It is FRIDAY - Devi's Day ! And therefore, art by HC for a broad Indo-European mythic typology which I have long had trouble finding illustrated anywhere else. Now, in essence, what we have observed is a standard situation wherein the Goddess bestows empowerment to Her Chosen. This is found at several prominent points in … Continue reading The Goddess-Given Empowerment Of The Indo-European Hero – As Beautifully Illustrated Via Athena In The Iliad And Vak Devi
DeviSukta
Hestia & Vak – The Voice In The Flame Of The Goddess At The Center Of Indo-European Faith !
Over and over again, we are told that prominent Goddess figures are somehow 'foreign' to the Indo-European world - that these 'have' to have been picked up from various non-IE groups, and in any case 'must' be merely peripheral to the actual Indo-European religions, much less the archaic Proto-Indo-European belief from which it all descends. … Continue reading Hestia & Vak – The Voice In The Flame Of The Goddess At The Center Of Indo-European Faith !
On Goddess, The Gender of the Moon, And Insistent Paradigmatic Error-ism
There's one point which seems to keep coming up when the fact of an Indo-European male Moon deific is raised.Namely, the notion that this is an impossibility - or, at the very least, a glaring incongruity - because we know with our modern scientific perspective that the Moon 'receives' the light from the Sun. There … Continue reading On Goddess, The Gender of the Moon, And Insistent Paradigmatic Error-ism
The AtharvaVeda’s Invocation Of The Mother Of Indra To Impart Strength And Splendour To The Worshipper
The AtharvaVeda is a trove of interesting and otherwise under-thought of lore. It has to be due to the nature of its subject-matter - the invoking via allusion of elements to pointed projects and intended outcomes. Here are two translations of AV VI 38, entitled by Griffith as "A prayer for surpassing strength and energy" … Continue reading The AtharvaVeda’s Invocation Of The Mother Of Indra To Impart Strength And Splendour To The Worshipper
In Honour Of The BanaLingam Upon The Occasion Of Its Arrival – The Living Altar Of Narmada That Is Shakti & Shiva Rightfully Conjoined
We have attained the BanaLinga ! Yet what is this mighty stone, inset within a shining Yoni of Silver ? The easiest way to explicate it is to start with the very basic and work our way up from there. At its core, a ShivLing is an 'aniconic' embodiment of the Lord Shiva. It may also … Continue reading In Honour Of The BanaLingam Upon The Occasion Of Its Arrival – The Living Altar Of Narmada That Is Shakti & Shiva Rightfully Conjoined
Sri Bhuvanesvari Yantra
[Author's Note: It has since been pointed out to me by an associate whom I trust that this is, in fact, more likely a Surya yantra. I had presumed that the Solar theonymics were due to the association of the Goddess Form with the Sun. The post is left up, otherwise as it is, for … Continue reading Sri Bhuvanesvari Yantra
Masik Durgashtami – Victory On The Eighth
Today is Masik Durgashtami - a monthly (Masik) High Holy Day to the Goddess Durga, celebrated on the 8th (Ashtami). The observance itself entails a fast during the day (with such self-imposed conditions upon one's behavior known as a 'Vrat' - a 'Vow', and from the same PIE etymological root as modern English 'Word' (as … Continue reading Masik Durgashtami – Victory On The Eighth
Sirius In Central Asia – Soma, Tisya, Tishtrya, Rudra
It is Wednesday - Odin's Day - and so therefore, as has become our custom, some fine devotional (a)art-i. Except this exquisite piece is not from the Northlands of Scandinavia - rather, its provenance is that most mysterious of Indo-European lands … far-flung Central Asia. Khotan, amidst the deserts and mountains fringing China's western edge in … Continue reading Sirius In Central Asia – Soma, Tisya, Tishtrya, Rudra
On The ‘Prime Deity’ Of The RigVeda
This poll somebody ran on twitter is interesting. Now, I have my own biases, of course, but I'm not sure that the results are especially accurate. For instance, it would take quite a .. selective reading to conclude Vishnu to be the "prime deity" of the RigVeda - that would seem to be a modern … Continue reading On The ‘Prime Deity’ Of The RigVeda
On Triptolemus And Demeter, Soma And The Sacral Rites Of Life And Land
A foundational principle of Indo-European ritual is succinctly expressed in the Latin maxim - 'Do Ut Des' : "I Give So That You Might Give". The Tale of Triptolemus might be thought to similarly simply express the truth of this utterance - although upon closer examination, its resonancies are anything but "simple", especially when considered in … Continue reading On Triptolemus And Demeter, Soma And The Sacral Rites Of Life And Land