Goddesses of Ostara - Goddess Tara, Tibetan Goddess of Hope, Active Compassion & Enlightenment
Goddess Tara is a Tibetan Goddess of Hope, Active Compassion, Wisdom, Enlightenment and Rebirth adopted by both Buddhism and Hinduism. She is one of the most important, popular and beloved deities of Tibet, Mongolia and Nepal and is also revered by Buddhists and Hindus in many other countries..
Within Tibetan Buddhism Tara is regarded as a Bodhisattva of ‘compassion in action’ who manifests in female form. Tara is known as the Mother of all Buddhas and all the Buddhas are said to be born from her Wisdom Womb. She is also known as the “Princess Moon of Wisdom”, the “Embodiment of Wisdom”, “the Great Protectress” and “the Liberator”.
She is usually depicted seated on a lotus arising from the waters of a lake, surrounded by a rainbow-like halo or aura. Her right leg is extended, indicating that she is always ready to rise and come to the aid of those who suffer.
Her name means "star" in Hindi or “she who helps to cross”, referring to her ability to help navigate and to support humans in crossing to the other side of their difficulties or suffering. Indeed, she has always been worshipped as a ‘Saviouress’ - a heavenly deity who hears the cries of beings experiencing misery. She is believed to have the power to heal all sorrows and grant all wishes to her most loyal devotees (in this way she shares similarities with Mother Mary (of Christianity) and Kuan Yin (of Chinese Buddhism) and other “Compassion Goddesses” who have the ability to intervene and grant wishes where the staunch, more ascetic male gods may not.
Tara is the essence of the feminine, a Goddess who chose to be reborn as Buddha in the form of a woman, against monastic and spiritual rules that saw the human woman as an obstacle to the achievement of Enlightenment.
Tara has many forms and is often depicted with differently coloured skins, suggesting her realms of influence (traditionally there are 21 manifestations of Tara - including the Hindu Triple Goddess Saraswati - all of which are subsumed within her Green form). Her most common forms are White Tara and Green Tara which share similarities in that they are both Goddesses of Compassion however White Tara is seen to be a Goddess of compassion, healing and serenity and is usually seated in a peaceful lotus pose whereas Green Tara is seen to be a Goddess of ‘active compassion’ and skilful action - she’s ready to jump in, get stuck in and get her hands dirty to come to the aid of those who need her.
Alongside wish-granting and actively alleviating suffering, Green Tara also protects against bad energy - specifically, eight dangers, each of which is evocatively represented by an animal, character or element: the lion of arrogance, the elephant of ignorance, the fire of hate, the snake of jealousy, the thief of wrong views, the bondage of avarice, the flood of lust, prisons and greed and the demon of doubt.
Tara has a tantric aspect that is connected to creative and sexual energy - she is depicted as the tarot archetype of ‘The Empress’ in the Tarot Cards of Modern Goddesses deck (pictured to the left), highlighting her connection to fertility, abundance, femininity and sensuality.
The Green Tara also embodies the power of Mother Earth. She dwells in the forest and is known as Khadiravani (Tara of the Forest). Her powers of effecting salvation are said to be enhanced by the medicinal properties of the trees and flowers that grow there. Her connection to the Earth, the lush fertility of nature and abundance connects her with the fertile energies of Ostara, a time to celebrate the renewal of the land and the increasing fertility and abundance of the Earth.
HER MYTH
There are many differing stories about Tara as there are many different branches of Buddhism.
In one story, Green Tara was said to have been born from a single tear Avalokitesvara shed as he looked down from his heavenly perch at the suffering and horror of humanity below. A huge lake spread from that one tear, a lotus appeared and from inside it came the lovely Tara, bringing hope, optimism and bravery.
In another story, Tara was believed to be a mortal woman who yearned to become the first female buddha. Despite monks' warnings that she needed to be reincarnated as a male figure in order to achieve full enlightenment, she was determined to reach enlightenment as a woman.
To reach this goal, she prayed for the welfare of humans for over ten million years. Then she was transformed into a Goddess whose only desire was to ease the world’s pain.
The legend says that Buddha Tara took a sacred vow to incarnate throughout countless lifetimes only in female form in order to ‘counter prevailing, patriarchal misconceptions, demonstrate the true capacity, nobility and worth of women and prove that they are capable of full enlightenment.’ For this reason the Dalai Lama has characterised her as “the first feminist”, in the truest and best sense of the word, for her actions on behalf of females were motivated by love for all beings and the passionate desire that all should be free of the mistaken notions and views which cause them to suffer. (1)
Just as the eighth century Tibetan Queen Yeshe Tsogyal is believed to be Tara’s incarnation, several modern-day women are thought to be emanations of her.
WORKING WITH HER
Instilling Hope & Renewed Purpose
Goddess Tara can support us in connecting with a sense of hope, optimism and bravery. In this way she’s an ideal Goddess to work with around Ostara with its Spring-time burst of fresh, optimistic energy, themes of rebirth, renewal and fertility and focus on our intentions and goals for the new astrological year ahead.
Just as Ostara marks the point when the sun is reborn and the 'light half of the year’ begins to increase, Tara can connect us with a sense of a bright future, renew our sense of purpose and ignite the bravery to start taking those action steps towards increasingly shining our own light.
The guidance for the Tara card in the Goddess Spirit deck by Rachel Johnson illustrates her in this capacity:
Goddess Tara
Associated Tarot Card: The Star
Pantheon: Hindu
Hope - Star - Renewed Purpose
Goddess Tara is a symbol of eternal love and light. She has seven eyes to see all beings in all realms. Her Sanskrit name means ‘star’, and like a star, Tara brings hope and a sense of purpose. She has many forms, including white for peace, green for protection, and yellow for abundance.
Dreams and desires connecting to the soul’s purpose are aligned with divine timing. When in union with a bright, positive star, you’ll receive your wishes.
“I shine brightly and realise my dreams.”
from the Goddess Spirit Oracle by Rachel Johnson
Intervention & Wish Fulfilment
As the Goddess who has the power to ‘heal all sorrows and grant all wishes’ she is often revered as a Goddess of ‘Intervention’ - when nothing else has worked or no other deity will respond to your cries for help or you’re struggling to manifest your deepest wishes, Green Tara has your back!
If you have a scarcity mindset, tend to suffer from pessimism or lack belief in the support of the Universe, Green Tara can come to your aid and assist you to connect with the ever-present abundance of the Earth.
The guidance from the Goddess Power Oracle embodies this aspect of her:
Green Tara reminds you that your needs will always be met; you don’t need to know the “how”, as that is her domain. You just need to trust, and the Goddess Green Tara will use her magic on your behalf. You are safe and secure, and always in the care of the Divine.
Alignment Message:
Green Tara, known as “she who Saves”, is here to remind you that salvation is contingent on your willingness to release your ego conflicts, and surrender your wants and unmet desires to the Divine. Do you find yourself swimming in a nagging spiral of dissatisfaction? Are you comparing yourself to others and coming up short? Do you feel entitled to the manifestation of your wants arriving in the only form that you will accept? When you are suffering from longing and wanting, you are like a hungry ghost that will never be fed, blind to the opportunities that are truly yours.
Never fear! Just as a true friend will let you know when you’re off track, Green Tara will let you know when you’re out of alignment. She will save you from the destructive qualities of hubris, entitlement, and elitism, as well as the consciousness of lack with the following alignment task: Get right with yourself and the world again. First, know that you are exactly where you need to be right now. And if that means empty for a time, that is perfect. Instead of looking at what isn’t there, bless every tiny aspect of your life with deep gratitude. Green Tara will show you that the world is your friend - you’ve only been fighting against yourself. You will then recognise the earth as a place of joy and abundance.”
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RITUALS TO CONNECT WITH HER
Tara’s Mantra - you can recite her mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha or listen to a track like this on YouTube
Meditation or Mindfulness Practice - Tara is also a meditation deity, invoked as a focus in practice. Buddhists believe that calling on her can help liberate us from our worries and negativity. Whilst she won’t necessarily magic away all our worries and fears, by turning to meditation and mindfulness we can still that monkey brain, find our centre and receive seemingly magical solutions to our problems, or, at the very least, a reprieve from stress and anxiety!
Start a daily gratitude practice - just as the Goddess Power oracle card guided above to “bless every tiny aspect of your life with deep gratitude”, even if you’re struggling big-time and can’t see any blessings in your life, start practicing gratitude for even small things in your life - access to running water, a bed to sleep in etc. You can also practice ‘forward gratitude’ giving thanks to Tara in advance for all the blessings you have in your life ahead of receiving them - if you don’t have much money but need more, giving thanks every day, consistently throughout the day for “all the money I am blessed with” puts you in a vibrational frequency of gratitude which energetically magnetises more things to you to be grateful for.
REFERENCES
1) Isha Lerner, The Triple Goddess Tarot
You Goddess - Life Lessons from Awesome Immortals by E.Foley & B.Coates
Tarot Cards of Modern Goddesses by Cecilia Lattari and illustrations by Petra Braun
Goddess Spirit Oracle by Rachel Johnson
Goddess Power Oracle by Colette Baron Reid
Goddess Inspiration Oracle by Kris Waldherr