Another of my first views of Kali: Ray Harryhausen's

A couple of months back I did a few posts on the goddess Kali and the places I'd first encountered her. I completely neglected perhaps the very first time I saw her. As a kid I was a big fan of the Golden Voyage of Sinbad. I loved Ray Harryhausen movies when I was a kid, and will probably eventually do a post on Harryhausen himself. The reason that I bring up the Golden Voyage of Sinbad was that I believe the first time I saw a representation of Kali was in this move. It was on basic cable when I was ~5 years old. If I recall correctly, she was a statue of the goddess that came to life to fight Sinbad.

(As a side note sci-fi geeks will be thrilled to know that the evil magician Koura was played by Tom Baker of Dr. Who fame. )

Though Kali's appearance in this movie did not follow the traditional mythos, I do not feel that her appearance should be seen as offensive.
Enter Heidi Klum and Seal. That couple has some of the greatest Halloween parties around. A few years ago when she was pregnant, she was the apple that tempted Eve with the serpent wrapped around it. Seal obviously had to dress as Eve. A very clever couple's costume (if a little sacrilegous). They seem to have some great ideas for halloween costumes. Last year they decided to dress up as Kali and Sinbad from the Golden Voyage.



Their costumes raised the ire of many Hindus who didn't feel that one should make fun of their goddess in such a way.
If Klum's costume was offensive, then it's inspiration in the Harryhausen movie should be seen as offensive, but generally it is not seen as offensive. I feel that some people have no sense of humor when it comes to sacrilege. If you want to be offended by a representation of Kali take on Jack T. Chick. His comic on Kali that I posted on earlier is much more offensive.
I believe that part of Halloween should be offending the fundamentally religious anyway. Dress like a pregnant nun accompanied by the Devil.

(as a side note: I believe that whoever designed these costumes did an excellent job.)

The Harryhausen movie was probably my first encounter with Divine Mother Kali, and it was interesting to me to see that that image is still influencing others much less geeky than me.

















My posts on Kali.















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Chick Tracts: my dirty little secret

I abhor fundamental Christianity, which is why I am so conflicted when it comes to Chick Tracts. For the uninitiated: Chick Tracts are small comics, booklets in a strip format that focus on the founder Jack Chick's extremely rigid boundaries of Christianity. They explain the problems with being anything other than a fundamental Christian. I am conflicted because I don't appreciate the rhetoric, but find humor in the propaganda. Some of them are also quite funny. I was reminded of my love of these ridiculous comics since I've been on my Kali binge. I recalled a Chick Tract entitled The Traitor. It is about how Kali worship and Hinduism in general lead to
evil acts.











Another of the many issues targeted by Jack Chick is rock'n'roll music. One of the Tracts that he wrote on the topic of rock'n'roll was Angels?











The premise of Angels? is one of a Christian Rock band The Green Angels that falls under the influence of a shady manager named Lou Siffer (Lucifer?). In the end it comes out that all rock music including Christian rock is the work of the devil.

The Absolute classic of the series is Dark Dungeons. It explains how role playing games lead the innocent into a coven. Personally I've always known that D&D is the gateway to Devout Satanism. Never mind all the debunking that has gone on since the 1980s.











I enjoy reading these greatly and received several as tips at a burger joint I was working at, perhaps it was Jack Chick's Kali that I first encountered. I don't agree with anything in them, but am somehow addicted to the cheesiness of the strips. I have almost gone into a Christian Bookstore (which is itself terrifying to me) to buy a wad of tracks to relish the glory of their trashiness.

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I Screwed up. I said in my last post that the first time I encountered Kali was from Batman. It was not Kali, it was a demon that had similar attributes. The Batman demon has facial hair, and Kali was never depicted as a bearded woman.

from Detective Comics 603, 8/89 $0.75

Perhaps the first time then that I encountered her was in BE HERE NOW.

Ram Dass, 1971 $13.13

Coming Soon: my commentary on my drastic haircut w/ pics. Plus a post on Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter



BE HERE NOW!

OBEY MOTHER KALI

This is a picture I drew over about 4 nights. I started out drawing the whole thing in mechanical pencil, then I inked it and finished with colored pencil.





I think the first time I encountered Kali was in a Batman comic in the late 80s. Next I met her through the BE HERE NOW. I began to understand her true nature. She is nursing with one hand and has a bloody weapon in the other. She is ugly, she is beautiful. She is Creator and Annihilator. She is mother, she is murderer. She creates a new era by destroying the old. Her Nature is of a nurturer and killer. When she kills her husband Siva she is bringing about a new era as our incarnation is tied to his. I really love the myth of Kali.

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