I have been told I bear a certain resemblance to this chap. Sculpted head of a Brahmin of the area now known as Afghanistan, dating from the 3rd-4th century A.D. It may seem somewhat curious to us now - when Afghanistan is mostly known to us as the area upon this Earth where "empires go … Continue reading Make Afghanistan Gandhara Again
BHARAT MATA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN DEIFIC OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
August 15th is India's National Day - the hallowed anniversary of Independence. And for that, we have prepared something a little bit different for publication here at AA. Now, you may be wondering why we are posting to mark a civic, political observance rather than something which is prima facie a religious one of ancient … Continue reading BHARAT MATA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN DEIFIC OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
“Loud May We Speak, With Heroes In Assembly” – An Indo-European Reflection On ANZAC Day
[pictured: a parade of New Zealand veterans of the Gallipoli campaign - the original ANZACs - ANZAC Day 1958] I wrote this on ANZAC Day last year after I got home from Temple [there are, no doubt, some rather interesting potential resonances to be explored in it having been Hanuman's Day; particularly given the symbolism … Continue reading “Loud May We Speak, With Heroes In Assembly” – An Indo-European Reflection On ANZAC Day
On The Indo-European Days Of The Week – An Introduction To The Comparative Mythography Of Arya Akasha
It can often seem rather daunting attempting to get to grips with the more in-depth material used to illustrate the underlying cultural unities between the Indo-European peoples ... so we thought we'd start with something different. Something simpler. Something so sufficiently common-place that you encounter it every day. Literally, in fact - for we're talking … Continue reading On The Indo-European Days Of The Week – An Introduction To The Comparative Mythography Of Arya Akasha
MahaShivRatri 2018
Tonight marks the most important Shaivite holy-"day" of the year. Maha ShivRatri - the "Great Night of Shiva". Various sources give slightly differing accounts as to the mythic significance and origins of the Night's place in our religion; with two of the more prominent being that it commemorates the reunification of Lord Shiva and Lady … Continue reading MahaShivRatri 2018
Kala Bhairava Jayanti
[Author's note: this piece was penned on the night of the 10th-11th of November 2017 in the course of an all-night devotional vigil] Tonight marks the Hindu observance of KalaBhairava Jayanti - the Creation, but also the Victory [same word - जयन्ति ] of Kala Bhairava, a Fearsome Destroyer emanation of Lord Shiva Whose name … Continue reading Kala Bhairava Jayanti
On The Ongoing Woeful Misappropriation Of Kali Ma When Western Metapolitical Commentators Write About Kali Yuga
I am pretty annoyed right now at the ongoing attempts at misusing Goddess Kali as part of attempted metapolitical [and often outright metaphysical political] 'analysis'. Now to be sure, I am NOT against folk attempting to incorporate religious understandings of the world into their politics. I do it all the time. I encourage others … Continue reading On The Ongoing Woeful Misappropriation Of Kali Ma When Western Metapolitical Commentators Write About Kali Yuga
‘Occasionalism’ in the thought of Al-Ghazali & The Bhagavad Gita
A curious 7 a.m thought for a Sunday morning, about the nature of 'Causality'. Now, the standard paradigm for understanding why things happen is a non-metaphysical one. It basically goes "somebody/something performs an action, it has an effect". This is so straightforward it doesn't even really require stating. We just *know* it implicitly. But as … Continue reading ‘Occasionalism’ in the thought of Al-Ghazali & The Bhagavad Gita
Vishvarupa Darshan
As is well known, I am not a Vaishnavite, nor a Krishna-bhakt. And, in point of fact, the traditional rivalry of Shaivites with these is common knowledge. But it is difficult to look upon this image - for me, anyway - and not feel something. It depicts the portion from Bhagavad Gita wherein Arjuna asks … Continue reading Vishvarupa Darshan
Caste and the Origin of the Races of Man
Contrary to many popular notions that are perpetuated by Hollywood and the public, the Germanic people (Of which Vikings are but a subgroup) were not an anarchic people composed wholly of warriors or grunting savages in poorly constructed huts, who held strong notions of liberty and equality, with 1-1 ratios of men and women in … Continue reading Caste and the Origin of the Races of Man
arya-akasha 