|
In the Bhakti yoga tradition, there is a concept called Ishtadeva. Ishta means “personal, liked, cherished, preferred” and Deva means God. It essentially translates to “the god you like”. An Ishtadevata can take on any form: woman, man, non-binary, trans, animal, plant, river, stone, mountain, ocean, moon, sun, planet…. Any relationship…Divine Mother, Divine Father, Divine Child, Divine Teacher, Divine Lover, Divine BFF… Any quality: playful, fierce, loving, mystical, scientific, abstract, or deeply personal. God can appear in a form or as a concept like Liberation, Justice, or Love. You can be loyal to one ishtadevata or you can call upon whichever deity of the global pantheon most suits the need of the moment. You can make up your own! This is one of my most favorite things about the spiritual tradition of my ancestors. The radical openness and creative liberty in visioning the Divine. Literally new gods are made up all the time. I remember when I was in college, learning of a Goddess named Santoshi Ma, who was made up for a film. But after the film release, a Santoshi Ma temple sprouted up and became a hugely popular pilgrimage spot! In this tradition there is no way to feel excluded from relationship with the Divine. Was it always like this? No.
|
