In Śāktism, the Divine Mother (Śakti, Devī) is revered as the ultimate reality and the fundamental creative power of the universe. She is not merely an adjunct to a higher principle but the very dynamic Consciousness–Power through which all manifestation arises, is sustained, and is transformed. As such, the cosmos, nature, and every form of energy are understood as expressions of Her being. This vision affirms that the Absolute is both transcendent and immanent: beyond all names and forms, yet fully present within them as living, conscious power. Worship of the Divine Mother therefore becomes a way of honoring the sacredness of the entire field of existence, including the body and the material world, as Her manifestation.

The relationship between Śakti and Śiva is often articulated as that between energy and pure consciousness. Śiva without Śakti is likened to inert awareness, while Śakti without Śiva would be unillumined force; both are necessary for the play of creation. In devotional and contemplative practice, this complementarity points toward a non-dual realization in which consciousness and its power are recognized as inseparable. The Divine Mother is also understood as both the binding force of māyā and the liberating power that grants mokṣa. Through Her grace, devotees seek not only worldly welfare and the fulfillment of desires (bhukti) but also spiritual freedom and insight into the interconnectedness of all things.

On the devotional level, the Mother ideal embodies unconditional love, protection, and nurturing guidance. She is approached as an intimately personal presence who offers both material and spiritual sustenance, capable of transforming powerful human emotions into vehicles of spiritual growth. Her many forms—gentle and benevolent, fierce and awe-inspiring—such as Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Durgā, and Kālī, are understood as diverse faces of a single Supreme Mother. This spectrum of forms reflects an integration of opposites: creation and destruction, compassion and severity, beauty and terrifying power, all held within one divine reality.

Worship of the Divine Mother also affirms the sacredness of power and wisdom in every dimension of life. Śakti is simultaneously energy and knowledge; creativity, intellect, will, and even the latent spiritual force within the subtle body are seen as expressions of Her. In tantric Śāktism, this is symbolized by Kuṇḍalinī-Śakti, whose awakening represents the realization of inner potential and the alignment of individual life with the cosmic power. To revere the Divine Mother, then, is to recognize that the source of both empowerment and liberation resides not outside the world or apart from the self, but as the very energy that animates and pervades all that exists.