"Durga Ma came into my life back in April 1992. I can still
remember that fateful day as clearly as yesterday. I took the Shaktipat
Intensive with her in Toronto that April and my life has not been the
same since. I probably shouldn’t write in the past tense because
the grace that was bestowed then, I can feel this very day.
"I had not experienced the Divine in such a real way until then.
I had pranotthan in less than 48 hours during my second meditation following
initiation. I remember sharing this experience with her. I exclaimed,
“God paid me a visit last night!” It rings now as it did then.
"The image I have of my relationship with Durga Ma is that She and
I are traveling together on a long pilgrimage of which She is quite familiar.
We finally reach the sacred Divine Mother Temple (Skakti/Durga/Kali) that
She had talked about so lovingly. We enter the temple together and She,
through some sacred / ‘secret’ language, communicates with
the Divine Mother and introduces me to Her, and She speaks to me.
"Durga Ma has opened a direct channel for me to the Divine. This
in very real to me. She has demonstrated to me in an EXPERIENCIAL way
the existence of God and that we can and do live in Her abode. I hold
Her with the greatest reverence in my heart.
"Ancient scriptures talk about the need of having a guru to light
a sadhak's path. Well Durga Ma is That One. She is the lighter of my lamp!"
Basil C. (Kalki)
"When I first began Surrender Meditation I frequently experienced
kriyas, primarily in the form of leg and arm movements. Although this
flipping and flapping was bizarre in its sensation of being initiated
by something other than me, it it wasn't violent, and Durga Ma assured
me it was not uncommon. Since lying on the floor to meditate went against
my cross-legged-straight-back image, the kriyas somehow reassured the
skeptical part of my mind that I was, indeed, surrendered.
"During those first months I came down with a severe sinus infection. The pain was so intense that I couldn't sleep or even lie down. I was up all night doing everything I knew to relieve the pain. I hadn't meditated that day, continually putting it off with the hope that the pain would let up enough that I could lie down. Somewhere around 4 AM, with the pain no better, I decided to sit and meditate.
"My mind was quick to point out that there was no way I was
going to be able to surrender. My sinuses commanded too much attention.
I took out my meditation cushion, said my mantra and surrendered my body,
mind and feelings to God. Ten or so pain-filled minutes later my mind
said, "See, you can't meditate in this condition," and I opened
my eyes and looked to my right. Instantly, my head was slammed back into
position with such force that, should it have kept going past center all
the way to the left, I would have had whiplash! But my head stopped, facing
forward, with no ill effects. In the meditation that followed (or, I should
say, continued) I heard what sounded like a train going very fast, right
next to me. It was almost deafening and lasted several minutes."
Kalyana