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
Kartikeya
A Short Passage From The Skanda Purana – On The Great Power In Some Seeming-Small Things
“Do not disregard contemptuously the state of being a small infant. Even an infant serpent causes distress and strain. Even the young (rising) sun is very difficult to look at directly. Even a small fire is very difficult to be touched. A Mantra consists of very few letters. But is it not found effective and … Continue reading A Short Passage From The Skanda Purana – On The Great Power In Some Seeming-Small Things
The Divine Invocation Of The War Goddess – Katyayani Prayed To For Victory By The Gods
Illustration: 'Rama’s Sharadiya Durga Puja' - Ratan Acharya Something that I feel deserves greater prominence when we speak of Indo-European theology - is the fact that Our Gods Have Gods. Or, more pointedly - Goddess. This isn't just a Hindu thing. It is also encountered - at least, inferentially - in the Hellenic sphere. There, … Continue reading The Divine Invocation Of The War Goddess – Katyayani Prayed To For Victory By The Gods
Skanda Mars
[Author's Note: As we had said - it'll be awhile before I'm fully operational again. So, in the mean-time, here's a half-completed draft looking at the prominent figure of Lord Skanda. We had sought to set out the various refractions as to the origin-mythology around this most eminent of 'Charger-Skewerer' figures of the Sky Father's … Continue reading Skanda Mars
The Race Of Skanda & Ganesha For Ganesh Chaturthi In Shravan Maas – Glorious Modern Hindu Art
A fine depiction of the popular mythic episode in which Lords Skanda & Ganesha engage in a 'race around the world'. Now, to explain in a bit more detail what has happened here (and why Lord Ganesha has already won … ): The Sage Narada Muni came to Kailash and presented a most delectable enchanted … Continue reading The Race Of Skanda & Ganesha For Ganesh Chaturthi In Shravan Maas – Glorious Modern Hindu Art
The Matrikas – A RudraGanika Excerpt
This is an excerpt from our recent 'RudraGanika – A Study In Eternal Return As Manifested Through The Sky Father’s Female Retinue Across The Indo-European World' : looking at one of the ways in which this typology persisted in later Indo-European religion. In this case, in the form of the Matrika clade that accompany Rudra … Continue reading The Matrikas – A RudraGanika Excerpt
Skandamata for Chaitra Navratri – Mother of The Assault
The Fifth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Skandamata Now as one might presume - She is the Mother (Mata) of Lord Skanda, one of our … many War Gods. Takes after His Mother in that regard! The story of Skanda's conception and birth is perhaps a bit of a curious one - … Continue reading Skandamata for Chaitra Navratri – Mother of The Assault
Tuesday – The Day of Mangala (Mars)
Today is TUESDAY - the Day of Mars (Dies Martis in Latin). Therefore, art of Mangala (a term which, intriguingly, may either mean 'Auspicious' - or Mars, a Graha ['Planet'/'Influencer'] often regarded as rather Inauspicious indeed). He is a General of the militant forces of the Gods, and amidst Their foremost martial champions. And therefore, … Continue reading Tuesday – The Day of Mangala (Mars)
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
Krttika – The Six Swords of the Stars
An asterism of Bindrunes - 'Krittika'. Which I've constructed from ᚲ ᚱ ᛏ ᛏ ᚲ ᚨ (Kaunan, Raidho, Tiwaz Tiwaz, Kaunan, Ansuz); and which, well, it represents something rather important. Particularly for a certain 'Sword' of 'Divine Design' out there. 'Krttika' in Sanskrit means 'The Cutter' - and The Krttikas (plural) refer to the Pleiades. … Continue reading Krttika – The Six Swords of the Stars
arya-akasha 