Ten days ago - Nine Nights - Arya Akasha undertook a combined operation for Kali Puja. As the name for the occasion should appear to suggest, this was oriented toward the worship for Kali. And I have already shared some limited photography pertaining to the major 'fulcrum' Rite centered in a Smashana in West Bengal … Continue reading The Kali Puja Contribution Of Our More Westerly Co-Religionists
Goddess
On RigVeda V 61 6 – The Worth Of A (Good) Woman ; Courtship By Night And By Marut
[Author's Note: This piece was written a year ago upon this date - however for some reason it's been sitting unpublished this entire time ! It therefore seemed an aptly auspicious occasion, in light of operations and observances from earlier this week, to finally bring it out to the light here on this site of … Continue reading On RigVeda V 61 6 – The Worth Of A (Good) Woman ; Courtship By Night And By Marut
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
On Ritual Substitution And Traditional Offerings [Part Two: When In Rome…]
Practicing an Indo-European religion amidst the Modern Age is no easy thing. One seems endlessly caught between the twin considerations of 'Authenticity' contrasted with 'Accessibility'. The former correlates to the quite righteous desire to 'do things properly' (and so they actually work) - customarily by seeking to follow reasonably closely within the foot-tracks of one's … Continue reading On Ritual Substitution And Traditional Offerings [Part Two: When In Rome…]
In Relation To The Durga Suktam – A Response To Claims Of Pastiche-Revisionism ; And Assorted Metaphysical Commentary
We had recently encountered this … bemusing sentiment over on twitter. And therefore, because it may be of a more general interest - shall reproduce our explanation as to why this … isn't what happened viz. the Durga Suktam and a certain amount as to what's really going on therein. BEGINS: "…I would quite strongly … Continue reading In Relation To The Durga Suktam – A Response To Claims Of Pastiche-Revisionism ; And Assorted Metaphysical Commentary
A Friday For Nemesis
Friday, as we all know by now, is Devi's Day - and in light of some fortuitous events, I think it is an apt Friday for Nemesis ( Νεμεσις ) - The Inexorable, The Inescapable One, Adrasteia ( Αδραστεια ) This beautiful rendition of Her is by Yliade - and I have to say, I … Continue reading A Friday For Nemesis
ShivaJi, Jai Singh, and Combat Theology In Praxis
The 2nd of June marked the 350th anniversary of the coronation of ShivaJi. With that in mind - it seemed apt to finalize a piece looking at a rather under-explored detail pertaining to the great man's ascent. As I think we all know by now, I make a fairly active study of what we might … Continue reading ShivaJi, Jai Singh, and Combat Theology In Praxis
On Bhishma As Sky Father Incarnate – A Guest-Post With Annotations
[Editor's Note: It is a grand thing when we find our efforts to have sparked an impact. In this case, a few weeks prior we had had a most energetic conversation with a lad, Utsav Sambhava, who had a few thoughts in relation to some pieces I'd sketched out in 2021 pertaining to a pattern in … Continue reading On Bhishma As Sky Father Incarnate – A Guest-Post With Annotations
For Pratyangira – Roaring Goddess of the Counter-Fire
A murti of the fearsome Goddess[-form], Pratyangira - a theonymic we would be tempted to translate as "Return Fire!" She is regarded as Goddess of the Atharva Veda via Atharvana Bhadrakali - and also linked to Kali through the Narasimhika ('Heroic Lioness' / 'Lion-(Wo)Man') encountered in the Sri Kalika Sahasranama stotram of MahaKalaBhairava : and … Continue reading For Pratyangira – Roaring Goddess of the Counter-Fire
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)
arya-akasha 