Shakta worship centers on approaching the Divine Mother through a rich tapestry of ritual, mantra, and contemplative practice. At its heart stands pūjā, the formal act of honoring the Goddess in image (mūrti) or in abstract form as a yantra such as the Śrī Yantra. This worship typically includes the offering of flowers, incense, light, food, and water, often elaborated into the sixteenfold sequence of offerings, together with āratī, the waving of lamps before the deity. Abhiṣeka, the ritual bathing of the image or yantra, and the reception of prasāda, blessed food, further embody the sense that the Goddess is tangibly present. These temple and home rites are complemented by pilgrimage to Śakti Pīṭhas and other goddess shrines, where darśan—direct visual communion with the deity—is sought.

Mantra recitation is another central pillar of Shakta practice. Devotees receive dīkṣā, initiation, into specific mantras of forms such as Kālī, Durgā, or Tripurasundarī, and then engage in japa, the disciplined repetition of these mantras, often counted on a rosary. Bīja mantras—seed syllables like hrīṁ, śrīṁ, or krīṁ—are treated as concentrated embodiments of Shakti’s power. Alongside these, longer scriptural recitations such as the Devī Māhātmya (Caṇḍī Pāṭh) and the Lalitā Sahasranāma become both daily disciplines and special observances, especially during major festivals. Through such sound-based practices, the Goddess is invoked not only in external icons but also in the subtle field of consciousness.

Tantric elements give Shakta worship a distinctive inner orientation. Practices such as nyāsa, the “placing” of mantras on different parts of the body, and the use of mudrās, ritual hand gestures, train the devotee to experience the body itself as the Goddess’s living form. In certain lineages, cakra pūjā and other Tantric rites may include the pañcamakāra, the “five Ms,” interpreted in ways that range from symbolic and internalized to more literal, depending on the tradition. Closely related are kundalinī sādhana and chakra meditation, in which the inner Shakti is visualized as rising through the subtle centers of the body, supported by dhyāna, focused meditation on the form and presence of the Divine Mother.

The ritual year is punctuated by festivals and vows that intensify this relationship with Shakti. Navarātri and Durgā Pūjā involve nine nights of concentrated worship, communal ceremonies, and recitation of the Devī Māhātmya, while Kālī Pūjā is often performed at night with heightened mantra and fire offerings. Vratas, or religious vows, and associated fasts on auspicious days—such as during Navarātri or on specific weekdays dedicated to the Goddess—serve as disciplines of body and mind that open the devotee more fully to her grace. Homa, the fire ritual in which offerings like ghee and grains are consigned to a consecrated flame with Śākta mantras, further reinforces the sense that every element—body, speech, mind, and the natural world—is a vehicle for the presence of the Divine Mother.