Welcome to this site on living the Bhakti life. No matter what your experience level or spiritual orientation, the inspiration, insight, and practical tools offered by Devi Bhakta, Rebecca Garcia, will illuminate your own Bhakti path and speed you toward the Divine.
The term Bhakti Yoga comes from India where it was the name given to the devotional spiritual path thousands of years ago. Bhakti is the path of love. Yoga means union or merging with the Divine Beloved. Therefore, Bhakti Yoga means the spiritual path which emphasizes love and devotion and leads to Oneness with the Beloved.
The use of these ancient words is intended to empower our spiritual efforts, and is in no way intended to imply that devotion is limited to Hinduism. Great Bhaktas, lovers of God, arise in every culture and time. To use the terms Bhakti and Bhakta is merely a convenient way to talk about the universal quest for the Beloved through practices that emphasize love and devotion.
To follow the Bhakti path is a decision to find the Beloved who dwells in your own heart, just as you dwell in the Ocean that is God.
The Bhakti path is beautiful and satisfying in the beginning, beautiful and satisfying in the middle, and beautiful and satisfying in the end.
A Bhakta is one who is on a devotional path to the Beloved.
For some the Beloved is a Consciousness beyond dualities and attributes. For others the Beloved takes the form of Divine Mother as Durga, Kali, Sarasvatti, Lakshmi, Tara, Kuan Yin, Sophia, or Mary. The Beloved can take form of the Divine Lover as Krishna or Jesus. And some Bhaktas see the Beloved in the face of their guru.
For the Bhakta, God is personal, though simultaneously infinite. For the Bhakta, life is a quest for relationship with this personal God. Love is the way and the goal. In love we find freedom, peace, and delight.
People on the Bhakti path tend to be independent spirits. They often have a sense of being old souls with a mission to fulfill during their lifetime. Along the way the Bhakta becomes an increasingly pure channel for the energy, love, and wisdom of the Beloved to come into the world. The Bhakta may take on a public role as a teacher or healer, or they may remain hidden from public sight. Either way they are a living conduit for light to enter the world.
Bhaktas are also people whose sensitivity, psychic abilities, and empathy can cause them to experience this world as confusing and frustrating until they grow into a deeper understanding of their natural gifts.
I invite you to browse this site. You will find inspirational stories of other devotees who walked the Bhakti path, and you will find helpful resources for your own spiritual journey.