Shiva, the Hindu god of contradictions, not only carries fiery arrows and a bow but healing remedies as well. A fierce intermediary of the inevitable disruptions in life, he teaches us how to heal the very wounds he inflicts.
Like other male Hindu gods, Shiva has a feminine aspect that takes many forms. As Kali, she acts as the indifferently devouring mother of sorrows who exhausts and ages us all. Utterly indiscriminating as the feminine form of Time, she challenges our arrogant egos and gradually wears us down with the impersonal necessities of everyday living.
Like life itself, whether fierce or friendly, Kali is entirely unpredictable. It is as impossible to prepare for her coming as it is to control her once she arrives. One minute we are prosperous and peaceful; the next we are sick or battered by unexpected disappointment. She makes us aware that we can’t manage life’s onslaughts. Neither reason nor right and wrong can rein in her ravages. Kali reminds us that no one can escape the untamed, uncaring, uncompromising force of Time.
Accept your losses or you’ll get no gains.