Homas is an ancient form of fire rituals, stemming from the Vedic Science. A homa can help you to get well, have good relationships, find a partner, have children and it may even remove bad karma or negative aspects in a horoscope or with Vastu.

Read more here: » Homas: Homa, the Ancient Fire ritual

Read more here: » Homa: About different Homas and their purpose

Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) is a spiritual ritual originally from India, performed at dawn and dusk. Practitioners will purify themselves with water, stir a sacred fire, chant sacred verses, and recite a prayer to Agni. In english Agni means Fire and Hotra means healing, so Agnihotra means healing-fire. The Rig-Veda (1.1 ) states, "Agni earned the prayers of the ancient sages, and of those of the present, too; he will bring the gods here." The Ani-Brahmana (1.1-19 ) states, "...he who does not offer the agnihotra does not come into life, a ...

Including:

• Agnihotra - External Sources

Read more here: » Agnihotra: Encyclopedia - Agnihotra

Soma and Ananda

The Vedic ritual reaches its climax in the Soma offering, in which specially prepared plant juices are offered into the sacred fire (Agni) as the drink of the Gods. But this ancient ritual reflects a deeper internal ritual or alchemy of awareness that is its real import. In exploring this process, we will discover many secrets of the practice of Yoga, including the path of Self-inquiry or Jnana Yoga.

Read more here: » Soma and Ananda: The Flow of Soma

Sacred Fire of the Zoroastrian Faith

Fire has been revered and worshipped in ancient cultures worldwide. In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus, out of his great love for mankind, disobeys Zeus and steals fire from heaven and brings it down to earth for human use. As punishment, Zeus chains Prometheus to the Caucasus mountain since mankind was not yet considered to be ready for this great gift of the gods.

Read more here: » Zoroastrian Religion: Sacred Fire of the Zoroastrian Faith

Yagna, also transliterated as yagya or yajna is an ancient Vedic ritual of Hinduism, where sacrifices are made to a particular divinity, or maybe to the SUpreme Spririt Brahman, using fire (Agni) as a medium. The words homam (havan), and yagna are used interchangeably today. However there is a difference between homam and yagna. Yagnas of ancient times probably involved an animal sacrifice at some special occasions, which could have been a cow or a bull,(a hotly debated theory), goat, horse, sheep or buffalo. Yagna in its prese ...

Read more here: » Yagna: Encyclopedia - Yagna

Hinduism Daily Rituals

In Hinduism, these rituals are always meant to inculcate feelings of devotion and to bring about the divine orientation of human life. As a part of his householders responsibilities, a devout Hindu is expected to perform certain rituals every day starting from morning till evening.

Read more here: » Hinduism Rituals: Hinduism and the performance of Rituals

The Bhrigus, also known as Bhargavas, are a clan of sages descending form the ancient fire-priest Bhrigu. They instituted the ritual of offering the juice of the Soma plant to the old Indo-Aryan deities. Some of them were also warriors in addition to being priests. The Bhrigus are intimately linked with the composition of the Atharva-Veda. Bhrigu, a sage in Hindu mythology, was said to have stepped on Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu to test who of the three gods was the greatest. Though Brahma and Shiva were furious at Bhrigu's act, Vishnu greeted the sage with respect an ...

Read more here: » Bhrigus: Encyclopedia - Bhrigus

Yajnas

These are the outer forms of worship in Hinduism, reminders of its direct connection with the Vedic religion of the ancient past. During the performance of the yajnas, offerings are made to different deities in a prescribed and systematic manner by qualified priests to supplicate them, so that they would assist the worshipper in achieving certain results in life.

Read more here: » Yajnas: Hinduism Rituals - Yajnas

Karma Yoga Lesson VIII

The danger in Vedic ritual; Thought is beyond time; It is a sacrifice of the Mind of God; Thought the builder; The universe, of thought, of the dead that are living; Brief description of death and after; The need of interchange of intercourse with the plane of the dead.

Read more here: » Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga - Lesson VIII (of XI )

The first time I noticed conflicting ritual elements was when I was invited as a guest to attend another Coven's esbat celebration. When the time came to 'invoke the Watchtowers' (a ritual salutation to the four directions), I was amazed to learn that this group associated the element of Earth with the North. My own Coven equated North with Air. How odd, I thought. Where'd they get that? The High Priestess told me it had been copied out of a number of published sources. Further, she said she had never seen it listed any other way. I raced home and began tearing books from my own library shelves. And sure enough! Practically every book I consulted gave the following assoications as standard: North = Earth, East = Air, South = Fire, West = Water.

Then where the heck did I get the idea that Air belonged in the North?

Read more here: » Paganism: RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or 13 Reasons Air Should Be In The North

Hinduism and Worship: Yagna - the ritual worship of Hinduism

Yagna or yajna is an outer form of worship in which offerings are made to different deities in a prescribed and systematic manner by qualified priests to supplicate them, so that they would assist the worshipper in achieving certain results in life.

Read more here: » Hinduism and Worship: Yagna - the ritual worship of Hinduism

Wicca and Witchcraft: General Practices in Wicca (Witchcraft)

The roots of the religion called Wicca, or Witchcraft, are very old, coming down to us through a variety of channels worldwide. Although any general statement about our practices will have exceptions, the following will attempt to present a basic foundation for understanding.

Some of the old practices were lost when indigenous religions encountered militant Christianity and were forced to go underground for survival. The ancient mystery religions were lost when the practice of the rites were stopped and the old verbal traditions were no longer available.

Read more here: » Wicca and Witchcraft: General Practices in Wicca

Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa),  but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans.

Read more here: » Wicca and Celtic Paganism: Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities

There are some striking similarities between the African and Indian cultures.

In both Hindu and Zulu cultures religion and culture have become inseparable. You cannot talk of culture without implying religion; and you can't talk of religion amongst the Zulus and the Hindus without implying culture.

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Zulu: Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities

Kalki, or Sri Kalki Bhagavan, the founder of Golden Age Foundation, He is considered to be the Kalki Avatar capable of bringing enlightenment and to introduce the Golden Age. Here he is commenting on The Significance of the Golden City.

Read more here: » Kalki on The Significance of the Golden City

Western Chinese Wood (木) | Fire (火) | Earth (土) | Metal (金) | Water (水) Hinduism The Panchamahabhuta ("five great elements") Prithvi/Bhumi (Earth) Ap/Jala (Water) Agni/Tejas (Fire) Vayu/Pavan (Air/Wind) Akasha (Aether) Japanese The Godai ("five great") Earth (地) | Water (水) | Fire (火) | Wind (風) | Void (空) Fire has been important to a ...

Including:

• Fire classical element - Western concepts of Fire
• Fire classical element - Non-Western concepts of Fire

Read more here: » Fire classical element: Encyclopedia - Fire classical element

In Hinduism, Yajna or Yagya यज्ञ(Sanskrit yajñá "worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice") is a Vedic ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas, or sometimes to the Supreme Spirit Brahman. It involves pouring oblations into the divine Agni (the sacrificial fire). Everything that is offered in the divine Agni is believed to reach the Devas. A yajna is typically performed by a hotar, with a number of additional priests playing a supporting role, chanting Vedic verses. Often there will be a ...

Read more here: » Yajna: Encyclopedia - Yajna

Western Chinese Wood (木) | Fire (火) | Earth (土) | Metal (金) | Water (水) Hinduism The Panchamahabhuta ("five great elements") Prithvi/Bhumi (Earth) Ap/Jala (Water) Agni/Tejas (Fire) Vayu/Pavan (Air/Wind) Akasha (Aether) Japanese The Godai ("five great") Earth (地) | Water

Read more here: » Water classical element: Encyclopedia - Water classical element

A Fire Temple (also Dar-e Mihr, or Atash Kadeh in Iran, Agiary in India, and various names in North America) is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. It is typically a building with a hall and various rooms or chambers, the most holy of which houses a sacred fire, which laymen make offerings to and priests perform rituals before. In Zoroastrianism fire is revered as the son of Ahura Mazda, and represented by the Amesha Spenta Asha Vahishta, or "Best Righteousness." There are three grades of fires: the Atash ...

Including:

• Agiary - Origins
• Agiary - Development
• Agiary - The Great Fires
• Agiary - From Muslim Invasions to Present
• Agiary - Fire Temples Today
• Agiary - List of Atash Behrams
• Agiary - List of Fire Temples: South Asia
• Agiary - List of Fire Temples: Iran
• Agiary - List of Fire Temples: Iran
• Agiary - List of Fire Temples: North America
• Agiary - Related Links

Read more here: » Agiary: Encyclopedia - Agiary