The conception many people have of 'Prayer' is that it constitutes of 'asking' - often for things that might be thought of as 'for personal gain', or for the assistance of others. Now, as we've recently discussed, there's quite a bit more to prayer than that, and effectively the broad meaning to the concept is … Continue reading Prayer As Petitioning – A Lesson In Piety From ‘The GodsFather’
Vrat
Prayer – An Engagement With The Divine
Prayer has to be simultaneously both one of the single most important and yet single most misapprehended elements to our faith(s). We are genuinely surprised at how frequently we seem to come across a vocal belief that there's something somehow inherently 'wrong' or 'alien' to prayer in an Indo-European (and usually rather specifically, a Germanic) … Continue reading Prayer – An Engagement With The Divine
Pradosha Vrat – The Fortnightly Evening Observance For Lord Shiva
Pradosha Vrat tonight … so here's a pretty aesthetic shot of the Shiva Temple at Kedarnath Pradosh Vrat [literally 'Evening Observance' - 'Vrata', from the same root as our English 'Word', communicates the sense of a 'Vow', giving somebody your Word] is hailed as an ideal time to approach the Lord in supplication. This is, … Continue reading Pradosha Vrat – The Fortnightly Evening Observance For Lord Shiva
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
arya-akasha 