Topic Brainstorm
The Adventures of Hanuman
After encountering and briefly learning about several of the gods and goddesses these past few weeks, the god that has stood out to me the most is Hanuman. Many of his stories seem to involve epic quests or journeys of some kind; in the comic Guide: Hanuman to the Rescue, he goes searching for a medicinal herb to save the life of Rama's wounded brother. In one of the storybooks that I read, Hanuman believes the sun is a mango and takes a bite out of it, launching an epic saga of events and challenges he must overcome. The idea of Gods and Goddesses being linked to certain animals or animal personalities also fascinates me, and I would like to learn more about Hanuman's association with the monkey. Is his physical being actually part primate, or is the entire idea metaphorical? Why is he typically portrayed this way? Writing Hanuman's adventures sounds like it would be a lot of fun, and I would love to delve further into his wild personality.
References:
Guide: Hanuman to the Rescue ~ Read here
Sun Mango ~ Read here
Epic Twins
I always tell people the greatest thing that ever happened to me that I had no choice over was being born a twin. My twin brother is my best friend, and we share a special bond of communication and understanding. I did not realize that there are so many sets of twins that are a part of the Indian epics, and the dynamics between them have captivated my attention. Yami and Yama are a particularly interesting case, because one of them is the Lord of Death and the other the Lady of Life. While these seem like polar opposites, sometimes different energies balance out in a very harmonious way. I have seen this in my own life; my twin brother and I have personalities that are quite similar in many ways, but quite different in others. We work together because we value one another, and understand the balance that we create when we are together. This seems like something that would be incredibly interesting to explore in the realm of the Indian epics, and I would love to know more about the tales of the twins.
Reference:
The Greatest Twins ~ Watch here
LGBT Stories
As I was browsing through past storybooks on love and observing the couples that people had written about, I noticed that all of them were between a male and a female. I have very little knowledge of how love is depicted in the epics, and I do not know if any other kinds of relationships are depicted in the stories. This is something I would like to explore; are there examples of LBGT relationships in the world of the Gods? Even if they are not obviously identified this way in the literature, are there interactions that can be understood as love between men, or love between women? Were these kinds of relationships considered permissible, could they be written about? I feel that there is an opportunity here to highlight love stories that are not often recognized or communicated. My inspiration for looking into this topic came from a video of two beautiful Bharatanatyam dancers. They tell the story of a girl who comes out to her mother; the mother's initial unhappiness is transformed into acceptance as the two dance together, and the mother ultimately embraces love.
Reference:
Revelations: Celebrating LGBTQ Stories Through Bharathanatyam Dance ~ Watch here
Yoga and Tantra
Of all the parts of Hindu spirituality, I am probably most familiar with yoga and how it connects the power of the mind and body. I am incredibly fascinated by this subject, and would love to delve further into exploring the connections between yoga and the epics. Having taken many yoga classes during my life, I have heard the names of the different yoga postures hundreds of times; however, I have never learned about their origins, and would be interested to see how they have grown from the Indian storytelling tradition. I have heard that Krishna is the God most involved and connected with the practice of yoga. I am also currently reading a book in my personal life that focuses on the dynamics of spirituality and sexuality in tantra and yoga, and believe that this would also be a great base of knowledge to to build upon. Finally, I am intrigued by the concept of Tapas, which is brought up on the project ideas page for this topic. It is entirely new to me, but I like the idea of an internal heat, a flame that drives our purpose: an inner energy we must learn to direct.
References:
Project Idea: Yoga ~ Read here
Yogi ~ Read here
After encountering and briefly learning about several of the gods and goddesses these past few weeks, the god that has stood out to me the most is Hanuman. Many of his stories seem to involve epic quests or journeys of some kind; in the comic Guide: Hanuman to the Rescue, he goes searching for a medicinal herb to save the life of Rama's wounded brother. In one of the storybooks that I read, Hanuman believes the sun is a mango and takes a bite out of it, launching an epic saga of events and challenges he must overcome. The idea of Gods and Goddesses being linked to certain animals or animal personalities also fascinates me, and I would like to learn more about Hanuman's association with the monkey. Is his physical being actually part primate, or is the entire idea metaphorical? Why is he typically portrayed this way? Writing Hanuman's adventures sounds like it would be a lot of fun, and I would love to delve further into his wild personality.
References:
Guide: Hanuman to the Rescue ~ Read here
Sun Mango ~ Read here
An artistic interpretation of Hanuman chanting Rama's name. Source: Flickr
Epic Twins
I always tell people the greatest thing that ever happened to me that I had no choice over was being born a twin. My twin brother is my best friend, and we share a special bond of communication and understanding. I did not realize that there are so many sets of twins that are a part of the Indian epics, and the dynamics between them have captivated my attention. Yami and Yama are a particularly interesting case, because one of them is the Lord of Death and the other the Lady of Life. While these seem like polar opposites, sometimes different energies balance out in a very harmonious way. I have seen this in my own life; my twin brother and I have personalities that are quite similar in many ways, but quite different in others. We work together because we value one another, and understand the balance that we create when we are together. This seems like something that would be incredibly interesting to explore in the realm of the Indian epics, and I would love to know more about the tales of the twins.
Reference:
The Greatest Twins ~ Watch here
LGBT Stories
As I was browsing through past storybooks on love and observing the couples that people had written about, I noticed that all of them were between a male and a female. I have very little knowledge of how love is depicted in the epics, and I do not know if any other kinds of relationships are depicted in the stories. This is something I would like to explore; are there examples of LBGT relationships in the world of the Gods? Even if they are not obviously identified this way in the literature, are there interactions that can be understood as love between men, or love between women? Were these kinds of relationships considered permissible, could they be written about? I feel that there is an opportunity here to highlight love stories that are not often recognized or communicated. My inspiration for looking into this topic came from a video of two beautiful Bharatanatyam dancers. They tell the story of a girl who comes out to her mother; the mother's initial unhappiness is transformed into acceptance as the two dance together, and the mother ultimately embraces love.
Reference:
Revelations: Celebrating LGBTQ Stories Through Bharathanatyam Dance ~ Watch here
Yoga and Tantra
Of all the parts of Hindu spirituality, I am probably most familiar with yoga and how it connects the power of the mind and body. I am incredibly fascinated by this subject, and would love to delve further into exploring the connections between yoga and the epics. Having taken many yoga classes during my life, I have heard the names of the different yoga postures hundreds of times; however, I have never learned about their origins, and would be interested to see how they have grown from the Indian storytelling tradition. I have heard that Krishna is the God most involved and connected with the practice of yoga. I am also currently reading a book in my personal life that focuses on the dynamics of spirituality and sexuality in tantra and yoga, and believe that this would also be a great base of knowledge to to build upon. Finally, I am intrigued by the concept of Tapas, which is brought up on the project ideas page for this topic. It is entirely new to me, but I like the idea of an internal heat, a flame that drives our purpose: an inner energy we must learn to direct.
References:
Project Idea: Yoga ~ Read here
Yogi ~ Read here
Dandayamana Janushirasana, an advanced yoga posture. Personal image used with permission.
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