What has been most powerful for my own practice is in addition to the mantra for world peace, to follow the structure of Tantrik ritual, drawing my asana (the sacred yantra or diagram that becomes the spiritual seat and protection for the practice), chanting invocations, invoking directions, offering gratitude to the lineage of teachers, and performing nyasa, or the placement of sacred syllables into the body. It's also been very powerful for me to close with the traditional song from the Western Craft/Wiccan tradition:

<i>By the air that is Her breath,
by the fire of Her bright spirit,
by the waters of Her womb,
by the Earth that is Her body,
the circle is open yet unbroken
may the love of the Goddess be ever in our hearts!
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!</i>

I've been working a lot the last couple of days with the fierce wisdom Goddesses Tara and Kamakhya - and am pleasantly surprised at how beautifully they fit together in my heart. One flows into the other like a river. Working with Tara was completely at the wonderful instigation of my Sister Bhaktisukhini, and supported with amazing imagery by my Sister Karuna, who made an incredible film about Tarapith, the amazing and powerful place in West Bengal where Tara Maa is worshipped. I'd love it if she could post and tell people how to get a hold of her film. It's great!

Here are Tara's and Kamakhya's simple mantras for worship:

OM STRIM TARAYAI NAMAH
(aum streem tah'-rah-yay nuh'-muh-huh)

OM KLIM KAMAKHYAYAI NAMAH
(aum kleem kah'-mah-kya'-yay nuh'-muh-huh)

<i>Strim</i> and <i>klim</i> are <i>bija mantras</i>, or sounds that represent the pure vibrational essence of each of these Goddesses. <i>Namah</i> means to bow or offer reverence. So, with the concentrated vibrational essence of Tara, I bow to you, Maa Tara. With the pure vibrational essence of Kamakhya, I bow to you, Maa Kamakhya.

