Lakshmi and the Goddess
Lakshmi depiction in the entryway.
In the yogic tradition, there is a multifaceted understanding of and devotion to “the goddess,” which invokes the Sacred Feminine. The categorizations of “feminine” and “masculine” in yogic philosophy can be confusing in contemporary thought when we are rightly understanding gendered coding as variation on cultural performance, rather than an intrinsic quality that we possess. The coding of certain deities as male and others as female is certainly derived from the bias of culture, and there is something deeper represented. In essence, any deity coded as “masculine” is a creative principle. Any deity coded as “feminine” is the manifestation of that principle. So Shiva, the male expression of Source, is stillness, fully contained. Shakti, the female expression of Source, is movement and variation. The material world would not exist without goddess energy. Perhaps this is why I feel her most strongly when I am fully embodied, through yoga or movement. What has always been true is that we contain within us all of the qualities that the deities represent, regardless of gender; the representations point us home to ourselves.
“All of reality is Shakti’s dance.”
Deriving from Neolithic cultures in Europe and Asia, goddess worship was central to our understanding of divinity. This worship subsided in the Bronze Age as invasion increased, forcing goddess worship into the sidelines. In the yogic tradition, goddesses were demoted to the consorts of male deities. Even so, these goddesses are so much more than wives. In the Celtic tradition, it is said that the goddess worshippers “turned sideways into the light” and disappeared into the “land of faery.” A similar story exists in the yogic tradition. When Lakshmi does not feel appreciated, she leaves, revoking her abundant offerings.
The goddess takes many forms, one of which is Lakshmi. You see her above the altar in our big studio and in our entryway above the water fountain. Lakshmi is the goddess of good fortune, wealth, and abundance. She is the consort of Vishnu. She manifests the power necessary to maintain and sustain worlds. I love this passage by Sally Kempton, which explains Lakshmi’s role in the trimurti (trinity) of central deities:
In Tantra, the goddess-consorts are seen as embodying power, the active energy of each of the male gods. In other worlds, it is the goddesses as energy, their Shakti, that activates the functions of the male god figures. Brahma’s job is to bring worlds into manifestation, and he does it through his Shakti, Saraswati, who is also the energy behind creative speech. Vishnu sustains and protects worlds, empowered by his Shakti, Lakshmi, the energy of nourishment and abundance. Shiva dissolves structures and also oversees the practice of yoga, by which seekers merge into the formless essence beyond all that is. His power is embodied in strong goddesses like Durga, Parvati, and Kali.
I love this passage because it fully encapsulates the rhythm of our universe, both as a principle and as embodied reality. We ebb and flow through the rhythm of creation, sustenance, and dissolution, and there is a strength to be found in every part of our experience.
Lakshmi and Ganesha during Diwali.
Lakshmi is a very old goddess. The Vedic singers chanted her ancient name, shri. She was depicted on coins in the first millennium BCE, and her image appeared in temples in the first half of the millennium CE. She appears in many texts of the yogic tradition, including the Atharva Veda (transcribed 1000 BCE), Shatapatha Brahmana (800 BCE–800 CE), the epics Mahabharata and Rayamana, the Shakta Upanishads, and many Puranas. She is worshiped alongside Ganesha during Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. Typically in October or November, this festival honors the victory of light over darkness.
Shri Lakshmi lustrated by elephants, Uttar Pradesh, Kausambi, 1st century BCE.
Depiction of Lakshmi.
Her iconography is sometimes hard for me to personally relate to, because she is a strikingly beautiful woman, with a symmetrical face, round features, and lush, long hair. They even say that her breasts are the perfect size and she has round hips, both showing her fertility. (Ha!) She sits or stands on a red lotus, and wears a red dress weaved with golden thread. Two of her four hands drip with golden coins and the other two hold lotuses. While the golden coins symbolize wealth, the lotuses might remind us that Lakshmi carries a beauty that surpasses circumstance, since the lotus blooms both in clean and muddy water. She is sometimes shown with two elephants or an owl, indicators of intelligence and wisdom.
Lakshmi embodies harmony, expressed through the recognition of our gifts and our ability to work well with others. Dharma, the principle of order, is from Lakshmi. She is the goddess of culture, giving us the preferred predictability to expect certain outcomes. Lakshmi is not only seen in the signs of outward abundance—in material wealth, a full harvest, or a pregnant belly—but also in our inner contentment and peace. She is that heartfelt self-worth that helps us to know our own power and what we deserve. She is satisfaction, the felt sense of having enough. Best of all, Lakshmi is the fruit of our labors. She is the one who appears when we have done something well and are acknowledged for our efforts.
I recognize Lakshmi most in the beauty of nature. Enjoy Ellie’s telling of a classic Lakshmi story!
