Devi Bhakta wrote,

> I am not aware of the nature of the "practical stuff" your aunt
> teaches you, but I would nonetheless clarify that *very* little of
> Shakti Sadhana consists of "theortical stuff." Upon closer and more
> serious examination, you would be hard-pressed, I think, to find a
> more practical and application-oriented discipline than Shakta.

Maybe, but what I see here lots of times is esoteric details, some of
them described with sanskrit terminology that I have a hard time
keeping straight. My university does not offer a course in Sanskrit.
I'd take it if I could.
Auntie Usha concentrates more on the basics, like how to
meditate, how to harness your inner energy, what are the best yoga
positions, stuff like that. And she usually has a goal in mind,
depending on the chick involved. We try to identify chicks who have
some specific need and try to help them. Some chicks are just shy.
Others have anger like I did. Others come from strongly patriarchal
families and need to gain more respect for themselves as women.
Auntie Usha will listen to what the one particular chick needs and
adjust the details accordingly. All this is based on what Auntie
Usha's mother taught her. They had a hard life in Calcutta, and they
relied on the Goddess as a source of strength and comfort.
Take mantras for example. I have seen people on this list
discuss at some great length how to pronounce some specific mantra.
Auntie Usha says the choice of mantra is yours and yours alone. After
all, the Goddess lives within your soul and she is the one you are
trying to communicate with. She knows you and knows what you want.
You don't need to communicate anything TO her. Goal is for you to
hear what she's telling you, not the other way around. So pick
whatever mantra you want. Purpose of the mantra is to concentrate
your thoughts and push extraneous chatter out of your brain so you
can better received the wisdom and the enlightenment the Goddess is
offering you.
At least that's the way I understand it. Maybe Auntie Usha can
clarify if I've misstated anything.

Yvonne