Order of Napunsakäs in the West

The Order of Napunsakäs in the West (ON) was founded in 1996 as a special interest group (SIG) associated with the thelemic magical order the Servants of the Star and the Snake (SSS). It was inspired by the writings of the late scholar of Hinduism, Alain Daniélou (author of such books as The Gods of India: Hindu Polytheism; Shiva and Dionysus and While the Gods Play ). The Hindu word "napunsakä" designates some 16 categories of non-heterosexual, gender variant types mentioned in the Sanskrit dictionary of V. S. Apete. Members of the order seek to reestablish the natural, divine order found in pre-Aryan Shaivism, but with an emphasis on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Tantra. The outer order is open to all napunsakäs (people who define themselves as other than heterosexual); affiliates are considered associate members. An inner order, the Cultus Skanda-Karttikeya (CS-K), is open to gay males only, and only upon formal, in-person diksha, or initiation. The focus of the CS-K is on gay Tantra with special emphasis on the sadhana (or worship or more properly, adoration) of the Hindu deity Skanda as patron of gays, in His many forms (Kumara, Marugan, etc.). The current head of the Order of Napunsakäs in the West and the Cultus Skanda-Karttikeya is known by his religious name, Sahajananda Skanda-Das. The order is headquartered at P.O. Box 1219, Corpus Christi, TX 78403-1219. It publishes a periodical, Zibaq. Information on the order can be found on the Internet through the site of the Servants of the Star and the Snake at http://www.wild.au/sss/index.html.