Blog Archives
Rene Guenon’s Critique of Theosophy
A presentation based on the book by René Guénon – Theosophy : History of a Pseudo-Religion. Including contextualising material bringing the story of Theosophy, it’s teachers, doctrines and influence into recent times. Music – The Spirit of Russian Love by…
Father and Mother
http://somathread.ning.com/groups/yoga-and-tantra/forum/father-and-mother The quotes on the home page over the past few days were written more than 1500 years apart. The first is ascribed to the anonymous author(s) of the Chandogya Upanishad in the 8th century BC – ”We should…
Para-Sympathetic and Sympathetic Switching
These are my own observations. They may not hold for everyone. I am not an authority for anyone, except myself. But I thought to share these observations as they may be of benefit or interest to someone else. In my…
Akka Mahadevi ~ Female Devotional Poet
12th Century Poet. Married to a King when young, Akka Mahadevi rejected life in the palace and left to become a naked wandering mendicant. Her life was devoted to Shiva. I have fallen in love, O mother with the Beautiful…
The 24 Teachers of Dattatreya
Dattatreya was a mythological deity or sage. He was said to be an avadhoot, or complete renunciate, wandering naked in the world. He is usually represented with 3 heads as he is also said to be an incarnation of the…
The Kali Yuga : Dicing With Death ~ Gwendolyn Taunton
Short extracts from an article available to read HERE. One of the most well-known cultural imports from India that has exerted an influence on Western thought is that of the Kali Yuga. The reason for the popularity of this subject in…
Emanation in Kashmiri Shaivism
These are short edited extracts from a text by Daniel Odier available here. The extracts describe one view of emanation from Pure Consciousness (Shiva) to all we see around us. I use the word Emanation, meaning to ”flow out from”.…
Another Something Something on Ego
One of the first things I saw this morning was the black cat hurling herself at a flock of swallows who were swooping over the back yard. The cat looked delighted and did not mind that she caught nothing. The…
Practical Application of Awareness
“If the inner mind is tamed. The outer enemy cannot harm me.” ~ Atisha (As ever, these are just passing thoughts and sharing my experiences, and I make no claim for their being anything more than that.) Anger, like any…
Nyasa
Nyasa can mean… Imprinting Placing Consecration of parts of the body Charging To arouse consciousness in… Imbuing with mantras. It is a very old practice in Tantra. A variation of it has been used in modern times in Rotation of…
Vasanas ~ Conditioned Inclinations
Vasana are the seeds of desires and inclinations, the vibrations in our being even before thought. They are the automatic tendencies that condition our behaviour and personality. They generate the habits that become stronger with repetition, and that weaken when…
The Heart of Siva
When the Heart is free of stains and a light occurs which illuminates the Supreme plane, by immersion in this shining light, one obtains identity with the Supreme Siva, that is, with consciousness… ~ Abhinivagupta Some lines from Abhinavagupta‘s teachings as…
Prana Shakti
Hands down my favourite form of the Goddess – full description available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/53835690/Tattwa-Shuddhi from where I take the above screen shot and the following extracts……. ”In tattwa shuddhi, kundalini as prana shakti is symbolised as a beautiful goddess. This system…
Bholenath
Bholenath means the ”Innocent Lord” or ”kind hearted Lord”. We think of all aspects of Divinity as being sophisticated, as being akin to our crafty thinking minds, but the Bholenath archetype is that which is as unaffected as a child.…
Time in the Puranas
A poetic way of appreciating the vastness of time…. The Shiva Puranas were first written down in 4-6th century, but are said to have been orally transmitted since ancient times. (There are some references in older Upanishads from 5 th…
Vishuddhi Chakra
The Throat Chakra. Vishuddhi includes the word shuddhi which means ”purification”. The Bija or seed mantra for Vishuddhi is HAM (the essential meaning of which is ”I Am”) (it is pronounced with a long drawl on the A, between awww and…
Wholeness
Purna is a Sanskrit word which means Wholeness, Complete, Full, Perfect. Fulfilled, Satisfied. INFINITE. There is a peace mantra – from the Isha Upanishad. (Isha is a lovely word, meaning Lord in the personal sense, a more intimate attitude than…
The Older Asana (Yoga Poses)
”Child, concepts are wild and stubborn, so remain mindful at all times.” ~Padampe Sangye (Indo-Tibetan yogi 12th century) Much of what is taught in Yoga classes nowadays are recently invented postures or ways of moving/contorting the body. This is fine…
Sahaja
you were born on earth as human why are you in slumber now? take care of yourself; yourself is what you have to Know ~ Kabir Sahaja means easy, naturalness, the gentle path, spontaneous. Don’t go off somewhere else! Kabir…
"Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.'' ~ Jorge Luis Borges
 | online gita course on Chapter 2 Bhagavad Gita (Part… |
 | E. H. on The Four Natural Enemies of Kn… |
 | Denis on The Way and The Mountain ~ Mar… |
 | pomeroo on On The Physics of High Rise Bu… |
 | Richard O'Dwyer on On Friendship ~ David Why… |
