mother of shining light, Bagala, Baglamukti, Pitambara Devi, she who wears golden-yellow robes and completely halts the progress of negativity, I bow to you. With gratitude, from my heart, I offer you these golden mala beads of turmeric. In you, I find confidence, and trust, and accept that I am worthy of my divine destiny. I choose to dwell in the beauty of your blessings. May your siddhis manifest in divine grace and fullness for the spiritual benefit of all beings. Om Hreem Baglamukti Swaha! Jai Ma!

(Sounds like, OHM-HREEM BUG-LAH-MOOK-TEE SWAH-HAH JAY MAH)

Place your right hand over your heart and visualize or intend that the prayer beads are soaking into your heart chakra. Any excess golden light is pouring into the earth, where it is sent to do the most good. Finish with your hands in prayer.

You have completed your ritual.