Showing 131 articles
Maypole Dancing
Author: Pinar AkhanMay 20, 2016
This May, there will be celebrations across small villages in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and many other places around England, with folk dances, local food, communities coming together, marking the time of spring being established and moving into summer. Most of the May Day celebrations in England have their roots in Celtic traditions. Maypole dancing is [...]
Invisible Egypt
Author: Sabine LeitnerMay 17, 2016
In our culture the word ‘invisible’ is often taken to mean ‘non-existent’. But for the ancient Egyptians, the invisible was the cause of the visible and therefore, in a sense, more important. They realised that the form of a person, what they wear and how they appear is only a reflection of something internal which [...]
Dance and Sacred Stillness
Author: Miha KosirMay 13, 2016
After a long dark night and a very deep sleep a sound like a ray of light ignited a dense inertia. The movement started and there was time and the beginning of the universe. And so the cosmic dance started, moving galaxies, stars, planets and our souls. Shiva Nataraja. Shiva’s dance is life and death, [...]
Nemetona
Author: Natalya PetlevychApril 19, 2016
Many hundreds of years ago when the Romans ruled over vast territories in Europe, a man from Treveri (Trier, Germany) named Peregrinus embarked on a long journey to Aquae Sulis (Bath). The gods were merciful to him and, upon arrival, thankful Peregrinus erected an altar stone to Nemetona and Loucetius Mars, to the Mistress of a [...]
Alchemy
Author: Miha KosirApril 19, 2016
Alchemy has a reputation from the Middle Ages. We can imagine obscure medieval laboratories with alchemists driving themselves to madness by spending years trying to achieve the impossible – the transmutation of lead into gold. This is one side of the story… In fact, alchemy has been around for thousands of years. It was not [...]
Art for Enlightenment
Author: Miha KosirMarch 28, 2016
Masterpieces of Tibetan art found in the private temple of the Dalai Lamas have been reproduced and displayed for the first time in a special exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London. The Lukhang, or “Temple to the Serpent Spirits” was built in the late 17th century on a lake behind the Potala Palace in [...]
The Reed Flute in Sufism
Author: Pinar AkhanFebruary 24, 2016
The flute as an instrument is perhaps as old as any civilization. It has been used in music both for ritualistic and entertainment purposes in ancient Egypt, Greece, the Hindu culture and in Sufism. The reed flute (called ney) is one of the main instruments in Sufism. It has been played for 4500-5000 years and [...]
Tuning to Nature
Author: Natalia LemaFebruary 8, 2016
In the ancient civilizations there was an approach to nature in which all beings were considered to be connected in a harmonious way. Stones, plants, animals, humans and divine beings were all part of Creation and the awareness of the thread that united them was more present in the minds of those who lived in [...]
Mandala: Voyage to the Center
Author: Sivan BarzilayFebruary 6, 2016
INTRODUCTION A traditional Japanese story speaks of a disciple who once asked his master how one could achieve enlightenment. The master suggested in a matter of fact manner, that he must do exactly the same thing he did every morning for the sun to rise. After much pondering, the confused disciple went back to his master to [...]
The Eternal Sun
Author: Janki ShahJanuary 31, 2016
“All that exists was born from Surya, the God of Gods. Of what is and has been and is to be, and what moves or remains still – Surya alone is the source and the end.” -Rig Veda Almost every ancient culture thought it important to somehow preserve, communicate and transmit mythology related to this [...]
The Wisdom of Geese
Author: Istvan OrbanJanuary 29, 2016
There is an old saying that goes: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”, meaning that what is good for one person is good for another. If we look a little closer at the behaviour of geese, we can find many more things we can learn from them. Particularly their amazing spirit [...]
In Search of Excalibur
Author: Harianto MehtaJanuary 26, 2016
Like all mythology, that of illustrious King Arthur has endured the test of time, transmitting essential eternal values that serve to inspire human civilizations of all ages. From its tale, it is not always easy to demarcate between elements of documented history and magical folklore, but perhaps in this very enigmatic characteristic lies the motivation [...]