Step into an engaging conversation with Devi Mohan, where we explore her diverse roles as the global president of ACT Foundation, ambassador of Mohanji Foundation, co-founder of the World Womanhood Project, and a passionate advocate for Women Circles. In this insightful discussion, Devi shares insights gleaned from her experiences over the past year, delivering a message woven with themes of freedom, authenticity, and the fundamental teaching of “Be You” from Mohanji.
The Awakening Times (TAT): In the past year, you experienced significant milestones, including the publication of your autobiography, the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ACT Foundation under your leadership as the Global President, and the reception of a distinguished award. Would you please provide a comprehensive reflection on these events, with a particular focus on the details surrounding the prestigious award you received?
Devi Mohan (DM): I will never forget the year 2023! This super intense year was a true milestone in my life. To be honest, I don’t feel that I am the same person I was the year before. After I published my autobiography “Home for a Refugee” on Mohanji’s birthday on 23 Feb 2023, I felt like I gave birth to another, far more intense and authentic version of myself. I could sense a deep opening and surrender, as if I got plugged into the invisible field of consciousness which then connected me much more deeply with other people at the level of collective consciousness. I started appearing in people’s dreams, sensing when someone is reading my book, diving much more deeply into Mai-Tri sessions and group processes that I conduct, etc. The book revealed to me a new, far more authentic, vulnerable, and truthful version of myself.
Soon after Mohanji’s birthday, I embarked on the task of preparing the Serbian version of my autobiography. As I immersed myself in editing the translation of my book, I thought it would be a rather easy task. Yet, that was far from the truth. The translation was done most sincerely by two of our volunteers from the Mohanji Foundation, but I simply could not feel those words. They did not sound like me at all. In the end, I had to rewrite almost every sentence. The process of writing the book in my language made me feel its depth at a whole new level, especially the first part of the book which covers the refugee days and the topics related to former Yugoslavia. It all happened all over again – the tears, the emotions, the reliving of every experience. It all hit me deeply, not to mention the pressure to complete the book on time for the book launch on my birthday. This felt like déjà vu of the pressure I felt while completing the book in English for Mohanji’s birthday just a couple of months earlier. The last leg of the process was the toughest, as is the case with any birthing process…
However, I did it! My 46th birthday celebration thus also marked the launch of the Serbian version of the book. It just so happened that my birthday was on Saturday and coincided with the most appropriate date for the historic 20th-anniversary celebration of our globally active charity ACT Foundation. This “3 in 1” experience was unimaginably intense, a big-time organizational challenge for a birthday girl, cum author of the book as well as the Global President of the charity marking 20 years of its existence. The tornado of activities and responsibilities blew me off my feet, and I gathered myself only after it was all over. As always when it comes to Mohanji and our spiritual path, it was not easy to go through the grinding and fire, but it was so, so worth it.
The official evening of promotion of the book was incredibly touching. It took place a week after my birthday, in a beautiful hall of a University in Zemun (near Belgrade). Among the 100+ people who showed up for the event was my primary school teacher from my hometown in Croatia, Slatina, whom I had not seen for more than 20 years. Aside from my Mom, daughter Mila, aunt Danica, cousin brother Bojan, several other friends from Slatina, friends from Mohanji Foundation, and many other people whom I didn’t even know, joined me that evening for a truly magical experience.
At some point, I felt we were engulfed in a bubble of pure, divine energy, with fully expanded hearts that kept bringing tears to our eyes. This was one of the most beautiful evenings of my life. Every moment was nothing but sacred. I felt so incredibly free in my emotional nakedness and feminine vulnerability. And I knew there was no turning back.
With regards to the award “The Most Compassionate Woman of the 21st Century“, that I received on 15 December 2023, I have to admit that my initial reaction was “This must be some kind of a scam.“ However, when I enquired about it in more detail, I came to know that a dear friend of mine, Olja Lopushansky, a holistic practitioner and yogini who lives in Amsterdam (and last met me several years ago), was the one who recommended me for this award. Their team of panelists then researched more about me online and voted to approve my nomination in the category of humanitarian work and compassion. I was truly amazed to see such grand awards being given to women in the Balkan region. 20 people (men and women) from different walks of life (artists, actors, singers, sportsmen, musicians, traditional fashion designers, business entrepreneurs, holistic practitioners, philanthropists…) received this extraordinary award. I dedicated my award to all ACT Foundation volunteers, especially all selfless mothers serving from the background. Yet, I also felt that this award was meant to celebrate a true balance of masculine and feminine contributions to the world. In that sense, I also received it on behalf of my beloved Mohanji who brought ACT Foundation/Ammucare to life, my true pillar of support, visible and invisible. I felt that this grand red carpet event was a beautiful culmination of ACT Foundation’s 20th-anniversary celebration, an unexpected divine recognition of all the amazing work done by our selfless volunteers around the globe. I just happened to be the receiving hand, but fully aware that such a grand award can honor nothing less than true teamwork and the sincere dedication of hundreds of our volunteers that I represented that evening.
TAT: As a co-founder of the World Womanhood Project and a prominent advocate for Women Circles, could you elaborate on the genesis of this initiative and its significance for individuals and communities?
DM: It’s been more than two years since the World Womanhood Project came to life, along with the truly amazing Festival of Womanhood that a small but rocking team of our ladies from the Mohanji Foundation conducted online, marveling at the power of energy that swept us off our feet during the entire event. We could feel just how much such projects of feminine support and togetherness are supported by the Divine.
While writing my autobiography, I dedicated one entire chapter to the topic of the rise of the Sacred Feminine and the importance of Shiva-Shakti (Yang-Yin) balance in the world we live in. I feel that this is truly the number one topic of today, as I see balanced women as the pillar of stability in every family, as well as the pillar of peace and harmony in the world.
Soon after publishing my autobiography, I happened to travel to the Netherlands with Mohanji and felt the pull to organize my very first program with the topic of Shiva-Shakti balance and sacred sexuality. I called it “Being in the Flow.” One of the male participants of this program, who now serves as the priest at the Mohanji Peace Centre in Slovenia, sent me a truly beautiful testimonial after this event. I would hereby like to share it in its entirety:
“Dearest Devi,
Normally, I am not the one to write testimonials. But I feel the importance of the message you have shared during your program. It has to reach the large public, and I felt that, if I can contribute to that by writing something, I will do it. So, I have written something. It came out from the heart.
“Why are there so many women and so few men in the Mohanji Foundation?” This question has been asked to me multiple times now by people from outside the foundation. And to be honest, I can only guess what the answer to that question might be.
I think that Mohanji’s core teaching ‘Be You’ has a lot to do with this. In a lot of religions, cultures, and societies, women have been given a different position than men. Most of the time, this meant, and in a lot of cases, it still means, a not-so-good position in relation to men. I thought that at least in Western societies, women are slowly getting their rightful place back and that equality is on its way, but after attending Devi Mohan’s program ‘Be in the Flow’ in the Netherlands, I became aware that we still have a very long way to go.
When I saw the announcement of Devi’s program, I wasn’t drawn to attending it. Initially, I had a feeling that the program was meant to be attended by women. Yet, as a board member of the Mohanji Foundation Netherlands, and because the program was being conducted close to my home, at the last minute I decided to attend it. Our team made a beautiful stage and decorated the hall for Devi in a warm, heartfelt way.
Devi talked with a lot of clarity about the Sacred Feminine aspect that we all have inside and how powerful this energy is. She said that in the olden days, a couple of thousand years ago, this energy was not only respected but worshiped as well. Priests were often women, and people would come to the temples in large numbers to see these high priestesses dance, to get healed, advised, and inspired. Sexuality was considered sacred and something that people explored to stay connected to our true, divine selves.
Over time, men (the patriarchy) aggressively took over the power, and the beautiful, subtle, powerful feminine leadership energy was replaced by the Alpha male monkey minds. Oppression, misinformation, and prosecution started to make people believe that only masculine energy had real power and wisdom. Even today we see the effects of this programming. Sexuality has turned into porn, made almost entirely for the pleasure or lust of men. This is one of the largest industries today and it is still expanding, including a whole lot of perversion. However, the time has come to change this error in our society!
I do think we are obliged to teach the children about the importance and sacredness of the feminine energy we all have inside and that it is to be expressed and experienced without any trace of shame.
I’m not saying that men should act like women, but I’m talking about acknowledging the presence of the feminine aspect in energy form within themselves, which cannot be seen as separate from masculine energy (like water and its wetness). It should be brought back into its full balance – only then can you ‘Be You’ completely as a divine embodiment of pure light.
After Devi’s most interesting talk about the above-stated points, we did a practice to awaken the feminine energy in the second chakra by moving the hips and exercising the sphincter muscles while dancing with eyes semi-closed. During this practice, I became aware of my mind sending me alarm signals, as if I was in some kind of ‘danger’. Old patterns of thinking about myself as a ‘shitty dancer’, along with the fear that people are laughing at me because I look ridiculous, kept appearing in my mind. Still, I somehow managed to enter into a witness mode in which I could let the thoughts be there and just feel the feelings, without taking them seriously.
After this practice, we sat in meditation, enjoying a short impromptu process led by Devi. It was then that, out of nowhere, my Satguru Gopal Babaji appeared in my heart and inner vision with full intensity. At that moment, my heart exploded with love and tears kept streaming down my cheeks. I felt that the Divine Mother came to say hi personally. This unique, intimate feeling of overwhelming love and sacred feminine presence was something that I had experienced in the physical presence of Gopal Babaji a few times before, but I had not felt it this clearly and intensely for a long time. What a blessing, what a gift!
I pray that Devi will get a much larger stage and audience for this program and that more and more people will come to know about her and the beauty and depth of this message. Moreover, it is my sincere wish and prayer that all the men out there will be brave enough to attend this program because I do believe that it is necessary to complete the transformation at the individual and collective levels.
You have a major task ahead of you dear Devi, and it is of the greatest importance that this message of yours reaches the masses. I wish you to get a team of people around you to help you spread this divine message.
Lots of love, Lennart Claus.”
I was deeply touched by Lennart’s sincere message and was generally truly amazed by the immensity of divine support this program has received from the onset. Many other beautiful testimonials followed. This inspired me to start creating and conducting Devi Circles, special Women Circles during which we immerse ourselves in processes that help us deepen receptivity, vulnerability, and connection with the sacred Yoni space, the seat of feminine power, strength, and creativity.
Yoga with a focus on the sacral and heart chakra, Conscious Dancing especially adapted for women, meditative processes for a deeper connection with the yoni, breathing techniques, mudras, yoga nidra, etc., are all just a preparation for the powerful build-up of group energy within the circle of sisterhood to open up to one another in full confidence.
Deep inside I know/remember that this is how the wise, powerful women of the past used to share their deepest secrets and fears with one another, mastering the feminine art of holding space for one another to overcome all blockages and crystallize/manifest their highest, most authentic expression. The time has come to revive such circles of women and shift the energy back into the balance of sacred feminine presence that holds space for the rise of sacred masculine energy fully alive within our men.
During the period of one month, from the end of December 2023 till the end of January 2024, I conducted five amazing Devi Circles in the UK, Serbia, Italy, and Slovenia. Each one was beyond special, indescribably powerful, and touching. Just before that, I happened to meet an incredibly beautiful, divine soul called Ananda Devi Vdović, who introduced me to the founder of the global Devi Circles – Ananda Karunesh. They invited me to join them and become one of the facilitators within their global Devi Circles conducted online for a wide female audience from all parts of the world. I look forward to the experience of my very first such 3-day workshop starting on Women’s Day on March 8th, 2024.
I have also become aware of the inner calling to contribute more actively and more profoundly, in my authentic ways, to the balance of masculine and feminine energy within our own Mohanji Foundation as well. I look forward to all that this powerful wave of energy brings. World Womanhood Project will certainly become more active in the months to come, especially at our Mohanji Centres of Peace/Benevolence. The next online Festival of Womanhood is planned for March 2024.
TAT: Do you have a message for Mohanji on his birthday, as well as for all of us who are on the same path?
DM: Certainly. My message to Mohanji emanates from the space of deepest gratitude:
“Beloved Mohanji, I express my heartfelt thanks for granting me the freedom to embrace my true self, explore the dimensions of consciousness, and express my authentic feminine essence in innovative ways. Only a great, pure soul like you could provide such immense, unconditional love and support, with freedom forming the foundation upon which your key teaching, ‘Be You,’ is built and manifested.
It is an immense honor to walk this royal path with you, a journey so grand that it makes me feel truly privileged and, in the true sense of the word, royal. No worldly glitter could ever come close to it. May the dimensions of this love be as wide and deep as the ocean of consciousness itself.
May all of us walking this golden path step into our unique ‘Be You’ shoes and illuminate the world with our brightness rooted in devotion.
May this brilliance find its grounding in the sacred lands of Mohanji Centres of Peace/Benevolence around the globe.
May our lives be spent in the celebration of true love, togetherness, freedom, authenticity, and ever-new joy as we attain ultimate liberation through childlike play, mastering the game of life.
With eternal gratitude for all the love, support, and guidance,
Devi”
