Writing “I Am Shakti” rekindled my Feminine Power 

By  Maya Tiwari

I Am Shakti is the bold and powerful manifesto our world needs now more than ever. Spiritual teacher, humanitarian, and Ayurvedic matriarch Maya Tiwari introduces a new perspective of the universal feminine power, Shakti, that every woman can reclaim to generate health, harmony, and prosperity in life.

Writing “I Am Shakti” rekindled my Feminine Power 

As with all of my previous books, I find myself cogitating the theme a year or more before the words begin to pour out. In some mysterious sense, once I take to the pen, the onrushing stream of words begin to effortlessly flow, as though guided by the unseen force of Shakti.  I am fascinated by the organic dynamism of the art more than the prosaic act of first laying down the groundwork for structure and theme. 

This organic birthing of words is like glistening pearls strung together on an infinite string of prana, breathing joy, and enthusiasm into the process. However, the deep mundane ploughing would start with the editing of the untamed work to refine grammar, continuity and coherence. I do not choose my themes. Life’s riveting experiences chisel words into my psyche, first off to navigate my own inner compass that grapples with, reiterates and confirms my enduring reality. 

What is Shakti? A Sanskrit word for the Divine Feminine — Shakti is the Goddess and Mother of all creation, who has guarded and led me ever closer to her. Shakti’s powers are infinite. She is the primordial feminine force of creation. As the primordial feminine energy, she is the root source on which all else depends for survival, nourishment, and thriving. She exists in every iota of life, each life form, and in all genders, albeit only women carry her power in its awakened form. This concept is rooted in the idea that women are the repository of both creative and destructive power, reflecting the dual nature of feminine primordial power. In Hinduism, women’s inheritance of Shakti is used to empower them, to resist patriarchy and reclaim their inherent divine power.

By recognizing and honoring the sacred feminine, women can tap into their inner strength and potential, leading to greater balance and harmony in their lives and the world around them. Shakti has revealed herself to me through study and prayer, steered me when my steps have faltered, and surged through my body to set my soul aflame in moments of heart-opening love. Yet it is through suffering most of all that I have truly come to know her; the suffering we all must endure as children of Mother Earth, who endures all. 

The work of I Am Shakti emerged after years of being violently targeted by an group of well-funded haters who carried out their attacks with military precision. This abysmal reality awakened the sleeping warrior within my soul. I awoke with only one option that is to energize my purpose in this birth by standing tall in spirit and speaking truth. Suffering aside, my experience of being a brown skinned  woman whom they dared to target gave me access to their devious schemes as I honed my ability to dissect their history and legacy which together we must conquer if we are to regain full human sentiency.

For eons, patriarchal rule has been reeking havoc on the lives of men, women and nature as a whole. They have succeeded in strategically numbing individual intelligence, dumbing our voices to fit into their inscrutable model- that of a life bereft of awareness. Both masculine and feminine energies have been enduring crippling disempowerment. To safeguard the life and sacred purpose of our planet we must stop living as the unmourned and recover consciousness. Obviously, I Am Shakti, is not for the faint hearted.

Drawing on ancient Vedic wisdom, historical and current events, and my personal story, I explored how the fear of the feminine has been weaponized throughout history. At its core, I Am Shakti is an impassioned plea for women, in particular, to reclaim their innate Shakti nature to foster justice, compassion, cooperation, love, and nourishment for all beings.

The book calls for balancing the primordial Shiva-Shakti energy, the universal masculine-feminine force that generates harmony and nourishment for all life.  To recreate a sentient world, we must shift from a dualistic, binary understanding of this energy toward a non-dual, nurturing wholeness that exists within every individual. I Am Shakti serves as both a personal transformation story and a guide, offering simple Vedic practices and encouragement to help readers restore balance within themselves and the world. Profoundly stirring, this book is a celestial hymn to the divine feminine, resonating deeply within the cosmic tapestry of life.

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I AM SHAKTI

I Am Shakti is the bold and powerful manifesto our world needs now more than ever. Spiritual teacher, humanitarian, and Ayurvedic matriarch Maya Tiwari introduces a new perspective of the universal feminine power, Shakti, that every woman can reclaim to generate health, harmony, and prosperity in life. She has devoted her heart and soul to sharing the philosophy and method that saved her life. Drawing on historical and current events, Vedic wisdom, and her personal story of falling victim to patriarchal violence, Maya shows what happens when the primordial fear of the feminine becomes a weapon of mass destruction. I Am Shakti is an impassioned plea for women to make one small shift from our thwarted otherness to embracing our Shakti nature to fight for justice, compassion, cooperation, love, and nourishment for all.

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Maya Tiwari is a spiritual teacher and humanitarian who serves humanity by awakening the spirit of ahimsa, or harmony, in every person whose life she touches. Born in Guyana under British rule, Maya arrived in New York City as a teenager, studied acting with the incomparable Stella Adler, and became a sought-after fashion designer by the time she was 18. At the height of her astonishing success she had her own shop on Madison Avenue, as well a line of boutiques in all the top department stores across the country and dressed countless celebrities.

Everything changed after Maya was diagnosed with end-stage ovarian cancer. Following her miraculous survival, she felt her inner rhythm and vision transform. She closed her fashion business and returned to her ancestral motherland, India, where she entered into a decade-long period of intensive studies of Sanskrit, Vedanta, Ayurveda, Yoga and the Vastu Sciences under the tutelage of the late, Swami Dayananda Sarasvati.

For thirty years, she has continued to inspire and create change in human behavior through education, outreach, and service. She has helped to nourish, nurture, and heal thousands of individuals, families, and communities.

She is also an Ayurveda pioneer and best-selling author working in the field for more than 30 years. She established the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda, the first Ayurvedic school in North America, in 1981; she is the founder of the Mother Om Mission (MOM), a charitable organisation that transforms disease and despair into wellness and joy in at-risk communities in New York City. She has personally helped thousands of women to heal from devastating disorders.

Through her global humanitarian work at Living Ahimsa, participants are taught to spread practices that promote peace and create inner harmony. Maya is a regular featured speaker at the Parliament of the World Religions and other Interfaith conferences worldwide. Tiwari is also the recipient of both the Dhanvatari and Rishi Awards for her outstanding work in Ayurvedic medicine.

Find out more about Maya on her website https://mayatiwari.com/

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing