The Granthis are psychic knots placed in three essential areas along the pathway of our chakras. The Tantrika practitioner loosens them to allow for a more-than-usual flow of energy in the chakras.

Ganesha is the rotund, elephant-headed deity beloved by Hindus and spiritual practitioners worldwide. We want to pat him on the belly or have him hang around our offices or yards because he's so comforting (and protective).

Ganesha, however, has a different purpose in Tantra. He is the guardian of sacred enclosures. We need to get past him if we are keen on knowing the holy mysteries that lie beyond the range of typical human experience.

Another name for Ganesha is Vighneswara, the remover of obstacles. Ganesha, by the way, does not mean "obstacle remover." The literal meaning is Lord of Numbers, or Lord of Hosts, as we might find in the Torah or Old Testament Bible. He is a powerful deity, but he's confusing with his animal head, human body, and divine nature. And that is precisely the mysterious integration of multiple aspects of this spiritual puzzle.

Mantras are a way to experience the nature of Ganesha, which is mysterious. In ancient esoteric traditions, Sri Vidya Tantra is a classic form, a symbol both "reveals and conceals the mystery at the same time." And so, in Tantra, we use the spiritual technology of mantras to engage the mystery of Ganesha. And then, there is Puja, which also involves using mantras.

When we approach Ganesha in Puja, we break a coconut as part of that process. It symbolizes that we are willing for our hard-headedness and our stubbornness of opinions and ideas to be broken. When that outer shell of self is willingly broken because we agree to do it, a deeper self, a purer consciousness, is revealed to us. This deeper consciousness is symbolized by the milky white meat of the coconut visible when it is broken.

On the other hand, try to make sense of the elephant-headed God and ask why you need to go through him to go deeper into the hidden domains of spiritual consciousness, and you may end up butting your head with an elephant.