The Kularnava Tantra says, ‘Sadhakanao hitarthaya brahmaio repa-kalpana; Forms of Brahman are assumptions to help spiritual aspirants.’ The Supreme presents Itself before the aspirant assuming forms like Kali, Durga and Shiva. However, these forms are not imagined according to the whims of aspirants. Behind these forms is the secret of the aspirants’ attainments. And it is to be remembered that ‘secret’ does not mean magic of any sort.
The Divine Mother revealed to Sri Ramakrishna that just as She is of the form of the blissful Mother, She is also of the nature of the formless pure Consciousness. She is both with form and without form; She is both with attributes and without attributes; and much more.
Sri Ramakrishna used to say that Kali is Brahman and Brahman is Kali. So long as the ‘I’-consciousness of the aspirant remains, there are Kali, Krishna and so on. When that ‘I’ goes, the ‘form merges into the formless’. This self-revealing (svasaovedya) Truth should be understood at every step.