How to Create a Home Altar and Keep It Alive
“If a man prays to Thee with a yearning heart, he can reach Thee, through Thy grace, by any path.” –Ramakrishna THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALTARS The English word “altar” comes from the Latin altare or altarium, which stem from the root altus (“high”). Altare referred to an elevated place or structure, such as a mound […]
Navratri – Celebrating the Divine Mother
Navratri – Celebrating the Divine Mother Navratri begins today! It is one of the most important Hindu festivals, spanning nine nights of devotion to Durga, the Divine Mother. Durga contains many aspects: fierce and gentle, beautiful and terrifying, destroyer and creator, the ascetic and the lover. She might come in blazing with fire and weapons […]
Maha Shivaratri: Awakening to the Inner Light
At night, all distinctions disappear. Falling asleep to the outside world, you awaken to the life within. Shivaratri (the “night of Shiva”) is a festival celebrated on the night between the 13th and 14th day of every month in the Hindu calendar, corresponding to the new moon. Of these 12 Shivaratris, Maha Shivaratri, the “great […]
Transfiguration: Opening to Mystery and Seeing Truth
They seem so real, our ideas and opinions about life—a vast force pulling our entire sense of reality into the domain of intellectual and emotional knowledge. The mind loses its openness and ends up imprisoned in itself. Cycles of thoughts creating one reality after another. We look at things and believe that our description of […]
Transfiguration: Seeing Beyond the Form of any Form
Transfiguration: Seeing Beyond the Form of any Form Transfiguration is a very important part of Tantric rituals because it represents the quintessence of the Tantric vision–seeing the Divine in any form. Transfiguration is deeply profound and requires a daily spiritual practice that gradually leads to this new, intimate view, rooted in the Heart. Definition and […]
Transfiguration Ritual at Hridaya
During Hridaya Yoga Modules, we offer our students an opportunity to participate in a sacred transfiguration ritual, where we practice Shiva/Shakti Adoration through steady and soft eye gazing revealing Shiva (Divine Masculine) and Shakti (Divine Feminine), followed by deep meditation on the Spiritual Heart.
A First Experience with Yoni Puja
By Sean O’Donnell There are many Tantric rituals that are practiced with the intention of deepening devotion and raising awareness of higher states of consciousness. Yoni puja is a ceremony designed to cultivate a reverence for Shakti and all other manifestations of the Divine Feminine. More information on the specific steps included in a traditional […]
Tantric Rituals: Yoni Puja
Tantric Rituals: Yoni Puja According to Tantra, all of creation is a play between Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (the energy or power of consciousness). Of course, consciousness and its energy are inseparable. This distinction is merely a convenient way to comprehend the incomprehensible. In Shaktism, the ultimate Truth (the Absolute) is seen as the Supreme […]
Tantric Rituals
By Prem Nirav Tantra is often understood as the web of life in which the Divine connects all beings and things—in this world and in all galaxies and universes, in manifestation and beyond. Tantra can allow us to integrate life into spirituality so that we live in peace and harmony with ourselves and those around […]
Yoni Puja: Worshipping Shakti
Yoni Puja: Worshipping Shakti The most well-known treatise about worshipping the yoni is, without doubt, Yoni Tantra. As is the case in many other Tantras, this tantric text is a dialog between Shiva and Parvati. It reveals the highly revered sadhana practiced by kaulas (tantrics), the yoni puja. It is known that the Kaulas (Kaula […]
Shiva Lingam Puja
Shiva Lingam Puja: Worship of the Shiva Lingam “Shaivism is intimately connected with the Shiva lingam. This is a beautiful symbol that in the highest sense represents consciousness.” -Swami Satyananda The Shiva lingam is an ancient symbol consisting of a pillar, column, or standing stone and a ring or circle in which the standing stone […]