Happened across this impressive rendition earlier this evening, by the inimitable Angus McBride (known for both Osprey and certain tabletop RPG offerings). It depicts the Cailleach Bheur - effectively synonymous with the Cailleach Bhéarra (see Hull 1927, inter alia), also known as Buí , the Wife of Lugh. She is a figure of far broader … Continue reading The Cailleach – Brief Comparanda [Arya Akasha Arka]
Cailleach
For The West – A Goddess Who Needs No Introduction
There's a lot of this 'discourse' going on on Twitter Dot Com atm. It's not a recent thing - ever since Musk took over The Algorithm, it's been bubbling up hard. But here's the thing … This Goddess is not, in fact, "foreign" to The West. She was there at its foundation - She is … Continue reading For The West – A Goddess Who Needs No Introduction
The Cyan Paṭh To Tartarus Via Way Of Kashmir [The Indo-European Propitiation Of Persephone-Kali – Part Three]
To begin as we had earlier intended to continue - there exists a recurrent occurrence within the Indo-European both mythology and ritual praxis for the immersion of the Goddess figure. This comes in several semi-overlapping expressions, contingent upon the local requirements and developments for their mythology. For instance - we in the Hindusphere know of … Continue reading The Cyan Paṭh To Tartarus Via Way Of Kashmir [The Indo-European Propitiation Of Persephone-Kali – Part Three]
Sharada NavRatri – And The War Rites Of The Indo-Europeans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atPk8JoJ138 It's currently Sharada NavRatri for we Hindus (the Nine Nights of the Goddess Durga , Chandika / Chamunda ) - and so therefore, a look at the observance in light of its Indo-European context. This includes the correlate Goddess-oriented War Rites undertaken by both the Romans (in the form of the Quinquatria dedicated to … Continue reading Sharada NavRatri – And The War Rites Of The Indo-Europeans
A Slightly Belated Beltane Commentary (With Additional Slavic Comparanda)
Every year, we try and have (A)Arti-cles ready for the major days of the Indo-European religious calendars. Some years, we do better than others. Other years - a delay turns out to be a blessing in disguise. So it may be viz. Beltane. For we had just in the past few hours happened across postings … Continue reading A Slightly Belated Beltane Commentary (With Additional Slavic Comparanda)
The Crow-Accompanied Goddess Of Violent Death
The Fierce Warrior-Destroyer Goddess Chandika is depicted in the Kadambari of Banabhatta (and Son) as being accompanied by a most remarkable coterie of worshippers. To quote from my own translation: “Being worshipped from all sides by the Retinue of Crows both razor sharp and unyielding Who sang Her Glories” The Sanskrit reads: “ārādhyamānāṃ sarvataḥ kaṭhoravāyasagaṇena … Continue reading The Crow-Accompanied Goddess Of Violent Death
Adorned By The Mantle Of Fire And The Masque Of Death
A fitting image, we had felt, to resonate with a figure encountered at various points in our work over this past year, and that we might perhaps think of as something of a 'Para-Kali' or even 'Proto-Kali' (and, of course, Chandika / Chamunda, and Durga, are also heavily in-mind here for reasons that ought prove … Continue reading Adorned By The Mantle Of Fire And The Masque Of Death
Chamunda – Brief Conceptual Resonancies For The Storm Facing Of Wrathful Sky Divinity
It is Friday - Devi's Day - And so therefore, as has become our custom, we present a brief commentary to go with a beautiful work of (A)Arti-fice ... In this case, a fine sandstone sculpture, about a thousand years old. Something which manages to convey a sense of Her 'Forcefulness', Her 'Essence' ... even … Continue reading Chamunda – Brief Conceptual Resonancies For The Storm Facing Of Wrathful Sky Divinity
Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 3]: Part Three: Cosmology, At The Crossroads
[Depicted is the fine marble Hekate from the Greek isle of Aegina, in overtly 'Triple-Facing' Goddess form. Note that the Initiatory Torches are, here, utilized to create an illusion of 'depth' - and, to my mind at least, almost seem to connote different 'pathways' off through trees.] The first point to be made concerns Ambika. … Continue reading Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 3]: Part Three: Cosmology, At The Crossroads
Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration
It fascinates me how our various Indo-European religions 'interlock'. Both in terms of the way that the same (or highly similar) elements co-occur in recognizable format across various of these, even separated by millennia or many thousands of kilometers; yet also in the way that a fulsome understanding of one can help to 'unlock' the … Continue reading Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration
arya-akasha 