Lakshmi: The Flame of Light and Peace

Lakshmi: The Flame of Light & Peace

The rough texture of the tiny piece of wood between my right thumb and forefinger draws my attention, engaging my senses as I steady my hold and calm my breath, readying myself for an ancient ritual and ceremony.

A small moment of reflection evoking a deep-seated memory and pause before the daily rush. A brief moment of grounding and simple reminder to stop and breathe, having gratitude for nature and the air flowing into my lungs and being absorbed into my body.

A reminder of my connection to the beauty in everyday life and actions. A remembrance of the wonders of generosity and kindness and the profound power of love. The simple outpouring of devotion for the Earth under my feet, the roof over my head and the connection to the five elemental forces of nature all around.

A delicate balance of pressure and speed is required, too slow, and you start over, too fast, and the result fizzles and breaks. A simple task with equal amounts of precision, focus and care. Somewhere in between lies the delicate balance of gratitude, service, devotion and self.

The sharp sound of friction breaking the silence of the pre-dawn light of the new day as two integral pieces of ceremony forcefully come together in a flash of ignition. The feint hiss and pop as the flame catches and stabilises. The small explosion of colours captivating, transitioning from bright yellow to a deeper orange with tinges of blue near the base, capturing my attention with its visual testament of beauty and worth as it bursts into life, ready to be of service and fulfil a higher purpose. 

The power of a single spark to ignite change as it merges its worth with the ware of an ancient past, light dancing and weaving its magic with ceremony as it flickers and sways towards igniting a new spark of inspiration and symbolising the beginning of the journey of a new day as it tempts the ghee-soaked cotton wick of my aarti lamp to light.

On my alter sits photos and statues, to some they are just photos and statues on a bookcase, to me they are a representation of the divine, they are the deities of my heart, positioned with care and decorated with beauty and love.

The ancient ritual of aarti, worshiping the Divine through fire ceremony and prayer as the lamps’ light pierces the first light of dawn streaming in through the window, illuminating the photos and statue as I create circles of fire in honour of the deities. Shadows cast in its wake as the glow of the lamp moves forward. They are my teachers of higher consciousness, wisdom and soul learning for this lifetime. I am in awe of the simplicity and profoundness of this pooja practice and the heart felt joy, peace and calmness it brings me.

Each deity has their own space, each has their own chant and energy, allowing an awareness of their qualities within as the cells of my body shift to attune to the vibration of the Divine and unconditional love along with the devotional richness, meaning and purpose of the mantras. 

Mantra is far more than words. It is a language of the soul and one to be felt and experienced. As the lamp circles each one three times, it is my labour of love and reverence as I balance the heaviness of the gold metal lamp in my hand to keep it from spilling the hot ghee onto myself or the carpet below.

It is an early start to my day and one of devotion. Yoga, mantra and meditation follow. An hour and a half of specific instruction still to come before I start my day. There is no other thought than what I am doing as I maintain my focus.

Blessed beyond measure, returning from a three-week immersive retreat in yoga, mantra and meditation with a new practice. Priceless blessings received from Sri Sakthi Amma Narayani in the heart of India with an incredible group of souls called to be there. There is no doubt it has changed my life and inner landscape beyond measure yet again. We all have big roles to fill, each in our own way, and own timing and walks of life. Our world changes when we change, it’s that simple.

The subconscious block that has held me back for my whole life, cracked open by four simple words in the form of a question. The gentleness and caring with which it was delivered, and the timing it took for those words to land and lift the subconscious thought to the surface, incredible. I know I am truly loved.

Nowhere in my wildest dreams would I have considered I would find my footing in the ancient practices and spiritual culture of India. Time and time again I have had my heart opened by the simplest of words and experiences. Gaining wisdom and insights as I walked the Starpath at Sripuram, home of the Divine and truly heaven and peace on earth in a realised way. I’ve welcomed a tsunami of tears, as an upsurging of joy flooded my body from deep within as I stood looking towards the breathtaking view and beauty of the mountains, allowing the blessings of Lakshmi and her home at The Golden Temple to flow.

The simple pleasure of being in service, ensuring school children have a cup of porridge ready for them, if they choose, on their way into school as they start their day, opened my heart to the love of education. One that had been closed by my own school experiences, now opening it gently again through simple service and the realisation the new education on the planet is love and it is here to serve and nurture all of humanity if we let it.

“We can love education however the real education is love”, on that you can quote me.

The countless joyous experiences in the temples, priceless, as my soul nurtures and embodies the gifts it received. It is my devotion, faith and trust that will carry me through the discipline and upkeep of my daily practice. It has become part of me, I couldn’t imagine my without it. It sustains me and takes me deeper into my divine connection and further embodiment of my soul and heart opening.

I am not the person I once was, none of us are. We change, we grow, we outgrow, and we move on and replace it with the new. None of us know exactly what that will look like, we just think we do. Many times, I have thought I was heading left, when in fact I was veering right and moving in a completely different direction and outcome in life. I’m sure many people can relate.

My journey of spirituality is not understood by many and supported by less. I am blessed to have soul connections that sustain me, and friends and family I can laugh with as I enjoy their company and honour their journey as they remain unaware of my capabilities and the depth and richness I hold within, which is now leaking to the surface in conversations.

It is a journey we are all on, yet very few realise, as it’s woven into the fabric of our life with subtlety and unawareness, it’s not until we are upended from our comfort zone, do we truly pay attention to our self, our underlying intentions, or our actions and reactions and take a deep dive into self. How often do we stop and question ourselves: Am I coming from fear and separation or am I coming from a place of love and unity?  Am I in my emotions and reacting rather that responding?  Am I projecting my fear onto someone else and blaming them for my triggered response? What’s my underlying intention, what’s my agenda? Once I know, I know I have a choice. The choice can be many and varied but what it will be is what we need in that moment. I take a moment to breathe before I respond. A pause of contemplation, inserting love or compassion, empathy or acceptance, boundaries or laughter, each one a choice and one where I don’t always get it right.

It is said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. It is the journey from head to heart that takes the longest time over the shortest distance, never a straight line and you never know where it will take you.

Lakshmi is the beauty of the flame, she is the light of consciousness, prosperity and abundance, allow yourself to dance in her beauty and transform through her Grace and come home into peace, harmony, bliss and balance and it can all start with lighting a match and a simple belief that there is far more to life than we realise when we walk hand and heart with the Divine that suits our needs best.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Om Namo Narayani.