She too has multiple arms holding a Veena (string instrument) for all manifest sound/music, a rosary, symbolizing the power of meditation, and the vedas, ancient, sung verses containing the wisdom to maneuver through lifeвЂ™s difficulties. And her white clothes and fair complexion donвЂ™t show a spot of dirt. You climb the mountain and want inspiration? Saraswati is probably sitting at the top. SheвЂ™s all about the music, the arts, communication and the sciences. Saraswati is probably having lunch with David Bowie right now. Om Shri Maha Lakshmyai Namah salutations to great goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and wealth. Bend the index finger at the middle knuckle and press the thumb to the outer side of the index finger. With the palm facing outward, curl the middle, ring, and pinky fingers into the center of the palm. Lakshmi is represented by holding one or both hands in what called Kapitta Hasta.

SheвЂ™s like Lady Gaga working at Charles Schwab. SheвЂ™s not afraid of giving and receiving abundance. Lakshmi is also where we derive our English word вЂќluckвЂќ. ThatвЂ™s the essence of her name: that the goal of life is to be prosperous, in both worldly and spiritual ways. And sheвЂ™s goal oriented she knows and understands goals. SheвЂ™s got prosperity, beauty, grace and generosity. Lakshmi is the one you want for your personal wealth management consultant, because trust me, sheвЂ™s got it all.

These are the four good goals of humanity according to Hinduism). She was depicted with four arms coming out of her body and hands holding symbols of wealth (symbolic of ethics, wealth, love, and liberation. I saw a beautiful tattoo of Lakshmi once, it covered this guyвЂ™s entire back. In fact IвЂ™ll toss in a few more: Sita, Usas, Yemaya for good measure. Here are some descriptions, mantras and mudras for four of the most popular goddesses in the yogic tradition: Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, and Kali. Tra, tools or instruments, specifically the emanation of the space of manas or vibrational/sonic expression of manas.Manas, meaning mind, specifically the space of the mind in which the heart and mind align (a place void of mental chatter an openhearted mental space).

The Sanskrit word mantra is comprised of two words: Stories that cover everything from breathing patterns to the shapes we take with our bodies (asanas), and our hands (mudras), to the sounds (mantras) that connect us vibrationally to the physical world. The tradition of yoga is steeped in story. We have myths for why the sun travels across the sky each day. We have myths explaining why winter turns into spring. Myths are one of the ways we try to explain the things in the world that seem to defy our understanding. All of these connections are born out of the stories or myths that weвЂ™ve heard and they exist in nearly every culture imaginable. When we hear the word Goddess, we typically think of is everything from the Virgin Mary to Xena Warrior Princess. On my second visit to India, I attended a puja (ceremony) honoring the goddess Kali. Try going to India and not visiting a temple they are everywhere! Like sets of Russian dolls, there are tiny temples increasing in size, all leading towards the actual temple youвЂ™re seeking. When I was in India the first time, I visited many many temples including one of the most renowned temples of Goddess Durga, the Jwalamukhi Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh. In Thailand, I saw temple paintings of the Goddess Manimekhala, said to be the goddess of lightning and the seas. IвЂ™ve traveled a lot and worked all over the world, and have seen a lot of Goddesses. I believe thatвЂ™s the great power of deities and what we love about them. I knew that it wasnвЂ™t really Wonder Woman on that subway, it was just a tall woman in a crazy red and blue sequined outfit, but in that moment I was suddenly open to more than just my self-serving perspective. As if ensnared by her Lasso of Truth, I decided to forgo my punkass plan, got off at the next stop and slowly retraced my way back to school. I felt the immediate collision between my adolescent agenda to misbehave and Wonder WomanвЂ™s destiny to fight injustice. Sitting on the downtown line a flash of red caught my eye. Three trains and a subway later, I was in the city and looking to get into trouble. I had lied my way into scoring a weekend pass away from my all-girls boarding school in upstate New York. When I was 15, I met a goddess on the NYC subway.

Mariamman mantras