Lingams (was: For Dashiki)

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 17 Oct 2002 12:14:20 -0000 "Scott Hutton" <hmshutton

writes:

>

> Sorry, no picture and I do not own a camera. It looks pretty much

> like all the other lingams except the red "splash", while a well

> behaved horizontal oval on one side, on the other looks for all the

> world like Merlin (Shiva?) madly dancing.

 

Cool! I have one such Narmada lingam which I purchased years ago by mail

order. Alas, the red mark is almost non-existant -- a thin, pale streak

near the bottom of the "egg." It was disappointing, as I am more Shakta

than Shaiva.

 

Another western <sadhaka> recently explained to me that the red mark was

supposed to represent Parvati's menstrual fluid smeared on Shiva's

lingam. This was a revelation to me. "Haven't you ever made love to a

woman during her period?" asked the astounded <sadhaka>. (Uhn -- no. I

had limited sexual contacts with ladies in my youth, and have been in gay

relationships for the past 12 years... Perhaps a lingam unstained by

menses is <appropriate> for a poofter like me!)

 

 

> Besides this I own one

> small lingam, about the size of half a thumb, which I often carry

> around in a medicine bag.

 

I was gifted with a silver pendant of Lingayat design, to hold a similar

"mini-lingam." The Lingayats wore their stone Shiva-lingams thus, as a

sign of their faith.

 

My late friend David Ganesh carried a small lingam-yoni carved from rock

crystal in a medicine pouch. He would remove it while in restaurants,

and perform <abhishekam> (pouring water over it) in the saucer of his

coffee-cup.

 

Apropos of this List, I've read of a Ganesh Lingam. Has anyone seen one,

and how does it differ from a Shiva Lingam?

 

 

> I once knew of a collection of perhaps 12 or 14 large lingams, which

> the owner would arrange in a circle, sort of like Stonehenge.

> Together they created an energy field impossible to ignore. Do you

> ever grid yours up like this?

 

I received a couple of catalogs, many years ago, from a purveyor of

Tantrik paraphernalia located in the American South. One cover had a

photo of the owner seated in <padmasana> in the center of a circle of

huge (2-foot tall or more) Narmada lingams such as you describe. The

guy's expression of bliss as he meditated thus was so contagious, I

wished I could reach out and hug him!

 

 

> I have always treated this lingam like a special, special sacred

> stone but I have never attempted to replicate the Indian forms of

> veneration. This one gets rubbed with marble polish to keep it in

> good shape and, now and again, I dump a very fine essential oil of

> rose on it to keep its vibes high.

 

My Narmada Lingam sits on my altar in front of the statues of Nataraj and

Parvati. It gets incense waved over it during pujas, and a flower

plopped atop it, too. Holy water poured over it occasionally on a

Monday. Once or twice a year I rub it down with sandalwood oil -- I've

noticed that when I do this, some life-transforming occurence inevitably

follows.

 

 

> It sits atop an African bracelet

> made of stone...and has a swatch of black silk for a robe...Ganesh

> seems real content to sit by its side. Sometimes I put it outside

> for a few days, to let the sunlight and wind and rain and earth

> invigorate it...

 

A great idea, Scott. I've been tempted to expose my Lingam (hmm...

perhaps I should rephrase that!), I mean, my <Shiva> Lingam to the rays

of the full moon, or the Summer Solstice sun...

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

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