Seema Kohli – Parikrama
The Yoginis, a group of tantric divinities (usually 64 or 81 in number) are not mothers,
though the principal Yoginis are identified with the eight or Asthamatrikas. The
Kaulajnananirnaya text (probably 11th century CE) tells us that the Yoginis live in the sky,
and that when they wander the earth they assume the forms of earthly creatures such as
doves, vultures, swans, jackals, goats, buffalos, camels, cats. They can be fierce or gentle and
have been described by Jan Fries as “magnificent, magical and absolutely lethal” spirits.
The earliest allusions to a Yogini cult are from the 9th century and Yogini temples like
the one Seema visited at Bheragat are circular in design, with an open air environment,
were constructed between the 9th and 11thcenturies CE. The Yoginis of these temples
were the patron deities of the heterodox KaulaMargaor Path, their correct – that is tantric
– worship could grant great and magical powers.
In Seema’s life the Matrikas (“always motherly”) and Yoginis (“can be very ferocious”)
are real and operational. “These various energies are constantly actually making me feel
WOW,” she says, and “I cannot deny they are influencing my life and are a part of my
existence.” She describes them as“air” – light and invisible but nonetheless fundamental.