Thaipusam takes place at the sacred Batu Caves located near the city. 1.5 Million people travel to Kuala Lumper to worship. This is not your everyday prayer festival however, these devotees pierce their flesh with spikes and sharp hooks. They weigh the hooks with fruit to add to the pain and sometimes pull heavy chariots by using only the hooks in their backs with the reigns attached. Some people are less extreme and choose to carry offerings of milk upon their heads while others pack on more weight by carrying heavy cages on their shoulders known as Kevadi’s. It is a spectacle for all to see.

There are different reasons as to why people choose attend Thaipusam. Some are seeking help with an answer to their prayers, others are looking to make amends for a past sin while others are giving thanks. It is not an easy task to prepare for their ordeal, they must fast, meditate and become mentally prepared to take on the pain and suffering. And what suffering they face.

Before the pilgrims arrive at the Caves, they convene in Kuala Lumper. Gathering at the Hindu Temple, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the event begins at midnight. The crowd walks with a calm energy for 15 km following the idol of Lord Murugan. It is placed in an ornate silver Chariot lit up with bulbs of light.

It is a spectacular sight. A neon lit midway and Ferris wheel are set up at the base of the high cliffs. Vendors line the path of the procession as thousands of people make their way to the steps of the Batu Cave. The modern lights are a strange contrast to the ancient ceremony. Drums beat as people chant Vel Vel in the never ending chain of bodies.

The celebration continues through to the next day and worshippers are committed as ever, but the intense sun makes the task seem more impossible. Some succumb to the heat and collapse under the weight of their Kevadi. Others sway in a daze as friends try to soothe their pierced cheeks by pouring water over their heads. Miraculously however, very few people seem to be in pain or discomfort.

Once they make their way up the slow climb they find relief in the cool caves. Monkeys fight for bananas overhead, as people have their hooks removed one by one. Priests stuff hot ash into their wounds and not a drop of blood spills from the body.

You are free to walk around and watch as people are awakened from their trance. The transformation is surprising. One minute they are in another world with an intensity in their eyes while the next they are walking and casually talking with friends. They have survived Thaipusam and are blessed with a lucky year ahead.

All that is left is the procession back to Kuala Lumpur where all will be put away for another year. This years devotees can go home knowing that they achieved and incredible human accomplishment.

Deb Corbeil and Dave Bouskill are an adventure travel couple from Canada. They have explored over 30 countries on 5 continents. Each new adventure takes them to remote corners of the earth where they paddle hike and trek their way around the globe. Visit their website http://tinyurl.com/qwl97h for more tips, advice and information on travel and adventure locations. To see their photo gallery check out picturetheplanet.com

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This article will touch upon some, for the most of you, very new concepts. We will speak about the process of composing music for the great tantric Goddess Kali. First off we will give an introduction to who Kali is followed by an introduction to the law of Resonance which is a law that lies at the base of the the law of attraction. The article will end by telling how an artist can use the law of resonance to create his artwork.

Who is Kali?

Kali is the first of the 10 great goddesses in the tantric tradition. She has four arms, black skin, big glaring eyes and has a necklace with severed heads. She can be found in graveyards where she dances on the tombs while laughing at the mortality and pettiness of humans. Her deeper symbolism is that of time and death which are things that we humans fear and that is why she looks so terrible in our eyes.

She is indeed a terrifying sight and if you do not understand death and time you will certainly be terrified by her. Her grace will be revealed to those who actively seek to understand her deeper meaning.

About resonance

One of the most profound teachings of the tantric system is the teaching of resonance. The law of attraction which everyone is speaking about now a days is a subset of this law.

All matter in the universe is energy which vibrates at different frequencies. Two energies that vibrate with the same frequency will be attracted to one another and start to resonate together, meaning that they will start to exchange information and energy between them.

We are continually moving through different resonance spheres during the day and our moods and physical well being is continually being affected by these spheres. If we are in a place where the resonance is “angry” we will ourselves become angry.

If we go to a football game where the energy is wild and excited we will also become wild and excited. If we go to a peaceful and calm place we will also become peaceful.

A landscape, room or color can have a common resonance, each putting us in a similar mood. Music is a very powerful resonator as it can carry very specific resonances and implant those resonances in us.

For example, if you listen to heavy metal you will enter into states of rage, hatred and destruction. You will enter into a state of resonance with the people who made the music and the state that they were in when they made the music. You will enter into resonance with all the people who listen to that music and who resonate with that state. You will start downloading all their negativity and hatred.

Alternatively if you listen to beautiful music you will enter states of beauty and harmony.

One of the quickest ways of entering into a state of meditation with a specific aspect is by meditating with music which has the resonance of that aspect, which is why music is so efficient in “jump starting” us to enter the desired mood.

Resonance and Art

To create an artwork on a specific subject, you have to study that subject. You have to find out which energies are inherent in that subject and you have to meditate upon those energies. Thereby you will through resonance start to amplify those energies in your own being.

By contemplating on the object/subject upon which you wish to create your artwork and through resonance you will thereby become a better channel for the art. The resonance will impregnate the art and will thereby be conveyed to those who in turn contemplate the art. This is the secret to creating masterpieces.

Using resonance to create music for Kali

Studying Kali will bring with it deep meditation and speculation on the subjects of life, death and time. These subjects might indeed be terrifying for those who have not delved more in them.

The music composed by such a contemplation on Kali might therefore convey this mood of terror. Drones, asien tonalities and strong rhythmical elements can aid to these effects.

In the end though, Kali will lead he who contemplates on her to a deeper understanding of the nature of life and death which in turn will lead to a mystical opening of the heart. (These effects can be achieved by string quartets and melodic lines which lead upwards).

We hope that this article was meaningful to you and that you learned a bit more about Kali, resonance and the process of composition with a Goddess!

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On the day of the Chaturthi, the last of the days dedicated to the elephant-headed god, thousands of processions converge on the beaches of Mumbai to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This immersion is accompanied by drumbeats, devotional songs and dancing. Every year, the largest Ganesh idol is installed at Khairatabad in Hyderabad, which is more than 30 ft tall.The Ganapati Mahotsav or the Grand Festival of Ganesha is the principle festival in Bombay, the financial capital of India. In Bombay factories commission the largest of the 6000 or so Ganeshas collectively. Each of these idols can be upto 10 meters in height and are paraded on lorries decorated with multi-colored lights. At the other end of the scale, little Ganeshas are placed in nukkads or street corners and in homes, and pujas are performed daily. The festival was started by Shivaji , the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and a feeling of nationalism amongst his subjects who were fighting against the Mughals.

On the occasion of the Ganapati festival, a large number of idols are made of clay or metal in all possible sizes sometimes even up to twenty feet. The festival celebrated as the birth day of Lord Ganesha, held annually in South India especially with great fervor in Maharashtra, is a ten day long event. Ganesh or Vinayaka Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva), the elephant -headed god of all good beginnings and success.

Ganesh or Vinayaka Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva), the elephant -headed god of all good beginnings and success. The festival celebrated as the birth day of Lord Ganesha, held annually in South India especially with great fervor in Maharashtra, is a ten day long event.

A cultural feast is held to coincide with Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra especially at Pune. Classical dance, music performances, poetry recitations, folk dances, theatre and film festival are the main features of this festival. People buy them and install them in their houses and worship the idol for one to ten days, after which the idol are taken out ceremoniously, carried in a procession through the streets of the town (especially in Maharashtra) and immersed into the river, sea or well. The sea front at Mumbai, packed with people, is a spectacular sight.

To appreciate this occasion, one must go to Mumbai where preparations begin months in advance. Images of Ganesha are installed within homes as well as in places of assembly. Elaborate arrangements are made for lighting and decoration and Ganesha is fervently worshipped for about 7-10 days.

On full moon day every idol is taken down to the Chowpatty beach accompanied by hordes of people singing and dancing and is immersed in the Arabian Sea. His devotees believe that no enterprise will succeed unless he is invoked. The picture of Ganpati is often found on the doors of houses and printed on wedding cards. On the occasion of the Ganpati festival a large number of images are made of all possible sizes, and people buy them to keep in their houses as a divine guest for one and a half, five, seven, or ten days, after which the image is taken out ceremoniously and thrown into the river, sea or well for immersion or “visarjan”. Ganpati is the god of learning. He is addressed as the “Remover of Obstacles” (“Vignaharta”).

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1. What is Hinduism?

Hinduism is the world’s oldest practiced religion. It is the world’s third largest religion with over a billion followers. Hinduism is actually a conglomeration of many religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India. It is characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.

Hinduism can not be categorized into a particular belief system. Unlike many other religions, Hinduism is a way of life, or a Dharma. A Dharma is a the law that governs all action. The religious tradition of Hinduism has brought many common concepts and practices we know today such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, and others.

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