KALI

Kali as a role model destroys notions of what a woman should be like; she is a female icon who is bold and expressive, all-powerful, naked (but clothed in all her temples thanks to traditional morality), is considered to be menstruating because her hair is left loose and open, is the expressive manifesting force while the masculine element (the corpse of Shiva that she stands on) is the surrendered receptive principle, and is revered as a mother for she inspires filial love although she is child-less. This description of Kali implies that the Divine Feminine (and therefore women) do not need to bear children to be maternal; is resplendent in her nakedness and her hair is left open to symbolize that she is menstruating, implying that the female body is not something to be ashamed of or to be considered impure; and her rage typifies the power of the Feminine force to conquer violence, death and cycles of hopelessness. Icons like Kali and Durga embody the creative and compassionate potential in all women. Role models like Kali give girls a sense of their own potential for courage, love, endurance, justice, power, independance and truth.