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The Penny Pub

Nonfiction, culture-related writing prompts. A place to engage. Neurodiverse & queer writers are warmly welcomed and supported. We are a boost-eligible publication.

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THE PENNY PUB

A Tradition of Divine Feminine Power

This spirit lives in every woman who decides she will be brave!

4 min readJun 25, 2024

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An Indian Goddess against a colorful backdrop with her 4 children standing on either side of her.
Photo of idol of goddess Durga with her four children by on

Whenever I feel scared, I turn to my divine mother for help. Unlike my earthly mother, she has never failed me.

Every fall, my extended family stopped everything and congregated for ten days in my grandmother’s home in Kolkata, India. An annual family tradition, for those few days, our lives revolved around celebrating the return of the divine feminine power, goddess Durga, to earth, who came to every home that worshipped her.

As pictured above, Durga is often depicted sitting on a lion, accompanied by her four children, killing the evil monster man below her with a weapon called the Trishul, a trident with three sharp edges.

The word Durga means impassable, invincible, unassailable. Ancient Hindu scriptures have stories of this feminine god conquering all that is evil as the powerful female who will never be defeated.

To me, her story was fascinating because she when the male gods did not know what to do. She was incarnated to fight a demon that only a woman could defeat. She is the original Unsquashablegirl. Worshipping her is an integral part of my Indian heritage and tradition as a woman from West-Bengal, India.

The Penny Pub
The Penny Pub

Published in The Penny Pub

Nonfiction, culture-related writing prompts. A place to engage. Neurodiverse & queer writers are warmly welcomed and supported. We are a boost-eligible publication.

UnsquashableGirl®️
UnsquashableGirl®️

Written by UnsquashableGirl®️

A girl who will not be squashed, a soulmate dog, & metaphysical things. Instagram @UnsquashableGirl. Bylines- NY Times, TLS, The Revealer, Women Thrive Magazine

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