Originally Posted by Thothagrippa

Although I am from a Christian family, and for most of my life a follower of Shamanic methods with an agnostic approach, I recently felt a strong connection to the Goddess and was guided by her to learn about the mantra "om namah shivaya". My interest in this mantra led me to study hindu traditions and Shiva dharma in particular for several months.

I attended a prayer service in my town which I learned about online. The service was to Hanuman and involved recitation of the Chalisa. A reading (maybe from Shankaracharya?) followed the aarti. I was very moved by the devotees' kindness and patience as they translated the lecture for me, an American with no knowledge of Hindi. The entire experience left me feeling very positive and as a result I read the hanuman chalisa and listened to recordings of it many times.

I am continuing to study the Shiva Puranas and other Shaeva and Vaishnava scriptures, but none have had the same powerful affect that the chalisa has had on me. I am frequently brought to tears by the recollection of Hanuman's pure devotion and love for Rama. I am speechless at his profound example of humility and service and his image gives me immense joy. The question I have is what relation is there (if any) between Hanuman and Shiva? Is my ecstatic response to Hanuman because of his perfect devotion or does it mean that I should follow Rama (after all I am a married householder) or should I follow Hanuman alone (as the chalisa suggests)?

Any advice is welcome; I am very fond of Shiva and hope to understand the attraction to Hanuman in this context. Also suggestions of books or Authors (in English) are very likely to be followed up on if I can find them.