“I know I love Dea, but I do not know how to worship Her”.
Actually, worshipping our Mother is very simple. There have been complex rites and great ceremonies; sacrifices, austerities and states of meditation that take years to achieve. But our Celestial Mother, like every mother, is always ready to accept the love of Her children, however simple.
So how do you begin if you are at the very beginning, just turning to Her? Begin as you would begin with any friend. Begin by talking to Her. Tell Her that you love her. Tell Her that you want to love Her more. Tell Her the things that trouble you. Thank Her for the gifts She has given you. talk to your Heavenly Mother.
It is good if you have a picture or a statue of Her. It should be one that you find attractive. One that speaks to you of Her love and beauty. It might be a picture of Mahalakshmi, or a statue of Mother Mary. It might be a picture of Kwan Yin. You might wish to feel the protection of Dea in her mighty form as Sri Durga. Whatever form you love, choose that. Then you can look upon Her form when you talk to Her.
It is traditional also to bring Her gifts. Light candles before Her; burn a little incense. Once you have your picture or statue of Her and have placed some candles and perhaps an incense burner before it, you already have your first Shrine. If you can, it is nice to bring fresh flowers to the shrine and offer them to Dea.
These are very simple things, but simple love always pleases our Mother. If you have no picture, why not just look at the changing picture on this page, listen to the rhythmic invocation of Her Name and Her Holy Word (turn up the sound if you have it off) and speak to Her in your heart.
It is very easy to become a devotee. Just say to our Mother: “Mother, I devote myself to You”. Make Her the gift of yourself. Do not fear that you cannot devote yourself well. She is your Mother. She will help you. She will understand that you are weak; that you will slip and fall. We are all weak and living in the Kali Yuga, but we are all Her children, and She loves us.
It is also recommended in this Kali Yuga that we should chant the Name of Dea. There are complex mantras the use of which which requires initiation by a guru. We do not speak of such things. A mantra recommended for use by all is:
OM SRI MATRE NAMAH
(pron: OM SHREE MUTRAY NUMAH)
This consists simply of Her holy Word, OM followed by what we might translate as Hail, holy Mother, or as Divine Mother, I bow to Thee. Repeat this quietly, rhythmically to yourself aloud or in your head, or sing it joyfully. Remember always that you are singing to our Mother.
Even listening to singing or chanting in Her honour is greatly beneficial, just as (if you have sound enabled) you are doing now. If you merely light some incense and put on a recording like this one and then lie down, you have started prayer in motion. Never avoid such actions because they are “not enough”. Even the simplest and easiest devotions are precious to our Mother and richly beneficial to us.
Say good morning to Her when you arise and bid Her goodnight when you go to bed. These are the elementary courtesies that a child pays to her mother. It is also considered proper in many circles to bow when you approach Her image or when you pass it.
Another common practice is to offer food to Her before eating it. This is something like saying a simple grace, but the difference is that instead of merely thanking Her for Her bounty, we are giving the food to Her. It is said that she consumes the true essence of the food and that we eat Her leavings, which is the material part of the food. But by Her eating it, the food is blessed and we ourselves taste something of its true essence, which our worldly tongues are unable to do.
These are some simple practices that will start you on the Path of Devotion. If they become part of your life, you will be a devotee of Dea.
Write to us at any time. We are always here to help you. Mix with other devotees if you can and read Her Scriptures.
But remember, if you can only manage to d the tiniest thing in devotion to Her, do that thing. Nothing is insignificant to our Mother. Just as an earthly mother values the humblest gift from her child, our Heavenly Mother is always waiting patiently an full of love, for you to turn your eyes toward Her.
OM SRI MATRE NAMAH
OM, Hail holy Mother