SHARANYA

Our Kali Puja: What's It All About?

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:44:42 GMT

What's it like to experience (R)evolutionary Shakta Tantra up close and personal...to worship Kali Maa in Sanskrit...to bring your heart to a Goddess with roots in India but felt worldwide? Perhaps you've never been to a puja, or to a worship service that is fully participatory. Perhaps the notion of coming into a community to offer your devotions to Goddess is a bit scary. Well, be assured we understand that She can be intimidating at first. And we recognize that joining with people you may not know in something as intimate as worship of Her can perhaps be unsettling. So, let us offer comfort (we hope) by saying we all pretty much started at that place of uncertainty or fear or wondering...and we have come together to strengthen the path of our hearts. We invite you to join us! The vibe is loving, embracing, inclusionary, welcoming... Enter the temple of our worship for a taste of the experience through our most recent gallery here. Jai Maa! And we look forward to seeing you at a puja soon (visit our calendar for dates of upcoming ceremonies).

Festival of Sara-la-Kali

Sat, 29 May 2010 06:23:22 GMT

On Sunday, May 23, SHARANYA hosted our regular monthly public puja, except this month, we aligned our energies and intentions with the cross-roads of the dark goddess in Europe, a place where ancient traditions of the goddess came to shore and today, the Black Madonna stands as testimony to Her presence. For this worship, we recognized the concurrence of our puja with the Festival of Gitanes, or Gypsies, in the south of France, who come together to honor their Dark Goddess, Sarah the Black...Sarah-la-Kali! The puja was particularly moving as we toned sacred syllables and took turns adorning Sara's altar with scarves from around our necks in the same fashion that those gathered in France for her festival do. As one of our initiates, Haravallabha, shared about her puja experience... I got lots of images of constant movement of a tribe slipping through the edges of society, and after a night's sleep, a host of clear lessons from La Sara. They are about community, versatility, autonomy, and self-authority. Here are a few glimpses:
Don't try to fit any mold
Don't try to be a single thing - activate versatility
Be willing to cast a spell
Keep some things private when it fits your strategy for survival or service, and find a way to...

Chanting Workshop: Vedic Mantras, Hindu Classics, & Goddess Devotionals

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:30:59 GMT
I am a predominantly Neo-Pagan, former Catholic who considers myself a religious inclusive. I have an interest in various ancient cultures and traditions which have survived, as well as more recent magical traditions such as Hoodoo/Conjure and folkways or Europe and the Americas which are still used. I found the Hindu chants workshop to be extremely informative, lovely and powerful. I believe it was perfect for Unitarian participation because it addressed the spiritual, emotional and intellectual aspects of this practice, as well as lots of live practice... I have actually been using some of the chants, several times a week, having incorporated them into my normal meditation routine. Given that I work in a fast-paced environment in a pretty harsh town, I love the connection I feel to these chants & how incorporating them has resulted in a calmer, more intuitive Maureen. - UU Chant Workshop Participant SHARANYA was recently invited by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto to be part of a series of chanting workshops dedicated to connecting members to various world traditions through song and chant. We were honored to be part of the series and grateful to Terry Passarotti from their congregation for asking us to join in! About 25 of us gathered together on February 21st, a rainy Sunday evening, to explore the sacred sounds of chants from the Vedas, Upanishads and Tantras. We wove ancient...

PantheaCon Kali Puja: The Dark Goddess Awakens!

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:14:34 GMT
Sunday night, 11:00pm. Kali Puja at PantheaCon. The doors opened and the sounds of Her sacred names began to fill the air, vibrations of Goddess Kali entering our bodies through ears first. Eyes began taking in the altar images as throngs of devotees and those entranced by Her mysteries circled to the tune. SHARANYA initiates and Daughters of Kali worked to guard, ground and move the dance of Shiva and Shakti as we together purified and began to feel that the night's celebration would be filled with power, grace, and Divine love. As Rashani (priestess/purohit) for the ceremony, I let Her guide me. Sensing the yearning and open hearts of everyone gathered, it was easy to take us immediately deeper into communion with our Divine Mother through meditation and breath. Her sacred syllables guided us, helping to crystallize a sankalpa (sacred intention) and further unencumber our souls. Both a certain intensity and a genuine playfulness were with us as we each spoke our name, proclaiming the intention to perform worship, each of us owning the responsibility born of our passion and desire. From honorings of Ganesha, Agni, Ancestors, and Shiva, we then worked our prana pratishta as a community, together intoning SA'HAM in meditation on Her eyes, allowing the energy on our breath to move from heart to Her. Awakening Her murti (image), Kali Maa joined us and we danced...Jai Maa! Gratitudes to all who join in the magick of the night and to Amory, Satya, Jaratura,...

Yogini Festival

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:58:20 GMT
Jay Maa Kali! In this year, the Yogini Festival starts on the 23rd of December and runs until the 25th of December in front of the Yogini Temple (at Hirapur, Orissa). Many cultural programme like Odissi Dance, Sambalpuri Dance, Gotipura Nritya, Mahari Nritya, etc. are represented at this function. Many dancers from different states are participating in this festival; so, I invite you to come and enjoy!

- Surendra Nath Routaray
Hirapur's authorized archaeological guide, in a personal communication The tradition of yoginī worship likely derives from ancient practices formalized and brahmanized in the Agni Purāṇa. In this text, the mātṛkās are said to be eight: Brāhmani, Maheśvarī, Kaumārī, Vaiṣṇavī, Vārāhī, Aindrī, Cāmuṇḍa, and Mahālakṣmi. These eight goddesses are multiplied by eight (because of this number’s auspicious nature in Hindu belief) to derive the base of sixty-four yoginīs. The names of these sixty-four are given in the Kālīkā Purāna; although my contact at the temple, Mr. Routaray, has his own manifestation. By the time of the 11th century CE, the worship of the yoginīs...

Spirit Fusion Festival - Fresno, CA

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:35:19 GMT
By: Maya (initiate member of the Yogini Chakra) On November 25th, Fresno had its Spirit Fusion Festival (Fresno's Pagan Pride). I worked a table for SHARANYA for the day and got the chance to talk to people about the organization, give out information, and sell some of the beautiful images, ritual items, and Indian handicrafts we generally offer through the Apsara Store online and at pujas. As part of the day, I also hosted a beautiful Ganesha Puja for all who were there. It was a small intimate group that came to puja; it was very sweet and all who attended were deeply touched by the ceremony. We all honored and were honored by the Spirit of Ganesha. All of the people who came were active in the puja. We called upon the four elements to join us, along with Shiva, Kali Maa, and, of course, Ganesha took his place of prominence! The Ganesha altar was decorated with a variety Ganesha murtis, along with images and murtis of other deities, such as Shiva, Kali Maa, Tara, and Matangi. The group assembled was invited to do invocations for the elements, and I taught them some short mantras to invoke Shiva, Maa, and Ganesha too. As the circle chanted to Ganesha, singing, OM GAM GANAPATAYAI NAMAH, I cleansed the space with charged moon water. Ganesha was then bathed in the charged moon water, milk, and moon water again. I...

Dark Times, Divali, & Dancing the Spiral

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:50:12 GMT
On Sunday morning, I awoke from Samhain dreamtime to a recollection that I had something to do. Still feeling the presence of the ancients and moreover, some very achy muscles from a few good hours of altar building for SHARANYA's Spiral Dance South Fire Altar, I reviewed my notes for the day ahead. Ah, yes, Creatrix Media Live was hosting a show and had asked me to help focus a discussion on the Dark Times...specifically, these dark times. What is conjured for you in this mentioning? We considered much in our conversation, but naturally, the conversation turned toward the presence of the Dark Mother Herself, Kali Maa. Kali Maa as embracing and compassionate mother; Kali Maa as terrifying goddess; Kali Maa as equalizer, facilitator of social justice; Kali Maa as Goddess for our times. Joining the discussion were many powerful women (Max Dashu, D'vorah Grenn, Marsha Citra Lange, Jayne DeMente, Anniitra Ravenmoon and others) who know well how She helps us see through the obfuscations of truth that media and institutions uphold, who asks that we take personal responsibility, who calls us to action. We acknowledged the quick and ready relationship between our spirituality, Her presence, and action on behalf...

Sacred Activism Day

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:09:14 GMT
In the spirit of engaged spirituality and celebration of Gandhi's birthday, October 2nd is SHARANYA's Sacred Activism Day...a time to consider how your simple and/or profound actions make a difference for the well being of yourself, your family and loved ones, your community, your planet and beyond. Not that you don't do this already every day, but just a way, like ringing a bell or Tibetan bowl during meditation, to help you refocus your efforts and concentration. There are many ways to engage, and even setting an intention to be with the spirit of the day through your practice or conversation is great! This year, I've signed up to increase my awareness of how my buying decisions can have a positive impact on socially responsible business through Carrotmob. From their website: "Carrotmob is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott." Feel free to join me by signing up for notices in your area about upcoming actions, and give a thought to your engaged spirituality efforts. If you wish, share with us your ruminations and determinations here,...

Jai Maa! Sunday's Kali Puja

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:44:22 GMT
Tonight's puja was such a powerful reminder to me of why I become involved in SHARANYA, why I walked through the threshold of initiation, and why I am so passionate about the work we do in the world in Her name. The devotion, the mantras, the songs, the ceremonies allow us to see Her, touch Her, and experience Her within our own hearts. She is a part of us. We are a part of Her. The entire Universe, the cycles of Nature, and the yearning of our soul is Her wondrous dance, loving weaving all things into being. - Jaratura, reflecting on Sunday's Kali Puja in Community and with the Kaula Gratitudes to the kaula, community, and our extended family for supporting and creating Sunday's (7/26) Kali Puja. What a sweet celebration of Her mysteries! The air was cool on this evening as we gathered, the weather a perfect complement to the fire in our hearts as we created our personal and collective sankalpas (sacred intentions), chanted Sanskrit mantras, and welcomed in the Divine. Familiar faces and new ones accompanied those in Daughters of Kali who are in the last weeks of their walk toward initiation into the Sha'can tradition, our (r)evolutionary Shakta Tantra devoted to our beloved Dark Mother. Song and spirit filled the room...

New Moon & Solar Eclipse Reflections

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:00:21 GMT
Tuesday was both the New Moon and Solar Eclipse. Personally, I really did not know what to expect. Often, the New Moon energy is not something with which I am comfortable; I always feel the dark, void, or emptiness...which is not within my comfort zone. On Monday, I had started some hypnotherapy work with my therapist focused on significant relationships in my life and how they felt energetically, as well as how I could do some healing around making necessary changes. With this in mind, I really was looking forward to Tuesday's ritual/meditation in the SHARANYA sanctuary as it was the New Moon and this would complement my work by bringing in love. Then, I find out that it is the Solar Eclipse at the same time! Again, I really didn't know what to expect with these two energies happening simultaneously, but all I yearned for was being in community with others, those whom I truly love and feel safe with. There was some talk prior to our meeting about doing some scrying, that ancient art of visioning past the seen realms with the help of a mirror, water, crystal ball or other object. I thought to myself, "Great, at least I can get some real answers." So we meet. I can feel the love of Maa in the temple with us. We move into meditation and then to scrying. I attempt to work with various scrying tools, and I don't 'get' any answers. I take a breath and am...