Kali

Kali is the goddess of time which eventually destroys everything. She is the supreme truth and the favorite of all yogis. At first she looks terrifying. She is dark in color and is clothed by the 4 directions. Her hair is wild. She has a garland of skulls around her neck and an apron of human arms and hands around her waist. She is holding a freshly severed head in one hand and the chopper that slaughtered it dripping with blood in the other. Kali once destroyed all the demons in a battle and then started a terrific dance out of the sheer joy of victory. All the worlds began to tremble and gave way under its impact. Lord Shiva asked her to stop, but she was too intoxicated to listen. So he lay like a corpse among the rest of the corpses on the battlefield to absorb the shock into himself. Kali is ecstatically rejoicing. A trisula - trident is in one hand showing a piercing of the 3 ganthis or knots in the body which block the flow of energy. Her tongue is protruding. The garland of skulls represent the Sanskrit alphabet and the power over understanding the annihilation of false values. Her form is black representing the formless, beyond mind and speech. The chopper and head in her hand represent the controlling power of the conscious over the limitless vacillation of the mind and ego. The lotus flowers represent pure consciousness. Her tongue is sticking out. There is a direct relationship between the activity of the tongue and thoughts. Just as a mother lion protects her young, Kali protects her devotees.