"I had an epiphany. I highly recommend them."

[dreamer_easy]

The Indian goddess Durga is heavily armed, rides a man-eating tiger or lion, and is typically depicted in the midst of a butchering a demon. Despite this excitingly gory context, Durga's face is generally composed, calm, and smiling - not a hair out of place. This has long puzzled me. At LACMA earlier this year, I saw this stunning Javanese Durga;

Comments

[lillibet]

I had never heard of Durga when I visited an exhibit of ancient art from Cambodia at the National Gallery in 1997. It was a stunning exhibit, but the image that really stuck with me was this one:



Without a face, without arms, she is still full of grace, an emodiment of grace become power.

I think you've picked a good guide and protector for this work.

[dreamer_easy]

Oh, that is stunning. Because we can't see what she's looking at or what she's about to do, she seems to contain all potential - all power. There's a faceless "nature goddess" at LACMA who has some of the same quality.

I'm mindful that the worship of Durga is a living tradition from another culture. Neo-Pagans have an unhappy history of pinching stuff from other people and distorting it while declaring themselves experts. I hope I can stick with the attitude of the song I paraphrased in the OP.