The Wondrous Wandering Tornado

  All around the world Tamils fast around this time, the holy month of Purtassi(September and the sixth month in the Tamil calendar) in dedication to Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. It is a cleansing time for the body and the soul as we forgo meat, eggs, alcohol, and the like for a month. Some choose to do a week but all Tamils fast on the Saturday as it is dedicated to the deity in the form of Lord Venkateswara( Balaji). I am sure by now you have discovered that in Hinduism all the Gods and Goddesses like to Cosplay into different forms or people. They're cool like that. Before I go any further, I want to tackle a very annoying comment I get when I tell people I am fasting. And it only happens in Cape Town.  The comment goes, "But that's not fasting."I suspect people get confused because the Muslim community fasts for Eid and they dry fast between sunrise and sunset. Hindus can choose to dry fast if they wish but there is more than one type of fast. Fasting can mean abst...

Today marks the day that Lord Ganesha checks in to Earth with his mother Parvati and it's a pretty big deal for us Hindus. Of the many Gods, Shri Ganesha is one of the most known in the Hindu pantheon and most popular, not just amongst Hindus. Ganapati, one of his many names, means elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings. He is celebrated as the remover of obstacles and is honoured at the beginning of each prayer, this was the case with the recent Luxmi prayers I had done a few weeks ago. It might be lesser known that he is invoked as a patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. That is excellent news for me since I became a ghostwriter and blogger. His creation tale is interesting and I know it off by heart because my mum tells it so well. There are other versions but this one is the most known. I will attempt to do my best but please forgive me for not being anywhere close to the way she tells it.  Mother Parvati was alone whilst Lord Shiva was out hunting and she so...

  Greetings and salutations! I thought as it is a religious day for me that I would write about what today is all about. It is by all means not a religious post just an informative one. I won't be offended if you don't want to read any further, but if you're keen to know why I wear a red string on my right wrist, get your cup of tea, and get ready. Today we Hindus celebrate Mother Lakshmi and offer her prayer, food and worship so that she will visit our homes and bless us with prosperity, love and joy. So in preparation, I spent time getting the house clean which would have been difficult if not for The Husband who knows what is needed when I pray. So all I needed to concentrate on was cooking three curries, making vermicelli, getting my lamp ready, and preparing the prayer area. That's all. Oh, and making the strings which unless you're going fancy is just some good red string tied with at least three knots. Odd numbers are important. I went a little bit big this y...