I’m reading a fascinating book called Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha by Rachael Wooten, PhD.

I first encountered the Goddess Green Tara when one of my mermaid besties did a program for our Goddess group in the fall of 2022. At the time, I was actively grieving the recent loss of my Dad. 

My friend led us through a guided meditation, based on the Tara book, to meet Her. I felt a strong connection, and it was comforting and nurturing. In my journal, I captured the experience: 

Tara said, “Oh little sister, take comfort from me,” and enfolded me in her arms. It made me cry.

While the book was still sitting in my TBR (to be read) stack, I also ran across a Tara chant on the music streaming service I use. I’ve been reading about Tara’s 21 emanations, slowly, one at a time. I added the chant to one of my music playlists. While listening to that mystical playlist in shuffle mode on the way to yoga class this past weekend, I thought to myself that I’d love to hear that Tara chant again, and it came on next; this playlist is more that 4 hours long, so that’s a fun synchronicity moment. 

The owner of the yoga studio we go to also asked BlackLion and I to join her and another musician in creating a kirtan band. It’s something we’d all talked about a year or so ago, but the timing of focusing on learning and playing chants is another sign.

Green Tara is connecting with me, and open to me connecting with Her. Or reconnecting, perhaps. 

I took my first hatha yoga class in my early 20s, at the YWCA, and I’ve been studying and practicing ever since. I’ve incorporated meditation into my daily spiritual practice, studied various Eastern philosophies, and continued the physical yoga practice off and on. As an eclectic Pagan, I would say that Hindu and Buddhist traditions are the ones that I align to most easily.

I’ve been called to these practices even more strongly lately. Something shifted for me when my Dad crossed over. As one of my friends and mentors said, when a parent dies, half of your source DNA moves beyond the veil, and that triggers transformation. I’ve also crossed into full menopause, which is another major life transition. 

As of this writing, I’ve been doing yoga and meditation every day for more than 14 months in a row.

When I asked my spirit guides why Green Tara is appearing in my life now, I was told that not only do I have strong past-life connections to Her, but it also makes sense given how my practice of yoga has deepened over the past couple of years. Connecting with this mutable Goddess who has many different aspects and emanations also works well with my Reflector nature (in Human Design terms).

And so, after decades of working with Brigid, nearly ten years of devotion to Yemaya, and a more recent connection with Nyx, another Goddess archetype is calling me forward. Thank you, Green Tara!

I’m going to continue reading about Her, and will also incorporate some of Her rituals – offerings, chants, and meditations – into my spiritual practices. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more about the journey with you here in these posts. In the meantime, if you can recommend any books or other resources on Green Tara, I’d be most grateful.