Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator
Parvati
The Cosmic Mother
Parvati, also known as Uma and Gauri, is one of the principal Goddesses in Hinduism. She is worshipped for her characteristics of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is Shiva’s wife, the reincarnation of his first wife, Sati, who sacrificed her mortal body to sever ties to her father who had insulted her husband.
Parvati is an aspect of the Divine Feminine principle and energy, Shakti. In this, she is closely related to Kali and Durga who are both also major Hindu Goddesses. Because of this, much like with the Egyptian deities, their stories often overlap. Parvati was born in the Himalayan mountains. The reason for her birth was so that Shiva would emerge from his life as an ascetic and turn to the life of a family man with a wife and children.
As Shiva is the resting creative principle, Parvati’s birth symbolises a cosmic event. She is the feminine principle that affirms and creates life, whereas Shiva is austere and denies himself taking part in it. Together they are in perfect balance between the spiritual and mundane path that is a central point in Hindu philosophy.
Parvati supports and expands her husband’s influence. She shows us how spirituality can be integrated into mundane life and that when both sides are in harmony and balance, great power can be achieved, both on a spiritual level, as well as on the material one. In modern times, Parvati is often seen as the submissive, dutiful wife who sacrifices for her husband. But this is not strictly true. It is the surrender to the guidance of spirit in her life that is the real symbol of her qualities. And yes, sometimes sacrifices are necessary to attain the greater good. Instant satisfaction can be sacrificed to long-term greater and higher goals.
As a mother, Parvati is devoted to her children, the most prominent being the Gods Ganesha and Kartikeya. Parvati is the creative force that sustains all life and the cosmos. She is creative, fertile and the force that energises Shiva. The world cannot exist without her. She activates and sustains all life. In Hindu temples, dedicated to the worship of Parvati and Shiva, she is symbolically represented by a yoni, a somewhat abstract stone sculpture representing the outer feminine genitals and he by a Shiva Lingam stone that has a phallic shape.
The name Parvati means “she from the mountain,” the Sanskrit word Parvata meaning mountain. As she is the daughter of the Mountain God Himavan or Himavata, the personification of the mountains of the Himalayas, and his wife Mena or Menavati, Parvati’s earliest origins stem from the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir. Parvati goes by many names and depending on scriptures, traditions and timelines, she is Sati’s reincarnation, or Sati is hers, or they are both one and the same.
The Essential Power
Some of her names are Uma and Aparna, meaning “Oh, don’t,” referring to not following the life of austerity or “the one born out of OM,” and “one who took no sustenance” respectively. Some of her other names are:
Ambika = dear mother
Shakti = power
Mataji = revered mother
Maheshwari = great Goddess
Durga = invincible
Bhairavi = ferocious
Bhavani = fertility and birthing
Shivaradni = Queen of Shiva
Moreover, one of her names is Tarjani, the name I gave to my second child. It means index finger and symbolises the power Parvati held in it. With this, she can bestow blessings or calamities upon her devotees, depending on whether she sees them in a positive light or wishes to punish them. It is also the finger that points in the right direction, giving direction.
On a spiritual level, this means that when you follow the guidance of Spirit, your Higher Self, or the intuitive messages and guidance from the Goddess or Divine Feminine energy, you are in alignment and flow, creating a good life inside and out in your connection to the creative life force energy. If you go against it, you are out of alignment, which will manifest in ways that show blockages in energy flow, negative conscious and subconscious patterns of emotions, thoughts and programming.
Tarjani is another of the Parvati’s names that is, to me, especially powerful, symbolising the individual’s power when in alignment, having power over their own lives and the ability to create it consciously in cooperation with the divine life force itself. It suits my daughter beautifully, as she is a strong woman and doesn’t take any shit from anyone, instead, following her own path with unwavering conviction.
As Annapurna, Parvati is the Goddess of abundance and nourishment. As Mahakali, she is ferocious, wears a garland of skulls or severed heads, wields a sword and protects her devotees by destroying all evil in the world. As Gauri, she is The Golden One, the opposite of the destructive and dark (black or blue) force that Mahakali represents. Her skin is golden or yellow, symbolising the harvest of ripened corn, which in turn symbolises abundance and fertility.
Parvati is not mentioned by name in the oldest Sanskrit Hindu texts, the Vedas. But in the Rig Veda, Ambika, Rudrani and others are found, and in the Upanishad, she appears as Uma and Ambika, symbolising the embodiment of divine knowledge (Shiva) and motherhood to the world. She also appears as shakti, or essential power of the Brahman (that from which all existence proceeds and to which all returns, or the ultimate reality of the universe).
Mother of Ganesha
Sati-Parvati is first mentioned by name in the epic period (400 BCE–400 CE), in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Some scholars propose that Parvati evolved from non-aryan Goddesses from the mountain regions, which makes sense when one considers that the earliest, pre-aryan finds in the Indus Valley are Goddess figurines from around 6,000 years ago. These local peoples were pushed back by the invading Aryans as they migrated from the West across the mountain ranges of Afghanistan into today’s Pakistan, Bangladesh and Northern India, spreading further South over time.
Parvati being the gentle aspect of the Divine Feminine, is usually depicted as fair, beautiful and benevolent. When depicted together with Shiva, she usually has two arms and when alone, mostly four, holding such things as a trident, mirror, rosary, bell, dish, goad, sugarcane stalk, or flowers, such as a lotus. When two-handed, she is mostly depicted holding her hands in the Abhaya mudra, which dispels fear, and there is also the Tarjani mudra, with the right index being raised, symbolising focus, vigilance, protection, caution and following a spiritual path by overcoming ego. (The ego is also symbolised by the index finger.)
Parvati’s son Ganesha is mostly depicted sitting on her knee with the younger Skanda playing nearby, but it can sometimes be one of her other children, too. In ancient temples, the Goddess is often depicted near a Cow, symbolising her being the Mother of the World, the Supreme Mother, as in Hindu mythology it was the cow that birthed the egg from which all of creation emerged.
When Parvati was born, she danced in the Himalayas with the grace of a Peacock and is luminous like the sun. Just as the sun dispels darkness, the moment Parvati enters the hearts of her devotees, she dispels darkness by bringing divine light, knowledge and wisdom, filling human hearts with love and wonder at the beauty of creation.
There are many detailed stories of Parvati and Shiva, how her devotion impressed him and made him revise his earlier decision to reject her, ultimately taking her as his wife, or how Ganesha came to be the elephant-headed God as we know him now. This is one of my favourite stories.
When Parvati had a bath, she asked Ganesha to guard her door, so no one would enter. Shiva, who hadn’t been to visit his wife in a long time, didn’t recognise his own son when he arrived to see her and because Ganesha, loyal and devoted to his mother, refused him entry. Shiva became so enraged that he cut off Ganesha’s head. But when Parvati emerged and saw what he had done, she was distraught.
Shiva, seeing the error of his ways, told her to look out of her window and the first creature she saw walking past would lend its head to her slain child. Parvati saw an elephant, and thus, Ganesha was brought back to life with an elephant’s head. To honour his devotion to his mother, he is the first deity to be invoked before any ceremony or ritual, and his symbol is hung over the entrance of houses for protection and blessing.
Freedom & Strength
Parvati is the voice of encouragement, reason, freedom, and strength, as well as of resistance, power, action and retributive justice. She is the power of Shiva, holding the balance between the masculine and feminine and giving moving energy to him for creation. As the most complex Goddess in Hindu mythology, she appears in a form depending on her mood – or the need at the time, to act as mother/nurturer, or protector/warrior/slayer, or any other of her forms.
When I connected to Parvati, she appeared as the beautiful, loving mother, gentle, yet so powerful that it took my breath away once again. I used to think, there is only strength in ferociousness, like in the Mahakali form or the Egyptian lion Goddess Sekhmet. This was due to the fact that I had to assume the warrior role in my childhood a lot. I was only heard and seen when I forced others in a way that they could no longer physically ignore. However, over the years, Parvati has taught me the power of gentleness and unconditional love which I previously equated with vulnerability and making yourself prone to being mentally and emotionally attacked and (ab)used.
Throughout my own personal healing journey, Parvati was my support and nourishment, yet my ability to receive this unconditional love and support had to be allowed and cultivated over years, so it is only in 2026 that I felt ready to write about this beautiful Goddess and channel a universal message from her for the world.
Parvati appears amid light pink rose blossoms that are floating through the air around her. The smile on her face is infinitely loving, and her hands are spread out, pulling me into a loving embrace.
“Thank you so much for coming,” I begin. “Could you give me a message for my readers, for the world?”
Her smile widens and I see joy sparkling in her eyes.
Meeting Parvati
“You have come so far since you first connected with the Divine Feminine. I’m so proud of you, my daughter,” she says, her encouragement and praise filling me with happiness. I know what she says is true and I knew it before. But it means so much coming from her.
She takes me by the hand, and we sit down at the lake in my heartspace, silent for a while, enjoying the nature around us and the warmth of the sun’s ray shining down on us. On the far side of the water, an Indian cow is grazing in the tall grass before the tree line. On the pond swims a swan, serene and unbothered by our presence.
“What would you like me to say?” Parvati asks, surprising me. It is not for me to decide what her message is.
She bursts into peals of laughter at my expression, her white teeth blinking in the sun. She is so beautiful. Reaching out, she lays a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m just joking around with you,” she says. “To lighten the mood. I know it took you a long time to connect deeply with me, but you made it now. You’ve shown so much devotion and determination to progress on your path. And it honours you that you are so serious about it. But don’t forget to be also joy-ful about it, as in full of joy. Having a divine connection that you can tap into at will is bliss, is it not?”
I have to agree, so I nod. She has lowered her hand from my shoulder again and I take it, so we sit hand in hand, looking out over the water. I wait patiently for her to begin. I think of how impatient I used to be. Now I can just savour the moment.
Parvati's Message
You know, your journey is that of many women. First, you no longer feel aligned with patriarchal religions, so you turn to spirituality, but still believe in the doctrines that were instilled in you. Anything powerful is male, even if you call it ‘it’. Then you change the vocabulary and think you’re spiritual. Next, you slowly work your way to the feminine principle and energy, but it still feels inferior to you. Male Gods seem more powerful to their female counterparts. This is not critique. It is the natural progression from being born into a world that has some much wounded feminine and toxic masculine.
Once you discover that the Feminine holds greater powers than you ever imagined, you start to free your mind and your subconscious programming. That leads to your inner pendulum swinging into the opposite direction, concentrating on your feminine energy and exploring her power within you. And finally, comes the point where you realise all things must be in balance to work in perfect harmony. That’s when you work on combining both within you in a healthy way. And that’s when you start to discover your true power, unfolding your feminine energy in a contained, structured and active masculine container.
Yes, the feminine has special, unique powers and women who harness those feel themselves growing in personal power and confidence. But you also need to focus and direct this powerful creative energy. And it’s not all roses and sunshine. Life throws curveballs at you and the difference lies in how you respond, instead of reacting.”
She lifts her index finger and a small ring of light, akin to a halo, appears around it, at the level of the last joint. Then the circle of light grows and expands until we’re both enclosed in it. I feel illumined from inside, unconditionally loved, seen, and cared for.
For your readers, I have this message. Love isn’t always gentle. It can be fierce when needed. Setting boundaries is healthy, too. But don’t mistake them for closing your heart and hiding behind walls as thick as a medieval fortress’s. Being guided by me means to follow the lead of your intuition, your Higher Self and your divine connection. And those three things are not mutually exclusive. In their essence, they are one and the same. Because you are a divine being, a Goddess in the flesh in your own right. The powers of creation lie within you, in your heart. Direct them with your mind, and you will manifest a life you’ve never been able to envision in your wildest dreams.
The more you feel my love, the more you can love yourself and others unconditionally, too. And I am here for you, to guide you, remind you, whisper knowing and wisdom into your heart, healing and expanding it. The Feminine is the creator of all life. And I am the Great Mother. You are here to heal and awaken others by example, show them that it’s possible and not merely wishful thinking. The revolution is an inner one, from the hearts of the women and all those connected to their feminine powers. I’ll help you change your world as I always have, even behind the scenes, and I always will.
My children of the flesh, the time has come for you to embody your powers. Don’t treat them as an abstract, intellectual principle. Be them. Be-come them. Be gentle, be fierce, be ferocious, be whatever it takes. Don’t suppress your feminine rage, either. Don’t play small and palatable. The more you step into your power, the more you will find that your presence alone sets the tone, your confidence shields you from ill-intent and your love and compassion will inspire and light up the world.
With this, she rises and helps me up, then bids me farewell, leaving me at the edge of the small lake where I linger to think of all she told me, feel the blissful emotion of being loved unconditionally, until it is time to return to the mundane world once again. We are the embodiment of the Divine Feminine, the Goddess, and we are infinitely loved and supported. May we always remember her love in wisdom as we navigate life – with all its curveballs and moments of bliss alike.
Tarot Card
Crystals
Amethyst, Lepidolite, Blue Lace Agate, Rose Quartz, Selenite, Black Tourmaline, Strawberry Quartz, Emerald, Rhodochrosite, Pyrite, Pink Sapphire