Night of the Goddess

24 Mar 20:00

Agama Yoga

The Goddess is alive and Her magic is aglow!

Come celebrate the cosmic manifestation of Shakti in this gloriously colorful and devotional all-night event. In this spectacular and joyful celebration of the Divine Feminine, we will pay homage to Her creativity, infinite variety in Nature, life-giving abundance, and role as the ultimate tantric consort.

Agama will celebrate the Divine Feminine on campus, which manifest the beauty and abundance of Maha Shakti. This celebration will bring us to the spontaneity of the presence, welcoming creativity and joy of the feminine energy into our spiritual practice and strengthen the Agama community by fostering sharing and connection. This event is also open to anyone outside the Agama community who is on the island and wishing to come and experience what the Night of the Goddess is all about, and to learn more about Mahavidya Yoga.

The Night of the Goddess aims to:

-Celebrate the Divine Feminine Energy, Maha Shakti

-Experience different aspects of the feminine energy as a spiritual practice towards evolution

-Building a stronger Community by using the Agama Enlightenment Hall as a Temple of the Goddess bringing the Yoga aspirants closer to each other

The Night of the Goddess activities:

The night will start with Bhajans at 8:00 PM followed by a satsang led by Swami and Ananda Maha on the spiritual value of working with Maha Shakti, the Divine Mother.

A powerful ritual will follow the satsang, in which we get to meet the ten aspects of the Divine Feminine, the so-called Mahavidyas. Inspired from the Shodashi Puja of Rama Krishna, there will be a ceremony of the ten Mahavidyas, where ten selected women (each supported by a man – “her male consort”) will manifest and embody the Mahavidyas. The women representing the Mahavidyas and their male consort have prepared themselves for this ritual by performing a 21 days tapas (dedicated practice) and group meditations prior to the ritual to build up the energy.

When the ritual is completed we will continue the night with a 10-hour Vigil for Parashakti. For the remaining hours of the night, until sunrise, we will sing, play, chant and dance for becoming one with the divine goddess. Throughout the night, there has to be at least one person playing, one person chanting/singing and one person dancing. A very special and beautiful challenge for the Agama Community.

Throughout the evening and night there will also be many opportunities to show your gratitude and worship of the Divine Mother; through the offering of candles, incense and flowers, through transfiguration of the women representing the ten Mahavidyas, and through your own inner meditation and contemplation.

PROGRAM:

Opening Bhajans
20:00, Enlightenment Hall
The Night of the Goddess will start with opening bhajans by the Agama Yoga Bhajans Team.

Satsang by Ananda Maha
21:00, Enlightenment Hall
Ananda Maha will give a discourse on spiritual practice with the Divine Feminine in Yoga, going deeper into the understanding of the value and power, as well as ways of integrating Maha Shakti into our spiritual practice.

Mahavidya Puja
21:30, Enlightenment Hall
Inspired by the Phalaharini Kali Puja of Ramakrishna we will hold a ceremony of the 10 Cosmic Powers, led by Swami Vivekananda Saraswati. During this highlight of the Night of the Goddess, selected Shaktis will manifest the Cosmic Powers, having prepared themselves for this ritual by performing a 21-day tapas along with group meditations prior to the puja to build up the appropriate energy.

The ceremony led by Swami Vivekananda will also include explanations and meditation on each of the 10 Cosmic Powers, and all will be invited to transfigure the Shaktis who are manifesting them. Be prepared to experience a profound union with Parashakti during this unique ceremony.

Further information on transfiguration and the Cosmic Powers can be found later in the brochure which will be handed out during the Night of the Goddess event.

Vigil for Parashakti
12:00-09:30, Enlightenment Hall
Vigil with Bhajan and kirtan musicians from all over the world including Pierre Jutras, Lorraine Taylor, Tom Estonia, Satyaprem, Bhavani, Yogita, Eugene and many more!

The Night of the Goddess is hosting a very strong practice to bring a new depth and meaning to our devotion expressed in bhajans and dance. Let’s ask ourselves, what are we singing for, what are we dancing for? Let’s take another step into this path of bhakti by devoting a whole night’s vigil for Parashakti. During this vigil we as the spiritual community on the island are invited to take a challenge. Throughout the whole period of the vigil, there has to be at least one person playing an instrument, one person chanting, and one person dancing at all times! It is our challenge as the community to make sure that the vigil continues nonstop even if it means testing the limits of the physical body.
There is second challenge around the vigil for the individual practitioner; taking a strong tapas of two hours of nonstop dancing and two hours of nonstop chanting/playing an instrument. Ten Shaktis from our Mahavidya Puja team will be taking on the tapas to hold the space and support you in your practice.

Let us all together experience the path of bhakti toward union with the Divine Feminine and see where this path will take us....

Closing Performance
09:30, Enlightenment Hall
Night of the Goddess will conclude with an Odissi Dance performance by Ishvari.

What to wear:
This is a celebration of Shakti. We recommend wearing Shakti colors, not white.

The Night of the Goddess location:

The celebration will take place at on Agama's Main Campus, in the main yoga hall, the Enlightenment Hall.