Chinnamasta delights in trampling upon two lovers locked in sexual embrace. These lovers are Kama, who is the god of desire, and his wife Rati who rides upon him.

Chinnamasta has cut off her own head and holds it in her hand (left hand). Blood spurts out of her headless body in three channels. Chinnamasta’s head drinks from the middle spring of blood. On the right of Chinnamasta stands her devotee Varnini, who drinks from the right channel of blood. On the left is her devotee Dakini, who drinks from the left channel of blood. Chinnamasta is a nourishing Goddess.

She nourishes
the three channels of the spine,
known as Ida, Pingala
& Sushumna

These are the active, passive channels, and the balancing power between the two is what Chinnamasta nourishes us with. She nourishes these three aspects by three distinct forms of desire.
Dakini, on the left of Chinnamasta, represents the passive reception of desire, that is the power to lay low and receive desire. Varnini, on the Right of Chinnamasta, represents the power to actively step-up and express desire.
The middle channel, which Chinnamasta herself drinks from, is the bridging union of the two opposites of desire. This is the secret of desire that lives between the opposites of desire – Goddess Chinnamasta’s lesson.

Chinnamasta is a Goddess of sexual energy flow. Study of Chinnamasta teaches us about sexual energy and it’s three fold nature. This of course relates to sex directly, but it encompasses the exchange of energy in general. The Yog is very much a practice that relates to receptive and active uses of energy. Chinnamasta is the secret third element where the receptive and the active meet. Her form is graphic. It sharply and directly emphasises the laws of energy exchange.

Chinnamasta sadhana (the way or path of Chinnamasta) is instinctual and very matter of fact. Chinnamasta is pure instinct itself. She is the secret between the expression and reception of instinct. She is also a great giver: she beheads herself in order to give to her devotees.

The story goes that one the Goddess was wandering through creation with her devotees Dakini and Varnini.
Whereas Dakini represents the lunar receptive nature of the devotee, Varnini represents the Solar and active nature of the devotee. The desire to live these expressions of energy reached an extreme point in her devotees and, quite suddenly, they became sexually aroused and urgently needed to experience the extremes of active and passive desire.

From the Tantric perspective,
all of our endeavours
fall within the realm
of active and passive desire.

Chinnamasta is the epitome of generosity and she did not hesitate to meet the needs and desires of her devotees. She gave to both the passive and the active requirements. Chinnamasta in this way represents the work of the Kundalini channel with its threefold movement of energy.

This night’s ritual is concerned with the study of our sexual life desire. It is a ritual night reserved for studying what we most urgently require to receive, and what we most urgently require to express, and more than this, to know the unifier of these two expressions. The Tantrics call her Chinnamasta. The practices of Chinnamasta bring healing to our Love life. The practices of Chinnamasta bring healing to our life of Love.

This night’s ritual takes place under a full Lunar eclipse, Chandra Grahn, as the Tantrics call it.
The lunar feminine element may already be oppressed in our civilisation that oppresses the dark femmine womb with upward maneuvers to the light.

The lunar eclipse poses a challenge to stand up for the femmine element on this night. To stand up for the femmine element has been the role, and even the duty of Tantrics since the dawn of civilization. Chinnamasta rewards us with healing and loving nourishment when we stand up for her. This is encoded within the story of Chinnamasta, which will be the investigation of this night’s healing ritual.

Chinnamasta Jayanti will take place under the auspices of Chittra Nakshatra, the star of brilliance. To find more about this lunar constellation click here.