Roar Like a Goddess: Every Woman's Guide to Becoming Unapologetically Powerful, Prosperous, and Peaceful

Praise for Roar Like a Goddess

Acharya Shunya, the first female head of an ancient Vedic lineage, brings the powerful Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati alive for our modern context with her vivid pre-patriarchal interpretations of their qualities and activities. She offers direct practices to locate these goddess energies within ourselves. The book provides an ongoing point of reference to refresh our goddess connections in the face of everyday challenges. Her personal stories and those of other women offer inspiration and guidance for readers to strengthen personal agency, dedication to self-care, and care of others based on wisdom, self-respect, and respect for all life.

Rachael Wooten, PhD

Diplomate Jungian analyst and author of Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha

What Acharya Shunya has accomplished in this book is nothing short of a reinterpretation of the Hindu tradition, harnessing its mythic power for the empowerment of women of all faiths (or none). Her command of a vast and varied tradition is unmistakable, her wisdom is evident, and her enthusiasm is infectious. This is a book destined to be life-changing for anyone bold enough to enter into its symbolic world. It not only rocks—it roars.

Rev. Dr. John R. Mabry

author of Spiritual Guidance across Traditions

One of the gifts we receive from the Indian tradition is the recognition of the Divine Feminine as Shakti, the nondual energy of life. The goddesses of India are faces of the one great Shakti, and each of them has her own nature—which is a facet of our nature. When we know how to internalize and contemplate these goddess energies, their Shakti can transform us from within. Acharya Shunya beautifully reveals how understanding and practicing with these goddesses can empower a woman to experience her own deep power, beauty, and wisdom.

Sally Kempton

author of Awakening Shakti and Meditation for the Love of It

"Roar Like a Goddess is a portal to the power of the three wisdom goddesses that lie within each of us. This book is a transmission that will awaken and empower you."

Tracee Stanley

author of Radiant Rest and Empowered Life Self-Inquiry Oracle Deck

"Through my work as a yoga advocate and spiritual activist, I’ve found it increasingly important to turn to ancient spiritual texts as a blueprint for modern living. In her newest book, Acharya Shunya does just this: through discussion of goddess legends and theory, she provides actionable information for empowerment and establishes herself as a unique voice in the field of yogic and feminist studies. Unafraid to speak truth to power, Acharya Shunya’s voice is powerful and resonant like a channeled message for us from the divine goddesses of Vedic culture. There are many messages and practices that all will find useful, regardless of gender identity. I love the meditations and affirmation practices particularly as a foundation for self-development, as well as a powerful addition to my personal practice. Roar Like a Goddess is a timeless book so needed right now, in our times. It is a resource and a delight to read that I will be turning to again and again."

Susanna Barkataki

author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots

"Roar Like a Goddess is a much-needed clarion call for every woman (and man) to stand up and exclaim: ‘I’m willing to be seen. I’m willing for my voice to be heard. I’m willing to be fully connected to myself. I’m willing to own and express my place of value, purpose, and belonging within myself and in the world around me.’ Shunya’s is not an ego-centric petition. Hers is one that also exclaims: ‘I’m willing to see you, hear you, stay connected to you, and welcome you as equally empowered as I am.’ Shunya’s words are not a request but a clear-hearted demand that this modern era asks of all of us—all women and all men: to stand up and affirm our interconnectedness and express our full potential as human beings. Filled with keen insight, inspiring stories, and potent exercises, Roar Like a Goddess is a treasure and pleasure to read—a seminal work for all of us who wish to embrace a clear path to knowing and standing up in who we truly are."

Richard Miller, PhD

founder of iRest Institute, developer of iRest Meditation (iRest.org), and author of iRest Meditation: Restorative Practices for Health, Resiliency, and Well-Being and The iRest Program for Healing PTSD

In this modern compendium of ancient Hindu goddess mythology, Archarya Shunya teaches us how to harness our divine rage with power and precision—like focused fury from the forehead of the goddess! Thank you, Archarya, for this potent gift. The aim of divine rage is not vengeance, but to reorder the world.

Valarie Kaur

author of See No Stranger and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project

"Roar Like a Goddess is my favorite kind of mythological book, as it demands the contemporary reinterpretation of the stories and archetypes we encounter and acknowledges their evolutionary nature. Acharya Shunya skillfully shows how we are the ones who must keep the Goddess energies evolving and alive within us, which will ultimately lead us to becoming the fully sovereign, authentic beings that we were born to be."

Meghan Don

author of Feminine Courage: Remembering Your Voice and Vision Through a Retelling of our Myths and Inner Stories

"Roar Like a Goddess is not a book about the Goddess; it is the voice of the Goddess, bold and clear, with a message ancient and ever new: You are That. Drawing from her life experience, the inspired wisdom of the Vedas, and a fearless commitment to support spiritual awakening for all, Acharya Shunya has gifted us with a revolutionary guidebook for living truthfully, compassionately, and fully. Nothing less will bring forth the healing necessary for our families, nations, and our planet. Gift this book to yourself, your mother, daughters, friends, and allies. It’s time."

Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian

spiritual director of Center for Spiritual Enlightenment and author of The Jewel of Abundance: Finding Prosperity through the Ancient Wisdom of Yoga

"Roar Like a Goddess is one of the most introspective, thought-provoking works in the true spirit of ‘know thyself’ in current times. Who is a true goddess? What does it take to become one? Acharya Shunya takes us to an astute journey merging the ancient and the modern, guiding each one of us to rise to our Highest Self. A must-read for every woman out there, and perhaps men too!"

Somanjana Chatterjee

board member of Silicon Valley Interreligious Council

"In this timely and transformational book, Acharya Shunya offers spiritual seekers a much-needed gift: a rational, sensible, and eminently practical understanding of the Divine Feminine in all its diverse expressions. With engaging storytelling and a treasure trove of practices, Roar Like a Goddess shows the way to communion with the Goddess within all of us, regardless of our gender or belief system."

Philip Goldberg

author of American Veda, The Life of Yogananda, and Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times

"Tuning in to the archetypal and symbolic energies of Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati offers us a way to embody our inner power and self-agency at a time when we are all being called upon to wake up in the world. If you need to find or refine your voice and would like to encourage others in your life to do so too, please gift yourself and everyone you know a copy of Roar Like a Goddess."

Felicia Tomasko

editor in chief of LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health and faculty at Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Religion and Spirituality

"Roar Like a Goddess is radical permission to embrace our holy wrath, highest pleasure, and deepest authority for the benefit of all beings. The Goddess herself pours forth and transforms our consciousness directly through the stories in these pages. Acharya Shunya shows us how to let our own lives become the very vehicle of the Divine Feminine. If our world has a path forward, this is the map."

Vera de Chalambert

public theologian, spiritual storyteller, and Harvard-educated scholar

"Roar Like a Goddess explains the unique and complex theology of Shakti in an accessible manner . . . to all who seek an understanding of reality that views the body, mind, and consciousness as inhabited fully and without limit by the Divine. Acharya Shunya opens up the possibility of self-transformation and self-affirmation through the practice and path of the Divine Feminine—to all who have known oppression."

Rita D. Sherma, PhD

author of Radical Immanence: An Ecological, Emancipatory, Hindu Theology of the Divine Feminine and director and associate professor, Graduate Theological Union Center for Dharma Studies

Roar Like a Goddess

Also by Acharya Shunya

Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom: A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, and Live with Vitality and Joy

Sovereign Self: Claim Your Inner Joy and Freedom with the Empowering Wisdom of the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita

Roar Like a Goddess

Every Woman’s Guide to Becoming Unapologetically Powerful, Prosperous & Peaceful

Acharya Shunya

I dedicate this book to the roaring memory of my mother.

Full of Power, as Power is Your Body O Goddess,

You are the Time-honored One, Supreme Mistress of the Universe;

You are the Shakti, Imperceptible Divine Power of All Conscious Beings,

Both the Visible and the Invisible are Your Forms O Goddess!

Lalita Sahasranama Stotram, translated by author

Contents

Prologue. It Is Time to Roar Like a Goddess

Introduction. The Search for the Hidden Goddess

Part I. Durga

Chapter 1. Durga: The Power Inherent in Every Power

Chapter 2. When Raging Is a Goddess Thing to Do

Chapter 3. Roar Like a Goddess When Accosted Sexually

Chapter 4. The Goddess Path to Unconditional Self-Respect

Chapter 5. Establish Boundaries to Live Royally Like Durga

Chapter 6. Defy Stereotypes to Live Like a Goddess

Part II. Lakshmi

Chapter 7. Goddess Lakshmi and Her Beautiful Symbolism

Chapter 8. The Greatest Wealth Comes from Valuing Your Self

Chapter 9. The Four Goals of Life and Goddess Lakshmi

Chapter 10. The Value of Discontentment in a Goddess’s Life

Chapter 11. Lakshmi Shows the Path to Generosity

Part III. Saraswati

Chapter 12. Saraswati’s Mythology and Awakening Insights

Chapter 13. The Goddess Path of Discernment and Sovereignty

Chapter 14. Saraswati Says Wake Up and Face Your Trauma

Chapter 15. Goddesses Don’t Harbor Irrational Feminine Guilt

Chapter 16. Saraswati: The Teacher and Giver of Lasting Inner Peace

Epilogue. Roar Alongside Your Goddess Community

Acknowledgments

Notes

About the Author

About Sounds True

Prologue

It Is Time to Roar Like a Goddess

The authority and dominance associated with the act of roaring are not typically associated with the human female on our patriarchy-ruled planet today. Vocal expressions generally attributed to womankind usually fall into several categories: First there are the submissive, soft, melodious, sing-song, wispy, out-of-breath, cute-as-hell, daddy’s-little-princess voices; next are the always-questioning, never-decisive voices, placating and overly persuasive, begging and imploring, Can you help me? I am a damsel in distress; then there are the nagging and whiny voices, and—how dare women enter male territory—the shrill, strident, bossy, and bitchy voices; and last but not least, there are the come hither, foxy, sexy siren voices. Of course, these voices are not the real, fundamental representation of womankind. They have emerged from the internalization of a cluster of self-lessening beliefs collectively known as patriarchy.

Patriarchy is a system of beliefs that put men first. It promotes a society dominated by men: sexually, emotionally, economically, religiously, and of course, politically. Patriarchy is not simply a phenomenon that invades individual minds, specific families, or isolated feudal cultures. It is a ubiquitous, insidious social disease, difficult for most women to ignore and still harder to uproot because patriarchal beliefs morph, adapt, and reappear in every era and every society, ancient or modern.

In a climate of patriarchy, the most difficult leap a woman will ever take is to trust her true voice—the one I compare to a roar. Despite the difficulty, it is time for all women to discover who they really are, to claim their true status in the human jungle and roar with their innate, lioness-like power.

Through spiritual knowledge that awakens and liberates us from stereotypical scripts, women can begin trusting themselves and learn to roar against the facades of conformity and other self-diminishing habits they have become accustomed to over time. As simply being human is not yet enough for women to feel safe and celebrated on our planet, it is time for women worldwide to look inward and roar with bold, goddess-like self-recognition!

If you are feeling skeptical about or unfamiliar with the concept of roaring like a goddess, it may be due to the way the term goddess has been defined to you, perhaps as some angelic entity in a faraway land. Let me reassure you that the goddess I am referring to is the same as your higher Self. She is not far away geographically, but near you. She is you. This goddess represents wholeness and alignment with your hidden spiritual Self and its power and true potential.

I grew up in the Hindu culture worshipping Divine Feminine as multiple goddesses, all representing different facets of One Supreme Goddess known as Shakti. What began as devotion to a divine entity situated somewhere far beyond me has culminated into a deeply affirmative friendship with the goddess who dwells very close to me, in fact right inside my heart as my own Self.

This single recognition, that the goddess is none other than my higher Self, helped me experience empowerment in my different roles as a teacher, daughter, mother, wife, and conscious citizen of our planet. I am not simply a devotee anxiously waiting to be redeemed by goddess grace, but rather a roaring goddess-woman herself, who has found her true voice and who could actively help herself by exploring and unearthing latent goddess attitudes and strengths from within!

That is why throughout the book, I will keep gently reminding you that while you can certainly access divine grace by connecting to a goddess outside you, it is also important to recognize the goddess powers lying latent within you. Your true Self is a direct portal to the goddess dimension of this universe. This means you’re not limited to seeking aid from an otherworldly feminine divinity; you can unearth goddess-like strength buried within your very being, here and now. In fact, every goddess power is available to you.

Goddess power is:

• Divinely sourced from within, not obtained from the world externally

• Self-existing, not created unnaturally

• Self-celebrating rather than self-effacing

• Self-validating rather than externally validated

• Infinite and grows with expression, not in limited supply

• Bold rather than fearful

• Equal rather than superior/inferior

• Self-aware rather than self-conscious

• Vulnerable rather than defensive

• Sharing rather than hoarding

• Creative rather than copying

• Generating flow rather than struggling

• Peaceful rather than worrying

• Flexible rather than rigid

• Abundant rather than scarce

• Unifying rather than divisive

• Adorned rather than garish

• Critiquing rather than criticizing

• Direct rather than harsh

• Enjoying wellness rather than illness

• Joyful rather than sorrowful

• Roaring rather than meowing!

In the chapters to come, you will meet the Supreme Hindu/Vedic Goddess Shakti and her chief goddess manifestations:

• Durga, the goddess of power and self-determination

• Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance and inner contentment

• Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, peace, and self-actualization

In addition to sharing timeless goddess mythology, I also share a revolutionary revisioning of the Divine Feminine, bringing the archetype, personality, and behavioral traits of these three goddesses into a modern context, which I hope will help you discover these traits within yourself and lead an emotionally liberated life, in the here and now.

I have personally found great solace in these three goddesses. Durga models how to embody courage in the face of challenges and how to enjoy healthy goddess-like rage when that rage is necessary to discover our true voice. Lakshmi teaches us how to love ourselves, value ourselves, and be ourselves. Saraswati demonstrates the way to finding lasting peace within by expressing our goddess roar at last.

Their stories and teachings will help you free yourself from the invisible prisons of patriarchal control and begin leading a more empowered, abundant, and enlightened life with an enhanced ability to love yourself, champion yourself, and reach the goals you set for yourself, undeterred by internalized misogyny or institutionalized patriarchy. It’s true that strides have been made in gender equality—and it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate those advances—but as a society and culture, we still have a long way to go.

The oppression of women is multilayered and has been upheld by cultural norms, tradition, and religions through inequalities in the workplace, the law, and even the home. Some of the glaring examples still affecting Western women, as reported by the Guardian, are a legal system historically designed by men; the lingering misrecognition of rape as simply an excess of male desire; a police force carrying a legacy of sexism; the cultural and religious shaming of sexually active women; the objectification of women’s bodies; pornography; the fact that women in general are discouraged from speaking out.¹ This is why, despite doing all the right things in their womanly roles and ticking all the boxes, many women—consciously or unconsciously—believe that they will never be enough. When you internalize these three goddess archetypes, however, you will embody unapologetic power, prosperity, and inner peace!

How This Book Is Different from Other Goddess Books

In this book I offer an in-depth exploration of the Hindu goddess archetypes, for the purpose of breaking free of patriarchal conditioning and letting go of internalized misogyny. Like all books on mythology, this book also sheds light on fascinating legends that transpired once upon a time involving allegorical characters, humans, beasts, demons, gods, and of course the goddess herself. But I don’t stop with the verbatim retelling of the tale. Since I am a scholar of Hindu scriptures, like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita, I use my expertise, collectively known as Vedic wisdom, to decode the symbolism behind each goddess and offer insights and practices you can implement in your life, right away.

Therefore, the goddess stories in this book will not just move you or thrill you with supernatural adventures of goddesses in a bygone era, but they will also potentially transform your life forever by imparting spiritual insights and psychological tools to help you roar with your true voice, today.

Currently, you may be a sleeping goddess. To awaken to your goddess powers, all you need to do is embrace new goddess attitudes and a lifestyle of abundance and wisdom. Then, you will step outside the imprisoning boxes of patriarchy, transform your life through lived power, and even become a source of empowerment for countless other women.

Nothing in your life is random, not even the darkness. Nothing is an accident. All that you encounter in life are gifts of the highest order.

Acharya Shunya

Fifteenth Day of November, 2021

Note: Although I use the term women throughout this book, all beings who identify with the feminine gender or who have suffered any kind of oppression (no matter their sex at birth or gender identification) can benefit from this book because the desire to be truly powerful, prosperous, and peaceful is an ancient, unforgettable instinct. To roar with authenticity and inviolable self-respect is an innate human inclination.

The terms Vedic and Hindu are used interchangeably throughout the book. The word Goddess is capitalized only when addressing a goddess by name. Finally, I have provided my own original translations of the verses, hymns, and other chants quoted from ancient goddess texts, unless otherwise noted.

Introduction

The Search for the Hidden Goddess

It takes a certain emotional willingness to step beyond stereotyped roles to access goddess consciousness, which represents total and absolute emotional and spiritual freedom. You need the defiance to belong to yourself first before others can claim you as theirs, a penchant to celebrate your true colors without resorting to trendy and approved masks to please others, and an insistence on honoring your inner flame despite the possibility of your relationships getting scorched by its intensity.

To be a real-life goddess, accumulating degrees and intellectual and professional accomplishments can be helpful and should be celebrated, but they are not enough—such achievements don’t have to be a woman’s ultimate accomplishment. Beauty and glamour alone, without empowered attitudes, don’t do the job either. Neither does a picture-book life with a husband, children, and a dog or cat, in a house with a white picket fence. In fact, in so many cases, the workplace accomplishments, the body and its beauty, and the home and family that women yearn for—and will do anything to have and hold on to—eventually become chains, binding them tightly within the restrictive lines of the patriarchy.

There is nothing wrong with wanting and having these things, but empowering and freeing spiritual instruction is needed alongside every worldly pursuit, so we women can realize our desires and not become damaged goods in the process. I wish our planet had goddess wisdom schools to impart the skills that deeply empower ALL women—such a thing would create a radical paradigm shift on our planet. Until that happens, it is up to the women who understand the art of living, and are roaring like goddesses, to teach the women who are ready to follow their lead.

My mother, a true roaring one, was my first goddess teacher—caring but strong, compassionate yet fierce in her convictions, generous but not beyond her own sovereign boundaries. She raised my sister and me with a lionhearted spirit in the India of the 1960s. Even then, most of society was estranged from its spiritual roots and entrenched in institutionalized patriarchy. My mom, supported by her ultra-progressive and loving husband (my father), undeterred and unintimidated by anyone or anything, taught us how to feel good in our own skin and appreciate our feminine bodies—and to feel enough in who we are, as we are. On her deathbed, she said, Don’t forget, goddess is with you, always looking out for you. She lives within you; you will never be alone. When you have no one else, not even me . . . you will have the goddess in your heart! Just call out to her!

For many years after Mom’s transition, which was shortly after my tenth birthday, something was missing in my life . . . a living and breathing feminine role model in whose heart great storms and greater stillness coexisted. Someone whose self-awareness was so vast that she could hold all my growing feminine angst. Someone with ancient soul wisdom, who would help me break down my doubts and apply goddess wisdom to my own life.

That is why even though I was quite the little goddess myself as a kid, self-assured and self-shining under my mother’s care, I started losing some of that fire after she died. And my goddess flame was all but wiped out when I got married for the first time and left my progressive-minded family to join my husband’s more conventional family with their entrenched values. My partner back then at least made a pretense to meet me where I was, but his immediate and extended family explicitly rejected my power and challenged my right to be who I was at every step. Subconsciously, without even being aware of it, I began to allow their patriarchal voices to grow strong in my head. Their voices suppressed my voice. Slowly, my inner goddess became concealed by the dust of false, self-limiting, societally imposed beliefs that I had bought into—hook, line, and sinker!

When we become forgetful of our spiritual truth, we abandon ourselves, suppress our needs, lose our true voice, neglect the goals we set out for ourselves, and never really undertake the journey to wholeness and self-acceptance we yearn for deep inside. Habituation, powerlessness, and fear conceal our divine