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Likewise, many feminists have latched on to the Kali iconography, especially the image of her standing, apparently triumphantly, on top of an inert Shiva, to symbolize their own triumphal picture of “WomanPower” finally triumphing over patriarchy. For example, Lina Gupta writes, “[Kali] reflects the behavioral reality of a subjugated woman in search of her identity. The dark goddess is perpetually present in the inner and outer struggles faced by women at all times. Her darkness represents those rejected and suppressed parts of female creativity, energy, and power that have not been given a chance to be actualized” (37). As Rachel McDermott summarizes this trend, “Kali is taken as a symbol of the darkness and anger within, and acknowledging her is the route to healing” (277). This view of Kali is best exemplified in her inclusion in two different Tarot decks (those of Vicki Noble and Barbara G. Walker) using the “image of Kali to indicate transformation through the dark powers within” (McDermott, 293).
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