An important point - KaalBhairav Jayanti is also an occasion where, as an act of piety, we try to do something nice for a dog. Often this entails feeding ; although if you are doing the full style thing, then in Nepal it is common to see dogs having had tilaka applied and garlanded with … Continue reading Look After Dogs On KaalBhairavJayanti
Hindu Observances
The Upasads – Sieges, Homage, Spiritual Warfare, And The Necessary Restoration Of Western Indo-European Religious Ritual ReconstructionÂ
Something that is going to be absolutely essential when it comes to reconstructing the 'high religious' rites for western Indo-European spheres - is working out where, in the depths of the mythology, ritual understandings are to be deliberately inferred. Why? Because so much of Indo-European ritual is comprised of what Eliade eloquently termed the 'Eternal … Continue reading The Upasads – Sieges, Homage, Spiritual Warfare, And The Necessary Restoration Of Western Indo-European Religious Ritual ReconstructionÂ
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
Rahu – The Dark Graha And His Veiled Grasp
We begin to speak of a figure often veiled, an astrological potent who is, by definition, 'obscure' - and that, in the archaic Latin sense. The Graha - Rahu. Now before getting any further, it is necessary to provide a very brief overview of some relevant Hindu astrological understandings. The piece will unlikely make much … Continue reading Rahu – The Dark Graha And His Veiled Grasp
The Names Of The NavaDurgas In Accessible Translation For NavRatri
With NavRatri beginning tonight - here's an enumeration of the Nine NavaDurgas (One for each Night) … along with an attempt to make the theonyms more understandable via colour-coding. The colour of the part of the word in Sanskrit corresponds to the English word it's translated as. So, for instance, 'Shailaputri' has 'Shaila' (Mountain) in … Continue reading The Names Of The NavaDurgas In Accessible Translation For NavRatri
The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
Pitru Paksha - the Fortnight of the Ancestors - is nearly at a close ; and immediately after it comes NavRatri - the Nine Nights of the Mother Goddess. The former, is when the veils between the worlds are thinner, and one's ancestors (Pitrs - etymologically cognate with 'Fathers') are able to come and visit, to receive … Continue reading The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
In our field, we are so often delving into impressive legends of long ago - myths about men who once lived and wrought deeds so mighty that they seem frankly 'incredible' (in the old sense of the term) today. And that can leave one quite jaded about the modern era for reasons that ought be … Continue reading The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
Ganesha Atop The Volcano Of Brahma in Indonesia [Incredible Indo-European Holy Sites Series Part VI]
For the Sixth Night of Ganesh Chaturthi - the theme of our devotional efforts on each of these nights has been that Ganesha Gets In Everywhere. So here's Ganesh, atop an active volcano in Indonesia where it has been and been in constant use for the past 700 years. The volcano in question is entitled … Continue reading Ganesha Atop The Volcano Of Brahma in Indonesia [Incredible Indo-European Holy Sites Series Part VI]
Ganesh Gets In Everywhere – The Ganesha Of Endere In The Taklamakan For Ganesh Chaturthi
Tonight marks the first night of Ganesh Chaturthi - and so therefore, some rather amazing art one and a half millennia ancient from the Khotanese Saka ( Scythian ) settlement of Endere, in the Taklamakan Desert of Western China. Why? Well, partially it is because this piece has been on my mind recently and I … Continue reading Ganesh Gets In Everywhere – The Ganesha Of Endere In The Taklamakan For Ganesh Chaturthi
The Last Integral Aryan Civilization – A Manyu-Festo
"Bare is the back of the brotherless man."- Burnt Njal's Saga ; Iceland, 13th Century Every year on August 15th, we publish a tribute-piece for the Independence Day of India. This year, we elucidate the concept of India as the world's 'Last Integral Aryan Civilization' [a phrasing coined by my associate, Aldo Rapace] - and … Continue reading The Last Integral Aryan Civilization – A Manyu-Festo
arya-akasha 