Three Initiation Stories

"Durga Ma came into my life back in April 1992. I can still remember that fateful day as clearly as yesterday. I took the Shaktipat Intensive with her in Toronto that April and my life has not been the same since. I probably shouldn't write in the past tense because the grace that was bestowed then, I can feel this very day.

"I had not experienced the Divine in such a real way until then. I had pranotthan in less than 48 hours during my second meditation following initiation. I remember sharing this experience with her. I exclaimed, “God paid me a visit last night!” It rings now as it did then.

"The image I have of my relationship with Durga Ma is that She and I are traveling together on a long pilgrimage of which She is quite familiar. We finally reach the sacred Divine Mother Temple (Shakti/Durga/Kali) that She had talked about so lovingly. We enter the temple together and She, through some sacred, secret language, communicates with the Divine Mother and introduces me to Her, and She speaks to me.

"Durga Ma has opened a direct channel for me to the Divine. This in very real to me. She has demonstrated to me in an EXPERIENTIAL way the existence of God and that we can and do live in Her abode. I hold Her with the greatest reverence in my heart.

"Ancient scriptures talk about the need of having a guru to light a sadhak's path. Well Durga Ma is That One. She is the lighter of my lamp!"

Kalki (Basil C.)

"When I was ushered into Durga Ma's private room, I had no idea I was going to receive the next initiation. What was revealed to me was the kind of thing that is so obvious, no one would ever think of it. At first I was in shock. On one hand, it was so simple I couldn't believe it. On the other hand, it changed everything.

"I felt honored and a little dumbfounded. My world had forever been changed. I felt mature and immature at the same time. It was like I was old and young all at once. Thinking about it made me dizzy.

"I was almost numb driving home that day. The revelation was running around in my head, and apparently it was having more than just a metaphorical affect on me. As I drove my minivan on the toll road towards home, all the electrical door locks began locking and unlocking uncontrollably. The circuits had literally blown out the door locks! How much more symbolic can you get?

"I mean, I was blown away, but my car, too? It was too much. I had to replace all the door locks in the van. And in another way, all the locks in my life were blown away, too. Thank you, Durga Ma."

Rupa (Diane R.)

"When I first began Surrender Meditation I frequently experienced kriyas [spontaneous movements], primarily in the form of leg and arm movements. Although this flipping and flapping was bizarre in its sensation of being initiated by something other than me, it wasn't violent, and Durga Ma assured me it was not uncommon. Since lying on the floor to meditate went against my cross-legged-straight-back image, the kriyas somehow reassured the skeptical part of my mind that I was, indeed, surrendered.

"During those first months I came down with a sinus infection. My mind was quick to point out that there was no way I was going to be able to surrender, but I took out my meditation cushion, said my mantra, and began my meditation anyway. Ten or so minutes later my mind said, "See, you can't meditate in this condition." I opened my eyes and looked to my right. Instantly, my head was slammed back into position with such force that, should it have kept going past center all the way to the left, I would have had whiplash! But my head stopped, facing forward, with no ill effects. In the meditation that followed (or, I should say, continued) I had my first experience of nada — I heard what sounded like a train going very fast, right next to me. It was absolutely real and almost deafening. This lasted several minutes."

Kalyana (Kathryne P.)