Earth, Moon and Sun have just passed through the point of their relationship which creates a New Moon, when the orbit of the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. This positioning occurred on July 31 at 8:11 pm Pacific (or 11:11 pm Eastern) in North America, although if you leave your clocks or your wristwatch on standard time as I do, instead of changing to the artificial and unhelpful "daylight saving time" during the summer half of the year, then those times would be one hour "later" on the clock dial.
The Moon will now return, initially as a very thin sliver just east of the setting Sun, and moving farther east every day, growing ever thicker or "more full" as it does so (also described as "waxing"). Many traditional celebrations in the world's cultures are observed based on lunar calendars and specific days within this lunar cycle -- including the upcoming observance of Naga Panchami which originates in India and commemorates episodes and mythical figures described in ancient Sanskrit texts including the Puranas and the Mahabharata.
While some authorities feel the need to argue that the characters and events described in the ancient Sanskrit scriptures have their origins in literal and terrestrial historical events and figures, I have found abundant evidence to conclude that they are entirely celestial and metaphorical in their conception, at least as recorded in the ancient texts, and that in this regard they are closely related to virtually all of the world's other ancient myths and scriptures, including characters and events described in the scriptures of the Bible, and that indeed they are all using the same consistent world-wide system (itself probably originating in some now-forgotten culture of great spiritual sophistication which long predates even the most ancient cultures known to conventional history, including the cultures of ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, which themselves can also be shown to be using this system in myths and references found in the earliest texts known to us at this time).
Above is a new video I've just created entitled "Naga Panchami: celestial foundations," which explores some of the celestial foundations for those characters and events described in the Mahabharata and Puranas which relate to this annual festival.
** Note: I received some feedback that the sound was difficult to hear in the first edition of the video, so I recorded it all over again -- you can see the new version embedded below this post or by following this link **
** Note: I received some feedback that the sound was difficult to hear in the first edition of the video, so I recorded it all over again -- you can see the new version embedded below this post or by following this link **
Naga Panchami is celebrated in the fifth day after the New Moon during the lunar month of Shravana (that is to say, on the fifth day after the New Moon which just happened), which this year will fall on the 5th of August.
The name of this traditional day of worship and ritual derives from the Sanskrit word Naga which designates the great cobra serpents (who themselves rule an entire realm in the cosmos and who are sentient and very powerful, in some circumstances being benevolent to humanity and in some circumstances antagonistic) and the word Panchami, which designates the fifth day within either half of a lunar month in the Hindu lunar calendar.
On Naga Panchami, live cobras and effigies of cobras (Nagas) are worshipped, adorned with garlands, and anointed with milk. Additionally, in some areas, ant-hills are similarly adorned and decorated and milk is poured down their ant-holes in order to anoint the serpents thought to dwell within such mounds.
As you will see in the above video, these practices -- and the ancient myths upon which they are founded -- can be clearly seen to be based on celestial metaphor which resonates with myths from other cultures around the globe. The ant-hill connection is particularly intriguing because in my most recent book, The Ancient World-Wide System, I discuss myths involving ant-hills and termite mounds which relate directly to characters and events found in the origin myths for the Naga Panchami worship (see especially the incidents related on pages 42 - 43 and pages 768 - 770 of The Ancient World-Wide System), and the evidence which relates these episodes directly to the constellations Ophiuchus and Scorpio, just as here in the Naga Panchami origin stories.
Thus, the observation of the ancient tradition of Naga Panchami provides us with yet another window into the world-wide connection between the myths and the stars, and their connection to our own lives and the rhythm of great natural cycles, as well as adding still further evidence to the already-enormous pile of evidence which points to the undeniable conclusion that the world's myths are based on celestial metaphor.
As I have been saying more and more in recent videos and writings, I am convinced that one of the central purposes of these ancient myths is to point us towards the reconnection with our own essential Self, from whom we become estranged and alienated during our "downward plunge" into this world and all of its entanglements and complications (akin to the setting of the stars and other heavenly spheres into the western horizon). One aspect of our recovery of the Self relates to the theme of "blessing versus cursing," which can be seen to be very central in many ancient traditions (including in the Biblical scriptures found in both the Old and New Testaments, so-called) -- and the mythical events and figures commemorated in the Naga Panchami observation clearly center around this theme.
I hope that you will find the subjects discussed in the new video above to be helpful in your own journey. It may be beneficial to contemplate these ideas with special intent on the upcoming day of Naga Panchami.
