O Tara, Joy of the World,
let your presence be more fully known by us
clear away whatever obstacles there may be
and let the light, comfort and inspiration that you are be known ever more fully by us now
pacify suffering conditions and help us to live well
encourage us to outdo what we thought was possible before
stabilize whatever we have now of health, virtue, wisdom and good fortune,
and increase, to meet our needs, whatever we may lack
O Glorious Tara, hope of the world, to you we all pray,
May your blessings be upon us all, so that we can, each one of us,
achieve our aims, and peace, and fulfillment
~ Amrita Nadi, Prayer to Mother Tara (p.34 – 37)
The Goddess Tara is a Bodhisattva, the Savioress, and the Mother of Liberation; She who is a guiding light and bridge between the worlds. I also call her the Blessing Goddess and to her I turn for sanctuary and guidance. She is an action Goddess, assisting in transitions and delivering us through challenging times. Her forms are many and not only is she an important Shakti Goddess and a form of Shabda Shakti, but also the most popular Buddhist Goddess with 21 forms. Just like Kuan Yin, Tara’s practice has expanded globally and with it her capacity for compassion and intercession extends to all sentient beings.
The name Tara comes from the Sanskrit root “tri” which has two meanings:
- “to take across” – as in an ocean, a river, a mountain or a difficult situation. Tara is viewed as the Savioress – the saving knowledge.
- “a star” and “to scatter” as the stars in the heavens. Tara inspires our aspirations and leads the way as our heavenly guide.
OM precedes all other mantras. Only through their connection with OM can other mantras be effective or be understood in their specific natures. As such, Tara contains within Herself all mantras, and only through Her grace can we come to understand and use them properly. Tara is perhaps the most important Goddess of mantric knowledge, the very personification of mantra Shakti.” ~ Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses by Dr. David Frawley
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha
Om and Salutations to the Mother of All Blessings.
Om and Salutations. May the Mother of All guard and protect me and fulfill my needs.
GODDESS PRACTICES FOR TARA:
- Free TARA Goddess Meditation Circle on 4/2 – Archive available after
- Create Tara Crystal Grid for meditation and focus. For Green Tara use green aventurine, green calcite, green jade, malachite, peridot, pistachio opal, prehnite.
- Gratitude Practices – through journaling, gratitude jars, gratitude in action
- Mantra Practice – Aham Prema – I am Divine Love
- Mantra Practice using Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha (Tara Mantra)- Listen to my Tara Playlist
- Random Acts of Kindness
- Tune in and tune up your Heart Chakra
- Sip lotus tea while repeating her mantras
- Pray for healing for yourself, loved ones, the world
- Request protection and deliverance from your challenges using her bija mantra TRIM (treem)
Ideas for Tara’s altar: Her image; images of a blue lotus (depicted in her hand); bowls of water, seeds, rice; candle(s); bell; dorje; mala for mantra practice; prayer flags or prayer wheel; Goddess mists or oils; crystals; OM symbol; white flower
Connect with Her in the space between sound. Reach out in prayer and devotion for assistance and blessings. Chant Her mantra or just play it during meditation and feel the Goddess Seed of Tara being planted in your soul. Soul healing, emotional healing, physical healing, wherever there is a gap or wound, Tara’s gentle, sustaining presence fills and soothes – just invite Her in.
May the Blessings of the Goddess Tara come into your life and lift you into communion with Her bright presence!
OTHER FORMS OF TARA
April 2 is Tara’s birthday in her form as the second of the Mahavidyas, the Tantric Wisdom Goddesses, and she represents Fierce Truth and Fierce Compassion. In this form, Tara is similar to Kali:
Kali and Tara are similar in appearance. They both are described as standing upon a supine Shiva in an inert or corpse-like form. However, while Kali is described as black, Tara is described as blue. Both wear minimal clothing, however Tara wears a tiger-skin skirt, while Kali wears only a girdle of severed human arms. Both wear a garland of severed human heads. Both have a lolling tongue, and blood oozes from their mouths. Their appearances are so strikingly similar that it is easy to mistake one for the other. Tara is shown standing in Pratyalidha posture (in which the left foot is forward). Her Bhairava (consort) is Akshobhya, a Bodhisattva who is in the form of a cobra coiled around Tara’s matted hair. She wears a crown made of skulls of five meditating Buddhas. Tara has eight forms called Ashta Tara and the names are Ekajata, Ugratara, Mahogra, Kameshwari, Chamunda, Neela Saraswati, Vajra, and Bhadrakali. Tara is said to be more approachable to the devotee (Bhakta) or Tantrika because of her maternal instincts. wiki
“White Tara is particularly associated with healing, protecting and stabilizing your life-force.” ~ Gelek Rimpoche
Compassion, mercy, unending love, protection, and peace are the gifts that White Tara brings to us. Breathe in Her love and breathe out all that creates chaos in your mind and life. Breathe in Her light and breathe out the patterns and energies that are heavy and bringing you down. Breathe in Her protection and breathe out fear and sadness. White Tara is vigilant in her healing, filling devotees with her soothing, moonlike calm and augmenting their life force with her own.
She is also called Sita Tara (Pure Tara) and in Nepal she is called Saptalocana Tara, Seven-eyed Tara. Her distinguishing features are, of course, her seven eyes (the two on the face, her third eye, and one eye in each palm and the sole of each foot) and her position on the lotus which is meditation posture with both legs tucked. She may have two or four hands with one in the boon-giving gesture and one holding lotuses at three stages of growth.
It is said that “the mere sound of her name dispels death, sickness, misery, and bestows long life”. Her areas of particular influence are healing and long life. Some sects call her Myrtyvancana Tara – Tara Who Cheats Death. Her healing can cure not only physical but psychic ailments as well.
Read my full article on White Tara
White Tara Mister from Kim at Murphy’s Essentials (Also available with CBD Oil)
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE NAMA TARE MANO HARA HUNG HARA SVAHA
TARA RITRÖ LOMA GYÖNMA is peaceful and yellow red like saffron. Devotedly reciting her mantra dispels all deadly epidemics. Upon her utpala flower is a round vessel filled with nectar. Her eyes are like the sun and the full moon. From the sun of her right eye shines radiant light, destroying all disease-bearing beings. From the moon of her left eye, a rich stream of nectar descends healing all forms of disease, including their causes and consequences. ~ TaraMandala.org
Listen to Her Mantra here for stopping epidemics (YouTube)
Priestess Yeshe Matthews is doing a mantra practice for Tara Ritro Loma Gyonma every Saturday on Facebook Live
“Tara is the feminine form of OM or OM personified as Goddess. Tara is the unmanifest sound that exists in the ether of consciousness, through which we can go beyond the entire manifestation. Tara is OM that has the appearance of the ether and which pervades the ether as its underlying vibratory support, but also transcends it. OM is the unmanifest field behind creation, which is the destroyer as well as the creator of the universe.” Dr. David Frawley, Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses
Resources for the Goddess Tara:
My Goddess Tara Playlist on Spotify
Green Tara Roll-On from Murphy’s Essentials (Kim also has a White Tara!)
The Gifts of White Tara – Sita Tara by Kimberly Moore
White Tara Wisdom Oracle by Ranjini George
A Collection of Prayers to Tara by Jason Espada (amazing online pdf)
Tara the Inner Guru (about her Mahavidya form) by jaimaa.org
Books:
Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses by Dr. David Frawley
Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna by China Galland
Meditation on White Tara: The Goddess of Vitality and Longevity by Lama Choedak Rinpoche
Tara the Feminine Divine by Bokar Rinpoche
The Cult of Tara – Magic and Ritual in Tibet by Stephan Beyer
GODDESS VENDORS WE LOVE!
- DaughtersOfIsis.com with Gwen Barry – Magical Essential Oil Blends & Incense
- GailJessenDesigns.com with Gail Jessen – Sacred Jewelry Design
- MurphysEssentials.com with Kim Murphy – Healing & Magical Essential Oil Blends & CBD
- Red Priestess with Brandi Auset – Goddess Sprays and Crystals
- SacredWell.com with Yeshe Matthews – Crystal and Treasure Shop
GODDESS SPIRITUALITY RESOURCES
MOTHERHOUSE GODDESS TEMPLE – Goddess Calendar & Free Community Events
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