You are our Wisdom Dakini,
Effortlessly guiding us with your magic dance,
From ordinary beings to sublime beings,
Into desire less qualities. ~Thinley Norbu’s Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-Nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis
Dancing, naked and exuberant; the trickster spirits of of the Dakinis herald the sacred feminine in Tibetan mythology and Eastern mysticism. Similar to the raw female energy that can be evoked from the base of the spine in the form of kundalini, the Dakini represents the goddess-like element of intuition and the clarity of true perception.
She is a playful and often mischievous energy, requiring intense acts of humility for mortals to gain permission to enter her chambers, she can appear incredibly fierce and frightening to those who misunderstand her; drumming and dancing in her palace of human skulls.
The genie and the sky dancer, the Dakini can be confused with being highly sexual. Once you look past the initial layer of the Dakini, she appears to be anything but, and is actually merely a metaphor for the body, for corporeality, and the body’s capacity to hold knowledge. Unlike her male counterpart; sitting and gaining heady knowledge from the skies, the Dakini uses energy and action, constantly on the move in order to provoke the tribal knowledge from the depths of the root chakra.
In Tibetan mysticism the Dakini is a symbol of humility, and the feminine art of being humble, not believing oneself to be higher than any other and bowing so low that ones’ forehead touches the ground grants the practitioner passageway over the threshold of knowledge in order to gain access to the nature of existence.
Much like the misunderstood quantifying and glorification of the crown chakra and the mind in modern society in comparison to the root chakra, its forces of intuition and celebration of the power of the body, the raw female energy of the Dakini is often taken for granted or overlooked.
Giving and consuming overtakes true receptivity which enriches and balances us with compassion, self love and the ability to acknowledge that we have everything we need; both in our natural surroundings and in our own bodies. The sacred feminine requires nothing but the realization of her own potential, fed and nurtured by nature, and the satisfaction of her loved ones. The Dakini is true contentment; stillness, silence and the emptiness of the great void in all its potentiality.
Here are the various ways the Sacred Feminine and her army of Dakini deities may be expressing themselves in you:
The White Dakini of the East
White Dakinis are earth abiding and concerned with the cycles of karma. In the Dakinis of the Five Families White Dakinis are trustworthy, generous, and down to earth, granting worldly success to those who ‘compliment’ or please her.
The White Dakini is a little like a Bodhisattva in that she is interested in what it is to be human and will willingly be reborn as a human in order to connect with the earth and alleviate human suffering.
White Dakinis herald new beginnings and the act of being reborn; they are the most human being willingly drawn to the cycle of karma and have an active lust for life and its peaks and troughs.
The downside to them, if any, is that they can appear too innocent and sensitive; unable to overcome the pain of empathy for very long to help others rather than simply share their suffering.
The Yellow Dakini of the South
The life-sustaining thunderbolt Dakini of the South is radiant and flushed, pure and virtuous, she radiates compassion and is the most virgin and child-like of the Five. She will not let you be reborn into any lower realm and has a thirst for learning and life, though is known to become a trickster if displeased.
Unlike the more receptive forms of Dakini, the Yellow Dakini is more concerned with eating up life, and her naked form dances fervently in exultation of the highest reaches of bliss.
She desires and enjoys to the fullest, and is like any empress or indulgent queen; enjoying the riches of life without taking more than she needs, she lifts others up with her exuberant energy.
The Red Dakini of the West
The more knowledgeable Red Dakini of the West sings and dances, though she does so with more wisdom than the first two.
She is entirely wise and more giving; seeing humans as her children she is a mother to all. In more negative portrayals she can be associated with the flow of human blood and is perhaps the most misunderstood of the Five, she holds the deepest knowledge of the body and its life-giving properties.
The Green Dakini of the North
The Dakini of the evolved self is the most stern of the Five but is placid and symbolizes longevity and rebirth in paradise. Her stage represents pure wisdom, the time of enlightenment and the realization of Nirvana when the ego is transcended and the great void looks in on itself. Green Dakinis are lone warriors, often entirely fulfilled by their own purpose and unafraid to tread their own path.
T
hey are revolutionaries, leaders and visionaries; the purest expressions of experience, able to give and receive in perfect balance.
The Pink Lotus Dakini
The final Dakini is the embodiment of the Sacred Feminine and the purest expression of compassion and sacrifice. She lovingly desires humility and compassion from all her followers and her hand can turn to control Gods, demons and men if she so desires.
She is the fragrance of the flower; the highest expression of beauty and loving kindness with no self motivation she is there only to serve and to heal.
‘You are our undemanding slave,
Tirelessly serving us,
From ordinary beings to sublime beings
To fulfill our worldly wishes.’
Image Sources:
Red dakini
Yellow dakini
Dakini
Luke Brown
