The Devi Doctrine
The new and ancient religion of Gynarchy
The Devi Doctrine is a spiritual tradition centered on the Divine Feminine, referred to as Devi. It emphasizes the creative power of desire and views the universe as Devi’s play. The doctrine honors the feminine while recognizing the complementary role of the masculine. It encourages practices like devotion, meditation, and ritual to connect with Devi and realize unity with her.
Para Vidya
Devi All known creation is vibration. Nada Brahma - all is sound. Devi is the vibration of creation from which all matter, energy, thought, feeling, sensation, and movement is formed. She is The Mother of All, the life force that shapes us, animates us, and gives us conscious awareness. Throughout time, all human cultures have known of The Mother, though some have forgotten. That Mother is the symbolic expression of Devi. She has many forms and many names and is embodied in many places at once, in stone and bronze, in art, in nature, and in flesh. Each aspect of her, new and old, is a unique expression to be worshiped as a deity. In the state of the silent, still, undefined, and absolute potential She is Siva - literally “that which is not.” We can immerse ourselves in this infinite and boundless state through meditation, trance, or death. It is our built-in reset program which rescues our minds and nervous systems from chaos and overstimulation. The more practiced we become the more we can carry the boundlessness, peace, and silence with us into everyday life.
Desire
Desire To Be is the cause and motivation of all existence. It is that which caused the differentiation between “that which is” and “that which is not.” Desire to Know - to answer the question “What am I?”- created a third state, making all of the infinite iterations of creation possible. It allowed for the threefold division of knower, knowing, and known to materialize, and made variations of thought, form, and movement erupt into being. Every facet and every detail is its own piece of information meant to answer Devi’s question “What am I?” She answers Herself: “I am this, and I am this, and I am this, and I am this…” The Desire to Know in humans activates within us to show us the nature of existence. All self-conscious beings possess the Desire to Know. The Desire to Know is symbolized in the form of the serpent, who sleeps coiled within and is awakened.
Lila (Play)
All that lives and exists in the universe is the infinite creative play of Devi, meant to be marveled at and enjoyed to the fullest. Don’t be fooled. Even that which appears serious or grim is just part of Her game. And therefore there is never need for fear and anxiety. The opposite of fear is Love. Love is taking the concerns of the other as your own. Love of Devi is identifying with and surrendering to Devi so as to know Her. That Love negates and neutralizes fear. Our ultimate purpose as humans is to be a channel for Devi’s Desires. We are mechanisms by which She creates and expands. If we can sit quietly and listen, allowing logic and reason to fall away, the subtle vibrations of all of Her emerging Desires will move through us effortlessly and become clear. Her Desires come through us in actions and expressions of self which are authentic, and through our unique and autonomous perspectives. Resisting or blocking the flow of Her Desire creates inevitable challenges and damns up creativity. Devi’s essential qualities are: creative, abundant, cyclical, playful, active, attractive, and sensual. All objects, actions, or energies that may stifle or pervert these qualities are simple obstacles which prevent us from being fully attuned to Devi. Look to the Dark Feminine to find and remove the obstacles.
The Trellis and the Flowering Vine
Devi, the Divine Feminine, has no equal or opposite. She created the divine masculine for a purpose. First, he is the trellis to Her flowering vine. Without the trellis, the vine will still grow, but with it, the vine takes new shapes and directions and thrives, reaching ever toward the light. Without the trellis, the vine is more vulnerable to that which can harm it and its fruits might lay on the ground and decay. The trellis alone without the vine stands with no purpose, upright and casting a long shadow, but easier to blow over without the weight of the vine wrapped around it. It is a scaffolding without a use. Structural and stoic, without lush beauty and growth. Because he gives her snaking tendrils the lines and angles on which to hold, he plays a second role. He is her witness and scribe, the translator of metaphor into math, of symbol into words. He finds underlying logic in Her patterns and rhythm in Her pulses and waves. He remembers. He creates shorthand. He stores memory in bits, encoded as ones and zeros so She can easily call up lost passwords and combinations. She is raw data and he is the formula that describes and organizes it.
Woman and Man
Likewise, Devi created Woman to populate the Earth and be an agent of Her Desire. She engendered the Desire to Know coiled within Her, and Consciousness of Self and Awareness of Others in order that she might play, engage, enjoy, and ponder all of creation. Woman, too, is a creator. She is Devi of the flesh. When she forgets this, or when her power is bound too tightly or oppressed, She suffers. Thereafter Devi created man from the body of Woman and in the image of Woman, as an expression of the divine masculine, to lend variety and stability to Woman. The genes he contributes to the creation of other humans act as a protection against disease. Man was created to support and love Her, and to be the enchanted witness to creation and describe, count, and catalog all that he sees. He is the tooth of the serpent - he who is shaped by the Desire to Know, but who, without Love of Devi, becomes a lost fragment, not privy to the bigger picture.
The Devi and the dasa
The Living Goddess is the embodiment of the Divine Feminine. The center of Her spiritual Hive. She fully acknowledges that She is Devi Herself in differentiated and consecrated form, as a human Woman. She is both fully human and fully divine. She has made herself a clear and open conduit for Devi’s Desire, while at the same time maintaining a perspective unique to her place in time and context. Her many human faults make her a deity that one can see, hear, touch, and relate to. Without them, she would be made of stone. But at times she will seem distant and will need long periods of quiet meditation to remain grounded in everyday reality while being ever attuned to Desire. The dasa is the ultimate expression of the divine masculine. He is supportive in every way, facilitating ease and flow, adding stability, order, and security to the life of his Living Goddess. He is a witness to Her, fully and deeply aware of Her divinity, paying careful attention and recording both Her Desires and Her acts of creation. More than an average devotee, he has made Her his life’s focus. In turn, She has opened his heart wide, tamed his ego, and led him to better understand the nature of his existence and his reason for being. He is fully able to take on her concerns as if they were his own, and he will take on any task or any role in order to bring her pleasure and joy. He is sometimes the messenger between the Living Goddess and others, a protective layer to keep her annoyances and distractions to a minimum.
Laboratory Earth
The universe which sprang from Devi has in it a laboratory, a sandbox within which contrasts and compliments are mixed and matched in endless experimental glee. The laboratory is Earth, and there is nothing in the universe like it, with the conditions made just right for the ripening of Desire in three dimensions. The lab is sealed off to maintain the integrity of the experiment, and the dimensions beyond its doors can scarcely be imagined by the humans within. Though self-aware they are sealed in, with only the device of the mind to probe limits beyond their senses. That is until the Desire to Know uncoils, fully awake within them, to give them a different kind of sight.
The Purpose
Here
The point and purpose of living is to experience and enjoy the awe inspiring variety and complexity of Devi’s ongoing and endless creation. In doing so, you are able to love Devi, be a conduit and tool of Her Desires, and realize unity with Her in a very real way. This eliminates fear and anxiety. When in love with Devi, the vibration that makes up your being, consciousness and body are tuned to be in complete harmony with everything around you. You experience a feeling of connection to all. Conflicts fall away, and your intelligence, awareness, and empathy increase. Creativity, abundance, and ease envelop you. This is not a difficult path if you are able to simply remember. Remember the Mother. Devi consciousness uncoils the serpent within, and the Desire to Know fully awakens. You gain knowledge of what moves beyond the laboratory Earth. You gain an understanding of the bigger picture, which cannot be described in the language of words.
Hereafter
Devi Doctrine doesn’t teach a concept of an afterlife, nor heaven or hell. In death, like a drop of water in a vast ocean, “that which is you” returns to merge into Siva - “that which is not.” Reincarnation exists only in the fact that every bit of energy that is created gets cycled and recycled into something new. The energy which animates you and gives you conscious awareness is no different. You are but a mechanism, or a program, designed to gain a unique perspective on the answer to Devi’s question “What am I?” The goal in this life becomes orchestrating a connected existence of exuberance and fearless exploration while learning to understand what you are, as well as what lies beyond the senses. There are mysteries unspoken. Energetic and emotional echoes and reverberations of your unique presence remain on Earth forever, as well as any acts of creation you contributed to the planet, be they knowledge, art, or human offspring. What echoes and traces will you leave behind?
Bhakti
Actions/Behaviors of the Devotee
The Devi Doctrine is primarily a path of devotion or “Bhakti.” But action, knowledge, and direct experience play significant roles. The Bhakti path removes arrogance, jealousy, anger, hatred, and egoism and replaces them with divine ecstasy, bliss, and wisdom. The Devi devotee seeks to open the heart and release fear, and open the eyes and see what is real. Being given a point of focus, someone to whom they can surrender - a Living Goddess in which to pour their love and service - is a true gift to a devotee. It clears the path, smooths the road, and puts them on a fast track to a fulfilled existence. When you find your Living Goddess, you know. You are filled with something akin to obsession. It is called Cathexis. Cathexis is a prerequisite to falling in love. Cathexis is the heart-opening process and love is the result. Cathexis is the feeling that makes you keep the Living Goddess foremost in your thoughts because you cannot help otherwise. It focuses life energy in a singular direction, like the inner compass pointing true North. It sets the stage for devotion. You may dream of Her. You may hear Her voice in your head when you are alone. Your thoughts always return to Her. These are signs that she is your Living Goddess and you should approach and offer your devotion and service. A devotee who has committed fully may earn the honor of being called “dasa” by their Living Goddess. It means servant of the deity, or one who has surrendered to the deity. It has been translated as “slave” though it has nothing to do with non-consensual chattel slavery. As the devotee steps onto the path, however, they may face challenges within them which create a detour or pause their journey. These are quite normal and can be overcome
The 4 Internal Challenges
The Challenge of Impatience
When one finds their Goddess it can lead to a feeling of frenzy. You want to do everything. You want to know everything about Her. And you need it all to happen right now. Your only want is to be in Her presence or in constant contact at all times and absorb all you can. Enjoy the feeling, but do not allow yourself to become agitated and impatient when things don’t move as quickly or as intensely as you would like. Your Goddess may first deliberately test your patience before offering up any other lessons. Allow the frenzy to settle into a steady, easy hum that propels you through your day
The Challenge of Entitlement
If stuck in a transactional mindset, one might feel that when one is doing so many things to please and serve the Goddess, one must be entitled to some small thing in return. That something could be Her time and attention, words of praise, a smile, acknowledgment, favored treatment, or quick responses to one’s email. It is this sense of entitlement that creates uncomfortable feelings of resentment, not the Goddess Herself. Her only obligation is to allow you to view Her as an object of veneration and graciously accept the love you pour into Her, that your heart may open and your ego lay down in obedience when in Her presence.
The Challenge of Ennui
One must face the fact that often being a devotee can be tedious. You may be asked to engage in repetitive routines and rituals. You may have to do tasks and drudgework that is not particularly stimulating. Don’t let boredom set you off course. If you forget that each and every action is an act of love and devotion, you may begin to moan, whine and complain. In doing so, you tell your Goddess that what she wants from you is unimportant and that Her wishes are putting you out when you could be doing so many more fun and interesting things. Instead, focus on doing everything well and with conscious intention, even waiting for your next instructions.
The Challenge of Centering
To adjust to the Bhakti path you must begin to pay close attention to where you center your perspective. You may be surprised at how often you view yourself as the main character in the whole universe’s story. How often can you catch yourself recognizing that you’ve centered your wants, your needs, your values, your expectations, and your point of view? The Goddess provides you the opportunity to grow your empathy ten thousandfold. And you do this by simply re-centering your perspective with Her as the central character. It takes careful study, but try to begin to see everything from the perspective of Her values, wants, needs, vision, and point of view. You will find your mind expanded.
The Remedies
Nandi
The concept of Nandi is named after the bull Vahana (mount, or vehicle) belonging to Shiva, the Adi Yogi (that means original yogi, in contrast to Siva, which is the broader concept of “that which is not.”). He is meant to show devotees the proper attitude. Shiva was known to go into deep meditation for very long periods of time - possibly thousands of years. Nandi, his bull, would sit waiting for him, a contented look on his face, resting, with one hoof raised and ready to stand at any moment. His waiting was not passive. He was not sleeping. It was an active, aware, and alert kind of waiting. If Shiva changed his facial expression, Nandi would notice. He was ready to spring into action and be of service whenever needed. The contented look on his face showed that he was willing to wait forever without complaint. To overcome impatience and ennui, practice being like the bull Nandi. Challenge yourself to ever-extended times of sitting in alert patience or mantra meditation without falling asleep.
Seva
Seva means selfless service. This is not service done to make yourself feel righteous for having been such a good and kind person. It is done without any motives other than the act of service itself. It is utterly empty of transactional thought or expectations. It’s not done for personal gain or to gain favor or gratitude from others. It is plainly motivated by the wish to serve. It helps to get ego out of your way and to increase empathy and attunement to the needs of others. To practice selfless service you only ask what needs to be done, and do it. In doing so, you may feel a strange sense of immeasurable joy, which may become addictive. But don’t go in with that feeling as your end goal. Approach it as a service for the sake of service alone. It is also important that you not use it to judge and compete with others, comparing notes on who serves more. This is a great remedy to decenter yourself and remove feelings of entitlement. It also keeps you from getting bored and occupies your time so you can avoid impatience.
Puja
Puja is a daily ritual of devotion. The devotee keeps an altar and sits before it in communion with his Goddess (or Goddesses). Usually, there will be an image of Her at the center, or a symbol representing Her. First, he will cleanse his body. He will bow deeply in reverence to her image and strike or ring a bell or gong. Then he will offer the elements (incense as air, lamp or candle as fire, water, and salt or something of substance grown in earth, as well as an oil to represent ether) and other gifts such as flowers, coins, perfume, fruits, sweets, etc. The gifts should be significant to his individual Goddess. This is followed by Her favorite mantras, reciting Her name 108 times, and/or a pledge to the Goddess which She has written for this purpose. Only if instructed by Her, he may engage in self-flagellation to remind him to remain disciplined, or masturbation (without orgasm) to raise erotic energy as an offering to Her. And, if there is time, this is followed by a period of meditation and/or contemplation on the Goddess. He will end the puja with another deep bow or by laying his body face down on the floor to position himself as low as possible before her image, and a final ringing of the bell. Puja is a beautiful reminder of your place and purpose and will ease the frenzied or agitated mind.
Darshan
Darshan is looking upon or making visual contact with the deity or holy person. In person, Darshan can often involve a lesson given by the Goddess, or a discussion where She answers questions. The devotee will sit at her feet and gaze upon her intently. If he is lucky She will make eye contact, which is a powerful form of blessing, personally acknowledging the love and service of the devotee. Some Goddesses will allow the devotee or devotees to bow and kiss, anoint, or worship Her feet. It is the direct interaction between devotee and Deity. But Darshan need not be in person. One may receive Darshan by simply gazing upon an image - a photo or drawing - of his Goddess, looking deeply into Her eyes. It is often enough to bring about incredible feelings of love and an altered state of consciousness for the devotee. And doing so while also hearing a recording of Her voice can feel no different than if She were there in person. In some more powerful instances of Darshan, the devotee may feel compelled to cry, laugh, dance, moan, or even flail on the floor in ecstasy. He may feel he has been shot into outer space. This is a powerful remedy to decenter the self, and will cure any sense of mental agitation, fear, or ennui
The Five Steps of Serving a Living Goddess
Surrender
The first step is necessary before any of the others. This is the realization that you truly want your life to be led by the Living Goddess. You sincerely have no wish to be in control. In trust, with open eyes and an open heart, you let go of fear and surrender to Her Desire.
Submit
Yield to Her authority, and put up no resistance. You say yes. You learn to know Her. Your ego lies down quietly at Her feet and you obey Her.
Sacrifice
Sacrifice things that once felt important but no longer have meaning or do not serve you on your path. Superficial attachments dissolve. For Her, you can release what needs to be released. You realize the insignificance of minor matters that once loomed large.
Serve
Be of practical use in making Her life better, easier, and more pleasurable. Find pleasure in your ability to be useful and competent, and take on every task as an act of love. Serve without expectation.
Survive
This is both the survival of human life on Earth renewed by our devotion to the Feminine, and the survival of your spiritual commitment to Devi. You persist and endure, your steps steady and assured.
Actions/Behaviors of the Living Goddess
Embodying Love
A Living Goddess must be able to allow people to love Her. This may be harder than it sounds. It is an active process of attracting and drawing out love from another, cleaving their heart wide open. It is allowing Her power as the embodiment of love itself to flow freely through Her and reach out and pull others in seemingly effortlessly, like a vortex. It means being unperturbed and unafraid when someone falls to Her feet and proclaims that he is Hers. She must fall in love freely and often whenever She sees someone’s heart. She is capable of experiencing all flavors of love. But She must also be able to sit firm in Her own power of Desire, not allowing the desires of others to sway Her away from Her own. Her Desire is the ultimate guide. It is the Desire of Devi moving through Her. She has the unique privilege and responsibility of being the catalyst for Her devotees’ spiritual evolution, and the focus of their efforts
Devi’s Desire
A Living Goddess is an agent of Devi’s Desire. Devi’s Desire is not an immutable proclamation from on high; not the “will of the gods” unfathomable and imposing. For the Living Goddess, to know Devi’s Desire is to simply sit with the question “What do I want?” And it may begin very small. “I want a drink of water.” But as the Living Goddess becomes more practiced at asking, She will find the larger answers which resonate like the strike of a gong through her entire being. It is not an analytical process of reasoning and guessing what She wants. She allows the answers to come to Her and checks them for authenticity. “Is this what I want?” What She wants will move Her. The answers for every Living Goddess will be different because She is a unique expression of Devi. But if answers align among Goddesses, a broader Desire is being expressed.
Consecration
Consecration of the Living Goddess can happen in many ways. It may happen through Her own long and steady Sadhana (spiritual practice: meditation, trance, puja, etc.) that She comes to the moment when She realizes Her readiness. It may happen without warning, like a bolt out of the blue, that She enters a trance, sees the design of existence laid out before Her, and instantly knows Her role in it. This is spontaneous Shaktipat (a transference of spiritual experience or awareness) from Devi Herself. She may also be consecrated by another Living Goddess, receiving Shaktipat from Her, and may even be mentored in creating Her Temple and Hive. Consecration is the alchemical process of becoming holy and sacred, of becoming fully conscious of the self as Divine; of the self as Devi. It is common for devotees to refer to a consecrated Woman simply as Devi or Devi followed by her first name. Every Woman has the innate potential to be realized as a Living Goddess; a few are born wielding this power from day one. Not every woman will want to be consecrated as a Living Goddess, as she has a different path to take and different concerns, and she does not wish to take on the responsibility of becoming the central focus of the devotion of many. However, obstacles to a Woman’s wish to be consecrated might be issues of ego. Either she has become mired in the perverse feminine and wants to be worshiped out of the need to feel important and to use her power over others to assuage her feelings of insecurity, or her insecurity and lack of self-knowledge make her feel unworthy. The motivation to become a Living Goddess will emerge from a sincere wish to serve and lead others and from a profound understanding of Devi’s Desire.
The Holy Humanness of the Goddess
It is important for the Living Goddess to maintain Her humanity. She should show Her devotees that she feels the full spectrum of human emotion and is capable of real empathy. She should eat, breathe, shit, and orgasm as a Woman, and enjoy all aspects of Her human existence. She is still a one-of-a-kind participant in the infinite multiplicity and diversity of the planet. Her intuition will be heightened and Her perspective on all of existence broadened, but her body of flesh and blood is still crucial in Her role. She may be more inclined to live a healthy lifestyle, but she can suffer illness and injury just as Her devotees suffer. There are no hard and fast protocols on how a Living Goddess must speak or behave. Each is marvelously unique. Her purpose is to attract specific devotees who can attune to Her Desires and ho wish to have a living human Woman onto which to focus their feelings of love, devotion, and service. Divine love becomes a fully embodied experience of Divinity, not an abstract one. Humans can begin their spiritual evolution through the worship of a statue of stone or bronze, however, Women are the natural embodiment of love for human beings, beginning with our first feelings for our mothers when we are infants. It is a path more comforting and familiar for most. There will be times a Living Goddess begins to lose Her human inclinations. When this happens She will dive deep into extended meditation, lasting days or weeks. During these times She is exploring and expanding, gaining new wisdom, tracing new energetic channels between Her and devotees or other Goddesses, or recharging Herself to emerge again with greater energy. Or She may be preparing to leave. A Goddess of very old age or experiencing terminal illness will eventually stop communicating with devotees directly. She will spend more and more time in meditation, resting on the subtle edge of “that which is not.” It is best not to disturb Her during these times, but to carry on with your devotions.
Sacred Practices and Rites
Along with the essential concepts of Nandi, Seva, Puja, and Darshan, there are many other rites and practices that may be a part of life in a Gynarchic Hive. Each Living Goddess should keep Her own private Book of Rites with more detailed instructions for carrying out sacraments, ceremonies, and rituals. These are best not made public in order to protect the sanctity of each Hive’s religious system. But within the congenial Gynarchy network, the Goddess may reach out to gain knowledge from other Living Goddesses. Her own knowledge and Her Desires will shape the spiritual culture of Her hive. There will be practices that are specific to each Hive, but most will participate in at least some version of the following:
Meditation
Mantra meditation is effective at bringing the practitioner closer and closer to the most subtle vibration of existence, thereby allowing them to reset their nervous system and bring the peace of Siva out into their everyday life. Mantras should only be given to the meditator by their Goddess and will be a bija or “seed” mantra (or a string of seed mantras). These are words in Sanskrit chosen for the specific power of the vibration of their sounds. It is best to keep the mantra secret between the meditator and their Goddess, and not share it with others. During the initial meditation, the mantra is first repeated out loud. It is repeated in progressively quieter tones until it is barely audible. It is then repeated only within the mind, silently. After the first meditation, it never needs to be spoken out loud again except at the request of a Goddess.
Sitting comfortably with the eyes closed, and breathing normally, the meditator repeats the mantra mentally for 21 minutes, allowing all thoughts to come and go without trying to direct them or force them away. If the devotee gets lost in thought they should gently return to the repetition of the mantra. It should feel effortless. At the end of 21 minutes, the meditator stops the repetition, sits with eyes closed for one to two minutes, and then gently comes back to their normal waking state. The point of the meditation is to occupy the space between waking and sleep for long periods, which causes brainwave coherence and a total refresh of the entire nervous system. If possible, this should be done twice daily, in the morning and late afternoon or evening.
Cyclical Rites
Full and New Moon Rituals
The Divine Feminine is cyclical. And our calendars used to be kept by looking at the moon. The full moon is a time when energies are at their peak and about to subside, and it is a good time for letting go of what no longer serves you. The new moon is the best time to state intentions and begin new endeavors, using the pull of the waxing moon to add momentum. The new moon is also an excellent time to engage in dream rituals as the lack of reflected sunlight means sleep is deeper and less disturbed.
Solstice and Equinox Celebrations
The Solstices are when we experience the longest and shortest days of the year, and the equinoxes are the midpoint in between. Since the beginning of agrarian society, we have marked these times as times for planting and harvesting, feasting and rest. The Winter Solstice celebrates the return of the sun, as days begin growing longer, so festivals of light are common around the world. At the Spring Equinox, the ground begins to thaw, seeds begin to sprout, and we celebrate rebirth and renewal, a time full of color. The Summer Solstice celebrates the peak of fertility, with sexual and transformative rites. And the Autumnal Equinox is time for a great harvest feast and to celebrate the abundance of diverse expressions of Devi.
Celebration of the Birth of the Living Goddess
The birthday of your personal Living Goddess is a time for celebration and gratitude. You serve Her well all year, but at this time it is time to stop everything and just recognize the important role she plays in your life. Devotees should place the Goddess upon a throne, surrounded by opulence and beauty, and make offerings of things She loves. Write poetry and songs in Her honor and enjoy a feast of her favorite foods. Look to this day as your Hive’s New Year.
Yoni Puja
Yoni puja is the worship of the yoni - the female sexual anatomy, as the symbol of the cosmic source of all. The yoni of a Woman at the peak fertile time of her cycle is preferred, although sculptures and yoni-shaped stones may be used in her place. Men occupying their “animal nature” and not ready to show respect and reverence should not be included. There are similarities to daily puja, with elemental offerings and gifts and mantras chanted. Liquids are poured over the yoni and collected in a vessel, and the resulting mixture is sipped by all participants. Participants may make wishes upon the yoni or ask for blessings, and then there is a period of contemplation of the yoni before the puja is done.
Menses
Menses are the time of rest for all Women. A Woman may mark her “red tent days” (the time of heaviest bleeding, usually at the start of her cycle) as times when she is not to be expected to take on any responsibilities. She should not even be expected to cook food for herself. This is a dedicated time for relaxation and extra pampering. She may get massages and enjoy free bleeding either in her own tub, outside in the garden (menstrual blood is great for fertilizing plants), or in a section of a warm bath house dedicated to this purpose. She may lay naked and be washed with hot flowing waters as she unlocks her pelvic muscles and releases all tension.
Rites of Passage
Isolation and Embrace
Every Hive should have a quiet room equipped with a shower, toilet, comfortable mattress, and a chair, with plain undecorated white walls. Every new initiate to the Hive must spend between 3 and 9 days alone, with no screens, no books, no entertainment, and no human interaction beyond the silent delivery of plain but healthy meals like quinoa, oats, soups, and smoothies. We all must understand what kind of madness we suffer. This isolation period allows one to get in touch with one’s own mind, untangle one’s anxieties and neurosis, and understand our levels of patience and coping skills. It’s also a detox from the noise of the world, a way to clear one’s head. Slowly books, music, and writing implements will be reintroduced to the initiate. Plant medicines may be administered, such as Bobinsana to help remove melancholy from the brain. They will then be brought out by the Queen and greeted by a small group of 3-5 members who have been through the same or similar process. The initiate will have an opportunity to process all the thoughts and feelings that moved through them during isolation and talk about ways to soothe their demons. They may go on walks and engage in physical exercise, and they will be given warm embraces to welcome them into the fold. After spending some time with the small group they will be introduced to the larger community with a celebratory meal and given their own room or living space. The initiate may be given a day to acclimate before taking over any jobs or responsibilities they've been given, or, if they wish, they may be trained right away and jump right into the rhythm of the Hive.
Naming Ceremony
Upon being accepted into a Hive, Women are supported in choosing their own name, and their surname can be changed to the first name of a Woman in their family or a woman they admire. They may also choose to change their entire name or, conversely, affirm their love for their given name. Men may maintain their given name or petition their Queen or a female partner to be granted a new name, which is considered a high honor. Names may be changed legally at the state or county courthouse, and all members are given step-by-step instructions on how to do so. When a name is chosen, it will be entered into an official register, and there should be a ceremony to reintroduce them to the Hive. Every Hive member will greet them with their new name and offer a small symbolic gift. Their name will be chanted by the group followed by applause and celebration.
Relationship Ceremonies
When two or more people enter into official relationship contracts they may gather close family, friends, and/or all members of their Hive to witness their promises to one another and hold them accountable. It can be as casual or formal as they like. They may exchange symbols of their bond such as bracelets, rings, collars, or piercings. Indefinite contracts can be celebrated with a tattoo. Meaningful bonding rituals and gestures can be designed or requested from the Queen/Goddess or friends. Likewise, all other types of relationships may be celebrated and honored, such as friendships, mentorships, housemates, or business partnerships, with pledges and symbols exchanged in the same manner. After the ceremony, celebrants can be given three days off from all responsibilities to enjoy each others’ company.
Introduction of a New Living Goddess
Whenever a new Living Goddess is introduced, She will hold darshan with all devotees. One by one, devotees will approach to bow at Her feet (and kiss them if She allows it), and make offerings. A lamp will be lit and presented to Her and she will in turn hold it in front of each devotee for a moment to share in its light together. Her name will be chanted by the group 108 times, followed by the ringing of the bell or gong. Matras or songs may be chanted or sung, according to Her wishes. If she has special roles planned for certain devotees she will give those out to them at the first darshan, or devotees may approach and offer her their specific skills.
Temple Consecration
Living Goddesses may be in charge of building a Devi Temple. This is an art to which She should apply her intuition and individual vision while holding in mind some important elements of classical temple designs, such as placing the entrance in the East, and having a womb chamber that cannot be viewed from the entrance, where a permanent altar to the Goddess will be placed and puja will be performed daily. Altars and images of other expressions of Devi may also be included. Care must be taken to think about the movements of rituals and how the space can accommodate them with natural ease. The temple also must provide the proper atmosphere for devotees to enter and contemplate their Goddess at any time. When the temple is complete the entire Hive should attend the consecration, wherein Darshan is held and the first puja is performed.
Mourning Rites
When we lose anyone or face the end of a relationship or era in life, we must have ways to experience that mourning fully. Mourning rituals are held for the devotee with those closest to them. They are stripped down in a warm space and gently touched, anointed with oils, massaged, and embraced by those who love them. Here they will allow their emotions to flow. They may weep, moan, scream, or rage, and all the participants will echo their expression of emotions like a perfect mirror. When they weep softly the room weeps softly. When they shout the room shouts. If they wish to bring their painful feelings to the outside from deep within, they may include flagellation, piercing, or cutting, which unlocks repressed emotion. The goal of the ritual is that the mourning reaches a peak where the mourner has the sensation of taking flight, and then they are slowly brought back down for a gentle and affectionate landing amongst their loved ones.
Cremation
Cremation releases the final energies of the body to the absolute stillness of Siva. It is important that each member of a Hive write down their wishes for the handling of their cremation after death. They should enter into meditation before creating the document, and be as detailed as possible about their funeral wishes. Their body will be taken to the crematorium if a traditional funeral pyre cannot be arranged. Their ashes may be spread in places of their choosing or shared among their Hive, friends, and family inside art or jewelry. In some cases, a dasa may want to make a tea and ingest a bit of his Goddess’s ashes as part of his mourning ritual. Ashes may be kept on the altar and placed on the foreheads of devotees at the funeral, or stored in a display that honors the Hive’s members who pass.
The Left Hand Path
These practices are not for everyone, and they take a deep dive into the Dark Feminine, dancing with shadows and playing with our hidden thoughts and emotions. The Left Hand path purposefully breaks taboos and gives our most disturbing mysteries a proper outlet so they do not become neglected and invade our everyday lives. We welcome the shadow and give whatever it holds a place to play. I will only share vague descriptions as these potent rites should be esoteric knowledge passed directly through the network of Gynarchy. They are to be kept in every Goddess’s individual Book of Rites as she learns and leads them.
Repentance Ritual
In this ritual men are allowed the opportunity to repent for the harms done by all men who came before them. Masochistic men stand in for those who have hurt us, and face painful retribution. This is an outlet for women’s rage and men’s guilt to be alchemized and absolved.
Ego Annihilation
This ritual helps to get the ego out of the way and helps the practitioner gain a more universal perspective. The strongholds of reactive ego resistance are discovered and systematically destroyed. This rite can take the participant through deep feelings of humiliation and then bring them back, relieved to be rid of that which sets off unwanted emotional triggers. It is a new freedom.
Dream Rituals
The Living Goddesses are known to enter into the dreams of their devotees and these rituals can be intentional group dreams where the participants then come together to talk about the symbols and emotions that showed up. This may provide answers to questions, or help the Hive have a clearer understanding of Devi’s Desires, or it may simply be a bonding ritual between Devi and devotees.
Breathwork
There are breathing techniques that bring on altered states of consciousness even more powerfully than psychedelic drugs. The journeys taken through the process are individual and can be surprising, often allowing the breather to go back in time and deal with past traumas or even to return to the experience of their own birth. These rites work well for therapeutic sessions.
Succubus Rites
Imagine if the voice of the Living Goddess could be installed into your own mind to observe and guide you. What if she could be perfectly mentally cloned and rule you from within? A long process of meditations and hypnosis, often lasting six months, makes this possible.
Blood Sacraments
Rituals of piercing, cutting, and flesh pulling are powerful ways to enter into altered states of consciousness and have erotic and ecstatic experiences of Devi. A male who offers up his blood opens his body and mind in new ways and has the experience of Feminine seeing. He is lost in the Beloved. This can also expand the subject’s resilience through rituals of endurance and ordeal.
Harvest of Sexual Energy
There are points throughout the year during which individual sexually active Women reach a peak of sexual arousal and desire. This can last a few days or a month. At that time the Woman is said to be ripe, and her libido becomes so strong that she can concentrate on little else. This is the best time to harvest sexual energy from the Hive toward specific intents. It is the time for sex magic. Various tantric techniques will be brought into play. Using the Woman’s most taboo or highly charged sexual fantasies as a script, members of the Hive bring her eroticism to a frenzied crescendo, sharing in her ecstasy. They then speak the collective hopes and plans they wish to bring to fruition in the format of chants or rhymes.
Abortion Sacrament
Unplanned pregnancies should be rare within Hives, given the focus on sex education and women’s choice. But if a woman has to make the unfortunate decision to terminate a pregnancy for whatever reason, she may return the potential of new life to Devi in a holy sacrament that helps her process the resulting grief. This is a Women's only rite performed in a small group
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