This Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, is one of my favorite of the yogic pantheon. She is one of the most important, beautiful and simply fascinating goddesses I can call upon to bring more abundance and opportunity into my life. She’s also incredibly empowering.
Her name is pronounced “luck-shmi,” and she’s actually the goddess of good luck, good fortune and shreem (everything that is auspicious). Lakshmi embodies beauty, fertility, material wealth, spiritual wealth and the inner feeling of abundance.
Hinduism tells us that Lakshmi arose out of the vast Consciousness at a felicitous moment in the history of the cosmos. Invoking her brings in an extremely empowering feeling of deep inner abundance. She helps us realize that what we need the most in our lives is this felt sense of inner abundance, which she embodies and helps us to embody when we meditate upon her using the following mantra and visualization meditation.
Chant Lakshmi's Mantra
To truly experience Lakshmi as the blessing that she is, you can take the time to find a comfortable seat, close your eyes and silently repeat Lakshmi’s mantra: Om shreem maha Lakshmiyei namaha. This mantra may be translated as “I bow to the goddess, Lakshmi, whose energy is held within the mantra, Shreem.” As we chant this mantra, we are asking Lakshmi to come sit with us – to be with us as we meditate upon her beautiful image.
Visualize Goddess Lakshmi
Now you can take the time to meditate upon Lakshmi’s loving image, which looks like this:
Imagine that she is seated upon a warm, blue ocean. It’s as if she’s literally seated on top of the ocean. Her hair is long and black; her almond-shaped eyes are half-open and they are brimming with love. She wears beautiful pink robes and from one of her hands flows golden light. Her other hand is outstretched toward you as if to welcome you to her.
Her eyes are actually beaming golden light. This light is beaming from her eyes to your eyes, which is literally transforming your perspective. You are filled with a feeling of total love. As you gaze upon her, you feel completely loved. You feel completely abundant.
As you continue to gaze lovingly upon her beautiful figure, you begin to notice that in her hands are two lotuses. These lotus flowers are symbols for the true nature of consciousness, which is untainted by negativity or anything ugly. Across the world, and in many Eastern spiritual traditions, these flowers symbolize profound beauty. In the beginning, the lotus flower comes from mud and muck in murky ponds. This dirt is necessary for her to bloom into the fully beautiful flower which she is now.
In this lesson of the lotus flower, we learn that, as humans, our nature is not unlike the lotus, in that we can and will bloom anywhere – even in the murkiest of environments. And, perhaps, it is in these more difficult environments that we are able to fully blossom, to mature into truly beautiful human beings. Both the goddess herself and the lotus flower itself are associated with the seed, or bija, mantra, Shreem. It’s said that someone who holds the quality of shreem radiates a kind of profound beauty and grace that’s hard to ignore. Both Lakshmi and the lotus flower she holds in her hand embody this quality of love and light.
Bring Her Into Your Heart
Continue to breathe deeply as you meditate upon her and, now, bring your awareness to your heart. There’s now a beam of pink light flowing from Lakshmi’s heart into your heart, which permeates through your entire body, filling you with abundance and love. (Learn about Integrating Feelings of the Heart more into your life.)
Your heart begins to open even more as you continue to breathe. You continue to feel Lakshmi’s potent awareness of beauty and abundance, which now flows through you. You have everything you need within you as her light fills your entire body. You are completely embraced by the goddess’ profound love, grace, beauty and abundance. Your body is now completely infused with her energy.
Continue to take several deep breaths and let this new awareness permeate through you. Now thank the goddess for coming to sit with you and tell her you’ll meet again soon. Take your time to come back to your breath and slowly open your eyes.
Fridays With Lakshmi
Meditating upon Lakshmi is a wonderful way to invoke her presence. You can also chant her mantra whenever you feel like it – perhaps when you’re taking a nice morning or evening walk. It’s said that her powers are at their strongest on Fridays at dusk. So, if you really need to bring more abundance of any form into your life, begin chanting her mantra and invoking her presence at this time.
It’s interesting that Lakshmi’s day is Friday, which also corresponds with payday for most people in the world. In this way, people all around the world regard her as a true giver of prosperity because she offers us abundance in the spiritual and material realms alike. (Read on about Lakshmi in A Guide to Hinduism's Leading Goddesses.)
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