Wild Wisdom Soul Stories. Mythic connections inspired by my weekly Tree Teachings.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi has appeared in response to this weeks Small Mercies Tree Teaching. #Lakshmi embodies abundance so she is an interesting #goddess to appear when we are looking at small mercies and the depressing effects of endless grey skies. She is an ancient goddess from #India and her sacred animal is the cow symbol of abundance and plenty. She appears often with two elephants spouting water. She is described as resting on a lotus on the surface of the sea of time.
Lakshmi came into being after the gods were cursed and demons were allowed into the world. When the gods consulted Vishnu the Dark God he told them to work with the demons to remove the curse. The Dark God Vishnu advised using the great serpent Vasuki as a rope to churn the ocean in order to obtain Amrita the milk of immortality. Thus it was, that gods and demons were forced to work together to achieve amrita. It was said they had to churn it for a thousand years before Lakshmi appeared. She later became the wife of Vishnu.
What can we say about this goddess in a time of small mercies when we talk about dull grey days outside and the #depression that can come from within? Consult the Dark God. In the west we have a very dualistic way of seeing things and associate darkness with negativity and evil. Here however we can clearly see a much more ancient way of seeing the world at work. This is the darkness of soil, of fertility, of going #within. It is our going inside that allows us to perhaps churn 'the milk of human kindness’ towards ourselves. Observing both what we see as good points and negative points within ourselves to achieve #balance without judgement.
Those of you who know me from Facebook will already know I have a #dragon group called Dragons of the British Isles which also includes #serpents. Dragons/serpents being representative of the energy of the earth. As the group and my own personal blog make clear these dragons can be found everywhere. We too have energy within us coiling like serpents.
If we want to find a day less grey we must go within to change our mindset. It means rather than focusing on the grey clouds as negative, look for them as a signpost. It also means making the most of chance encounters with sun when it appears. Remember that it took a thousand years of churning before Lakshmi appeared. Here too we learn of patience.
When we are in stasis the world becomes neither one thing nor the other. Gods and demons warring with neither side getting the upper hand. In nature however, we see that nothing remains the same. Eventually things must change. If we are to #liveharmoniously the story tells us, we must have all sides of ourselves in balance. The message is also here that working with the earth is the way to achieve #abundance both within and without. We are given a clue on how to achieve this. Vishnu tells the gods to bring in Vasuki, he warns them to take the tail end. This is powerful energy, if the gods do not take care to treat it with respect they may get burned by Vasuki’s poison.
In nature winter and summer turn, or churn you might say, the #wheelofthyear. You need both for an abundant #harvest. If we want change, if we want abundance, if we want movement rather than stuck energy we have to accept both. Sometimes, when there seems to be no changes we have to be patient. Sometimes we have to explore within to effect change without. Of course on a simple level she teaches that there is much to be thankful for, such as when the sun appears or that we are able to appreciate the beauty of a #tree. The story also shows us nature is abundance in action.
The image of Vasuki as the rope churning the ocean is a fascinating one with gods on the one side and demons on the other and recalls the ancient beginnings of fire ... but that my friends is for another time…. As we float on the vast ocean of timelessness. :-)
Blessings
Amanda Claire x
I offer the #treeteachings, #wildwisdom #soulstories and this site for Free for people and #planet. If you think that everyone has a right to access nature and its wisdom for free you can conTreebute and ....
About these wild wisdom soul stories.
You take this as you wish as a mythic exploration, spiritual gift, positive psychological programming whatever … but I offer it to you in the hope that it will serve you some good purpose.
The tree teachings, #forestbathing #meditations and wild wisdom soul stories are not pre-planned, I don’t have the year ahead mapped out with neat little diagrams and to do lists and pre-prepared old last years’ materials. No ... these are the fresh green shoots of inspirations sent forth from the trees. I don’t care what your belief system is … in times of mass extinction, and #climatechange , my conviction is that if we connect personally with trees and nature this can only serve both us and the #earth well … I hope you agree.
Each being and story featured each week is of course a brief glimpse. If you feel drawn to a particular one you could study it in greater depth and pay homage to the culture within which it arose.