Ryeli's Blog

7 Secrets of the Goddess: Gauri's Secret  by Devdutt Patanaik This should be my last reading notes post of the semester, which is exciting for me! On this section, we get to meet a new goddess and learn more history. Kali was wild and free. Gaia was almost completely opposite. They both made men anxious! I think the theming of the book/video is unique for this topic. It truly never ceases to surprise me when all of the cultures link back to one or similarities are found between them all.  I found it amusing how both negative and positive thoughts are ascribed to demons and gods. The concepts of asuras and devas are also interesting. Though these associations are incorrect, I can see how they have been associated with one or the other. I also find it interesting because the gods never were "pure" or entirely "good" so it is funny to me. Our concept of a god is one that is aligned with devas, which makes sense in all religions. The goddess being nature t

I'm so beyond glad to be almost finished with the semester! Looking back, I'm proud of all the progress that I've made in this class and all of my others! It's looking like I'm coming out with pretty good grades, though I don't want to jinx it by saying it, but it's a nice feeling. For this class specifically, I've enjoyed getting to write weekly and get back into doing so on a regular basis. I like to write, so I think it's useful to write often. Even if I didn't like to write, I think it's useful. I've enjoyed being able to connect with other students during the course of the semester. I frequently would miss doing project feedback because I'm awful, but I would read some of the stories. Why I didn't just comment anyway, the world may never know. It's been helpful in my development with this course. It's helped me loosen up and have more fun, which I think is the most important thing. Life is too serious sometimes, it&

7 Secrets of the Goddess: Kali's Secret  by Devdutt Patanaik I'm interested to see what chapter two holds! The introduction of the picture to Kali is how I know her. I see her standing over Shiva, with a sickle in hand. I wasn't brought up knowing much about hinduism, but my parents tried to keep me well rounded, so I did end up learning some about Kali. Everything that I hear about her is very neat and the stories included in the video reflect that idea as well. It's cool how these videos, well, I guess this book talks about history. It's spoken about in many different ways that can link back to the singular goddess that is the focus and ideas that come from her. She-of-the-long-tongue was cool. Her being the Kali prototype makes sense when hearing it. India has a unique way of discussing sex and body, I find it very creative and different from any other culture. I think all of these interpretations of Kali are so different from Gaia. "Everybody and ever