Lakshmi: Inner Divinity

It's Goddess Monday for this gynecologist, and today I'm working with Lakshmi, one of the forms of the mother goddess in Hindu mythology. She is the goddess of fortune and wealth and is often called, "Sri," which translates from Sanskrit as elegance, sacredness, radiant power and prosperity. I think of her as manifesting soul prosperity, and helping me to align with my inner divine contentment regardless of my externals.

We all have the innate capacity to connect to our Sri or inner Lakshmi -- it is our birthright.  According to UC Berkeley Sanskrit scholar Christopher Wallis, Lakshmi teaches us that the "inner state of feeling that you have enough creates the experience of prosperity in your outer life, not the other way around. No matter how much time, money and love you have, you will always feel as though it's not enough until you can evoke and honor the Sri within you."

Lakshmi is depicted with four arms: usually with two hands holding a lotus, one hand pouring forth gold coins, and the fourth poised in a gesture of blessing. The lotus is a symbol of purity and fertility as it grows with great beauty from mud.

What does Lakshmi represent hormonally to me? Intuition, which I believe is a form of inner divine guidance. Lakshmi is in a place of clear knowing that her intuition is sacred and pure, and that stems in part from her hormonal balance - internal manifestation of the right amount of cortisol, the right amount of thyroid hormone, estrogen and progesterone in balance - in sum, balanced and poised for action from a place of deep contentment.

For more reading, check out Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen's famous book (mostly on Greek Goddess archetypes).

Goddesses in Every Woman: New Psychology of Women

Goddess Mondays

 

Decided to turn around the gloom of Mondays by declaring “Goddess Monday!” for the next 3 months. Mondays are a bitch for me. The weight of the week – the unpreparedness for the school lunches, the grocery list, the evening school events (oops! forgot to schedule a babysitter), the stressful work meetings, the demanding patients, the class projects that aren’t ready, the weeds in the garden – all conspire to weigh me down starting sometime late on Sunday.

 

I want Mondays to shimmer with excitement and anticipation. I want to look forward to them the way I look forward to Fridays, the start of Shabbat, the day I unplug and connect with family and friends. Sing songs with my kids, plan scrumptious meals.

 

I also want to step into my Goddessness and I have no idea what this actually means or how to do it.

Let’s dedicate some time to turning this ship around.

 

Starting on Mondays, I will try these things out. Add to the list and join me on this voyage to goddess-hood!

• wake up, say "thank you" for the blessings in my life, and meditate for 20 min. broad definition of meditation here: yin yoga, sitting quietly, chant a goddess mantra (wo-mantra)
• attune to hormone balance - when we're in balance, we're so goddess. test yourself right here
• take my vitamins and supplements
• eat breakfast when I'm hungry instead of when it's convenient
• write about Sacred Feminine and what it means for lunatic mom living in Rockridge in 2010
• light a candle and invite the goddess to join me for the day, guide my thoughts and actions
• pack crazy lunches for my kids. let go a little of my obsessiveness about their nutritional balance. have a little fun
• dance like a Temple Hindu High Priestess
• lie in bed with my kids as they're waking, tuning into the happy channel instead of: "Get out of bed now! And no breakfast until your school clothes are on! Did you hear me? Did you hear the last 5 times I've told you to GET READY?
• check my intuition rather than my email
• ask while eating, "Do I like this food?"
• Move my body, from a place of pleasure rather than dutiful caloric balance

Please add to the list! Let's make Mondays shimmer with goddessness!