On the darkest night of
the year, some believers across India light lamps for Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth;
while others invoke Kali, the Goddess of Time, Destruction and Death. Lakshmi
and Kali are two aspects of the same cosmos which holds the mystery of all existence.
Therefore, Kali Puja / Diwali night is a celebration of cosmic wholeness. By
lighting lamps to dispel darkness on this night, people affirm Lakshmi’s light and
also surrender to Kali’s darkness. Between the two polarities — the “white
light and black void” of the cosmos – life renews eternally, attuned with the
cosmic rhythm of creation and dissolution.
