These two 1.5 hour live, online sessions (March 07 & 21, 2024) are part of Satsangam’s Vedic Threads’ ongoing membership-based course with Drs. Ramkumar & Welch. Schedule details available on your class page after registration.

These March sessions are dedicated to Theyyam. In the first session, Pepita Seth is scheduled to join us.

Seriously, you must check out Pepita ji’s intro video on the Team page. She is 81, sharp, deep and has an incredible amount of wisdom and experience to share. She intends to share with us some of what she has learned while writing her new book (20 YEARS in the making): In God’s Mirror: The Theyyams of Malabar.

The ritual of Theyyam is an ancient form of worship found only in northern Kerala in India. It is believed to be somewhere between a thousand and two thousand years old. Its complex beliefs and practices belong exclusively to families of hereditary practitioners. As soon as the designated theyyakkaran – a word literally meaning a Theyyam man – completes the required preliminaries he will call the formless deity down from heaven. It is then that the theyyakkaran ‘carries’ the deity by conceptually providing him – or her – with a body and therefore the ability to interact with their devotees. While every Theyyam deity must follow their assigned rituals, they invariably dance to express their joy at interacting with the devotees who flock to receive their blessings. This is an important aspect of Theyyam, and explains why it draws people. While some may approach simply to receive the deity’s blessings, others will seek answers to their troubles, an interaction that often involves serious one-to-one discussions.

We welcome you to join us in heartfelt conversation on these themes, in our twice-monthly Vedic Threads membership-based course. For 35 USD/month you have access to two live 1.5-hour sessions/month with Drs. Ramkumar, Welch, world-class guest instructors, dedicated participants from all over the world, and more than 40 hours of content from previous sessions.