The 15th of August marks India's Independence Day; and, as has become my custom, I have penned an article in honour of both the occasion, and the state and struggle for which it stands. Whereas 2017's piece looked at the geopolitical saliency of India, especially from the perspective of a small South Pacific state such … Continue reading ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
Hinduism
Hades as Gaurivara, Persephone as Gauri
SHIVA-AS-YAMA, SHIVA-AS-KAAL, bearing a most Gauri bride indeed. Monday Devotional (A)Art(I) Posting! Now, technically speaking, this is actually a depiction of Hades & Persephone by Ulpiano Checa, circa 1888 [the painting, I mean, not when They were depicted]. However, not only do we have reasonable strength of analysis to make a strong linkage between Hades … Continue reading Hades as Gaurivara, Persephone as Gauri
On Stepping Into The Same River Twice – An Indo-European Theory Of Time (Travel)
It has been said, with some justification, that one 'cannot step in the same river twice'. That the inexorable flow of time ineffably means that the past reality of a thing is irrecoverable, in the present nor future. And yet, despite the provenance of this proverb, it is not ... or not entirely accurately, at … Continue reading On Stepping Into The Same River Twice – An Indo-European Theory Of Time (Travel)
‘Time And I Against Any Other Two’ – an Indo-European analysis of a maxim.
There is an aphorism of the great Baltasar Gracian which I have been turning over in my mind a fair bit this week. Not least because, upon closer inspection there's some *strongly* Indo-European [and, although Gracian could not possibly have known it, Shaivite - Shakta] subtext immanent within it. I shall not repeat it in full … Continue reading ‘Time And I Against Any Other Two’ – an Indo-European analysis of a maxim.
“Spend It Well”
"The coin in question, if you were wondering, is a Kushan minting from the reign of King Vasudeva, also a Hindu convert. Depicted on the right is Shiva with Nandi, and on the left, 'Oesho' - "Ishvara" ['God-Emperor'], another Epithet [and cosmological Function] of Mahadev, although also possibly [contingent upon which etymological theorizing we are … Continue reading “Spend It Well”
THUNDERSTRUCK – A Brief Comparative of the Weapons of the Striking Son of the Sky Father
"Appropriate for Thursday, - a brief look at the Weapon of the Thunderer/Striker in various Indo-European mythologies. Now, there's quite a bit that could be said and unpacked about the differences between each of these mighty weapons, especially as the cultures in question continued to develop their own mythological corpuses and legendariums over the millennia … Continue reading THUNDERSTRUCK – A Brief Comparative of the Weapons of the Striking Son of the Sky Father
Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
"Instead of posting a multi-thousand word article, I thought I'd try experiment with a shorter-form word-count chart. This time, a) seeking to briefly express how many Indo-European mythologies record a Sky Father - Earth Mother, Striker/Thunderer familial unit; b) show that Greek/Roman mythology did some ... odd things, that lead to at least two 'layers' … Continue reading Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
Dhumavati – The Smoke That Clouds, Reveals, Remains
Today, I think, is a Day for Dhumavati. A Mahavidya ['Great Wisdom/Revelation' - you can see the coterminous linguistic particle there with "Vidya", connected to the idea of "seeing", of truths being "revealed"] Aspect of Devi, this form of the Goddess is often regarded as being of somewhat baelful portency. And, with a poignant array … Continue reading Dhumavati – The Smoke That Clouds, Reveals, Remains
Calling The Gods
"There can be no doubt that gods have appeared, not only in ancient times but even late in history; they feasted with us and fought at our sides. But what good is the splendor of bygone banquets to a starving man? What good is the clinking of gold that a poor man hears through the … Continue reading Calling The Gods
Man Cannot Ban What Man Did Not Create – On Sweden’s Proposed “Rune-Ban”
The heralded intent of the Swedish government to attempt to "ban" Runes, and more broadly other heritage/religious elements on grounds that they might "look" Neo-Nazi, must be *absolutely* opposed. Before proceeding further, and lest I be (wilfully) misinterpreted, I shall say one thing. I am no fan of Neo-Nazis, and have regularly found that some … Continue reading Man Cannot Ban What Man Did Not Create – On Sweden’s Proposed “Rune-Ban”
arya-akasha 