We find Kali in Mexico as an ancient Aztec Goddess of enormous stature. Her name is Coatlicue and her resemblance to the Hindu Kali is striking. The colossal Aztec statue of Coatlicue fuses in one the image of dual functions of Mother Earth, which is both a creator and destroyer. In her different forms Coatlicue represents, “Lady of the Serpent Skirts” or “Goddess of the Serpent Skirt”, Cihuacoatl – “The Serpent Woman”, Tlazolteotl - “Goddess of Filth” and Tonantzin – “Our Mother” who was later sanctified by the Catholic Church as the “Virgin of Guadalupe, the dark faced Madonna. La Virgen Morena, La Virgen Guadalupana, the patroness and protectress of New Spain; and who is still the patroness of all Indian Mexico. Her statue represents her head severed from her body and from her neck emerges 2 streams of blood in the shape of 2 serpents. She wears a skirt of serpents girdled by another serpent as a belt. On her breast hangs a necklace sewn with human hearts and hands bearing a human skull as a pendant. Her hands and feet are shaped like claws. From the bicephalous mass, which takes place of the head and which represents Omeyocan, the topmost heaven, to the world of the Dead, extending below her feet – The form thus embraces both Life and Death. The embodiment of the cosmic-dynamic power which bestows life and also thrives on death in the struggle of opposites.
We find Kali in ancient Crete as Rhea, the Aegean universal mother or Mother Goddess, who was worshipped in a vast area by many. Rhea was not restricted to the Aegean. Amongst the ancient tribes of southern Russia she was worshipped as Rha, the Red One. Another version of Kali as mother Time clothed in her garment of blood when she devoured all the Gods. The same mother Time became the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon, who also devoured her own children one by one. This image of the cannibal mother was typical everywhere of the Goddess of Time (Kaal), who consumes what she brings forth; or as Earth who does the same. When Rhea was given a consort in Hellenic myth he was called Kronus or Chronos – Father Time, who devoured his own children in imitation of Rhea’s earlier activity. He also castrated and killed his own father, the Heaven God Uranus. Kronus was in turn threatened by his own son, Zeus. These myths reflect the primitive succession of sacred kings being castrated and killed by their offspring. It was originally Rhea Kronia, Mother Time who wielded the castrating moon-sickle or scythe, a Scythian weapon, the instrument with which the Heavenly father was “reaped”. Rhea herself was the Grim Reaper.
Scotland was once called Caledonia, the land given by Kali, or Cale, or the Cailleach. “Scotland” came from Scotia, the same Goddess, known to Romans as “a Dark Aphrodite”; to Celts as Scatha or Scyth and to Scandinavians as Skadi. Like the Hindus, destroying Kalika, Cailleach was known as the “Spirit of Disease”. One Manifestation of her was the famous idol, of carved and painted wood seen at Country Cork, and described as the “Goddess of Smallpox”. As diseased persons offered sacrifices to Kali in India, so in Scotland those afflicted by smallpox sacrificed sheep to this image. It can hardly be doubted that Kali and Cailleach were the same word. According to various interpretations, Cailleach meant either an old woman, or a hag, or a nun or a veiled one. The last apparently referred to the Goddess’s most mysterious manifestation as the future, fate and Death – ever veiled from the sight of men. In medieval legend Cailleach became the black queen who ruled a western paradise in the Indies, where men were used in Amazonian fashion for breeding only, then slain.
Spaniards called her Califia whose territory was rich in Gold, Silver and Gems. Spanish explorers then gave her name to the newly discovered paradise on the Pacific shores of North America, which is how the state of California came to be named after Kali.
The Black Goddess was known in Finland as Kalma (Kali Maa), a hunter of tombs and the eater of the Dead. The Black Goddess worshiped by the gypsies of Hungary was known as Sara-Kali, “Queen Kali” till this day. Sara is worshipped in the South of France at Ste-Marie-de-la-Mer during an yearly festival.
Some gypsies appeared in 10th century Persia as tribes of itinerant dervishes calling themselves Kalenderees, “People of the Goddess Kali”. A common gypsy clan is still called Kaldera or Calderash, descended from past Kali worshippers, like the Kele-De of Ireland. European gypsies relocated their goddess in the ancient “Druid Grotto” underneath Chartres Cathedral, once the interior of a sacred mount known as the womb of Gaul, when the area was occupied by the Carnutes – “Children of the Goddess Car”. Carmac, Kermario, Kerlescan, Kercado, Carmona in Spain and Chartres itself were named after this Goddess, probably a Celtic version of Kore or Q are traceable through eastern nations to Kauri, another name for Kali. The Druid Grotto used to be occupied by the image of a Black Goddess giving birth, similar to certain images of Kali. Christians adopted this ancient idol and called her “Virgo Paritura”, which means Virgin giving Birth. Gypsies called her “Sara Kali” “The mother, the sister, the woman, the queen, the Phuri Dai, the source of all Romany blood. They said the Black Virgin wore the dress of a gypsy dancer, and every gypsy must make pilgrimage to her Grotto at least once in their life time. The Grotto was described as your mother’s womb. A gypsy pilgrim was told to shut his eyes infront of Sara the Kali, and he would know the source of the spring of life which flows over the gypsy race.
The Greek had a word Kalli, meaning beautiful, but applied to things not typically beautiful such as the daemonic centaurs called “Kallikantzari” relatives of Kali’s Asvins. The city of Kalliopolis, the modern Gallipoli was ruled by Artemis Kalliste. The annual birth festival of Eleusis was Kalligeneia. Translates as “Coming forth from the Beautiful One”. Or “Coming forth from Kali”.
Lunar priests of Sinai formerly priestesses of the Moon Goddess, called themselves “Kalu”. Similar priestesses of prehistoric Ireland were “kelles” the origin of which can be traced to a hierophantic clan who worshipped the the Goddess Kele. This was cognate with the Saxon Kale or Cale, whose lunar calendar or calends included the Spring month of Sproutkale, when Mother Earth (Kale) put forth new shoots. In antiquity Phoenicians referred to the Strait of Gibraltar as Calpe, because it was considered to be the passage to the western paradise of the Mother.
Some Buddhists identified Kalika with their “Prajnaparamita” the Perfection of Wisdom, conceived her as a multi armed Goddess of wisdom and energy. Buddhist tantrics viewed Prajnaparamita as the original Buddha consort and over the time developed this vision further. They viewed her as saviouress Tara, “The Compassionate One”, “She who helps the devotee overcome suffering”. As the dark four armed “Ugra Tara, with the Dark Blue “Dhyani Buddha Aksobhya on her crown, she became the “wrathful saviouress”. Externally fierce to ward-off enemies and unbelievers but internally compassionate, “The Embodiment of Compassion”. Buddhists also knew the Dark Goddess or Shyama.
