Everything Under the Moon

My path is pretty eclectic and when asked I usually say just that..."eclectic". I have a blend of Shamanism, Hinduism, Tantra, Gypsy Magick, Kitchen Witch, etc. But a lot of my practice is influenced from Hinduism. Although I do not call myself a Hindu, I do borrow a LOT from that religion. In fact my main deities (Ganesh, Lakshmi and Durga) are Hindu gods and goddesses.

Over the years of study I came across this idea of Indo-Paganism and realize that its pretty much the path I'm on. I know others have a similar practice to mine and are not sure where they fit in.

I found this site recently called the Indo Pagan Project, and it has some great resources but seems to not be very active for the last few years. Here is what they say about Indo Paganism.

Indo-Paganism is an umbrella-term which describes the path followed by an ever-increasing number of NeoPagans, who derive the majority of their spiritual inspiration from the Hinduism and other Indo-origin spiritual paths, such as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The term can also be extended to those of a Hindu or Indo-tradition background who choose to incorporate elements of NeoPaganism into their practice. Generally speaking, IndoPagans work primarily - if not exclusively - within the Hindu pantheon; although the extent to which they incorporate and observe traditional Hindu ritual and worship elements, including the usage of Sanskrit, varies widely. The exchange of energy and ideas is open between these paths, creating a richer tapestry of spirituality for us all.

In some stories from the veda and in the history of hinduism and tantra there have been stories about mystics. Ive often wondered if they were indeed witches but never used that term. I believe Indo Paganmism is a blend of being a witch and borrowing from a Hindu path.

Ive actually created a blog to delve deeper into this path. http://www.gypsyinthelotus.wordpress.com

I'm interested in connected with others that may travel a similar path and this can be a place for us to share and learn from each other.

.

Nice concept. Makes sense. Personally, the sanatana dharma has been meaningful and informed my spiritual approach, and not so much Hinduism, per se. Just thumbing through a Sanskrita dictionary and reading the definitions is a very powerful experience, like reading an actual spiritual text. The language itself was considered holy, "polished." It meandered into present day use right along with Latin and Greek. So, many English words we use today, if you look at their etymology, have a Sanskrit origin. I studied Devanagari for a short time years ago in a class that an acharya taught in the Bay Area. I still have my manjaris (textbooks) from that time. We would chant the Gita, kind of the principle text of our studies.

Yoga texts that I've found meaningful include Yoga Vasistha Sara Sangrahah and Vedanta-Sara of Sadananda. When people in Western culture hear the word "yoga," stretching postures and Lululemon yoga pants might come to mind. But, yoga is primarily a spiritual path. Yogic philosophy teaches, for example, that people have a tendency to gravitate to a spiritual path that is either primarily intellectual (jnana), ritualistic (bhakta), meditative (raja), or service-to-others-oriented (karma). People can have secondary and tertiary tendencies, and in a sense at different occasions we all can exhibit a combination of these. But we each tend to exhibit a primary "energy" that characterizes our lives for the most part. So, a yogi or yogini respects all religions, viewing them as outward expressions of the different spiritual temperaments. Spirituality is not a one-size-fits all deal.

Yogic philosophy also teaches that energy itself can be rajas (stirring up), tamas (slowing down), or sattva (in a state of stasis). Different foods have these properties, as do people, and the study/practice of Ayurveda relates to this. Ayurvedic practice is gaining in popularity in the West. But in India, for thousands of years, it was the healthcare system for the people. Psychic abilities are viewed as a natural by-product of our drive toward self-actualization, and much is written about them in yogic literature. They are natural, intrinsic abilities, honed through meditation and a sattvic lifestyle, and meant to be used benevolently.

I don't so much worship Hindu gods, but I may at times focus on different principles that different gods represent. So if I invoke something, it is that particular energy principle, either within the environment, or from within myself, that I am invoking. Anthropomorphizing these energies --giving them names, storylines, personalities, etc.-- seems to make them easier for us humans to conceptualize them, I think. Ganesh as a concept of strength and refuge is a recurring one for me. I did a new year's ritual once and he kept coming up, so I went with it. That was pretty powerful.

So, these and other related concepts inform my spiritual views and practices. Maybe EUTM member, Klia, will chime in on this thread, as I believe she observes a Hindu (Indo-pagan?) pantheon, though she doesn't seem to come around here much anymore.



.

.


Haha, I just read this post: http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... ml#p207714 . You ARE a yoga teacher, lol. And I love how you "sneak" the meditation in your classes. Nice.

My post above was just my thinking out loud regarding the concept of Indo-paganism, trying to calibrate where I may or may not stand with it (kind of like a colt testing out her legs). I see from your comment about yoga being used by yogis to relieve stiffness related to meditation practice that you have studied beyond asana, and you are aware of the spiritual aspect of it as I've mentioned a few of them above (maybe I'll just delete that post, altogether, lol). So, now your interest in Indo-paganism REALLY makes sense.

Anyway, thanks.


.

Hi Anais! It sounds like a really interesting path. I was wondering if you followed the Patheos blog, A Witch's Ashram? It might be of interest to you. Anyways, I'm looking forward to hearing more about your spiritual journey!

Kassandra - yes I teach Yoga. I think this is why my path has went this way. Im currently reading all the old texts including the Upanashids and the Vedas. I lean more towards the Shakti energy. Ganesh is the only male that I work with, and Im much more connected to Shakti than Shiva.

I have that conversation with people all the time. That asana is only 1/8 of what Yoga is. Sadly in the western world yoga means asana (or really at this point....gymnastics LOL).

I enjoyed your post (all familiar concepts) and it was a great read. Please keep it for others to see.

Xiao- thanks for posting that link. I'll check it out.

This is awesome.
Have you ever focused on the Tattva
http://www.astrologycircle.com/tattva/
I am beginning the process of learning them.

mos wrote:This is awesome.
Have you ever focused on the Tattva
http://www.astrologycircle.com/tattva/
I am beginning the process of learning them.

Never heard of those. I do have a Yantra for Lakshmi that Ive used for meditation though.

I don't consider myseld under that term but I do incorporate Indian practices and some philosophy in my stuff. Kali ma and I have long history, and I have a statue of her and Krishna. Ma Durga is who I am going to try and work with fairly soon. I also believe in the asura, the anti-thesises to the gods, but I call them by their Japanese name "mazoku", as it is a more direct translation and asura means, or originally meant "lord". Sometimes I will reference the mazoku as asura because it is a more common term.

My whole view of the scheme of things is a mix of hermeticism and Hinduism. It is essentially monist. Brahman, to me, especially in its nirguna aspect, is primordial chaos; that which everything is sprung from. It birthed the asuras and the gods. It is also known as dao, to me, the void, the sea of chaos, etc. It is the ultimate reality.

I also work with chakras and find cleansing them leads to lucid dreaming. I believe in samsara, but I do not believe in karma. Eastern nor Western ideals of karma do not make sense to me. On top of that I agree with some Buddhist philosophy but not all, and I think it helped me be realistic in my younger days. Well, anyway Hinduism and Indian religion is so complex and a lot of it I do believe in, I love it.

This was wonderful to see even though it's an older post.
I've looked into Indo-Paganism as well. I work with Lakshmi and Vishnu and have been drawn to Hinduism as well as Wicca for a long time now. Lakshmi called to me several years ago.
I look forward to reading your blog and the other things posted here.

As with my initial post about my cosmological views, I still want to be intitated into Alexanderian Wicca coven near me. (I still believe in the same things. As I have for years.) However, I am going to try Indo-Wicca in my personal practice. I still work with gods outside of India, but I feel that the devis/devas call me a lot more than they used to. India has always been a part of me that never left me.

I am also quite fascinated with proto-indo-european language/religion and how they're all related when you go back far enough.