Stop Waiting to Be Given Power. Learn to Embody ‘Shakti,’ the Universe’s Divine Feminine Energy.

The Waiting Game We’re Taught to Play

How much of your life have you spent waiting? Waiting for permission. Waiting for the promotion. Waiting for someone to notice your hard work. Waiting for the right moment, the right credentials, or the right person to finally give you the power you crave.

We are taught to see power as an external commodity—something to be earned, won, or bestowed upon us by an outside authority. We stand with our hands out, hoping someone will fill them. This waiting game is the source of our deepest frustrations. It leaves us feeling passive, dependent, and fundamentally powerless over our own lives.

But what if this entire model is a lie? What if power isn’t something you get, but something you are? What if the most potent, creative, and unstoppable force in the universe isn’t outside of you, but flowing through your very veins? The ancient Hindu tradition has a name for this force: Shakti. And learning to embody it is the difference between waiting for your life to happen and creating it yourself.

What Is Shakti? The Universe’s Primal Energy

Shakti is a Sanskrit word that literally means “power” or “energy.” But it is so much more than that. Shakti is the divine feminine, the active, dynamic, and creative force that brings the entire universe into being. If the divine masculine, Shiva, is pure, formless consciousness, then Shakti is the energy that dances, creates, changes, and manifests everything we can see, hear, and feel.

She is the life force in every cell, the spark of a new idea, the passion that drives you, and the resilience that helps you heal. Shakti is not a distant goddess to be worshipped; she is the very current of life itself. And she lives in you.

Waiting to be given power is a profound misunderstanding of your own nature. You are already made of power. The only question is whether you will recognize it, claim it, and learn to wield it.

Wisdom in Verse: The Goddess Declares Her Power

In the Devi Suktam, a powerful hymn from the Rigveda, the Goddess herself speaks. She doesn’t ask for power or describe it from a distance. She declares her own nature as the all-pervading, sovereign force that moves through gods and mortals alike.

अहमेव स्वयमिदं वदामि जुष्टं देवेभिरुत मानुषेभिः । यं कामये तं तमुग्रं कृणोमि तं ब्रह्माणं तमृषिं तं सुमेधाम् ॥

Ahameva svayamidaṃ vadāmi juṣṭaṃ devebhiruta mānuṣebhiḥ, yaṃ kāmaye taṃ tamughraṃ kṛṇomi taṃ brahmāṇaṃ tamṛṣiṃ taṃ sumedhām.

(Rigveda, 10.125.5)

Translation: “I myself declare this, which is pleasing to gods and to men. He whom I love, I make him formidable, I make him a sage, a seer, and a man of brilliant intellect.”

This is the voice of Shakti. She is not a passive force. She is the one who chooses, who creates, who elevates. This verse is a reminder that the power to become “formidable”—to become wise, insightful, and brilliant—is a gift of this divine feminine energy. When you align with her, you align with the force that creates greatness.

How to Embody Shakti: Relevance to Your Life, Success, and Wellness

Embodying Shakti is not about aggression or domination. It is about consciously connecting with your innate creative power and allowing it to guide your life.

• In Daily Life: From Passive to Proactive. Embodying Shakti means you stop waiting for life to happen to you and start making life happen through you. It’s the energy that fuels your creativity, whether you’re starting a business, planting a garden, or solving a complex problem. It’s the intuition that guides your decisions and the inner strength that allows you to set boundaries. When you feel that righteous anger rising against injustice, that is the fierce protective energy of Shakti in her form as the Goddess Kali, calling you to act.
• For Your Success: Creation Over Competition. The modern workplace often feels like a zero-sum game of competition. Shakti offers a different model for success: creation. Instead of fighting for a piece of the pie, you realize you have the power to bake your own. This is the energy of the entrepreneur, the artist, and the innovator. It is the confidence to bring your unique vision into the world, knowing that your power, like that of the great goddess (http://ansinspiredsoul.com/durga-feminist-icon-we-need), comes from within, not from an external title.
• For Your Overall Wellness: Honoring Your Inner Rhythms. Shakti is the energy of cycles—of creation, preservation, and destruction. Suppressing this natural flow leads to burnout, stagnation, and emotional distress. Embodying Shakti means honoring your own cycles. It means recognizing that there are times for intense action and times for deep rest. It means embracing the full spectrum of your emotions as sacred signals, not problems to be fixed. This alignment with your own nature is the foundation of profound mental and spiritual well-being.

The Power Was Always Yours

You are not waiting for a spark. You are the spark. You are a manifestation of the same creative energy that births stars and grows forests.

Stop standing with your hands out. Place them on your heart instead. Feel the rhythm, the life force, the power that is already there. That is Shakti. And she has been waiting for you to remember her.

---

What is one small, creative action you can take today to honor the Shakti within you?

How would it feel to act from a place of innate power, rather than waiting for permission? Share your intention in the comments below!

If this article sparked your inner fire, share it with someone who needs to be reminded of their own power. And don’t forget to subscribe for more timeless wisdom.