"Although she is often presented (in her warrior aspect) as cruel and horrific, with her lolling red tongue and necklace of severed heads, Kali is creator and nurturer - the essence of Mother-love and feminine energy (Sakti). As Divine Mother Lotus-goddess, she brings worlds to birth, sustains them and absorbs them, in a never-ending cycle of her own opening and closing."--back cover. The author draws on the powerful imagery of painting, sculpture, and literature in this celebration of the Hindu goddess.