Review

“To release what’s hurting, you must first learn to acknowledge and stop over-rationalizing your pain.”

As someone who loves journaling, affirmations, meditation, and believes in tarot and the energies of Shiva and Shakti, this book felt like a calling. It was less like reading a book and more like receiving a gentle reminder to return to the practices that help me reconnect with myself. I am truly grateful that I came across this book.

In Search of Shiva, I Found Shakti is Joyeeta Chandra’s personal journey of awakening and self-discovery. Through candid storytelling, she shares how she began worshipping Shiva, how she encountered the energy of Shakti, and how spirituality transformed her life. She reflects on the losses she endured, the career she built, and the unexpected events that shaped her journey, all while showing how Shiva and Shakti played an integral role in her life. At its heart, this book is about union with oneself. More than a book about Shiva and Shakti as divine entities, it is about integrating our feminine and masculine energies, our heart and mind, our wounds and wisdom, and ultimately coming into union with ourselves. It explores how every aspect of life aligns according to a higher plan that we often fail to see and understand.

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The book is divided into two parts. In the first section, she discusses themes such as the Cosmic Big Bang, Aradhana, Sadhana, VivekPath, and Prayas. She openly shares her spiritual doubts, the judgments she faced, and the lessons she learned throughout her journey. The second part introduces readers to practical and reflective practices. Beginning with conversations between the heart and the mind – that is, conversations with Krishna and ourselves and later she explores Shiv Shakti Nritya and explains meditation techniques and rituals that help us embrace the cosmic dance within. She also shares sacred prayers, tapping exercises, reflective rituals, and more. Particularly interesting are her discussions on yoni activation and womb healing, along with the idea of transforming food into magic through mindful recipes and an understanding of their spiritual significance.

One of the most thought-provoking insights for me was how beautifully Joyeeta explains the idea of union and the fact that Shiva and Shakti are one. She explains that we all embody both feminine and masculine energies. At different points in our lives, one energy may become more pronounced than the other, yet neither is meant to dominate because both are sacred and exist in harmony. I was especially moved by her explanation of walking on the path of Mahakali and how it integrates consciousness and gradually brings transformation into our lives. Her explanation of why Mahakali stepped on Shiva after slaying the demons and why it was Shiva who calmed her down was especially fascinating. She describes it as consciousness and awareness grounding the unanchored Shakti into stillness. According to her, Ma extending her tongue symbolises the recognition of that stillness – an emotion anchored in awareness. There were so many such moments in the book that made me pause and reflect and helped me discover new perspectives.

Another idea that deeply resonated with me was her discussion on spiritual ego. She explains how, when we truly encounter Shiva and Shakti, they strip away the layers of ego, attitude, and false truths that we have built around ourselves. She also speaks about how we are continuously tested on this path to understand the depth of our devotion and trust. Another aspect of the book that I truly appreciated was Joyeeta’s explanation of grounding and what it genuinely means to be grounded. She explains that these are words we hear often, yet their meaning runs much deeper than we realise. To be grounded is not merely to feel calm or composed; it is to connect with our root chakra and anchor ourselves in our truth. I particularly loved her reflections on the signs we receive in life and how any structure built on fear eventually has to dissolve because it signifies that we have not fully learned our lesson. She also speaks about the false sense of protection we create around ourselves and how MahaKali destroys these illusions so that we can step into a deeper awareness of ourselves. Her insights on persistence, self-awareness, trust, and stabilising our divine truth within were among the most thought-provoking parts of the book for me.

Reading this made me realise how, in phases of stillness, we unknowingly undergo profound shifts and transformations within ourselves. Rather than offering definitive answers, the book invites readers to pause, reflect, and examine their own relationship with spirituality and self.  What stands out most about the book is Joyeeta’s honesty. Her writing is raw, candid, and deeply relatable. Through her experiences, readers may recognise many parts of themselves and their own spiritual questions. The book reminded me why I was drawn to journaling, meditation, and introspection in the first place. It felt less like reading someone’s memoir and more like receiving a gentle nudge to reconnect with my own spiritual practices. Her willingness to share her doubts, losses, and spiritual struggles makes the book more relatable.

That said, I felt the book lacked structure at times. It seemed as though the author poured everything she knew and felt into its pages – her journey, rituals, recipes, and spiritual insights. While this wholehearted approach makes the book sincere and authentic, there were moments when it felt like reading a memoir and, at others, a spiritual handbook. Although this blend is enriching, a more organised structure could have made the reading experience even more immersive.

Perhaps that is why this book felt like a calling to me. It reminded me that spirituality is not always about seeking something outside ourselves; sometimes it is simply about returning to the practices and awareness that bring us back home to ourselves. More than offering answers, the book suggests that spirituality is the gradual shedding of illusions and the courageous return to one’s truest self. 

Overall, if you are curious about spirituality, inner healing, meditation, and understanding Shiva and Shakti through a deeply personal journey of awakening and inner union, this book is definitely worth exploring. It will especially resonate with readers who enjoy spiritual memoirs and reflective practices that encourage a deeper connection with themselves. And perhaps that is the greatest takeaway this book left me with: that the journey to finding Shiva and Shakti is, in many ways, the journey of finding ourselves and remembering the wholeness that has always existed within us.

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