How to Set Up a Hindu Altar?
Perhaps after you have visited a Hindu temple and you have chosen your ishta devata, preferred god or goddess, you feel inspired to create your own altar at home for your personal worship. Why Set Up an Altar? Place of Worship First choose a proper place for it like a corner in your living room […]
Lakshmi: Goddess of Wealth
The Lotus or Nelumbo Nucifera is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. The lotus flower symbolizes purity, transformation, and spiritual enlightenment. Of special interest here is the Goddess […]
Hinduism is Real: How I Fed my Ganesha
My beloved Swamiji, HDH Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam, spoke during satsangh about the experience of Nithyatva, the 7th dimension of the multiverse on Oct 16, 2019. Nithyatva is the space of eternity, a space where matter to energy (or food into energy) and energy to matter conversion happens at will with no effort, the effortless zone […]
Nataraj is the Cosmic Dancer of Bliss, Creation, and Rejuvenation
Nataraj, literally meaning King of Dancers, is the cosmic dancer, the god of auspiciousness and reigns over the ajna chakra located between the eyebrows. He is a form of Shiva dancing Ananda Tandava, the dance of bliss, of creation and rejuvenation. Nataraj is the god of bliss of which dance is an expression of bliss. […]
Ganesha is the God of Good Beginnings
Ganesha – God of Good Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles Ganesha is the most popular and beloved god of all. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Ganesha is not an elephant but received an elephant head only. The story goes that Parvati created Ganesha and asked him to guard her place […]
Lord Ganesha and the Real Age of Enlightenment
“Deluded by ignorance, not being able to see thy lotus feet for thousands of celestial years, we have been in grief, but by your grace we now have your darshan, and are truly blessed. O Lord Ganesha, support of the universe, bless us, bless all, and protect every one! All glories unto you!” — Chapter […]
The Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple: Pilgrimage of Liberation Part II
“I am pleased to announce that Version 2.0 of my documentary, The Shiva Temple of Tiruvannamalai: Pilgrimage of Liberation, is now available on YouTube. This 2.0 version includes updated research, new script content, new video and photo content, and a remastered sound track. This documentary film explores the famed Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil […]
The Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple: Pilgrimage of Liberation Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuE7c-dbJ6w Documentary and photograph by Phillip Lucas 2018
Visiting the Cosmic Mother at the Beautiful Om Shakti Temple
A young man was selling sugar cane juice. It was freshly made with a machine that squeezed the sugar canes flat and thereby released the juices that people drink. I asked him about the temple across the street. He said it is the Om Shakti Temple and gave me the temple hours. I thanked him […]
My First Visit to the Beautiful Golden Lakshmi Temple near Vellore
The founder of the magnificent Sri Puram Golden Lakshmi Temple, Sri Sakthi Amma born in 1976, as a 16 year old boy had a vision of Narayani while riding the school bus. The energy image of the Mother of the Universe emerged from the boy making itself visible in the sky and after some time the […]