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Images of Gods
and Goddesses Are the usual images of gods and goddesses true to reality? WELL when a little child draws a picture of an object, is there any likeness? It is about the same or even worse here. For the child is simple and sincere, while the image-maker is full of prejudices and preconceived ideas, stuffed with things he has heard or read. And he is tied to his constructions. But at times, here and there, very rarely indeed, artists appear with an inner vision, with a great aspiration and a great purity of soul; they do things that are acceptable. But they are exceptions, the contrary is the rule. I have seen some of these
forms in the vital world and also in the mental world; they are truly creations
of man. There is a Power from beyond that manifests, but in this triple world
of Ignorance man creates God Himself in his own image and beings that appear
there are more or less the outcome of the creative human thought. So at times
we do have things that are truly frightful. I have seen formations that are so obscure,
so ununderstandable, so
inexpressive! There are some divine beings that are treated worse than the
others. Take, for example, this poor Mahakali. What has man made of her, wildly
terrible, a nightmare beyond imagination! Such creations however live in a
very inferior world, in the lowest vital world; and if there is anything there
of the original being, it is such a far off reflection that it is hardly recognisable. And yet it is
that which is pulled by the human consciousness. When, for example, an image is
made and installed and the priest calls down into it a form, an emanation of a
god, through an inner invocation – there is usually a whole ceremony in this
connection – if the priest is someone having the power
Page – 382 of evocation, then the thing succeeds (what
Ramakrishna did in the Kali temple). But generally priests are people with the
commonest ideas and the most traditional training and education; when they
think of the gods they give them attributes and appearances which are popular,
which belong normally to entities of the vital world, at best to mental
formations but which do not represent in any way the truth of the beings
behind. All the idols in temples or the household gods worshipped by the many
are inhabited by beings who know only how to lead you to unhappiness and
disaster. They are so far away from the divinity that one means to worship.
There are certain family Kalis that are real monsters. I have even advised some
to throw such an image into the
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