Sacred art, books, and instruction
One Earth Sacred Arts Blog
Friends, a delightful opportunity has been announced that I highly recommend to any- and everyone. My yantra teacher Mavis Gewant and my colleague Tova Olsson will be leading a group to India to celebrate devotional love, art, Bhakti Yoga, the famous saint Neem Karoli Baba, and the beloved Monkey-god Hanuman! Mavis, Tova, and I taught …
Continue reading→ “Heart of Hanuman – Sacred Art event in India”
https://www.livingsanskrit.com/course/hanuman-jayanti Shubh Hanuman Jayanti! Check out my (Ekabhumi) contribution to this course. I give a short talk on the symbolism of Hanuman’s image. I’m one of the Core Faculty at Living Sanskrit, and after several years of reduced offerings, we are gearing up for new programming. Right now, we are rolling out all of our …
Śhūbh Rāma Navamī! Today is a holiday celebrating this popular Hindu deity, hero of the Ramayana epic. The good folks at Living Sanskrit are re-launching a classic interactive course. Learn about Śrī Rāma and connect to this sacred day through study of philosophy, language, iconography, Ayurvedic wisdom, mantra, pūjā, and dance. This course includes lecture …
Why do some deities dance? Because they are joyful! #Enlightened deities overflow with energy. Their state is joyful (#Ananda), & may be exuberant! Deities portrayed in dynamic postures typically come quickly when invoked. They also tend to leave quickly. A dynamic form of the same deity may have a different name from their static form, …
My recent post about eclipsed attracted a lot of attention on Facebook and provoked quite a bit of dialogue, as well as some strong pushback. My friend (and collaborator at Living Sankrit) Shivani Hawkins shared my post and had to deal with dozens of comments, as well as lots of pushback. The resistance was mainly …
Why do enlightened deities hold their weapons so gently? 🔥 Because they are compassionate and powerful. 🔥 The powers (Siddhis) symbolically represented by their weapons and implements are held gently by these wise and compassionate beings so that we don’t get hurt or suffer unnecessarily from their presence. 🔥 Another explanation is because they are …
Continue reading→ “Why Do Enlightened Deities Hold Their Weapons Gently?”
This is my regular reminder that eclipses are considered inauspicious, according to traditional Jyotish teachings and my gurus. The deity who causes eclipses (Rahu and his other half Ketu) is inherently mysterious, but associated with addiction, compulsion, obsession, ambition, avarice, attachment, provocation, poison, and disruption, as well as exotica, illusion, disguises, secrets, obscuration, denial, and …
In a class on sacred geometry, I mentioned the ’15 powers of Kālī’ in reference to a specific yantra (ritual diagrams comprised of geometric forms), and one of my students wrote to me asking what they were. This class was not specifically about yantras, or goddesses, but because it’s an introduction to sacred art in …
During a recent visit to the Kālī Mandir in Laguna Beach, I was treated to a pleasant surprise. I arrived quietly, just in time for the evening aarti (flame offering), with offerings of ripe mango and a fresh hibiscus flower. 🔱 I try to visit this temple whenever I’m in the area. It’s a lovely …
Continue reading→ “Shiva and Parvati Surprise Appearance in Laguna Beach”