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LAKSHMI
EWW
Lakshmi represents earthly preservation. She pours abundance from her two hands, like
two streams of water.
Who is Lakshmi?
In the Hindu pantheon of Divine beings, Lakshmi is second in the Trinity of Goddesses where
Saraswati represents Creation, Lakshmi represents Preservation and Kali represents Dissolution.
Her consort is Vishnu and she embodies the abundance of life. She is also known as Shri/Sri
Devi. She is queenly and sensual, the patron Goddess of abundance, fertility, good fortune,
wealth and the riches found in enjoyment and joy. Her symbol is the lotus (padma), which is
born from the mud but which rises from it in pristine beauty. This refers to the ever-renewing
fertility and loveliness of nature, and also reflects the journey of the evolution of consciousness
that is potential in a human being - from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation.
Lakshmi’s name derives from the Sanskrit laksme, laksya meaning ‘goal or aim’. She embodies
the goals of life, both worldly and spiritual fulfillment and prosperity. She is most often depicted
standing or sitting on a lotus, with four arms, the upper two holding lotuses and the bottom pair
pouring forth streams of golden coins.
Location/Sphere of Influence
Mother India/places of plenty, land of milk and honey.
Allies
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Elephants.
Nature & Description of Dakini
Lakshmi is beautiful, dressed opulently in silks of red adorned with gold, representing that she is
action-orientated, the gold denoting prosperity.
She reclines upon a map of Mother India, she and the land are one. Her body is a sacred temple
and is, in turn, adorned with temples. They rise from her and nestle against her calf, spring forth
from the edge of her thigh.
In the foreground a drop of milk splashes up from her hand, evoking the sea of milk and its
churning, from which she is said to have been born. It represents the ‘bodhichitta’, ‘the thought
of enlightenment’, ‘the awakened heart-mind’ that she encourages us to distill from all
experience. It is also refers to the refined sexual essence or energy.
She is like a lotus floating on the water - her special symbol - and we see from below the strange
lotus leaves, for Lakshmi, as Mistress of Preservation, has much to do with what goes on beneath
the surface of this dream called reality.
She stands or sits upon a pink lotus, which arises from her navel. She is envisioned with two
elephants worshipping her, pouring oblations of water from vases that they hold in their trunks.
She has four arms. From the open palms of her bottom two hands golden coins spring forth, pour
down as showers of gold and become streams of gold that vein her world.
In Hindu mythology, as Vishnu (Lakshmi’s consort, Lord of Preservation) lies dreaming on the
Cosmic Ocean, a lotus arises from his navel, out of which Brahma, Lord of Creation, is born. In
our pantheon, Lakshmi is shown as rebirthing herself from her own navel, so that her abundance
frequencies may be ever renewed.
To the left, homage is paid to the Cosmic Dreamer, Vishnu, who lies on his bed of snakes
floating on the waters, while Lakshmi blows kisses on his feet.
To the right Lakshmi floats like a red lotus, a golden form of herself arising from her navel.
Small scenes show Lakshmi as Radha (one of her incarnations) as she sports with the Gopis, the
milkmaids, who manifest as her attendants (manifestations of her being) in much the same way
that Krishna (Radha’s beloved, Vishnu’s incarnation) multiplied himself to be with all of them.
They play on love swings beneath silk canopies and luxuriate in exotic tableaux, love gardens of
fragrant flowers and exotic bowers. It is a picture of the delights of earthly paradise.
Her realm is a land of milk and honey. It is a world where all thrives and pleasure is a natural
facet of being.
The erotic sentiment and the mood of love abounds in Lakshmi’s opulent realm. It is a portrait of
‘Thrive all’ as opposed to survival.
Divinatory Meaning
Lakshmi brings a blessing of abundance to your life.
You wish for something to continue, to survive and thrive.
Success is indicated in whichever area your question focuses.
Know that the natural balance of all things provides for all.
Release feelings of want and need, feelings that there will not be enough to go round. Trust in the
principle of abundance, which assures that you will always be supported, no matter how things
may appear. Feelings of abundance are not dependant on material wealth. It is an inner state of
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being. A state which has an inner deep reliance on the infinite resourcefulness of your own
being. A state which has absolute faith in the benevolent aspect of the Goddess.
Sustainable solutions. In all cases look for sustainability. Use the model of the American Indians
who say that one should consider how any act, any decision made, will affect seven generations.
The natural intelligence of being.
A sensual and/or erotic experience.
A lasting relationship.
Love of luxury and the finer things of life.
Feelings of well-being. Treasure these feelings, even if they are fleeting moments, and store
them in your heart.
The pleasure principle as a tool for material and spiritual fulfillment.
Enjoyment of sensual pleasures, delights of the senses, such as savoring delicious food, smelling
intoxicating fragrance, seeing and experiencing beauty and seeing beauty in all things.
The dawning of realization that our senses are extensions of our spirit, gifts given to us to
explore the miracle of being. Do not let them atrophy from underuse.
Affirming the quality of life. If there is a choice to be made, choose the path that will bring you
the best quality of life.
Is it dependant on material possessions, or are there other things that really enrich your life more
deeply?
Find the source of your inner wealth.
Ask for the empowerment of inner riches from Lakshmi. She is full and overflowing.
The blossoming of the lotus of the heart.
The blessings inherent in a life well lived.
The synthesis of material ambition, the pleasures of the senses and spiritual realization as inner
fulfillment.
Dawning of the realization that goodness is the natural state. That being good, doing good and
feeling good are happy bedfellows.
You do not need to deny yourself pleasure in order to be ‘good’. Having pleasure is being good
to your cells, all those little bits of consciousness that make up your whole being, bathing them
in the most life-affirming bio-chemicals.
The whole of creation is making love with itself the whole time. That is how it works.
Lakshmi is the queen of attraction, of romantic, sensual and sexual love. As the mistress of
preservation, she exudes the nectar of love, the ambrosia of potential bliss at all times and blesses
all she touches with desire. Desire is the spark of life. For life to keep on thriving, the fires of
desire must keep on burning.
‘How did so many religions separate sex from spirituality?’ She asks, laughing. For she knows
that when beings unite this way, the bliss they experience, the ecstasy tasted, is a passport to the
realm where God and Goddess play.
The lotus, which is her symbol, also represents the enjoyment of all things without attachment, as
water and mud slide from its petals, leaving it unaffected. Lakshmi suggests you enjoy and fully
experience the pleasures of life, while at the same time being aware of their transitory nature.
Enrich all experience with the cultivation of spirit, that which outlasts sensation.
Indications
Look for ways to help something sustain that could otherwise fail.
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A blessing of abundance in your life.
Good indications for long term romance or relationship.
Lakshmi insists you care for and nourish your bodily temple.
Pamper yourself, you who are a part of Lakshmi’s imminence, her presence in the flesh.
Tend her temple well. Honor her in you.
Practices
1. What can you do to help preserve the integrity of the planet? Whether it is through the
cultivation of your own consciousness, spreading that consciousness or conscious actions that
you take, Lakshmi asks you to do something. In this way as she helps and supports you, you
help and support her in the great work of preservation. It is the pool of consciousness and
intention that is at the root of existence and supports the continuance of life.
2. If you are in need of material plane sustenance, you can ask Lakshmi’s assistance. Lakshmi
wants you to experience the feeling of being in a realm where all your needs are met, where
you want for nothing, a veritable land of milk and honey (it is said that Lakshmi was born
from churning the ocean of milk).
Visualize the gold coins pouring from Lakshmi’s hands as she and you look straight into
each other’s eyes.
From the depths of your heart, transmit all your feelings of love and appreciation to the
Goddess, who holds creation so tenderly, nurturing and preserving it. Send your gift of love
to Lakshmi and receive the gift of abundance from her.
3. Envision Lakshmi as Mother India, a land rich in natural resources and flourishing with
spiritual, cultural and material wealth, where all enjoy support and nourishment. Rivers of
milk flow out from the mother, enriching and blessing the whole planet.
Visualize the birth of a Golden Age.
Mantra
Lakshmi’s seed syllable is SHRING.
A mantra for Lakshmi:
Om Shring Hring Kling Mahalakshmi Namah
Dakini Transmission
I naturally give
All that is needed to live
To flourish
And thrive
So in pleasure just dive
Into every sensation
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As my grand creation
And live like a queen
With everything seen
Smelled, touched and tasted
As gifts of the Goddess
So nothing is wasted
When you drink at my well
Of heaven on earth
In celestial bliss
You’ll find rebirth
Affirmations
I am worthy
To receive abundance
Because I am
Able to receive
I can be generous
I have a giving nature
Which in turn
Attracts more abundance to me
All my senses
Are vital and energized
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