The Order of the White Moon Presents
Lakshmi
The Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity
A Level II Final Project
for
The Sacred
by
~ Andromeda
~
Lakshmi is a goddess who embodies herself in all forms of
wealth. She is in jewels, coins, rare items and all children born to welcoming
parents. She is believed to symbolize the wealth of the earth and the souls
that live upon it. Lakshmi is a fair lady with four arms, dressed in fine
garments and seated upon a lotus flower, which is a sign of ultimate
enlightenment. Lakshmi does not have a temple in her honor for those who
worship her do not believe they can contain one whose power is so strong.
It is believed that Lakshmi can hear your prayers no
matter where you are. She is often called upon for well being, personal health,
financial stability and growth.
If you chant "Om Ganesh" three times and then
ask for Lakshmi's help she will hear your prayers.
Lakshmi is also believed to respond to her worshippers when
they are able to make declarations, such as: "I'm ready to find a new job
that is challenging, with better pay and with Monday through Friday hours".
http://www.sacredsource.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LAX
Lakshmi can be called by her many names, many of which are
related to the Lotus flower with which she is associated. Some of these names
and their meanings are:
·
Kamala:
lotus dweller.
·
Padmapriya:
One who likes lotuses
·
Padmamaladhara devi:
One who wears a garland of lotuses
·
Padmamukhi:
One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
·
Padmakshi:
One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus
·
Padmahasta:
One who holds a lotus
·
Padmasundari:
One who is as beautiful as a lotus
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi
Ritual
In honor of Lakshmi I have created a Ritual Prayer that can be used to help bring prosperity and good
fortune into our homes. Before I begin I would light a green candle in honor of
Lakshmi. Since I often worship in front of my altar I have placed some silk
lotus flowers upon it to help honor Lakshmi.
"Great
Lakshmi I call to you and honor you.
I
honor your strength, your charity and your humbleness.
Lakshmi
I'm seeking your guidance to a path of financial comfort and well being, and
your help with seeing the signs that are placed before me, that my Path is
right and true."
I would repeat this prayer over and over as I focus on my
path and my end desires, until the candle has been allowed to completely burn
out.
Since Lakshmi is
helpful in so many ways, I would change the path request in the future to fit
whatever issue I needed guidance with at that time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Halebidu_Lakshminarayana.jpg
Original Art
For my original art project, I made a
felt hanging in honor of Lakshmi. This is an image I have been planning since I
began my research on Lakshmi. I used
pink and white to represent the Lotus Flower she is most often seen sitting
upon. I made Lakshmi in blue to
represent the air and bright sky she is often seen sitting in front of. I made the pattern simple since she is
Goddess of the people and can be called upon in the most simple of ways. The stitching is done in jewel tone thread to
represent her richness and the fact she if often seen with lavish jewelry to
adorn her. Finally the elephants are often pictured with her and I they are
powerful and intelligent animals.
This portrait is important to me
because it helped form a bond with this Goddess as I created her and also form
a connection with the elephant which is a new animal to my path.
Resources:
Websites:
http://www.maheronline.org/religion/gods.asp#lakshmi
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-lakshmi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Stuti_By_Indra
Books:
The
New book of Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan, page 190