Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance, beauty, fertility, devotion, gratitude, and wealth. Her hands represent the four puruṣārthas, the 4 Desires: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Lakshmi, like the Roman Venus and the Greek Aphrodite, was born from the depths of the ocean on a lotus. Her birth story reminds us that Lakshmi comes from one of the most abundant parts of nature—water is life giving, sensual, nourishing, and supportive.
In order to transition from our collages to the next steps of this creative process, I thought it would be appropriate to honor as well as ask for the blessings and support of Lakshmi.
The Lakshmi yantra is the geometrical representation of her divine essence—the bindu (central point) being the goddess herself. As you color in your Lakshmi yantra let the following questions and your possible responses take a stroll through the mind. To allow those thoughts to travel freely invites the coloring to be a reverential meditation rather than a task to be completed.
Lakshmi asks us to know our own worth
How am I abundant?
Where do I lack abundance (spiritually, emotionally, worldly)?
Where do I desire most wealth?
What am I grateful for?
How do I express that gratitude?
The prescribed colors of the Lakshmi yantra (in the Johari tradition) are described in the following palette:
- First Bhopur Line- Gold
- Second Bhopur Line- Lemon yellow
- Bhopur (gates)- Grass green
- First ring- Gold
- Outer petals- Silver
- Petals- Light pastel pink
- Inner petals- Darker pink
- Inner ring- Gold
- Inner circle- Lemon yellow
- 6-pointed lined star- Gold
- Inner 6-pointed star- Saffron