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
Fire Altar
The Divine Empress And The Fire God – Beautiful Newari Art And The Durga Suktam
Very, very cool ! On the left, is Maheshvari (Devi) - on the right, Agni. Now, it might at first seem a little curious - we are used to thinking of Agni as a 'two-faced' figure in the iconography. Yet in a way … These depictions are, quite literally, two sides of the same artwork. … Continue reading The Divine Empress And The Fire God – Beautiful Newari Art And The Durga Suktam
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
On The Army of Kali
Finger-Snapping Intensifies Kali - and Dakinis , striding forth from the Smashana (Cremation Ground). We would, perhaps, suggest that this is a 'Smashana *krewh₂-' As in a 'Crew' … but using that particular Proto-Indo-European term which stands for 'Cold Blood' (in contrast to *h₁ésh₂r̥ - 'hot-blood', 'alive-blood'). This informs Sanskrit 'Kravya' (क्रव्य - 'raw flesh', … Continue reading On The Army of Kali
For Vulcanalia – The Roman Festival of Fires !
The 23rd of August marks Vulcanalia - the Roman observance for the Power of Fire. Not only Forge-Fire, as one might perhaps expect … but also large bonfires, the fires of kiln and oven, and perhaps (via inference) even the lamps which give illumination so that one might read - and pierce the darkness with … Continue reading For Vulcanalia – The Roman Festival of Fires !
On Brigid And Brhati – Some Preliminary Observation
Recently, we were asked a question pertaining to the figure of St Brigid - and, of course, the Celtic deific of the similar name (which may have further bearing for the somewhat distinct Brigantia … although we aren't going to get into that herein). Part of the question concerned the potential for Brigid to be an … Continue reading On Brigid And Brhati – Some Preliminary Observation
Kushmanda for Chaitra Navratri – The Power of the Sun
The Fourth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Kushmanda - which I have figuratively chosen to render as 'the Power of the Sun'. In essence, the reason that the Sun is ... well ... the Sun - rather than some abstract 'ball of flaming gas', or even simply an inanimate, lifeless object, is … Continue reading Kushmanda for Chaitra Navratri – The Power of the Sun
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 !
The Eddic Mead of Poetry & Vedic ‘Fire Bird’ Agnicayana Soma Rite
Now, to explain what's going on here … This is one of those Vedic - Eddic strong concordancies. Concerning the Mead of Poetry, and Soma: what Griffith translated in RV I 14 as 'Meath' (the actual word he'd rendered thus appears to be Sanskrit 'Madhu' - Sweet - being used as a noun. Which is … Continue reading The Eddic Mead of Poetry & Vedic ‘Fire Bird’ Agnicayana Soma Rite
On Odin As Agni
Part One: Kindling The Flame In a number of my previous works now, I have established the fundamental equation of the Odin of the Eddic mythology with the Shiva of the Vedic sphere. I have also shown how the Rudra, the Brihaspati, the Agni, the Vayu, the Parjanya of the Vedas - are also all Faces, … Continue reading On Odin As Agni
arya-akasha 