The Many Faces of the Great Mother

The Great Mother Archetype

Photo by eduardo,  morguefiles.com

Many cultures have examples of the Great Mother archetype. She often appears as a compassionate mother.

The Virgin Mary, Madonna, Quan Yin, Vajrayogini, Tara, and even the living Hindu saint Amma are examples of the compassionate mother archetype. 

These mother figures are nurturing, comforting and loving. 

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Great Mother also appears in her fierce form, as Kali, Durga, Kumari and Dorji Phagmo, among others. 

Sometimes people mistake the fierce form of the Great Mother for a “bad” or even “evil” female figure, one who will devour her own children. 

But a more accurate understanding is that she is a fierce protector, and vanquisher of all evil, and as such, she is also loving. 

Kali, for example, holds the head of a demon and a sword in two of her four hands, while her other hands offer blessings. She is a mother who forcefully protects her children against both external and internal threats.  

She will fight to protect her devotee not only from the harm that arises from the grasping, aversion and ignorance (ego) of others, but also from the harm the arises out of her devotee’s own ego. 

Photo by Vinoth Chandar Creative Commons License 2.0

The fierce mother guides her children toward enlightenment, and sometimes this is uncomfortable for the children, and so they feel she is being “mean.” In other words, Kali's children don't always get what they want and they don't always enjoy getting what they need.

Similarly, Yama, the god of death in Hindu and Buddhist mythology appears, as my young son tells me, as a "really scary monster." 

Yama represents the impermanence of all things, including the impermanence of both the state of life and the state of death. In cultures where death is believed to be permanent, it is understandable that a symbol of death might be frightening. But in cultures where death, like life, is simply another transitional stage in the cycle of rebirth, there is nothing to fear from the god of death.

Still, I can see that Yama is not represented as a beautiful angel dressed in white with wings and a halo, and so I can understand that because of his fangs and claws he is often assumed to be frightening, maybe even “evil.” This is far from true. 

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As the god of death, Yama comes to us at a timely moment at the end of life as a fierce and most loving parent, who offers us last-minute lessons that, depending upon our choices, determines what sort of life we will experience next. 

Like a good mother, I believe that Yama does not stand in judgement of who we are or what we have done. He does not command our destinies by sending us to either a place of pleasure or a place of pain. 

The fierce deity presents us with opportunities, and it is up to us to choose to run with these opportunities or run away from them. Whether or not we accept these opportunities now or postpone them for another lifetime is up to us. In any case, the choice is ours and the outcome is entirely of our own creation.

The Great Mother (parent) archetype has many faces. She is compassionate, nurturing and kind, but she is also unwavering in her guidance. She is always loving, even when she appears to be "mean." She relentlessly guides us along our spiritual path with her adamantine presence. Just as a good mother (parent) does.

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