AravenaSorcery

Yogini Yogini, 10th century Chola dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India. From the Smithsonian Institution. A yogini is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet. The term is the feminine Sanskrit word of the masculine yogi, while the term "yogin" is used in neutral, masculine or feminine sense. A yogini, in some contexts, is the sacred f

Siddhidhatri Statue of Siddhidhatri Siddhidhatri is the Goddess of spiritual attainments. Affiliation: Avatar of Durga Planet: Saturn Mantra: oṁ devyai siddhidātryai namaḥ siddhagandharvayakṣāghair suraiḥ amaraiḥ api sevyamānā sadā bhūyāt siddhidā siddhidāyinī Weapon: mace, chakra, shankha, lotus in which 8 siddhis are absorbed Symbol: lotus Consort: Shiva Siddhidhatri or Siddhidatri (lit. 'giver of perfection') is a form of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi, venerated as the goddes

Ashvamedha Ashvamedha yajna of Yudhisthira The Ashvamedha was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander for a year. In the territory traversed by the horse, any rival could dispute the king's authority by challenging the warriors accompanying it. After one year, if no enemy had managed to kill or cap

Shava Sadhana The goddess Kali (pictured) is believed to have given the poet Ramprasad Sen a vision due to the practice of shava sadhana. Shava sadhana (śāva sādhanā) is a Tantric sadhana (spiritual practice) in which the practitioner sits on a corpse for meditation. Shava sadhana is part of the vamachara ('heterodox') practice of worship, which is followed by the esoteric Tantra. Shava sadhana is regarded as one of Tantra's most important, most difficult and most secret ritu

Devata A male devata, flanked by a two apsaras in Prambanan, Indonesia A mural depicting devatas and a yaksha in Phutthaisawan Chapel, Thailand Statuettes of devatas, Kumtura Caves, China Aiyanar, a kula-devata of South India, and his consorts Devata (pl: devatas, meaning 'the gods') are smaller and more focused Devas (Deities) in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The term "devata" itself can also mean deva. They can be either male or female. Every human activi

Apsara A 12th-century sandstone statue of an apsara from Madhya Pradesh, India Apsaras are a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play the role of a "nymph" or "fairy". They figure prominently in the sculptures, dance, literature and paintings of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. The apsaras are described to be beautiful, youthful and elegant, and are said to be

"What one needs in this universe is not certainty but the courage and nerve of the gambler; not fixed conviction but adaptability; not firm ground whereupon to stand but skill in swimming." ~Alan Watts Howdy Apprentices and friends, I have three statues that I use to represent the Goddess, God and you and me, and the day will come when Tara Sin Kurukulla will inherit them all to continue the work of the Tibetan Kapalika Aghora Order. She and I set up some powerful protection

Vishnu Painting depicting Vishnu, c. 1730 Vishnu titles: God of Preservation, Restorer of Dharma, The Protector of Good, Bestower of Karma, The Supreme Being (Vaishnavism), Member of Trimurti Other names: Narayana, Hari, Madhava, Keshava, Achyuta, Janardana, Govinda and various others listed in the Vishnu Sahasranama Affiliation: Parabrahman, Trimurti, Brahman, Bhagavan, Ishvara, Dashavatara Abode: VaikunthaKshira Sagara Mantra: Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāy

Kapala A kapala (Sanskrit for "skull") is a skull cup used as a ritual implement (bowl) in both Buddhism Tantra and Tibetan Buddhist Tantra (Vajrayana). Especially in Tibetan Buddhism, kapalas are often carved or elaborately mounted with precious metals and jewels. In Hinduism, tantric and aghoris use Kapala for rituals. Etymology 'Kapala' is a loan word into Tibetan from Sanskrit kapāla referring to the skull or forehead, usually of a human. By association, it refers to the

Samurai Samurai in armor in the 1860s; hand-colored photograph by Felice Beato Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer...

Mana - Polynesian and Melanesian religion Nature worship animism orenda hasina Nyama See all related content Mana, among Melanesian and...

Taboo sociology Alternate titles: tabu, tapu Taboo, also spelled tabu, Tongan tabu, Maori tapu, the prohibition of an action based on the...

Sakha people Alternate titles: Yakut See Yakut reindeer herders travel with their sleds, through the Siberian forests Sakha (Yakut)...

Australian Aboriginal peoples Australian Aboriginal peoples, one of the two distinct groups of Indigenous peoples of Australia, the other...

Koryak people Koryak, indigenous people of the Russian Far East, numbering about 7,900 in the late 20th century and living mostly in the...

Soul religion and philosophy Soul, in religion and philosophy, the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers...

Chaitanya - Hindu mystic Alternate titles: Caitanya, Gauranga, Shri Krishna Chaitanya, Vishvambhara Mishra Chaitanya Born: 1485 India...

Ecstasy Ecstasy, (from Greek ekstasis, “to stand outside of or transcend [oneself]”), in mysticism, the experience of an inner vision of...

Shamanism Shamanism, religious phenomenon centred on the shaman, a person believed to achieve various powers through trance or ecstatic...

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 83 BC – 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony or Anthony, was a Roman...