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G O D I N T E N 
The ten Cosmic Powers are considered as feminine entities whose consciousness is quite close to the consciousness of God, and who are like "administrators" of the creation.This is because their character is more subjective (in other words, the perception of their influence and of their manifestation is the subtle domain of consciousness) and less objective. However, the Hindu pantheon contains plenty appearances of these feminine deities who illustrate each in a symbolic manner their main attributes and characteristics in the Macrocosm. In the spiritual Tantric practice, the physical aspects constitute an important base in elevating one's consciousness. Besides the various iconographic representations and graphical symbols (yantra, mantra), the Tantric tradition confers a tremendous importance to the devotion of the ten Great Cosmic Powers. The spiritual purpose of such a procedure is that starting from the physical level, the individual consciousness gradually accedes to the state of transcendence characteristic to the Great Cosmic Power adored by the Tantric practitioner. Then, in an ultimate spiritual effort, the Tantric will accede to the state of Supreme Transcendent Void, origin and quintessence of any divine energy. Consequently, the principle at work in this case is that of gradual elevation of the consciousness, starting from the inferior levels up to the sublime, total experience of the divine transcendence, without neglecting, nor interdicting any "mundane" aspect. 
THE MYSTERY OF FULFILLMENT RESIDES INSIDE OF YOUThis approach of the practice and experience of the ten Great Cosmic Powers has a unitary, holistic character, in which the parts of the whole intermingle in harmony in order to create the image of the Whole. This aspect is obvious mostly in the awakening and ascension of the Kundalini Shakti. For instance, this energy may be either latent, "sleeping" in Muladhara chakra, or it may become active, purifying, activating all the levels of our being. This polarization of Kundalini has a different correspondent in the human being. Thus, when Kundalini Shakti is sleeping in Muladhara chakra the person is somewhat "awake" for the exterior world, even though this world is ephemeral considered through the point of view of the Supreme Transcendent Reality. When this energy is awake and active, reaching as high as Sahasrara chakra, the practitioner becomes "dead" for the outer world, yet unbelievably lucid and awake from the point of view of the divine reality. Each of the ten Great Cosmic Powers (Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Tripura Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamalatmika) has a characteristic sadhana, but still each sadhana has 3 fundamental points: 
1. Devotion to the image of the deity (that is the Great Cosmic Power chosen for devotion at a certain time);2. Concentration on the yantra (geometrical representation corresponding to the field of beneficial influence of a certain great cosmic power). 3. Mental emission of a mantra corresponding to a Great Cosmic Power. In the devotion for these ten Great Cosmic Powers we have, nonetheless, to differentiate the Great Cosmic Powers and Matruka. The first represent the gigantic spheres of consciousness of the divine energy and they encompass the whole universe, while the later represent the cosmic forces of the most important gods of the Hindu pantheon, and in the oriental tradition they are known as the consorts of those gods. They are: Maheshvari, Vaishnavi, Brahmani, Kaumari, Indrani, Narasimhi, and Varahi. Thus, with some guidelines clearly cut through the Tantric tradition and through the practice of the devotion of the ten Great Cosmic Powers, we will introduce brief and representative characteristics of each Great Cosmic Power in the following articles of this section.
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