The festival of Lakshmi Jayanti is coming up on March 6th/7th, and as we honor the Goddess of Wealth we are offered the ideal opportunity to reflect on and feel grateful for the many different forms of wealth we have in our lives.
Material wealth is needed for us to live in today’s world and to progress in life. However, the vedic scriptures remind us that wealth is about more than just successful investments and money in the bank, but has to do with our spiritual and material well being.
There are eight forms of Lakshmi, known as ‘Ashtalaksmi’, which are the eight aspects of this divine energy. At different stages in life, these different aspects manifest in us. And when you have all eight in your life then you can consider yourself to be truly wealthy and prosperous!
Adi Lakshmi - Wealth as Connection with our Source
This foremost wealth is to know our roots, our basic identity and where we come from, including beyond our limited identity of name and form.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said “Forget about all the books and philosophies and just ask yourself this question, ‘What is my origin, where have I come from?’ You just have to ask this question, nothing else! It should be a genuine question that should come from inside and not because I am telling you. The answer you get could be stimulating, it could be stunning (filled with wonder) or it could be absolutely confusing! I say, all three are good.”
When we connect with our source within, we experience calmness, compassion and friendliness, and we feel natural and connected with others. Adi Lakshmi is the wealth that allows us to connect with that inner source of light and love.
Dhana Lakshmi - Wealth as Material Comfort
Wealth can come to us in the form of physical wealth, money and property. This is the most common understanding of wealth in today’s world. However, let’s consider for a moment someone who has an enormous bank balance but can’t enjoy it due to bad health. Or someone who inherited a large amount of money from family, but sibling feuds over that money makes them miserable. Money and assets are important in life as they bring material comfort, but this is only one of the eight forms of wealth.
Dhanya Lakshmi - Wealth as Food and Health
Many people are not so wealthy in terms of money and possessions but if you visit their home they will feed you a large, delicious and nutritious meal – they have the ability to eat what they want and to share it with others. Wealth can come in the form of food and importantly also through our health.
Many people neglect their health in their quest for material wealth by working long hours in unhealthy routines and neglecting their body’s need for rest, exercise and nourishment. Then later in life they struggle with their health and aren’t able to enjoy their hard-earned money, maybe even having to spend much of it in order to get back to good health. The ability to eat well and have good health is very much a wealth, and one which is often taken for granted.
Dhairya Lakshmi - Wealth as Courage
Some people just go for their dreams without worrying about whether they will be successful or not. A willingness to take risks, move forward with courage and see obstacles as a challenge makes life like a game, and becomes more fun. Having confidence in your own abilities and in the goodness of others is a wealth, and can take you far in life.
Santana Lakshmi - Wealth as Progeny and Creativity
This wealth allows us to be creative and to leave a legacy, be it in the form of a creative work such as a novel or artwork, or in the form of progeny. Children who rebel against their parents and society can bring a lot of challenges and difficulties to their families. On the spiritual path, attachment to children is considered to be one of the biggest blocks to enlightenment. Hence it is considered a great wealth to have children who have honor and respect for their family members and community.
Samrajya Lakshmi or Gaja Lakshmi - Wealth as Power and Dignity
Have you noticed that some people just radiate positive vibes? They have a powerful and dignified presence, perhaps even with a sense of royalty, that makes others want to follow them, yet they are totally humble. This wealth is often noted in people who lead a life of service. It brings an ability to remove hurdles from one’s path, to influence others, and to make a difference in the world.
Vidya Lakshmi - Wealth as Knowledge
Everyone has some knowledge, skills and talents, and this too is a great wealth. Knowledge brings with it mental resilience and a strong will. Often new skills come up at different points in life. This is experienced by regular meditators. When you meditate, even talents you didn’t know you had can come to the surface.
Vijaya Lakshmi - Wealth as Success or Victory
There are certain people who make a success out of anything they put their mind and energy into. They have an ability to move mountains and come out victorious in their plans and projects. Whilst others may hold a fear of failure and think up a thousand reasons not to do something before even beginning, people with this wealth hold self belief and move forward with a positive and powerful mindset, attracting successes in their stride.
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Why not evaluate and see which of these wealths are present in your life? To increase your wealths you can practice the following simple yet powerful rituals.
- Feel grateful for the wealths you have in your life – cultivating a feeling of gratitude and inner abundance will reflect in your life as outer abundance.
- Meditate – Meditation brings out the skills in you and connects you with your source. When you meditate regularly, the talents which are within you in seed form manifest!
- Share what you have with others – whatever wealths you have been blessed with, whether food, skills, money or talents, share them with others, particularly those who are less fortunate than you. Use your wealth for the benefit of humanity – the more you give, the more what you have will grow.
In the align27 app you can find out which days and times are particularly powerful for you to meditate and donate to others. It’s all calculated for you based on your own birth chart, giving you your own individual road map to a prosperous life!
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