Lord Ganapati with Thoth Deck -- Wha..?!

[Guest guest]

Dear Cliff:

 

So I am wondering, what does it mean to intellectually change a

deity's iconography so as to facilitate that particulard eity's

expropriation from another tradition?

 

For example, in most Hindu traditions, the objects held by a deity

are considered to be received as divine revelation, and not to be

changed without totally skewing or nullifying the intended effect of

the prayoga or other meditation.

 

I have heard this referred to as " strip-mining another culture's

spirituality " -- is this what is happening in the case of the

various " Western Kali " figures, and this Ganapati figure you describe?

 

The culture that produced Lord Ganapati as an image of God would be

utterly confused by the image you describe -- as a traditional

Christian might be confused by a figure of Jesus holding nose and

goad and displaying varada and abhaya mudras; in other words, short-

circuited as a familiar, worshipable representation of the Divine for

the people who grew up in the tradition from which that

representation emerged.

 

Or is this just a matter of -- no disrespect intended -- making

decorations for your altar?

 

Thank you for any clarification you can provide.

 

DB

 

 

 

, " Cliff " <numinae wrote:

>

> Namaste Len,

> As a practitioner of both Eastern and Western streams of spirit and

the profound correlations therein I'd like to share these thoughts.

>

> Though it is true that there is no suit of the Atus of Tahuti

relative to Akasha, a number of Western traditions such as Golden

Dawn and Thelema use the lamp as a symbol of spirit. Sri Paramahansa

Shivaji (Therion) appoints it as the instrument to the pinnacle of

the Pentacle in his Book of Thoth. Some cross-practitioners

(including myself) use it as the elemental tool of Spirit.

>

> I use this same lamp in my Eastern Puja during Aarati where the

Lamp is circumambulated around or waved before the Murti, acquiring

it's essence. One then cups their hands over the flame and transfers

the blessing of the diety to the forehead. You may also recognize

this from some native American traditions which have made their way

into neo paganism by " smudging " with sacred herbs; usually sage or

sweet grass. No hard and fast rules here-just ideas which I have

found work for me.

> Interestingly, the name aarati is constructed of the roots " aa "

toward and " Rati " meaning the love of God.

>

> Regarding a Ganesha image, I have a line drawing of him with a

number of western elements including the Thoth deck two of cups lotus

in his upper left hand, a Trishati with a " shin " in his upper right

hand and Tree of Life earrings. Let me know if you might be

interested in a copy and I will try to scan it.

>

> Cliff / Nadananda

>

>

> -

> Len Rosenberg

>

> Thursday, June 14, 2007 5:26 PM

> Complete Goddess

>

>

> In Re: the lovely painting of Sarvambikeshvari that illustrates

the Intro page of Shakti Sadhana's website -- much of the iconography

of this goddess corresponds to the qualities of the Mahavidya

Bhuvanishvari, the Lady of the Spheres.

>