Never Not Broken

I am a sucker for Indian mythology. All of those tales of gods and goddesses are just irresistible to a literature buff and B.A. in English, like myself. The colorful characters and parables that describe them simply delight me and transport me to another world. The symbolism that shrouds these figures provides so much fodder for my story-writing mind. I have to say...this motley crew of elephant-headed, multi-limbed, super-powered deities could certainly entertain me for hours....

Meet Akhilandeshvari, the goddess of never not broken.

I love the tales of Shiva and Ganesha and have read some of the more obvious and commonplace stories of Indian mythology. However, this more obscure goddess, Akhilandeshvari takes the cake in my book! She comes to mind tonight because of the total emotional release that I apparently needed to have this afternoon. It took hold and I found myself in a heap on the floor crying my eyes out. As I dragged myself up and out the door to teach a class (thank goodness my students help me laugh and keep things in perspective) I couldn't shake this feeling of broken-ness.

Akhilandeshvari feels my pain. She teaches us that there is absolutely no other position more powerful. Her name tells her tale: "Ishvari" means powerful goddess and "Akhilanda" means never not broken. Clever use of wordplay in that even her Sanskrit name is broken (using double negative). So her power is in being broken and always having this total freedom to put herself back together in any which way she wants, never being limited and confined by being a whole, always existing in multiple selves. Lying in a broken heap you gain the ability to change your future self and release yourself from the past. Did I mention that she rides around on a crocodile? Yeah...she's a total badass!

Read more about Akhilanda in this excellent article by Julie JC Peters: "Why Lying Broken in a Pile on Your Bedroom Floor is a Good Idea"

"The most important thing is this: To be ready at any moment to give up who you are, for who you might become."  -W.E.B. Dubois