This article is a small part of my full-scale investigation, sparked by my interest in the Yuletide rites and the shamanic elements they contain. Surprisingly, in such a short holiday period, the full set of views was met. And in fact, it is very difficult to say "A" and keep silent about "B", but I will have to, because otherwise it is necessary to raise the so-called "main myth" of Indo-European peoples, and spring rituals, and Scandinavian sagas, and this, you know, too much. Therefore, I decided to highlight one element of all this, which is, if not in the center, then somewhere next to it in the "antediluvian" worldview. And the same element is completely lost in the scientific literature … and the alternative position tends to see some "impossible" technologies and substitutions in history, and does not deal with the psychology of "that" society at all. But how can we understand our ancestors and our roots, if we do not go into historical psychology?
Actually, this is what I usually do in my articles, sometimes making mistakes, sometimes discovering something. I will do this now. And yes, all of the following is just my personal opinion. If you are very offended by it, do not seek to voice your "terribly important" anti-opinion. Firstly, a comment against a full-fledged article with argumentation is unequal, and secondly, I'm not arrogant, but I don't like all this fuss in the comments "who shouts louder". If I am wrong in my speculations, then I myself will discover it … later … without outside help. For, as someone once said (attributed to Mahatma Gandhi), "a gram of one's own experience is worth more than a ton of other people's instructions." It is so?
Where did such a misunderstanding as “God of the Word” or even worse “God of Words” come from (forgive me all those who sincerely believe that this is a real personified deity)? Here, as they say, don't go to the grandmother, and any encyclopedia will tell you that:
From which it becomes clear that God the Word is a translation into the "human" language of the church "logos". The church language is Greek, of course. Therefore, you need to turn to him first, before digging into antiquity.
I anticipate how some of the readers, through a yawn, said "boring …". Well, what can you do, the seeker will find it, and other authors have plenty of "bread and circuses" throughout the "Aryan" segment of the Runet, along with chewing gum and fast food for the brains …
Promotional video:
Λόγος
“Logos” became a “word” for Christians in the Gospel, but in general the word “λόγος” itself has many contextual meanings, including: “calculation, counting, measurement, evaluation, reverence, respect, attitude, correspondence, proportion, similarity, analogy, rule, law, principle, formula, explanation, preposition, basis, purpose, reason, theory formulation, argument, proof, thesis, narration, fairy tale, fable, plot, speech, verbal expression, ordinary conversation, report, news, rumors, reputation, opinion, discussion, dialogue, note, description, tradition, language, proverb, oracle prediction, testament, command, resolution, approval …"
And yes … "In the beginning was the Logos," reduced to the "word", and then to the notorious "God of the Word." But among these endless translations there is a definite red thread, which is hard not to notice … Although, since we still have the "God of the Word", then, apparently, it is still difficult … or just laziness … Well, nothing, I, too, in my own time prompted more knowledgeable people to revise many concepts. That's why we share our thoughts on the Internet.
This meaning of "logos" can be very eloquently described in the words of Porfiry, expressed by him in "The Life of Pythagoras":
Well, is that clearer? And you re-read the translations of the "logo" again. In the same place there are all the "designations and expressions" of any thought, plot, law … alphabetic, numeric, figurative.
Understanding this prompted me to compare the philosophical (and later church) Logos with one Indian figure, which revealed quite colorful images and allowed me to look at the Logos itself from a different angle.
लक्ष्मी
And this is the goddess Lakshmi … Quite unexpected, right? Although "laksha" seems to be even similar to "logos" in consonance. But I selected it not because of consonance, of course.
Since at this stage we are interested in the meaning of a word, let's first take a look at its name:
लक्ष्मी - lakshmi - dominion, power, success, happiness, prosperity, wealth, luck, charm, pearl, brilliance, beauty, grace, fame, omen, sign, impending misfortune, bad sign.
Based on this, we are assured that Lakshmi is “the goddess of blessings, abundance, prosperity, wealth, good fortune and happiness. She is the embodiment of grace, beauty and charm”(Wikipedia). But this is not entirely true, although it has its reflection, which we will talk about later.
Lakshmi.
In order not to follow an obedient herd, let's look at the same root words:
लक्ष - laksha - marker, label, label, sign; loot, prize, target, target, mark target; object, appearance, show, pearl; pretense
लक्ष्य - lakshya - task, goal
लक्षणा - lakshana - hint, marking, symptom, definition, landmark, indication
लाक्षणिक - lakshanika - allegorical (allegorical)
लक्षणीय - lakshaniyya - remarkable, felt, wonderful (from "notice, mark, highlight"), outstanding.
Now it should be seen that all this "beauty, grace, wealth, power, abundance" are not the meanings that should have been highlighted when characterizing the goddess, since they are derived from "outstanding", which in turn speaks of "remarkable" …
We notice what stands out from the crowd, attracts attention. For example, a lighthouse in the dark … What is this lighthouse for the ship? - SIGNATURE!
Now we raise our eyes higher and see: "marker, label, label" - these are signs; “Goal, prize, target” is what we are aiming for, what we have noted as important for ourselves. NOTED, that is, highlighted, marked! The meanings "appearing, showing" are all about manifestation, that is, the same example with a light source in the dark - designation. "Pretense" - this is dressing in a certain form that corresponds to the function of the sign, compare "allegories". What can we say about symptoms, landmarks, indications, which are signs of a condition or direction.
But I did not just cite Porfiry's quote. After all, it shows exactly what signs exist for at all: these are designations of something, that is, EXPRESSIONS of one through the other. Well, for example, we cannot stick hot water itself on the valve that opens the flow of hot water so that, each time we burn ourselves, we can understand that there is really hot water flowing here; no, instead, we are given a mark in red, since red is associated with warmth, heat. We marked the water temperature through red. EXPRESSED heat in color, one through the other.
That is why in translations of the "Logos" we find all kinds of verbal expressions from "words" to "fables, speech, conversation", because in words we EXPRESS our thought. The same is with "counting" (quantitative expressions), "formula", which is generally an expression of the whole dependence. And by the way about dependencies: here all these meanings from “law, principle” to “relationship, correspondence, similarity …” are terms that perfectly reveal the essence of “expressing” one through the other, since they reflect THREADS GOING FROM VALUE TO SIGN (expressed and expressions) …
All these "plots, traditions, narratives, theses" are vestments, processing of the laid down meaning, that is, their expression through artificial forms.
Therefore, the very threads that go from one statement to another are called "Logic", these are the connections between them, what leads to what, how the initial goal, causes and effects are expressed as a result.
In this regard, it is very interesting to consider such a value as Respect (respect), since it is characterized by how much we value a person. That is, it's all about the EVALUATION, and the PRICE is the expression of one through the other, through the equivalent. Roughly speaking, "respected" in this sense is one who is very expensive (very useful, you can pay a lot for "having" such a person). As we say about useless (or generally destructive) people - "a hundred rubles of loss", lowering its value (Respect is reduced to Humiliation) to a minus. In any case, Respect, it turns out, is also an Expression of the qualities of a person (useful) in a different form (reverence), and this expression is LOGICAL, that is, correlated, Tied.
Let's see what the dictionaries say about this:
I know that you know all this, but do not be lazy to read dictionaries. Now, having dealt with this, you can move on to the symbolism of Lakshmi.
पद्म
The goddess is strongly associated with lotuses. In iconography, various objects in her hands change, but the lotus ALWAYS remains unchanged. Usually there are even two of them. Her most frequent epithets are: "loving lotus, living in the lotus, wearing lotuses, lotus-like face, beautiful as a lotus."
As you may or may not know, there are many lotuses in Indian culture. And all this, as I understand it, Lakshmi!
Now I will show you straight from the dictionary that Lotus is a direct designation of the meaning of Lakshmi and Logos, which I am chewing for you so carefully:
"Lotus" in Sanskrit is "Padma" - पद्म. But remove the ending (म) and:
पाद - pada - foot, step, footprint, word, term, concept.
All these words lead us to approximately the same as “laksha” - DESIGNATION, EXPRESSION. So, the foot and step here are a reference to the Trail (the imprint left is a sign), we have already figured out the rest of the meanings above.
And in this regard, I simply cannot but recall the Slavic peasant superstition, according to which it was believed that a sorcerer can damage a person through his trail … That is, a sign. For a sign, as an expression of something / someone, is important. Where do you think this “idolatry” or “idolism” despised by the old church came from? From the "signs", of course … Although they really did not "despise" there, do they not now pray through icons?
Thus, the Lotus in the Vedic tradition is a Sign, Symbol, Trace, Expression.
It is easy to understand by visualizing the chakras of our body. The Hindus call them lotuses and call them "padmas". Each lotus differs in color and number of petals.
Chakras.
It is clearly seen here that some abstract thing, presented as an energy knot (although it fully corresponds to the endocrine system), is exposed as a sign. And this sign is the lotus only because the lotus is the sign itself. You can put any marks, even dots - they will all be called "padma". So, red dots on the skin were also called "lotuses". This does not mean that the rash looks like a lotus flower, it's just that they stand out marks, which is why they are called that.
Lakshmi is the Lotus to some extent. That is, Lakshmi is also a mark, sign, symbol. As a basis for such an image, I believe, the very nature of the lotus (water lily, water lily, etc.) is taken - to appear on the water: the stem goes deep, hides from sight, and we do not see the beginning of this plant. But a beautiful flower suddenly appears on the surface. This is precisely the characteristic of any symbol: its "stem" goes into the deep unconscious so that often its origins are not visible, but on the surface of this "whirlpool" something beautiful arises in its metaphoricality, allegoricality - a sign.
I confess that I am fascinated by the very idea of coming up with a sign for a sign - an expression in an image of the very expression of an image. Moreover, it is so elegant to do it.
Now let's look at the images of Lakshmi:
Somewhere they write that this is not Lakshmi, but Queen Maya (mother of Buddha), but there is a lotus and two elephants - this is the canon of Lakshmi. Great Stupa in Sanchi, India.
Gupta coin.
Coin of Gandhara.
Drawing in the Tanjavur Temple, Brihadishwara.
Stupa in Bharhut, India.
Shravanabelagola, India (Karnataka).
Temple complex Vitthala, India.
Banteay Srei, Cambodia.
Does this situation remind you in any way? And all this pushes me very strongly towards my article about "Strong" Ivan.
And this is only Lakshmi personified. But let's not forget the most famous asana - the lotus position (पद्मासन):
Padmasana.
The basis of all meditation practices. And, it turns out, she corresponds to the position of Lakshmi on a lotus between two elephants.
The yogi adopts this posture for his "travels" into the unconscious. And we are told this about a kind of mysterious "meditation", in Sanskrit something simpler - "dhyana", from the word "dhyat" (धायति), that is, "think, remember, imagine, invent." And the Latin "meditatus" is "to think, contemplate, plan, intend, invent." This is a very important process: to sit and extract something from the unconscious, wrapping it in a completely contemplated image, to designate - "open the lotus." And this is a very specific action, and not some kind of pseudo-esoteric practice. Although it must be admitted that it cannot do without mysticism, because the process has not been properly studied.
At the same time, Odin-Wotan, the great shaman of the Germanic-Scandinavians, when immersed in a shamanic trance, which historians-religious scholars forget to mention every time, also denotes himself through the same symbol: after all, from “Vafþrúðnismál” we know which questions need to be answered To the "meditating" god in order to come into close contact with Vafthrudnir: "What kind of horse does the day bring us in the morning …?" and "Who is the horse that carries the twilight of the night …?" Which is a reference to the two canonical horses (deer, birds) - twins:
Which are the symbols of CONNECTION, which means they correspond to the Logos. Thus, Odin (shaman) or yogi takes on the function of the Sign - with his body he expresses in reality what he receives in the “that” world, that is, it is a kind of interface, conductor, symbol, wrapper. It is not an easy matter, but it is the role of man on Earth.
And the shaman-yogi also "gets" from Navi symbols in the form of Names (verbal expression of images), Songs, Drawings … - logos - you simply cannot live without a shell in our world …
And this is a special art. After all, these logoi support every ritual, every myth, every word, and hence thinking. Snorri wrote about this in The Younger Edda, but already very superficially:
Fortune telling
Now let's get back to the Yule tradition, namely Divination. Nowadays Guessing on Christmastide is a fun game, but even a century ago it was an obligatory attribute of winter nights. And not only nights. There are known "renounced" books, which contained fortune-telling instructions. But what can I say, fortune-telling in ancient times is a pillar of religion. It covers all continents and cultures. In the mythical Ancient Hellas, the basis of any plot is the prediction of the oracle. Fortune-telling is also central to the labor calendar (it was built according to signs).
And this topic is worth a separate investigation, if only because, according to my excavations, it should be associated with the image of the Mother of God and organically fit into the set of Christmas themes. But here we are interested in the following:
BY PRINCIPLES - this is by signs. Fortune-telling is based on the interpretation of SIGNS! And if Logos, Lakshmi, Lotus are the sign itself (and the way of its expression), then they become part of Divination and, consequently, the entire ancient religion (I haven't told half about Lakshmi yet).
Immediately in Dahl we see that they are guessing "by calculations, by considerations" - these are the contextual translations of the Greek "logos" given at the very beginning (from the Liddell-Scott Lexicon).
Fortune-telling is not a direct obvious truth (right, direct), but an action through an intermediary - a SIGN - through a percentage of doubts, subjectivity - what characterizes the "left" side, the "curve". Actually, the whole mythology is written precisely "crookedly", we still GUESS what it says. And it turns out, all this is "from the Evil One", which Dahl confirms, writing "Fortune-telling is special for us. in the custom on Vasilyev's evening (New Year's Eve) and about the saints; January 4th, on the eve of Epiphany Christmas Eve, the last Christmas divination about the betrothed, and then, the demon is driven out of the house and out of the village with brooms. " As in general, the people know that they are guessing at a time when a special rampant "evil spirits" is planned. Also fortune-tellers - sorcerers - are "demons" creatures.
But, as you can see, all this "cunning" and "devilry" was actually the usual worldview of the ancestors, which has not yet been eradicated. And how is this even possible when we are constantly in divine subjective states? This is a person with his culture. Everything else is extremes … For we live in a world of symbols and signs, our whole reality is a combination of these signs, therefore, according to "dualistic ideas", the Evil One is considered its creator, who the Christmas masquerades look like …
But what about massage?
But we haven't finished with the beauty Lakshmi yet … There is one more confirmation of the etymology of the Sanskrit "lotus" - "padme" in her iconography, which I compared with "pada", that is, "footprint" (or Russian "heel"). Let's take a look at a very common plot of Lakshmi's paintings next to her husband Vishnu:
Lakshmi with her husband Vishnu.
Do you see the position of Lakshmi? She massages her husband's feet. FEET, my friends, FEET. That is, the same "Pads" (पाद), which is a reference to the "traces" in the "padme-lotus", which is, it turns out, Lakshmi-Lotus is a trace of Vishnu, that is, a kind of manifested sign.
I compared the Lotus that appears on the surface of the water, stemming into invisible depths, with a visual (optional) symbol, whose roots go into the depths of the unconscious. So, Vishnu, most likely, is this "primary ocean" (compare "vishnu", "eternity" and "Ὠκεανός", where "Ὠ" (omega) is not at all a simple "o", but just almost " ve, vi "), which cannot be grasped or seen. One can only catch its manifestations - signs, traces.
And if all this nonsense is really taking place, then it should be remembered that in such states as sleep, trance, meditation and the like, they also Sink like in water. And on the surface of all this Vishnu ocean, Lakshmi-Lotus emerges, which is his "trace", a beacon, a mark, a sign that can be distinguished from the general infinity, but which is connected with it.
Why do I focus so much on the word "footprint"? Yes, because in the "Rigved" description of Vishnu his traces appear. That is, there it is the most important thing in which we remember Vishnu. Even before all these avatars, Buddhism and Vishnuism.
The text of verse 154 from the first mandala of the Rig Veda describes how Vishnu left his three footprints in the world. And if I understood correctly, translating this verse on my own, then one trace is on earth and is our vain life, the second trace expresses the heavens with their constant laws, and the third … This is where meditating shamans and yogis try to penetrate … But this is completely another story … perhaps even about the "white combustible stone of Alatyr" …
This topic is not as short as this article, since it touches on another important topic of the old worldview - about the Genus and women in labor. But, I think, one cannot master everything at once, and it is better to move in small steps, and not like Vishnu …
