Ganesha is the elephant-headed god-form of the Indian pantheon. His mother is Parvati, the wife of Shiva. Ganesha is approached for the removal of obstacles and for success in the work at hand.
Within the International Nath Order he is also the gatekeeper of Divine Consciousness. Sri Kapilnath writes that a gatekeeper is a point of focus by which the mind is given permission to pass from ordinary awareness. Bhairava guards the inner sanctum and the dhuni. Ganesha stands at the threshold of the work itself. Neither name is a creed. Both are forms through which the Cosmic Spirit is made tangible. This page does not teach a puja. The essay below is the INO reading of the office.