On a beautiful spring day almost nine years ago I arrived on Eastern Washington University's campus to teach my first Introduction to Philosophy courses. I remember feeling this strong sense of purpose, that I had a mission to bring Sophia (our Western Saraswathi) back into Philosophy. I had grown very disheartened by academic philosophy over the years, especially in graduate school, where truth and wisdom were mostly reduced to science and logic. Upon giving up my academic career for some time, I became a committed yogini and through my study and practice, I fell upon the path of the Mother, in particular the path of Goddess Saraswathi. As the Vedic goddess of Wisdom and Creativity, Saraswathi became my cosmic inspiration and even my cosmic Mother. Over the years I have been surprised in the ways my colleagues have supported me on this more mystical approach to Philosophy. The last few weeks have been especially meaningful where I was blessed with the opportunity to give a course on Women's Spirituality to a group of amazing inspiring students as well as share some of my path with colleagues on the day of Saraswathi on the Vedic calendar. Finally, I joined with others to host a women spiritual leader, Swami Radhananda, whose speech resonates of the Goddess herself. Swami Radhananda’s guru, Swami Radha often mentioned Saraswathi as the goddess of speech. She encouraged women to recognize the power of speech and to offer their words in service to the divine feminine. In a world where the womanist/feminist voice is still reclaiming its space in academia this remains an important message. So in celebration of the feminine aspect of wisdom becoming more unveiled in the academy, I dedicate this blog to Goddess Saraswathi in all of Her forms, including Wisdom Herself, and to the amazing women teachers and students who continue to encourage and inspire me. Jai Saraswathi!
Swami Radhananda (middle) and Swami Lalitananda (left) and Kathryn
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