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Archive for July, 2009
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Most Indian Earrings come with attached or detachable extensions. Extensions can be worn on the ears in many ways. If the extensions are detachable, you have a choice of removing them and wearing the earrings alone. If you choose to wear the extensions, there are many ways.
Extensions always have circular loops, which are used to insert through the back of post of the earrings or to clasp onto the hair using a bobby pin.
1) Wrap the extension over the front of the ear followed by the back of the ear, reaching to the post. When the extension reaches the back of the post, insert the circular loop into the post of the earring, and close the earring with the post. This will keep the extension tightened the entire time and the extension will not fall off the ear.
2) Extend the extension straight into the hair at a diagonal. Pull the extension back at a diagonal and place anywhere into the hair. Secure with bobby pin.
3) Extensions can be worn any way you’d like. You can pull it underneath the ear and into the hair. Be creative and have fun!!
Check out exclusive jewelry sets (with earrings w/ extensions) on shopnamaste.com.
By: Bombay Fashions
Posted in Indian Jewelry | No Comments »
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Handicraft is the traditional art of creating useful objects or decorative items entirely by hand. Wooden handicraft is a craft where skilled labor is employed to decorate or carve wood to create items with bare minimum tools. Each piece of handicraft is unique, owing to its individualistic craftsmanship. Goods involving mass production/machinery are not considered handicrafts.
Indian Handicrafts
India is a land of exotic art and traditions. She has a rich cultural heritage of which handicrafts form an integral part. The history of Indian handicrafts dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (3000 B.C.-1700 B.C.).
The legacy of traditional handicrafts is passed on from one generation to the next. India’s cultural diversity results in a kaleidoscope of art and handicraft. Be it breath-taking sculptures or awe-inspiring paintings, handcrafted jewelry or mesmerizing woodcraft, it’s all here in India. Indian craftsmen create a gamut of masterpieces with exotic shapes, designs, patterns and colors.
Indian Wooden Handicrafts
In India, wooden handicraft has flourished over the centuries. Handcrafted wooden items are a prevalent feature of Indian culture. Skilled artisans carve traditional designs on wooden items, and enhance their look by painting them or with intricate metal/ivory inlay work. The magnetic appeal of Indian Wooden Handicrafts lies in its exclusivity.
India is blessed with a vast number of tree species, most of which are deciduous and evergreen. Alpine forests and trees belonging to arid regions are also present. These trees are used extensively to manufacture wooden handicrafts. Wooden handicrafts of India are renowned for beauty, durability and utility. Wooden handicrafts include furniture, utensils, boxes, beads, finely carved figurines, accessories etc.
Check out shopnamaste.com for wooden handicrafts and wall hangings.
By: Wooden Handicrafts
Posted in Home decorating | No Comments »
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
OM is the best of all essences, deserving the highest place. Visually, OM is represented by a stylized pictograph.
A deeper insight into this mystic symbol reveals that it is composed of three syllables combined into one, not like a physical mixture but more like a chemical combination. Indeed in Sanskrit the vowel ‘o’ is constitutionally a diphthong compound of a + u; hence OM is representatively written as AUM.
A deeper insight into this mystic symbol reveals that it is composed of three syllables combined into one, not like a physical mixture but more like a chemical combination. Indeed in Sanskrit the vowel ‘o’ is constitutionally a diphthong compound of a + u; hence OM is representatively written as AUM.
Fittingly, the symbol of AUM consists of three curves (curves 1, 2, and 3), one semicircle (curve 4), and a dot.
The large lower curve 1 symbolizes the waking state (jagrat), in this state the consciousness is turned outwards through the gates of the senses. The larger size signifies that this is the most common (’majority’) state of the human consciousness.
The upper curve 2 denotes the state of deep sleep (sushupti) or the unconscious state. This is a state where the sleeper desires nothing nor beholds any dream.
The middle curve 3 (which lies between deep sleep and the waking state) signifies the dream state (swapna). In this state the consciousness of the individual is turned inwards, and the dreaming self beholds an enthralling view of the world behind the lids of the eyes.
These are the three states of an individual’s consciousness, and since Indian mystic thought believes the entire manifested reality to spring from this consciousness, these three curves therefore represent the entire physical phenomenon.
The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness, known in Sanskrit as turiya. In this state the consciousness looks neither outwards nor inwards, nor the two together. It signifies the coming to rest of all differentiated, relative existence This utterly quiet, peaceful and blissful state is the ultimate aim of all spiritual activity. This Absolute (non-relative) state illuminates the other three states.
Finally, the semi circle symbolizes maya and separates the dot from the other three curves. Thus it is the illusion of maya that prevents us from the realization of this highest state of bliss. The semi circle is open at the top, and does not touch the dot. This means that this highest state is not affected by maya. Maya only affects the manifested phenomenon. This effect is that of preventing the seeker from reaching his ultimate goal, the realization of the One, all-pervading, unmanifest, Absolute principle. In this manner, the form of OM represents both the unmanifest and the manifest, the noumenon and the phenomenon.
As a sacred sound also, the pronunciation of the three-syllabled AUM is open to a rich logical analysis.
AUM thus also encompasses within itself the complete alphabet, since its utterance proceeds from the back of the mouth (A), travelling in between (U), and finally reaching the lips (M). Now all alphabets can be classified under various heads depending upon the area of the mouth from which they are uttered. The two ends between which the complete alphabet oscillates are the back of the mouth to the lips; both embraced in the simple act of uttering of AUM.
The last part of the sound AUM (the M) known as ma or makar, when pronounced makes the lips close. This is like locking the door to the outside world and instead reaching deep inside our own selves, in search for the Ultimate truth.
But over and above the threefold nature of OM as a sacred sound is the invisible fourth dimension which cannot be distinguished by our sense organs restricted as they are to material observations. This fourth state is the unutterable, soundless silence that follows the uttering of OM. A quieting down of all the differentiated manifestations, i.e. a peaceful-blissful and non-dual state. Indeed this is the state symbolized by the dot in the traditional iconography of AUM.
The threefold symbolism of OM is comprehensible to the most ‘ordinary’ of us humans, realizable both on the intuitive and objective level. This is responsible for its widespread popularity and acceptance. That this symbolism extends over the entire spectrum of the manifested universe makes it a veritable fount of spirituality. Some of these symbolic equivalents are:
Colors: Red, White, and Black.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, and Winter.
Periods: Morning, Midday, and Evening.
States: Waking-consciousness (jagriti), Dream (svapna), and deep-sleep (sushupti).
Spheres: Earthly, Heavenly, and Intermediary.
Poetic Meters: Gayatri (24 syllables), Trishtubh (44 syllables), and Jagati (48 syllables).
Veda: Rigveda (knowledge of the meters), Yajurveda (knowledge of contents), Samaveda (knowledge of extension).
Elemental Deity: Fire (Agni), Sun (Aditya), Wind (Vayu).
Manifestation of Speech: Voice (vak), Mind (manas), Breath (prana).
Priestly Function: Making offering, Performing ritual, and Singing.
Tendencies: Revolving, Cohesive, and Disintegrating.
Quality: Energy (rajas), Purity (sattva), and Ignorance (tamas).
Ritual fire: Of the home, of the Ancestors, and of Invocation.
Goddess: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika.
Gods: Of the elements (Vasus), of the sky (Adityas), of the sphere-of-space (Rudras).
Deity: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
Action: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.
Power: of Action (kriya), of Knowledge (jnana), and of Will (iccha).
Man: Body, Soul, and Spirit.
Time: Past, Present, and Future.
Stages of Existence: Birth, Life, and Death.
Phases of the Moon: Waxing, Full, and Waning.
Godhead: Father, Mother, and Son.
Alchemy: Sulphur, Quicksilver, and Salt.
Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (three jewels of Buddhism).
Qabalism: Male, Female, and the Uniting intelligence.
Japanese Thought: Mirror, Sword, and Jewel.
Divine Attributes: Truth, Courage, and Compassion.
According to Indian spiritual sciences, God first created sound, and from these sound frequencies came the phenomenal world. Our total existence is constituted of these primal sounds, which give rise to mantras when organized by a desire to communicate, manifest, invoke or materialize. Matter itself is said to have proceeded from sound and OM is said to be the most sacred of all sounds. It is the syllable which preceded the universe and from which the gods were created. It is the “root” syllable (mula mantra), the cosmic vibration that holds together the atoms of the world and heavens. Indeed the Upanishads say that AUM is god in the form of sound. Thus OM is the first part of the most important mantras in both Buddhism and Hinduism, for e.g. Om Namoh Shivai and Om Mani Padme Hum.
The omnific and omniparous quality of OM makes it omnipresential, and in-omissible from any spiritual practice. As an omnipotent symbol, the yogi who penetrates its mystery is indeed truly omnicompetent and omnipercipient, and as an omniscient source, it is a virtual omnibus of sacred and mystical inspirations.
Check out Om wall hangings, sliver pendants and party favors on shopnamaste.com!!
By: Nitin Kumar
Posted in Hinduism | 1 Comment »
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
There is believed to be a close connection between the ears and the sexual reflexes. The fleshy ear lobes, absent in all other primates, are not, as they appear to be, useless appendages, but erogenous zones which in sexual excitement become swollen and hypersensitive. In ancient times severed ears were offered to the Mother Goddess as a substitute for the male organs. In Egypt devotees offered their ears to the goddess Isis, and till the early decades of the Christian era, sculpted ears were offered at the shrine of the Great Mother in other parts of the Middle East.
The boring of ear lobes has been widely practiced in all parts of the world from early times. The purpose of this operation is not only to facilitate the wearing of earrings for beauty, but to protect the wearer from evil influences, the adornments serving as talismans. The practice was also thought to have some therapeutic value. In certain places, ear piercing was believed to be good for the eyes; it also sharpened the mind and drew off ‘bad humors’.
One historian attributes the piercing to the desire to punish the ears for overhearing what they should not hear. The earrings, in turn, were the consolation for the pain and suffering. It was believed that the more decorative and expensive the earrings, the greater the consolation.
Early sculptures demonstrate that ear ornaments were an important constituent of Indian female attire. To the married woman, the ear ornament was (and is) auspicious. Additionally a woman’s wealth was conspicuously visible and the ear ornament became a statement of her status and power; elongated ear lobes were considered a sign of beauty and wealth - the longer the lobe, the greater the woman’s wealth. By appending ornaments to almost every part of the ear, the woman also ensured a continuous state of mental and physical well being. Indeed recent studies have identified the ear as a microcosm of the entire body - “the point of vision in acupuncture is situated in the center of the lobe.”
The Indian woman’s bejeweled ear offers a sight that prompted the exclamation: “European ladies are content with one appendage to each ear, while the females of Hindustan think it impossible to have too many.”
Ancient Prakrit and Sanskrit literature describe girls wearing fresh flowers in their ears. A range of floral earrings of gold, silver or precious stones that have been popular over the centuries in India suggest that the forms of flowers were, almost literally, translated into precious jewelry. Most ear ornaments are virtually bunches (jhumka) of fruits and flowers. A particular type, known as the karnphul, i.e. ‘ear-flowers’ is considered particularly auspicious. These are an important, universal, large, round metal flower-form earring, with a central stud at the back being the equivalent of a flower stem.
The choice of the flower as the inspiring shape behind this conception is not without significance. Flowers in addition to being natural erotic stimulants, by virtue of their association with Kama, the god of love, are also essentially a concise symbol of nature, condensing into a brief span of time the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. In addition it also reflects gentleness, youth, spiritual perfection and artless innocence, qualities which are but the fundamental attributes of feminine character.
Often they are so heavy that the ear lobe dilates to the extent that the long-hanging earrings worn in the widened orifices touch the shoulder.
Foreign travelers were fascinated by the sight of elongated ear lobes and have recorded their astonishment. Travelling in Kerala, Edward Terry commented on this practice among ‘gentile’ women: “The flaps or nether part of their ears are bored, when they are young, which hole daily stretched and made wider by things kept in it for that purpose, at last becomes so large, that it will hold a Ring (I dare boldly say, as a large as a little saucer) made hollow on the sides for the flesh to rest in.” Amusing stories of ear holes the size of large eggs and plates, through which many a bold individual attempted to pass his arms abound.
Check our selection of earrings on shopnamaste.com.
By: Exotic Indian Art
Posted in Indian Jewelry, Other | No Comments »
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
Indoor décor: Covering every nook and corner of your house indoor home décor items beautifies the house and make it a better place to live. There are various items to deck up your house’s surroundings like wall hangings, wall décor items, decorative, paintings, lamp shades, lights, designer candles and the list is never ending. Wall hanging décor is ideal for every home. From bold, funky looks to a room that oozes feminine charm, give your walls a stunning look. For an adventurous look, a tropical jungle with leopard prints and birds would be ideal. Some other wall hanging items are metal wall art, wall mirrors, mosaic wall art, framed tin prints, Figurines, Deities, patchwork quilt, etc.
Wall accessories for your home and office can come in bright colored tapestry, glitter, etc. photo frames in various shapes and sizes, Decorative boxes in wood and metal, hand painted or in carving, ceramic, handmade candles and candle holders, coasters, vases, wine chillers, clocks, night lights, folk art paintings, etc.
Outdoor decor: Don’t overlook the exteriors of your house as there are various beautiful outdoor décor items that can revamp the whole look of your house and leave a great impression about your taste. Beautiful hand painted mailbox, wooden mailbox and idols and slates to be placed at the entrance.
Check out shopnamaste.com for decor ideas.
By: Crafts India
Posted in Home decorating | No Comments »
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