THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993. You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere. To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html with. I discovered But although immortal, nagas some time later that suffer greatly through the the shrines of this carelessness, ignorance, and lack Bringers other spirit are often of respect shown to Nature by traditionally human beings. This causes them of decorated with to retaliate, and they can cause the Rain images of protecting humans great harm. Because of Naga spirits of Asia nagas. this, offerings are made to them at Nagas are lakes and wells, and their help is Nicholas Breeze Wood serpent-like spirits sought in bringing rain, for who live in oceans, personal protection and to grant lakes, rivers and fertility and wealth. wells, and they play Offerings often take the form of an important part in precious stones, and are especially many Asian made if a naga has been upset in mythologies, any way, for example because a religions and folk water course has been polluted. tales. In sanskrit, Near the start of my own nag is the word for relationship, I upset Nagakanya cobra. with an act which I thought was Nagas are honouring to her. She very angrily regarded as having told me I ‘must never ever do it strong magical again’, and my other spirits rushed powers, vast me away and told me I had deeply knowledge and a offended her, and had to go capricious nature, immediately to a local river and which can quickly make offerings of silver, shell, red change from friendly coral and turquoise to appease her and helpful to angry or I would be at risk of harm. and malicious - a Nagas can be associated with character I have life energy or chi. Guru Rinpoche, been at the sharp the Tantric Buddha and ‘first end of on many shaman’ figure in much Himalayan occasions, during shamanism, was meditating at a my own shamanic lake once when he was disturbed by work. a naga who lived within it. He As beings of the decided to fight the naga, and used water element they all his magic. But as he fought, he are bringers of rain; became weaker and weaker until he in Tibetan Buddhism nearly lost all his power. Then the Lord of the suddenly the naga came out of the Above: thangka bout six years ago, while working Weather is known as Apalala waters and told him he could not kill of Nagakanya, Awith my helper spirits in Nagaraja. her because in doing so he would Goddess of the shamanic trance, I was introduced As keepers of water’s treasures kill himself, so Guru Rinpoche gave Three Worlds, very forcibly to a new spirit helper, a - which are seen as magical gems up the fight and left the lake and painted by being half snake and half woman. and precious stones - nagas are the naga in peace. the author As I became accustomed to letting often portrayed holding gems in Nagas occur in folklore all over this spirit work with me, I came to their hands, or adorned with them. Asia, from the bottom tip of India, understand she was a naga. In traditional lore the precious across to China and from Cambodia Inset: Tibetan, As I gradually got to know her protective naga stones they carry give immortality and Java in the South to Mongolia door handle own very unique personality, I and magical power (sanskrit: and Southern Siberia in the North. became more interested in the naga siddhi), and so nagas have They hold an important place in spirits of Asia, and researched many enemies who wish to Hinduism as well as Below: thangka them. I found out she is in fact steal their power. Buddhism, and are seen as painting of a Garuda bird Nagakanya, the daughter of the Their arch-enemies are the aquatic servants of Varuna, Naga King Nagaraja and in Tibetan the mythological garuda - giant a powerful god, and in the Buddhism considered to be the flying birds with wingspans of Indian epic the Mahabharata, Goddess of the Three Worlds several miles. According to the naga Prince Sesha is the (Lower, Middle and Upper). I was Indian mythology nagas son of the god Shiva. even able to find a traditional and garudas are cousins, In Southern India Tibetan statue of her which I now but the nagas tricked the ceremonies, a mix of keep on my altar and make garudas into getting them Hinduism and shamanism, offerings to. the elixir of immortality are performed in order to I was also told at our first from the gods, and ever build a good relationship meeting that she was a protector since the garudas have with nagas to help the spirit, but was not there to protect tried to kill and eat them people who live there prosper (see me, as her role was to protect because, unlike nagas, they Sacred Hoop Issue 46). another Tibetan spirit who I work were doomed to be mortal. In North India many people SH 20 ISSUE 58 2007 THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993. You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere. To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html consider themselves to be of these tasks were mundane, such descendants of nagas, and in as painting my front door a certain Kashmir the word naga means a colour, but in all they took me spring, and they are seen as the almost a year to complete. Only first settlers of the region. Legend after that would she allow a greater tells that Kashmir was raised up degree of contact. out of water and left under their It seems that snake spirits, like care, and a large number of the natural environment we live temples, built near springs, are within, demands our respect if we dedicated to them. are to live peacefully with them. In Thailand and Java, nagas are Om Nagakanya Sarva Siddhi Hung seen as underworld wealth deities. The Mekong River is said to have Nicholas Breeze Wood is a shamanic one living in it, and villages along the had cut the snake from the practitioner, Tibetan Buddhist and artist, river give respect and offerings to it. costume had dishonoured it. Over with a special interest in shamanic ritual On this river each October, a objects. He is editor of Sacred Hoop the years I have learnt to do as Magazine. www.3worlds.co.uk strange phenomenon called ‘naga Nagakanya demands, and so I fireballs’ can sometimes be seen. returned and performed the These are glowing balls of fire the ceremony as she told me to. size of eggs, which shoot up from As well as cloth snakes on the Top left: bells and iron amulets the river into the sky, sometimes as costumes, twisted or cut-out metal hang from a shaman’s coat high as 200 metres. The number of shapes, generally of iron, Top right: creating a sand fireballs varies each year, and they representing snakes and other painting of the Naga King have been seen for centuries. The animals, are often fixed to the in Southern India balls may be gas made by costumes. In Mongolia there is a Right: Hindu carving of combusting, fermenting sediment in form of shaman’s drumstick called the Naga King from Nepal the river, but local villagers say they the ‘speckled scaly snake,’ wood are made by the naga in the water. covered with a snake's skin, and Inset left: In some Cambodian and Indian with long coloured ribbons hanging Iron snakes on a ring, from a legends, nagas are said to live in a from the snake's mouth. When Siberian shaman’s costume C20th magical kingdom in the Pacific used, the ribbons flutter and look Below: early C20th Siberian Ocean, and a Naga princess from like a snake's darting tongue. shaman’s costume showing the there gave birth to the first Some shamans in Northern snakes hanging from the back Cambodian people; Kemboja Mongolia and Southern Siberia also (Cambodia) is the name of a carry snake staffs, often made of ledgendary South Asian naga. iron. These represent spirits who help the shamans with their tasks Snakes are very important in in the spirit world. Manchu Siberian and Mongolian shamans of Eastern Siberia make shamanism. In Mongolia snake special offerings to snake spirits. spirits are seen as powerful During the ceremony they wear a problem causers that take over type of sacred vest made from people’s houses and must be three pieces of cloth coloured red, driven out with ceremonies and yellow and black, which represent offerings. the colours of the snake spirit. Often the backs of shamans’ When the snake spirit enters the costumes are decorated with cloth shaman, they fall to the ground in a streamers or ribbons which trance and move like a snake while represent snakes which protect the their helpers sing songs honouring shaman in his work (although some the snake spirit.