Deity 101: Kali

Liz Ramos, under the supervision of Kali the cat’s spirit, dives into the devotion of the Hindi goddess of death and destruction.

Greetings Witches! If you haven’t noticed, I have a mini theme when naming my cats…  can’t help it! They embody divinity itself and I cannot help but to honor the Gods by sharing their names with the sacred beings. Kali is a loving, fierce, wild, destructive, and amazing multifaceted deity who is sometimes attempted to be put into a box – which is absolutely impossible to do. If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you may remember the priest chanting “Kali-Ma, Kali-Ma!” while snatching hearts out of sacrifices before sending them to the fiery pits below. This is the Kali we are discussing today.

Kali is considered a Dark Goddess by some due to her destructive nature, but to others she is a loyal, protective mother figure. To me, she is both, honoring the divine duality we all have inside us. Kali is a goddess of time, power, creation and destruction, with her four arms, belt of skulls, and long, snakelike tongue that laps up the blood of demons she eliminates. She is usually depicted with blue skin, but this can also be dark black depending on the artwork – I am most familiar with the blue skin portrayals.

When working with Kali, know that she will NOT tolerate half assery or mistrust. Kali commands respect and complete devotion. She is a merciful, loving, and tender goddess, but she is not above retribution if necessary. Kali is great to collaborate with on destroying our own demons, our bad habits, and our self-hatred tendencies. When doing baneful and justice magic, call on Kali if you really need some OOMPH – but know that doing so should not be done lightly or willy-nilly. If you are upset with someone over petty things and can start with a lighter magic, I recommend starting there unless you do not care about any sort of relationship with the receiver after that.

Offerings for Kali include hibiscus or jasmine flowers, coffee, tobacco, liquor, rich foods like fish and yellow rice, or even orgasms if you are inclined to perform sex magic (see my article from 2/14/26 for more about this kind of magic). Colors associated with Kali are black and red, which are representations of her power, protection, passion, and destruction. For more information about Kali, I recommend Kali: Mother of Power, Mistress of Liberation by Tay Reilly. I also highly recommend The Kali Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild. These cards and the guidebook are STUNNING.

Elizabeth Ramos is a magic practitioner who specializes in nature focused, healing, protective, and ancestral magics. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher and lives with her husband and their several Feline Leukemia Positive kitties in Upstate New York.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.