AMOOKOS and the Nath Ganas
Fact Sheet on Tantra
'In the Shaivite tradition, the God's
companions (kaulas) are described as a troupe of freakish, adventurous delinquent
and wild young people, who prowl in the night, shouting in the storm, singling,
dancing and ceaselessly playing outrageous tricks on sages and gods. They are
called Ganas, the 'vagabonds', corresponding to the Cretan Korybantes and
the Celtic Korrigans (fairies' sons). Like the
Sileni and Satyrs, some of them have goat's or bird's feet. The Ganas mock the
rules of ethics and social order. The personify the joy of living, courage
and imagination, which are all youthful values.
They live in harmony with nature and oppose the destructive ambition of the city
and the deceitful moralism which both hides and expresses it. These delinquents
of heaven are always there to restore
true values and to assist the 'God-mad' who are persecuted and mocked by the
powerful. They personify everything which is feared by and displeases bourgeois
society and which is contrary to the
good morale of a well-policed city and its palliative concepts.'
From Shiva and Dionysus - by
Shri Alain Daniélou (reprinted as Gods of Love and
Ecstasy) page 99
What is Tantra
The term Tantra is normally applied
to a group of Hindu and Buddhist mystical texts which deal at length with
the spiritual value of 'carnal knowledge', which taken literally means that
gnosis obtained
through the whole body. ('Gnosis' is a key magical concept and can be defined
as knowledge obtained by direct perception through magick, in other words
the magical mind.) Practitioners of Tantra are
freethinkers known by various names including Tantriks (magicians), Kaulas
(companions [of the gods]), Naths (Adepts) or Siddhas (powerful ones). Tantriks
study and practice magick and thus they
find a great deal of common ground with western magical adepts. Tantra is
also a religious inclination and pre-eminent amongst the deities worshipped
within Hindu Tantrism are Shiva, Shakti the
primordial goddess, but also the synthesis, child or prince e.g. the elephant
headed deity Ganesha. Genuine followers of Tantra believe that our psychological
make-up has male and female components
and attempt to realise the full potential of this bisexual nature with their
own lives and bodies. Following the popularity of the ideas of Carl Gustav
Jung this may not seem such a startling hypothesis, but it
should be borne in mind that these ideas are in Asia over a thousand years
old. The Tantrik attempts to unify the male and female sides the mind/body
and thus achieve what is acknowledged to be a primal
state of innocence/gnosis. Magick and sometimes sexuality are used to bring
about this transformation.
Tantrik texts almost always begin with a dialogue between Shiva and Shakti. One can infer from
this that the human worshipper, whatever their gender, assumes the god-form of one of these, either
Shiva or Shakti, in order to participate anew in the flow of knowledge from the divine.
As a cult or sect Tantrism is difficult to pin down. Like Hinduism it is really a collection of different
practices and philosophical attitudes. To confuse things further some elements of Tantra can be found
even amongst more orthodox worshippers. There are eight characteristic practices or techniques
found in Tantra: They are sadhana, mantra, mandala, mudra, nyasa, dhyana, puja and diksha. If one
understands the meaning of each of these unfamiliar Sanskrit words, one has a fairly good idea of
what being a Tantrik entails.
Tantrik Groups
There are many groups and individuals who claim to teach or practice tantrik methods of liberation.
This fact-sheet was prepared by members of the Kaula Nath Gana (including AMOOKOS, the
Arcane and Magical Order of the Knight of Shamballa.) This is an east-west magical tantrik group
with a genuine line of initiation leading back to the Nath cult of Matsyendranath, who lived sometime
between the years 700 to 900 of our era.
To find out more about the Kaula Naths visit some of the links given below. (please let us know if any are no longer working)
There are many goods books that can act as an introduction to magical tantra and Hinduism for
instance :
Gods & Myths of India - Hindu Polytheism by Alain Danielou
(Inner Traditions).
Shiva and Dionysus by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions)
Tantra Sadhana (basic introductory practice to AMOOKOS sect)
PDF version for $10. Contains documentation on the 1980s schism between AMOOKOS and the International Nath Order - so you might like learn about all that sooner rather than later. (available from www.mandrake.uk.net)
Jan Fries book Visual Magick, although they are not written from the tantrik point of view,
contains many useful techniques of Magick that can be applied within any style of magick.
Initiation and Training
Having looked at some or all of these books you may decide that you desire initiation. The Nath
Gana is a small but growing band of initiates, about 200 throughout the world. There are one or two
working groups and individuals in UK, Germany and America who can offer initiation and in some
cases instruction, based partly on the book Tantra Magick although not exclusively so. Before
referring you to one of these groups, we ask that you complete a questionnaire. If you would like to
pursue this option, it is recommended that you become an associate member or 'mitra'. Where possible
you will be told the name of a 'special friend' or sumitra, who will be a source of advice and
information when you first join. The mitra receives mailings and newsletters through the year. There is
no formal membership fee for the Nath Ganas, and the costs for accommodation at retreats or for
copies of instructional papers or books are charged at standard rates. However if you want your
sumitra to write to you and also to receive newsletters and information about the activities of the Nath
Ganas, then a small regular donation may help things along
Atha! Svecchacara
Fact-sheet prepared by members of the Nath Ganas.
© Nath Ganas
Hamsa Power Zone,
PO Box 250,
Oxford,
OX1 1AP (UK)
If you would like to send us an e-mail c/o
mandrake@mandrake[remove this bit].uk.net
Essential Links
Lokanath's
Tantrik homepage (USA mirror)
The office of AMOOKOS 'guru' ended with the death of Dadaji, even so the work of Lokanath is a wellspring of knowledge and wisdom concerning our inner teachings.
Nathsociety.org
This is the website of Lalita Mataji, one of Dadaji's first western initiates.
American.nathsociety.org/
Website of Shivanath, representative of a completely different lineage of the Nath tradition.
International Nath Order
Formerly MAGIKOS, although this name now reserved for an in-group within INO.
Uttara
Kaulas & John Powers
The Uttarakaulas are one of two tantrik sects whose ideas melded with those of western occult via the agency of a tantrik guru known as Mahendranath or Dadaji.
Lalita Mataji writes:
'John Powers was entrusted with the Uttarkaula tantric aspect of our world and he has obviously nurtured and worked with his specialty for as he says 21 years. At the end of his analytical work he includes an original and very creative and fascinating ritual that possibly is a summation of his experience. It is quirky and personal and that adds greatly to its value. I have often gotten swamped by Mahendranaths large output of written words. To see a few of his major tantras reworded, discussed, analyzed and emotionally digested is so helpful. I recommend that those who are interested in the works of Mahendranath give this work more that a quick cursory glance. Discussion of his work will certainly help him to make some small changes in wording and emphasis so that when he does publish this book it will have the advantage of the input of those who are most deeply interested in the subject. Thank you John Powers....very good work! - Lal'
Wyrdglow Listserver
This is an elist for all Naths and Kaulas. Fluctuates between silence and energetic flamewars - but is one of the few online meeting points for this tradition. Send an blank email to
wydglow-108-subscribe@gnostica.net
Other sites:
There are several other AMOOKOS and Nath related site, well worth checking out - best google them by individual name, eg: Phil Hine, Garuda Nath.