For Shaktas, spiritual life revolves around honoring Śakti, the Divine Mother, through a rich tapestry of ritual, devotion, and inner discipline. Daily and temple-based pūjā form the backbone of this practice: images or yantras of the Goddess are worshiped with flowers, incense, lamps, food, water, and other offerings, often accompanied by ārati and the recitation of hymns such as the Devī Māhātmya and other stotras. Many maintain home altars for simple daily worship, lighting lamps, offering food, and reciting the names of the Mother in her many forms, including Durgā, Kālī, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, and Lalitā Tripurasundarī. This ritual life is not merely formal; it expresses a relationship of intimate bhakti, in which the Goddess is approached as both protective Mother and supreme reality.

Mantra and meditation practices deepen this devotional core. Shaktas engage in japa, the disciplined repetition of mantras dedicated to the Goddess, often using mālās and specific counts, and sometimes receiving mantra-dīkṣā from a guru. These mantras may include bīja-syllables such as Hrīṃ, Śrīṃ, and Klīṃ, or longer formulas like “Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Vichche,” all understood as condensed forms of the Mother’s power. Yantra and maṇḍala worship, especially meditation on sacred diagrams such as the Śrī Yantra, provides a visual and contemplative focus, allowing practitioners to internalize the presence of the Divine Mother as subtle energy and consciousness.

Tantric ritual occupies a significant place in many Śākta lineages. These practices combine outer worship with inner visualization, nyāsa (placing mantras on the body), mudrās, and other forms of energy work aimed at uniting the individual with Śakti. Some traditions speak of esoteric or controversial rites, while others interpret such elements symbolically or internalize them as purely meditative processes; in all cases, the aim is transformation and liberation through the Mother’s power. Closely related are yogic disciplines, including forms of kuṇḍalinī-yoga and other bodily–mental practices, undertaken under guidance to awaken the inner Śakti that is said to reside within every being.

Collective observances and sacred journeys further shape Śākta life. Major festivals such as Navarātri, Durgā Pūjā, and Kālī Pūjā are marked by elaborate rituals, fasting, communal worship, devotional singing, and public recitation of texts celebrating the Goddess’s victories and grace. Pilgrimage to Śakti Pīṭhas and renowned temples like those of Vaiṣṇo Devī and Kāmākhyā allows devotees to encounter the Divine Mother at places believed to be especially charged with her presence. Study of scriptures such as the Devī Māhātmya and Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa, together with acts of charity and compassionate service that see all beings as forms of the Mother, completes this path, uniting ritual precision, heartfelt devotion, and ethical living under the all-encompassing gaze of Śakti.