#The Hindu Weekend

[raspberry-beret]

Mythology Weekend - Saraswati

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, and the ancient Saraswati river. According to legend, she was created by and became the teacher of Brahma, the creator god, and later became his consort. During Vasant Panchami, young children are taught their first lessons on how to write and read in her honor and people where yellow clothing and eat yellow foods after her favorite color.

[tantrasadhana]

Thanks to a touching note from Bhavyaji of Srividya 2022 Batch. Happy to see her materialistic and spiritual growth. She has recently started anchoring in events and helping others in learning.

www.srividyatantram.com

[queenoftreasures]

Most Scenic Spots In Champawat, Uttarakhand

Most Scenic Spots In Champawat, Uttarakhand

The land of rivers and forests, this verdant district is famous as the hunting ground of Champwat Tiger. But I found my slice of heaven in the offbeat spots that make up this Kumaon region Dotted with temples, Champawat district has beckoned solitude seekers and spiritual masters such as Swami Vivekananda. It falls under the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. For the uninitiated, the northern state…

[deepfivetraveller]

King Baldwin x Time!Traveler!reader

chapter 1

Chapter 2 here

Okay I’m a little new to writing romance so please take it easy on me. Btw I’ll try to keep y/n as neutral as possible but since this is set in the ancient era and religion is very important, y/n shall be hinted as being Hindu since that’s the only one that seems neutral in this situation.

“Alright that's all for the lesson. And since its complete I expect all of you to be thorough with ‘Life of King Baldwin iv’ during this weekend since there will be a test on this very topic next wednesday. Have a great weekend by the way.” The professor stands up and closes his laptop and all the other students start packing up.

“He had a pretty hard life didn’t he?” One of your friends chimes in. You look at her unsurprised. “You mean king Baldwins?”

“Duh! Poor man suffered an incurable disease almost his entire life! Imagine having skin infested in bacteria, euggh!” She recoils in disgust. “Imagine the cure to that disease being bacteria itself! Pretty sure Leprosy can be cured using multi antibiotic therapy.” Another friend joins in the conversation. You finished packing up your bag so you get up. “But no matter what, you gotta respect him. He never used his illness as an excuse to be a bad king.”

“That’s true….” Your first friend agrees. “He’s tough. When I catch a normal cold I give up all of my responsibilities since I’m sick. Wonder how hard it must have been for him.” All of you exit the classroom. A few minutes go by and topics have changed. A fun conversation lasted for a while before it was time to go, so you three parted ways.

As you entered your home your first thought was to take a cold shower after a long, hot and sweaty day. While eagerly hopping into the shower you get reminded of the conversation you had with your friends a while ago. What did king Baldwin even look like? There were no images in your textbook. Curiosity got the best of you, making you draw back the shower curtains to leave. You wrapped a towel and went towards the table where you kept your mobile, typed a quick ‘King Baldwin the 4th images’ and hit enter. Two images popped up. One being an actual painting from the 12th century while the other being an image reconstructed by scientists which looked…realistic to say the least.

His face in the second photo was majestic. His mouth and nose were almost non-existent, having only two triangular shaped holes instead of a nose. His skin was dry, withered and stretched while having the hue of a dry leaf during autumn. Even though he was severely disfigured his eyes were pure and bright, having a child like innocence towards them. King Baldwin was…Quite handsome.

Okay that’s enough now snap out of it! It’s probably just some AI prompt message image anyway. If anyone found out you found him handsome they’d call you crazy. Plus now is not the time to fangirl over a dead king, now's the time to study. In an attempt to distract yourself you pick up your books to do work. Hours painfully go by as you study but finally, finally it was bedtime. You could care less about eating dinner or even taking a shower, you plop yourself onto your bed and wrap the soft blanket around your body. Thoughts about King Baldwin strike your mind again. Seriously, what's wrong with you?! Why is this man plaguing your thoughts all day?

A sigh escaped your mouth from irritation. If only it was possible to console him for his losses or better yet, cure him entirely. The world would have been a better place if he had the lifespan of a normal man.

But there is no point thinking about this, time to go to bed now. As you try to go to sleep your body keeps doing the fake fall thing, annoying you to the core. And finally when your bodys heartbeat was steady and your breathing was quiet, your body did that fake fall thing again but this time it was actually a real fall.

Eyes widen as you try to grab onto the air to prevent your fall but of course, you fail. Adrenaline rushes through your veins for that split second before you finally make an impact on the cobblestone path?

Owch! That fall really hurt, especially at the back of your shoulders! You hope it’s not bruised there. But after that reality check, you look around only to find yourself in some village?

You can see a few small huts and buildings beyond the grassy field. Where are you? How are you here? Why are you here? Too confused and dazed from the fall, you try to look around for people for help. That is until a holographic screen with text pops up.

Congratulations Ms. Y/n. Your wish to cure King Baldwin has been approved by the ₦ł₥฿Ʉ₴฿₳Ʉ₦Ʉ₴. You are now at Jerusalem, Year: 1181.

“What?”

Yes it’s true Ms.Y/n, you really are in the 12th century.

Your blood is now boiling in anger. “Just because….Someone wishes pity over a dead king DOES NOT ACTUALLY MEAN THEY WANT TO CURE HIM!” You try to grab onto the screen to shake it vigorously but your hands go right thru.

Now now, let’s calm down and try to get over with this together I’m sure we’ll find a solution.

“Calm down…CALM DOWN?!?!?!? I’m in the middle of nowhere in Jerusalem during the 12th century and you want me to CALM DOWN???? I don’t even know French and not to mention I’M NOT CHRISTIAN!” You were screaming with your hand in the air. Pretty sure you woke someone up.

Y-Yes but that’s why I’m here. Don’t worry about communication, the language module for french had been uploaded into your brain while you fell here.

The screen flickers a little, maybe due to fear.

Uploaded knowledge? “But I’m a woman from the 21st century! I can’t live here! I’m wayy to accustomed to the privileges of my time!”

That’s one of my perks miss! By using currency of this time you may purchase products of your time thru me! The screen changes to an online store. For now you have access to basic necessities like food and clothes. As you complete missions you shall unlock other parts of the online market! The screens display brightness increases due to enthusiasm, convinced it has impressed you.

You however look at it in exasperated shock. “How is this even possible?” You say with dread in your voice. “Who sent me here?” You ask, no, demand.

Like I said You’ve been sent here by ₦ł₥฿Ʉ₴฿₳Ʉ₦Ʉ₴. I’m pretty sure you can’t read that since mortals don’t have the capacity to….

Mortals? Is this the play of some higher being? God even? Too many questions float through your head, making you visibly tired. You can feel the bottom of the skin beneath your eyes folding, an indicator you’re developing dark circles.

Ah. It looks like you’re tired. It’s night anyway. You should sleep.

“But where do I-”

“Excuse me madam.” You turn around to see a man standing behind you. “I’ve noticed you’ve been talking to yourself.”

So he can’t see the screen. From his ragged outfit he seems to be a commoner. He also genuinely seems worried so you guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask for help.

“Yes, sorry for that.” You say embarrassingly while you get up. “You see I’m from the family of wandering traders, here to sell spices from my land. I was talking to myself since I was quite irritated at how I didn’t have an inn for the night.” The explanation seems responsible enough I guess.

“But I don’t see any goods with you… And how did a young lady such as yourself travel alone? Where is your husband?”

Crap. He’s doubting you. You need to give him a reasonable explanation fast or he’ll call you a witch or something.

“Oh no sir you’re mistaken! My father is the one who has the spices, it’s his business after all. We had to split ways during travel due to inconveniences, I’m merely here to help him!” You put on your best smile to convince him.

“O-Oh I’m sorry madame! H-Here let me lead you, I know an Inn nearby.” Good. Looks like he believes you. But now it’s your turn.

“I’m sorry sir but how can I trust you?” You step back a little. “What if you take advantage of me? How shall I testify my innocence? The locals would definitely believe you over me.”

“No no please don’t! I’m a married man. My wife’s right there.” he points at the lady standing just outside the house, looking worried. You look at her and she nods her head in reassurance. “You seem like a noble from your land madame judging from your colorful dress, why don’t the both of us show you where the inn is?”

Hmm….Guess colorful clothing is rare here. And he really does seem like he wants to help.

“Very well then. Both of you show me they way.” The man eagerly tells his wife the incident and both of them show you around. The screen follows you, showing you a winking emoticon.

Congrats Ms. Y/n! You have officially begun your first mission!

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Can I request Eri Reader with Yandere Parental Figures (Aphrodite is sobbing when she calls her ‘Aunty’) Shiva’s Wives (Who like to dote on her) Brotherly Figures, Hermes, Hercules and Ares (Ares is sobbing in the corner after she called him ‘Big Brother Ares’) the Valkyries are her Sister Figures (Sasaki and Zeus have a ‘rivalry’ about who’s ‘Grandpa’)

Everyone is very overprotective and territorial of Reader, as the Pantheons and Humans tend to fight each other over who she gets to spend time with (But hide their fighting so Reader doesn’t cry/get upset)

They end up making a Week System, Monday is the Greek Pantheon, Tuesday is the Norse Pantheon, Wednesday is the Valkyrie Sisters, Thursday is the Four Sages and Zerofuku, Friday is the Hindu Pantheon and the Weekend she spends it with the Human Fighters

And it goes great… until they learn they’ll soon have to enroll her in school, making their time with her cut in half (And everyone’s sobbing/whimpering about her growing up…going out into the world…making friends…meeting boys…boys develop crushes on her…digging holes in the backyard for said boys…making alibi’s for said missing children… *sigh* the struggle of being a parent/elder sibling is rough 🤣💀)

-Everything had been smoothed over, the gods, humans, and valkyries coming to an agreement on how things were going to be done regarding you, their precious little Y/N.

-They had all adopted you, either as parental figures, or siblings, aunts and uncles, and even a few grandpa figures, Zeus, Odin, and Kojiro, and you loved all of them, beaming so brightly now and you were safe and sound, having your massive family protecting you.

-However, fights and arguments started to become more frequent, all of them fighting over you, fighting over who go to spend time with you next, or that one individual was hogging you and not sharing.

-You didn’t like seeing your family fighting and the first time you burst into tears, seeing them fight, they had to figure out something and figure it out quickly.

-And they did find a solution quickly, you would spend time each day with a different group of your loved ones.

-On Monday you were at the Greek pantheon, with you big brothers Hercules, Ares, and Hermes, with Auntie Aphrodite, who ugly cried the first time you called her that, grandpa Zeus, and Uncle Hades and Poseidon, each one of them taking turns playing with you or telling your stories.

-On Tuesday you were with the Norse pantheon, running around playing with Loki, reading stories with Grandpa Odin, and cuddling with Thor, who swears he’s not crying.

-On Wednesday you’re with your big sisters the valkyries who dote on you, playing with you, having tea parties, dress up, and making sure you’re happy.

-On Thursday you hung out with Zerofuku and the Four Sages, usually spending it in Buddha’s garden, eating snacks, being taught how to read and write, taking naps, and just relaxing.

-On Friday you were at the Hindu pantheon, dancing with Shiva and his wives, playing with Ganesha, and learning about the world around you with the other Hindu gods

-On the weekends you were with the humans, with your papa and mama, Adam and Eve, Grandpa Kojiro, your other big brothers and uncle figures, and they teach you how to just be a normal human, teaching you how to run around and play, using your head to think and solve problems, and just showering you with love.

-However, a problem arose when Eve noticed you staring at children going to school as she walked you to the Greek pantheon, and she brought it up to Hades.

-By the end of the day, everyone in your massive family knew, and after Ares inquired with you, you told him you wanted to go to school to be with other kids you own age.

-An emergency meeting was called to discuss this, as that would mean your time with certain members of your family would be shortened if you started going to school, something they didn’t want to think about.

-Eve took you to the school, taking you on a tour so you could see if you believed you were ready to start, and the kids your own age were very welcome, greeting you warmly and they didn’t care about your horn at all, finding it cool as many of them were children of the gods and had their own unique features.

-When Eve returned, holding you as you were passed out asleep, she walked in to see everyone surrounded by gloom, as they had all come to the realization you were growing up, you were spreading your wings, wanting to explore the world! You wanted to go to school and make friends!

-Eve held her cheek in her hand, “Oh my~ if this is how you are all going to be when Y/N starts school, how are you going to be when she starts dating?”

-Shiva pointed to the corner where several shovels were already prepared in advanced, as they realized this and she giggled softly, as she knew that was a part of parenthood, watching your child grow up, but as parents, it was their job to nurture you, keep you safe, but also learn things on your own.

-Your first day of school was a day full of loud obnoxious sobbing, many members of your family ugly crying, not wanting you to leave while others, like Parvati, were taking picture after picture, wanting to always remember this day.

-You waved bye-bye to all of them, a bright smile on your face as they watched you take your first steps into this new milestone in your life, all of them standing behind you, supporting you.

[dawnfelagund]

Hi!!! I was at the Tolkien conference today and I loved your paper!!! I was too nervous to ask during the Q&A, but I was wondering how the Catholic belief that you should not grieve the dead because they're in a better place had effected Tolkien's writing about death and grief. Especially in the context of his own life, and how he writes death as something to be celebrated and that it is a gift from the Valar.

Thank you so much!!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed the paper and thank you for asking about it! The paper Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the Quenta Silmarillion is on my website (and the SWG), for anyone who is interested.

Whether or not there is a connection between Catholic belief and Tolkien's idea of "the gift of Men," I cannot say. There might be! But I think it's also important that Tolkien's eschatology for Mortals was emphatically not consistent with Catholic doctrine. At first it was. The Book of Lost Tales describes an afterlife for Mortals that Christopher Tolkien identifies as strongly parallel to the Catholic ideas of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. Christopher calls these lingering parallels "disconcerting." (This can be found in his commentary on the chapter Of the Valar and the Building of Valinor in BoLT1.)

In the published Silmarillion ("Of the Beginning of Days"), there is some degree of uncertainty still, among the Elves, about exactly what "leaving the Circles of the World" actually means: "It is one with this gift of freedom that the children of Men dwell only a short space in the world alive, and are not bound to it, and depart soon whither the Elves know not." This has always struck me as a very Elven perspective: They know that they are bound to the world and will receive no reprieve from it and will grow weary in its confines. It's a typical manifestation of the aphorism that "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." To Mortals, who are subjected to this mysterious leaving of the world—often prematurely, from their perspective—this doesn't seem a great deal. We see this in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, where we actually get the Mortal perspective, and later in the unease of the Númenóreans about their fate. (Conveniently, any Mortals who don't go along with the Elven perspective are "confounded" by Melkor. Mmmm, right.)

But, importantly I think, these Mortals are not going on to a reward in their afterlife, like the Catholic conception of Heaven. They don't know what lies beyond the Circles of the World, and neither do the Elves. The Elves just think, whatever it is, it must be better than their own fate. It actually reminds me more of the Hindu concepts of samsara and moksha: release from the travail of constant rebirth, constant life. From the Elven perspective, Mortals just get to take off for the weekend; Elves are stuck always on the graveyard shift.

Now do I think that the Elven conception of Mortals getting the better death might explain why only six of sixty-four named Mortal characters in the Quenta Silmarillion are grieved or mourned. It is very possible that an Elven narrator saw these deaths as going off to something better ... but we know clearly that Mortals don't see it that way, so why Pengolodh doesn't report more frequently on the grief of Mortals for their lost friends and family remains an open question that I think is probably explained by bias: not so much political bias in this case but the bias of a long-lived being to the perceived ephemerality (and inconsequence) of shorter-lived beings.

Elven grief really has no parallels with Catholicism that I can see at all. While one can make the argument that death is the natural outcome for both Tolkien's Mortals and in Catholic belief, it is not the natural outcome for Elves, and "death" is an unnatural and certainly painful separation for them.

Finally, as for grief more generally, I think there are also two different things happening in how Primary World humans experience grief. I am not Christian and so cannot speak to Christian or specifically Catholic teachings around what is or is not appropriate in terms of grief, beyond what I can observe of the people around me in a culturally Christian country. But I wonder if "the Catholic belief that you should not grieve the dead because they're in a better place" is a different thing from grieving someone because you ... simply miss them. Even if you believe that you will be reunited in the afterlife with them at some point. But again, for Mortals in Tolkien's world, even this is confounded by the fact that there is no certainty of this; there are much larger questions for them than for faithful Christians around what happens when they die.

[thiziri]

The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence visit Sri Lanka.

Day 3: Colombo

This morning, The Princess Royal visited her first Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Cemetery as their President.

During Remembrance Weekend in November 2023, Buckingham Palace announced that The Princess Royal would become President of the CWGC, taking over from His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent who had been President since 1970. His Majesty The King was also announced as the first Patron of the CWGC.

At the Commission’s Jaawatte Cemetery in Colombo, the largest CWGC site in Sri Lanka, Her Royal Highness was introduced to the Defence Advisor for Sri Lanka and the Maldives’ British High Commission, Colonel Darren Woods who lead a short Service of Remembrance which included an extract from the poem ‘For the Fallen’. A Bugler played the Last Post before a minute’s silence is held. After the Service, Her Royal Highness layed a wreath and viewed some graves, escorted by Colonel Woods.

Next, Her Royal Highness visted Vajira Pillayar Kovil, a Hindu Temple in Colombo. On arrival at the temple, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim were presented with a garland of jasmine and rose flowers, a silk shawl receive a pottu in the middle of their forehead.

After watching a Hindu Dance Group perform at the entrance of the Temple, The Princess Royal met Chief Priest of Vajira Pillayar Kovil, Sachithanantha Kurukal who conducted a special pooja (blessing). Her Royal Highness also toured the main prayer hall and viewed the shrines.

After visiting the Temple, Her Royal Highness travelled to the British Council to hear about their work in building relationships and connections between UK and Sri Lanka through education, arts and cultural ties. HRH viewed The Arches of Awe exhibition which comprises photographs of the 21 arches that were erected across Colombo to welcome The late Queen Elizabeth II and The late Duke of Edinburgh during their visit to Sri Lanka in 1954.  Dating back centuries, similar archways, also known as ‘thoranas’ were found across Asia and were often connected to traditional religious rituals.

The Princess then visited The Mission to Seafarers, an organisation which cares for the welfare of seafarers. The Princess Royal has been its President since 1984. During the visit, HRH toured the recently refurbished Mission to Seafarers centre and opened their new Family Room.

After this The Princess Royal went to Hatch Works’ co-working space to meet a selection of start-up companies, Her Royal Highness attended her final engagement in Sri Lanka, a I Reception, hosted by the British High Commissioner, to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. Her Royal Highness ended the visit with a few spoken words about the relationship between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.

© Royal UK | 12 January 2024

[evilcentral]

aasif: Diwali 2023! What a beautiful weekend celebrating the Hindu festival of lights in New York City. From the #allthatglittersdiwaliball, to the #newyorkdiwaligala, to the most adorable kids Diwali celebration (swipe to see my sons cuisine of choice), it was the perfect way to kick off the Hindu New Year. Thanks to Lindsey Chakraborty @___preserve___ for the amazing clothes.

[masked-alien-lesbian]

KTAW Day #1: Culture

Holi: Festival of Colors, Love and Spring

"How do we wake her up?" Kiara faintly hears Raelyn muttering.

"Just gently nudge her arm, but hurry my love, this breakfast tray is quite heavy." Hana's voice sounds somewhere in the cloud of light sleep Kiara was drifting in. Then suddenly Kiara was being wildly shaken.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey...well not really, but malpuas didn't rhyme so..." Raelyn-

"Gently, Rae, gently!" Hana admonishes Raelyn and then looks at Kiara who is sitting up disheveled and disoriented.

"Sorry Kiara, I think they're excited for our first color festival." Hana says apologetically.

"We brought you breakfast!" Raelyn sings as Hana sits the tray in Kiara's lap.

"Oh my...this is so sweet!" Kiara says touched by her best friends surprising her with breakfast in bed.

"Literally so sweet, I've had a stack of rainbow waffles and I'm about to bounce off the walls." Kiara laughs at Raelyn before beginning to nibble on her sweet breakfast.

"We'll let you eat in peace, Kiara, meet us downstairs when you're ready?" Hana says while swatting at Raelyn's hand who was trying to steal an idli (a savory rice cake) from Kiara's plate.

"I will." Kiara says smiling at the couple's antics and admiring the view outside of her window as they shut the door behind them.

An hour later, Kiara came down into the main living room at the small villa in Mathura, the Valtoria duchesses had rented for the weekend. The rest of the friend group had prior obligations and weren't able to attend but miraculously, Kiara was in-between social events and with a little pleading from Hana, Kiara joined the couple for their first Holi festival.

Kiara knew about Holi and what it stood for. A celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring, a celebration of love, and an occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships and end conflicts. But knowing the indept cultural and historical aspects of the Hindu traditions, didn't mean Kiara had ever participated and looking at the couple in matching white and pink flower saree and kurta, Kiara felt awkward and out of place in her black dress.

Hana's saree and Raelyn's white kurta and trousers with pink rose jacket.

The couple turns at Kiara's arrival.

"I knew she'd be wearing something black!" Raelyn exclaims.

"Oh, je suis dèsolè, is this dress not appropriate?" Kiara asks looking down at her dress unsure.

"You rock black like a queen, Kiara, but you gotta wear light colors so the colors of the powders show up." Raelyn says.

"Don't worry, we got a gift for you." Hana says before opening a conveniently nearby closet and pulling out a dress in a garment bag.

Trying the beautiful silk ruffle saree on in the bathroom, she marvels at the colors before coming out to show it off.

Kiara's saree

"Whoa!" Raelyn-

"Ahh! I got the size right!" Hana claps.

"Hana...Raelyn...merci beaucoup...this is so beautiful, it's almost a shame that we're about to ruin it." Kiara says hugging Hana.

"Speaking of..." Raelyn says grinning mischievously at Kiara before gently dabbing bright green powder on her nose. The two stand staring at each other in a show down.

"Oh, this is war." Kiara says quietly, slowly smirking. The grin on Raelyn's face slips off when Hana hands Kiara a heaping bag of pink powder.

"Now, now hold on a minute!" They say backing out of the patio doors at the two grinning ladies that were both holding bags of powder, advancing on Raelyn.

"Rae darling? You really should be running." Hana says causing Raelyn to squeal and run. Hana and Kiara laugh as they chase their quarry.

@kiaratheronappreciationweek

@sazanes

@lizzybeth1986

[crypt1d-part-2]

i cant wait for school to start again guys 3-day weekends are the bane of my existence

school can be stressful but it’s literally the only interesting thing in my life that isn’t just depressing atp

like my stepdad is having a mental breakdown because he was acting up too much to have talking rights with my mom and now he’s sad bc he thinks i hate him

and yesterday was the six-month anniversary of my grandpa dying so we had some hindu religious ceremonies and a bunch of family came over

and now i’m just waiting for tuesday so i can talk to people without wanting to crawl out of my skin

[salantami]

Lombok, Indonesia

living in Lombok Island

Lombok is an Indonesian island east of Bali and west of Sumbawa, part of the Lesser Sunda Island chain. 

Lombok is a treasure trove of natural wonders and unique wildlife. The island is home to the second highest volcano in Indonesia, Mount Rinjani, boasting a stunning crater lake called Segara Anak at its summit. Trekking up this majestic mountain is a must for nature enthusiast

Lombok island is relatively safe. While economically less thriving compared to Java or Bali, Lombok offers unique island atmosphere, the western and middle part which closer to Bali has sizeable Hindu population, and some sites along Mountain Riniani offers fantastic hiking and trekking over the weekend.

The eastern part is dominantly Muslims and home to stretches of tobacco plantation

[primordialsoundmeditation]

We have come to the end of our Weekend Mantra series that I’ve been posting every Friday for the past few months! Today we are diving in to the ultimate mantra - the first mantra - the sound of creation and the hymn of the universe: OM.

The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit words: man, which means “mind,” and tra, which means “vehicle or instrument.” So our mantra is our mind vehicle . . . our mind instrument. It is a tool to transport the mind from a state of activity to one of quieting down into stillness and silence.

Om, often referred to as the hymn of the universe, is the oldest mantra sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. Om is considered the ultimate vibration because it contains every vibration that has ever existed and every vibration that will ever exist. Just as white light contains all the colors of the spectrum, Om contains every sound in the vibrational spectrum, even those we can’t hear with our ears.

One of the clearest visual representations of this is on the cover of Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of the Moon. It shows a beam of white light coming into one side of a prism and all the colors of the spectrum coming out the other side. The same could be said for Om; it’s the white light of sound.

Take this mantra into the weekend with you - you can chant it silently to yourself while in meditation, or you can also repeat it to yourself whenever “life” starts to get in the way, so that you remember your wholeness and highest potential.

Davidji

[tantrasadhana]

New batch registration for Naga Tantra 2024 class started !!! Srividya Tantram

Course details, testimonials, etc. given in website www.srividyatantram.com

Send WhatsApp message to number specified in post for details.

Naga Tantra Yoga and Tantra Puja Classes Free & Online on Weekend.

[hallasimss]

— introducing: abhilash raavi, young adult. ( he/they ) ( @rainymoodlet - kiss me in komorebi+ entry. ) for your information this post tried to delete itself twice via my browser crashing and then kept giving me error messages whenever i tried to post. thankfully i back up all my sh*t but it was a struggle i tell you so have him!!! and take care of him pls he's my best boi and very fragile. also excuse any sentences that do not make sense, i am not Englishing properly today an edit bc i am dumb and left this out: i maxed out all of their "likes" slots so i cannot list everything here but it will be in the tray! just in case you were wondering where it went rip

* biography.

nickname. — Abhi age. — 31 (August 7th, 1992, Leo; my young adults tend to fall within the range of 18-35) birthstone. — peridot, ruby (Hindu calendar) faceclaim ref. — Abhilash Vadada height. — 5'9" (176 cm) sexual orientation. — bisexual gender identity. — questioning mbti. — isfj (the Nurturer) traits. — shutterbug (custom mod, included), child of the ocean, cat & dog lover, music lover, vegetarian, morning sim skills. — photography, knitting and wellness mastered, singing, piano and violin level 9. fitness and komorebigo level 7 (custom mod, optional), logic and cooking level 5, charisma, comedy and rock climbing level 1 native languages. — tartosiano (custom mod, optional), telugu, simlish aspiration. — renowned photographer (custom mod, included), lord of the knits (completed) lifestyles. — close knit, outdoorsy current occupation. — freelance photographer a native of Tartosa and an only child born to a single parent/immigrant, Abhilash has always had to work just a little bit harder than the rest to achieve his goals. but whether it was snatching bits and pieces of lessons from the music tutor in town or convincing the boss for his summer job to let him do overtime on the weekends so he could use the weekdays for studying through high school, somehow he found a way to get it done. all of that eventually paid off, though, and after getting accepted to (and graduating at the top of his class from) Britechester with a distinguished degree in Fine Art, pursuing his studies in order to have a future career in orchestral work and composition seemed like the most natural next step. an accident shortly after, however—one that resulted in the partial loss of hearing in one ear—brought those plans to a halt, and after their physician suggested against going into music full time, Abhilash fell back on an old passion of theirs; photography. a few well timed snaps within the past few years may have only now brought them into the limelight, with a tidy 12.5k followers on Simstagram, but they would consider themselves anything but a celebrity. (their assistant is still trying to convince them that that one star means more than they think.) still, he makes it work, this newfound fame, splitting his time between running his own small business as a fashion and wedding photographer and exploring his various hobbies. he was hesitant at first after his best friend, Gulab, surprised him with plane tickets and a filled out form, but with everything else in his life gradually falling into place, he figures he might as well give this a chance and see where it goes—regardless of the fact that he may just be more than slightly terrified at the idea of opening himself up to a new relationship. (and if it fails, well, there's always their best friend to blame for that.)

* things to know.

not everyone can say they've dated their best friend and had the relationship come out intact on the other end, but Abhi considers himself one of the lucky ones—he and Gulab may have, uh... f*cked around with each other during their college days as part of a dare, and then for several years after that as well. the upside to all of this? they both realized they were very, very much bisexual. the downside? they both realized they were very, very much romantically incompatible with each other. despite the breakup, both are still close, and Abhi regularly keeps in touch with Gulab and his partner since the latter moved to Komorebi. (and as for Gulab? he would be lying if he said that he didn't sign them up for the show just so they could stop by and visit in case things didn't go as planned.) despite his apparent love of jewelry (as is evidenced by his extensive receipt history *cough*), Abhi has no piercings except the stud on his left nostril—several bad experiences in college during his attempts to pierce his ears (in all fairness, it was the artist's fault and the scars never did heal properly afterwards) firmly turned him off from the idea of getting anymore anywhere else, and he compensates by layering on the bracelets and rings. if you bribe them with enough chocolate, however, you may be able to convince them to get that septum piercing they've been putting off for ages. (we're going to pretend i didn't write this entire section bc the ear presets i had for him were literally incompatible with every single earring in my CAS library sksksk) unlike the piercings, his love of tattoos seemed to have fared better—to date, Abhi is in possession of several, including (but not necessarily limited to) two small botanic tattoos done on his left foot during a trip with his first ex-girlfriend (no initials, thank goodness), a Ganesha tattoo on the inside of his right wrist as a buddy to Gulab's Om tattoo in the same spot, a full back snake piece, and (his personal favorite but as of yet incomplete) lightning bolt ensemble. next on their list? a memento of their mother's handwriting. although his dreams of becoming a world-famous musician may have been placed on the backburner (or taken off of it entirely) Abhi still plays both piano and violin, sings and composes as a hobby—recently, they were contacted by a recording studio interested in their rendition of Vaughn-Williams' The Lark Ascending, and just before that performed at a charity concert for an orphanage. they haven't decided whether to take the studio up on the offer just yet, but the joy of being able to continue to polish their skills—something that immediately after the accident would have been considered impossible—is enough for them. when he's not taking photos or working on his music, Abhi is proud to say that he has quite the stash of knitted projects in his arsenal—no matter how many times he's fallen prey to the curse of the boyfriend sweater (or in his case, more girlfriends than boyfriends), you'll mostly find him starting up another one in his free time, usually while curled up on the couch watching his favorite movies and ugly crying whenever the saddest parts come on. (and no, despite his love of any and all Indian cinema he can possibly get his hands on, he still hasn't seen the end of Kal Ho Naa Ho. do with that what you will, but that's probably for the best.) if you ask nicely, they'll be more than happy to give film recommendations, and if you ask them what they're making? prepare to be swamped with excited chatter (and possibly fitted for measurements, just so they can go shopping for materials all over again).

ps: pls also have these full length versions of the headshot photos of Abhi, taken by Gulab when they stepped outside in the park for two seconds bc the latter insisted on taking 'proper business shots' when he visited last year—Abhi isn't wearing his hearing aid bc he forgot to put it back in after a (rather indulgent) practice session (his approach is something like this, last section), but he does come with it included sksksksk

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for employees to seek religious accommodations in a case involving a lawsuit brought by an evangelical Christian mail carrier who asked not to work on Sundays.

The case involved a claim brought by a Pennsylvania man, Gerald Groff, who says the U.S. Postal Service could have granted his request that he be spared Sunday shifts based on his religious belief that it is a day of worship and rest.

His case will now return to lower courts for further litigation.

Groff argued that it was too difficult for employees to bring religious claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination on various fronts, including religion.

The justices in a unanimous ruling written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito clarifieda 1977 Supreme Court ruling called Trans World Airlines v. Hardison. The court said then that employers are not required to make accommodations if they would impose even a minimal or, using the Latin term preferred by the court, “de minimis,” burden.

That ruling built on the language of Title VII, which says an accommodation can be rejected only when there is an “undue hardship” on the employer.

The court on Thursday ruled that the hardship needs to be more than a minimal one.

In the future, courts "should resolve whether a hardship would be substantial in the context of an employer's business in the commonsense manner that it would use in applying any such test," Alito wrote.

Groff, a noncareer employee, worked as an auxiliary mailman in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area from 2012 to 2019, when he resigned. His job was to fill in when other workers were not available, including on weekends and holidays.

Initially Groff was not asked work on Sundays, but the situation changed starting in 2015 because of a requirement that Amazon packages be delivered on that day. Based on his request for an accommodation, his managers arranged for other postal workers to deliver packages on Sundays until July 2018. After that, Groff faced disciplinary actions if he did not report to work.

Groff resigned and sued the Postal Service for failing to accommodate his request. A federal judge said that the Postal Service had provided a reasonable accommodation and that offering anything more than that would cause undue hardship to the employer and his co-workers. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in a ruling in May.

Groups representing Christian denominations and other religious faiths filed briefs backing Groff, including the American Hindu Coalition, the American Sikh Coalition and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Muslim women, who often wear headscarves known as hijabs, have often suffered because of the Supreme Court precedent favoring employers, CAIR’s brief said. That is in part because uniform policies do not take account of the hijab. Muslim women lose job opportunities as a result, the group said.

The American Postal Workers Union, which says it has about 200,000 members, filed a brief warning the court that a ruling in favor of Groff that creates a “religious preference” for scheduling work on the weekend would disadvantage other workers who do not share the same religious faith.

[senorablack]

WRONG ANSWERS ONLY TAG What it says on the tin. Made for the creative writer in mind, but anyone could play. Truth welcomed, but keep in mind the sole rule of the game is absurdity. Answer unwisely.

1 - What’s your problem? It all started in the summer of 1990, on a spicy August Wednesday morning. 97's ice skating accident was when my problem truly manifested. I wasn't physically harmed, but was visually assaulted. Threw an all bean chili onto one of the performers outfits because it was god damn ugly. This deep-seated hateration exacerbated with the invention of the Croc in 2002.

2 - Define Fanfiction to an adult who hasn’t heard of it before. It's not smashing a pair of barbies' non-genitals together, but it's not-not smashing a pair of barbies' non-genitals together. People write it mostly to see their favorites rest in ways they desperately want to (i.e. sleeping whilst cuddled up in someones arms, sleeping soundly next to someone who is safe, sleeping after highly aerobic sex, sleeping next to someone who is the opposite of you heat/cold wise, sleeping with no work the next day, sleeping for a week in way that seems like you're not okay but you are just mind your damn business).

3 - What is the next epoch for the human race? Floating stuff. Not enough hovering things yet. I want to live over the ocean and yet.

4 - There’s a big ass lake to cross and there are three boats. Two of them can fit three people. One of them could fit two. There are nine people. How do you get everyone across? Tie the last person to one of them and have them float on their back on the water very, very still until you've all floated across.

5 - How was cheese discovered? Some ancient hindu dude was eating, and got a lil bit of the lemon they were squeezing onto their roti and gravy into their cup of milk. they were like 'damn, bro, that was my milk' but also like, went to go get more milk. but check this out, they forgot it. and when they came back like days later. that shit was all separated. and because they didn't like waste, they spread a little bit it on their lunch. turns out that shit was fire.

6 - What makes a good film or television show? Laugh tracks when there are no intentionally funny scenes.

7 - Tell us what hill(s) you would/will you die on. That bus was right to hit Regina George, but it could have done it in a more tactful way. Also that fucking door had room for Jack too.

8 - What does the person who tagged you do for leisure? Yodeling competitions during the weekends, and on most nights I write black out poetry using @lt right wing news websites.

9 - Who was tumblr created for? The strong, the brave and the neurodivergent. People who wear their wednesday chonies on thursday.

10 - What happens after we die? Hell and heaven aren't single places. Goodness and evil have always existed on a spectrum and so does the place they plop you in once you've shimmied out of your meat suit. They, of course, are a committee of drag queens who rate your outfits, runway walk, and attitude through your living years and place you in a environment you deserve.

11 - How many continents are there and what are their names? Seven continents named: California, North California, Ice California, South-East California, California to the Left, California Down Under, and California: Reloaded.

12 -Who was your favorite side character from Martin Scorsese’s 1973 cult classic, Gonchorov? Sebastian Butterbee - The cafe attendant everyone important told their woes to throughout the film. Turned out that he'd been selling their secrets in exchange for really neat exotic houseplants.

13 - What’s the real way to spell Ashley? Yeah, everyone gets this wrong. It's Azhli.

14 - What do pets do when their human pals aren’t home? They cosplay and host dungeons and dragons night for their pals on the block of course.

15 - Tell us how to survive a tornado. First step is take one for the gram. Second step is drive the fuck out of tornado country. Warn no one because Darwin.

16 - How did you and your closest friends meet? The heist. I was a socialite and budding actress who had a lot of time and money. They wanted some sort of necklace that I couldn't have cared less about but hired me to wear it to the met gala to aide them in their quest. It was neat.

17 - Describe the perfect date. August 1st through 31st.

18 - What are some common mistake(s)/misconception(s) people make/have about you? People assume I'm not listening to them on facetime because I am often looking at myself. But I AM listening. It's called multitasking, beb.

19 - Tell us a secret you’re suppose to keep to your grave. My friend once told me that they truly didn't believe Ohio was a real place.

20 - How tall are you? 14 beer cans or roughly 4.5 of p@nera breads new green goddess caprese melt (/not spon lmao)

21 - Define: swap meet. It's that thing people do after connecting on dating apps.

22 - What’s at the ocean floor? Dead billionaires apparently

23 - Beyoncé once (answer) an entire (answer) during (answer), then went on like it was nothing. ate - crawdad boil - the super bowl half-time show

24 - What do you consider red flags? People who have an aversion to potato dishes (i won't TAG ANYONE BUT COUGH), crocs, and those who cannot merge onto the highway.

25 - If the person who tagged you were to get famous, what would they be known for? Arson - but the first one was an accident and the second was because nobody complimented my hair in 24 hours.

high pressure tags - @normyreedus @greenlikethesea @leatafandom @katiedora @sparklyslug @dallae @tolkientrash @onirislanding @happylilthought @stevethehairington @quarble @quiriusblack @steddielations @melonberri @graveyardlilies @loudsnapdragon @spikeymarshmallows @steviebats

and **anyone** who comes across this who thinks this is silly and neat. please tag me because I'd love to hear how equally unhinged you are. :)