INTRODUCTION One of the things that struck me most about the introduction was some of the poetic language used to describe Ma. Most powerful was the section speaking about the Divine Shakti worshipers view of the cosmic truth. In essence, we live in a world of illusion and all our attachment to earthly things leads to our downfall. Through mother worship of Kali, we are able to transcend the illusion (sometimes very uncomfortably) through her divine destruction. For me personally this hit home because of my relationship with Ma. She comes closest to me in life when things seem to be falling apart. I’ll never forget my 1st teacher of witchcraft telling me about Kali. She explained that Ma was a protector of Women and Children and could be called upon in times of stress and hardship, but you’d never want to call on her for trivial things like remodeling your kitchen- because she’d burn your house down!! This introduction really pressed upon me the fear some associate with worshiping this seemingly terrifying Goddess. Truthfully it caused me to steer clear of her for a while because everything in my life felt so trivial, and I didn’t want to anger her! As time went on and my life got seemingly more complicated (as it does) our relationship became a lot closer. I faced devastating hardships like loosing my home and job to a flash flood, or getting diagnosed with a life changing illness. All of these moments I could see my life falling apart around my eyes. However, Ma always had something better on the other side for me. Like they say, you can have everything as long as you’re not attached to it. Give up and be carried by the divine will of Mother and your life will be better for it. This introduction captured everything I love about Kali. The poetry of her ways, and how it effects our life. How a fierce Goddess can stimulate our brain to reach greater levels. While without Her, we would be clinging to our fears and security blankets. There are so many beautiful messages Ma has to teach me, and I was delighted to be reminded of this one.