The word darshan in Hinduism means many things. Here I am referring to the visual contact with the deity, and I am going to be translating it into a Western Pagan context.
We’ve been talking about using an altar for meditation. Some people don’t know quite how to use an altar, or quite how to make the vital connection with deity that makes an altar such an important place in the home.
One thing that really works is to create a visual, one-to-one relationship with the idol you’re working with. Pick up the statue or image (perhaps you have a framed picture). If you can’t pick it up, come close to it. (And this is important when determining how to lay out your altar—make sure you can do this.) Make eye contact. Gaze into the beloved eyes of your Goddess or God, and express love in your gaze. Receive the gaze of your deity, and feel loved in return.
Some statues have expressive eyes that are easy to gaze into. But if a deity statue is a solid—brass or stone—the eyes may lack emphasis. You can adorn your deity with cosmetics to emphasize the eyes. In fact, this can be part of your meditation/worship.
I use a liquid eye-liner to emphasize the eyes on my metal Kali statue, and a touch of red lipstick for shading on lips and brows. The face becomes intensely expressive and I benefit from the extra attention I have given my altar. It instantly feels personalized and intimate.
Breath deeply, ground and center, and gaze upon your altar. Are you able to have the darshan experience as it is now? Can you see your deity easily? Can you bring Him/Her close or yourself come close? Adjust the layout as needed.
Now study the deity and make sure you can truly find Her/His gaze. If the image is “just an image” to you, how can you adorn, emphasize, or adapt this image to make it feel more animated?
Now, breathing deeply and grounding again, light your candles and incense, hold your crystal, do whatever you do that says to you “I am at my altar.” And in that clear and focused state of mind, find your deity’s loving gaze. Perhaps there is a message for you, perhaps not. It is enough simply to breath at peace in this state, and feel the presence.
Great entry. Darshan is very important to my practice as a devotee of Kali, but I don’t think I’ve heard it discussed outside Hinduism and in the context of modern Western Paganism. I think a lot of Pagans would benefit from a better understanding of this concept.