LAKSHMI MOONS
The Rose Moon
ROSE MOON BOOK
Mantra
Week 1: Thinking Abundance
New Moon Ritual
Week 2: Communicating Abundance
Week 3: Prosperity Impact
Week 4: Living Prosperity
Ayurveda: Kapha to Pitta
Full Moon Community Council
Further Study for June
ROSE MOON BOOK
June Initiation
Awakening Absolute Abundance with
Creativity and Communication.
Creativity and Communication.
READ: Rose Moon Book
CREATE: June Altar
Notice something different about my June Altar? I've added a little money ($1.08 to be exact), a necklace of peridot and gold-filled leaves (made for me by a goddess sister), and a vial of gold (given to me by the Chair of my Ph.D. dissertation committee as part of a gift package to launch my writing efforts). These little tokens of abundance are all reminders that financial prosperity can be a welcome side-product of spiritual growth. (If I allow it to be).
Mantra
Lakshmi Gayatri
May you realize your True Nature as limitless beauty, wellness, and bliss.
CHANT: MANTRA—Lakshmi Gayatri
ॐ श्री महालक्ष्म्यै च विद्महे
विष्णु पत्न्यै च धीमहि
तन्नो लक्ष्मी प्रचोदयात् ॐ॥
Om Mahadevyai Cha Vidmahe
Vishnupatnyai Cha Dheemai
Tanno Lakshmi Prachodayat Om
Om, Let me meditate on the great goddess,
who is the consort of Lord Vishnu.
May she grant me the highest awareness.
May she inspire and illuminate my mind. Om.
The Laskhmi Gayatri is an invocation of abundant wealth, health, and beauty. It provides a profusion of positive energy to uplift your heart and mind.
This is a particularly potent mantra this time of year, when we celebrate the abundant beauty and richness of Spring and open our awareness to the limitless potential of our lives.
May you realize your True Nature as limitless beauty, wellness, and bliss.
विष्णु पत्न्यै च धीमहि
तन्नो लक्ष्मी प्रचोदयात् ॐ॥
Om Mahadevyai Cha Vidmahe
Vishnupatnyai Cha Dheemai
Tanno Lakshmi Prachodayat Om
Om, Let me meditate on the great goddess,
who is the consort of Lord Vishnu.
May she grant me the highest awareness.
May she inspire and illuminate my mind. Om.
The Laskhmi Gayatri is an invocation of abundant wealth, health, and beauty. It provides a profusion of positive energy to uplift your heart and mind.
This is a particularly potent mantra this time of year, when we celebrate the abundant beauty and richness of Spring and open our awareness to the limitless potential of our lives.
May you realize your True Nature as limitless beauty, wellness, and bliss.
Week 1: Thinking Abundance
Week 1: Thinking Abundance
(Please review your June Journal for full content.)
“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.”
—Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
—Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
Oh man!
So much is coursing through my mind this week when it comes to activating abundance. I don’t even know where to begin.
If you are anything like me, there is a ton of backstory to your relationship with abundance, prosperity, finances—money!
I think it all begins with my relationship to my dharma.
What is dharma? Let’s get that straight first: dharma is a Sanskrit word that means something like: “your soul’s purpose.” It also refers to how your soul’s purpose translates into “your life’s work,” or your livelihood. Dharma is not just about following destiny to do what you are meant to do. It is also about actively making choices that authentically sustain your passion and energy. In this way, it is akin to what Joseph Campbell meant when he said to “Follow your bliss.”
Following your dharma means following the urges of your heart’s desire. Which means, you have to take a moment, from time to time, to listen. You have to be quiet, mindful, and brave enough to hear the truth within you.
You must also honor the fact that your dharma will not take you down the same path as someone else’s dharma. The only thing that can come from trying to be someone else is insecurity, disappointment, and feelings of lack.
Following your own dharma, your own bliss, has everything to do with your feelings of abundance. When you follow your dharma, it is so much easier to be grateful right where you are, doing what you are doing. You don’t have to compare yourself to other people or grasp for material things to make you feel fulfilled. Your experience of abundance is holistic and pervasive. It permeates everything you do. You realize that there is plenty for everyone and you can rejoice in other’s success as you revel in your own.
So much is coursing through my mind this week when it comes to activating abundance. I don’t even know where to begin.
If you are anything like me, there is a ton of backstory to your relationship with abundance, prosperity, finances—money!
I think it all begins with my relationship to my dharma.
What is dharma? Let’s get that straight first: dharma is a Sanskrit word that means something like: “your soul’s purpose.” It also refers to how your soul’s purpose translates into “your life’s work,” or your livelihood. Dharma is not just about following destiny to do what you are meant to do. It is also about actively making choices that authentically sustain your passion and energy. In this way, it is akin to what Joseph Campbell meant when he said to “Follow your bliss.”
Following your dharma means following the urges of your heart’s desire. Which means, you have to take a moment, from time to time, to listen. You have to be quiet, mindful, and brave enough to hear the truth within you.
You must also honor the fact that your dharma will not take you down the same path as someone else’s dharma. The only thing that can come from trying to be someone else is insecurity, disappointment, and feelings of lack.
Following your own dharma, your own bliss, has everything to do with your feelings of abundance. When you follow your dharma, it is so much easier to be grateful right where you are, doing what you are doing. You don’t have to compare yourself to other people or grasp for material things to make you feel fulfilled. Your experience of abundance is holistic and pervasive. It permeates everything you do. You realize that there is plenty for everyone and you can rejoice in other’s success as you revel in your own.
After last month's Full Moon Council, I have been increasingly more clear about my soul’s purpose and heart’s passion. I feel more and more excited and ready to expand in every way—including building healthy wealth and prosperity.
But I still feel some resistance…some serious hang-ups! Do you, too? What’s the next step?
All the teachings and practices I trust tell me to go to the root—to look to the foundational messages that I received in my childhood. What are my bones and songs about money?
…and how do those stories influence how I think about money today?
Let’s do it together. This week, contemplate with me the following Soul Questions.
I will post my insights in our Facebook Group, and look forward to reading yours!
But I still feel some resistance…some serious hang-ups! Do you, too? What’s the next step?
All the teachings and practices I trust tell me to go to the root—to look to the foundational messages that I received in my childhood. What are my bones and songs about money?
…and how do those stories influence how I think about money today?
Let’s do it together. This week, contemplate with me the following Soul Questions.
I will post my insights in our Facebook Group, and look forward to reading yours!
Soul Questions & Action Steps
- What do I think about abundance? …about money? How do the two relate?
- Is it difficult for me to think/talk about/experience money?
- In what ways have I broken through money challenges in my life?
- In what ways can I continue to grow into healthy wealth?
- Who were my money role models (for better or worse)? What did they think about money and how did they influence my way of thinking about money now?
- What are my bones about money?—What has finance looked like throughout my life, etc.
- What are the songs I have sung about money? In order to grow into my fullest potential, is it time to sing a new song?
New Moon Ritual
June New Moon Ritual
It is time to turn your LOVING attention to your money.
The Rose New Moon Ritual is an opportunity to bring more creative inspiration, success, and prosperity into your life. We invoke the Lakshmī archetypes of abundance and delight.
Before Lakshmī arose from the ocean of milk, her archetypal energy was first introduced in the Vedic images of a king and his shrī (ruling power). In the Vedic hymns, the term shrī suggests beauty, luster, power, glory, riches, fertility, abundance, advantageous skills, and high rank. The term is especially used in later Vedic literature to refer to the ruling power, dominion, and majesty of kings (Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses 19). Shrī provides a king with the authority to rule.
Lakshmī became the personified form of shrī. She is first described and worshiped in the Shrī Shukta, which is a supplement to the oldest known Indian text: Rig Veda. In that hymn, Shrī Lakshmī is associated with symbols of prosperity, and represents agricultural abundance. Throughout Hindu Mythology, she brings sovereignty and prosperity to gods and kings. In some stories she even brings ruling power to demons, such as the demon King, Bali, who becomes both victorious and virtuous under her influence. As Shrī Lakshmī moves from one ruler to another, she brings righteousness and fertility with her into the next kingdom.
By the Gupta period (300-700 CE), when the folk goddesses (that had formed from Vedic images) became full-fledged Puranic goddesses, Lakshmī finally settled down as the consistent and faithful consort of Vishnu. In the Bhāgavata Purāna and Kūrma Purāna for instance, Mahālaksmī (great Lakshmī) is equated with Vishnu’s supreme shakti (creative power).
Vishnu is the ruler of the universal and cosmic order. He is the infinite force that preserves the world and is, therefore, the archetype of dharma and integrity. He exemplifies the possibilities of your soul's purpose. Lakshmī is his energy, his fortune, and his might. Together, Lakshmī and Vishnu symbolize a marriage of fortune and integrity. They invite you to recognize your soul's purpose to feel whole, balanced, and abundantly wealthy.
Before Lakshmī arose from the ocean of milk, her archetypal energy was first introduced in the Vedic images of a king and his shrī (ruling power). In the Vedic hymns, the term shrī suggests beauty, luster, power, glory, riches, fertility, abundance, advantageous skills, and high rank. The term is especially used in later Vedic literature to refer to the ruling power, dominion, and majesty of kings (Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses 19). Shrī provides a king with the authority to rule.
Lakshmī became the personified form of shrī. She is first described and worshiped in the Shrī Shukta, which is a supplement to the oldest known Indian text: Rig Veda. In that hymn, Shrī Lakshmī is associated with symbols of prosperity, and represents agricultural abundance. Throughout Hindu Mythology, she brings sovereignty and prosperity to gods and kings. In some stories she even brings ruling power to demons, such as the demon King, Bali, who becomes both victorious and virtuous under her influence. As Shrī Lakshmī moves from one ruler to another, she brings righteousness and fertility with her into the next kingdom.
By the Gupta period (300-700 CE), when the folk goddesses (that had formed from Vedic images) became full-fledged Puranic goddesses, Lakshmī finally settled down as the consistent and faithful consort of Vishnu. In the Bhāgavata Purāna and Kūrma Purāna for instance, Mahālaksmī (great Lakshmī) is equated with Vishnu’s supreme shakti (creative power).
Vishnu is the ruler of the universal and cosmic order. He is the infinite force that preserves the world and is, therefore, the archetype of dharma and integrity. He exemplifies the possibilities of your soul's purpose. Lakshmī is his energy, his fortune, and his might. Together, Lakshmī and Vishnu symbolize a marriage of fortune and integrity. They invite you to recognize your soul's purpose to feel whole, balanced, and abundantly wealthy.
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There is a popular Celtic goddess who also embodies Lakshmi's fertile power as love, sovereignty, and wealth. That is the image of Aine (often pronounced on-ya), the summer goddess. Aine is beautiful and erotic. She is the lover of many—both men and gods. Her children make up the fairy kingdom. Aine is celebrated with midsummer fire rituals for fertility and prosperity. She is invoked to help one stay true to their passions, take a creative leap of faith, or remember their soul's purpose.
Like Shrī, Aine possesses the power to grant sovereignty to kings...and also to take it away. For example, the fairy goddess cursed the King of Munster, Ailill Aulom. |
Upon seeing her, the king was driven mad with sexual desire and raped her. In self-defense, Aine bit off his ear. Because old Irish law required a king's face and body to be perfectly intact, Ailill Aulom lost his kingdom.
This story is a reminder that healthy wealth follows integrity and purposeful living.
In our current sociopolitical climate, it may seem like the "bad kings" continue to win money and prestige despite their appalling behavior.
But archetypes don't lie.
Throughout history and around the world, myths, legends, and folktales insist that there is more to healthy wealth than money and those who go against dharma will, eventually but surely, fall.
Healthy wealth naturally follows when we approach the dance of life with the music of our dharma/soul's purpose...and then pay positive attention to our money.
A third Goddess Archetype serves our ritual tonight. From the Roman pantheon, Abundantia invites you to shun any limiting voices and shed any limiting behaviors that keep you from embracing true prosperity. In her work, Archangels and Ascended Masters, Doreen Virtue imagines Abundantia empowering us with her wisdom:
“I’m a way-shower to the mighty Source of all. It’s my greatest pleasure to reward your efforts, and I become ecstatic at the sound of gratitude and joy when someone is rescued through my interventions. I’m here to serve, to help you plan for uninterrupted financial bliss, and to uncover hidden treasures that you do not yet know of. I also easily come into your dreams to answer any questions you may have about high finance, investments, and such. Never forget that finances can fuel healing projects and afford you freedom where time is concerned. But money can also be a trap if you allow worry and concern to rule over you. That’s where I come in: to alleviate these lower thoughts and take you to the high road of prosperity.”
The work of tonight's New Moon Ritual is to invoke the wisdom of these abundance archetypes to further clarify your soul's purpose in relationship to money.
It begins when you ask yourself: "What does money actually mean to me?"
Money, itself, has no value.
That is to say, the paper or plastic that carries the money currency is worthless.
It is the energy behind the money that has value.
What is of value to you? What does your money stand for?
Does it represent your time? security? peace of mind? freedom? productivity? love?
When you have plenty of money, how do you feel?
Compare this answer to the one you originally asked yourself at the outset of our Eleven Moons journey: How do you want to feel? (remember that?)
As we move toward transformation, allow yourself to embrace the possibilities of living a completely abundant and prosperous life.
For the next 19 nights light a candle at your alter. Allow this ritual, like the fire rituals of Ayna to invoke creative fertility and real prosperity. Tend the financial fires both within your heart/mind AND as it manifests outwardly in your life.
This story is a reminder that healthy wealth follows integrity and purposeful living.
In our current sociopolitical climate, it may seem like the "bad kings" continue to win money and prestige despite their appalling behavior.
But archetypes don't lie.
Throughout history and around the world, myths, legends, and folktales insist that there is more to healthy wealth than money and those who go against dharma will, eventually but surely, fall.
Healthy wealth naturally follows when we approach the dance of life with the music of our dharma/soul's purpose...and then pay positive attention to our money.
A third Goddess Archetype serves our ritual tonight. From the Roman pantheon, Abundantia invites you to shun any limiting voices and shed any limiting behaviors that keep you from embracing true prosperity. In her work, Archangels and Ascended Masters, Doreen Virtue imagines Abundantia empowering us with her wisdom:
“I’m a way-shower to the mighty Source of all. It’s my greatest pleasure to reward your efforts, and I become ecstatic at the sound of gratitude and joy when someone is rescued through my interventions. I’m here to serve, to help you plan for uninterrupted financial bliss, and to uncover hidden treasures that you do not yet know of. I also easily come into your dreams to answer any questions you may have about high finance, investments, and such. Never forget that finances can fuel healing projects and afford you freedom where time is concerned. But money can also be a trap if you allow worry and concern to rule over you. That’s where I come in: to alleviate these lower thoughts and take you to the high road of prosperity.”
The work of tonight's New Moon Ritual is to invoke the wisdom of these abundance archetypes to further clarify your soul's purpose in relationship to money.
It begins when you ask yourself: "What does money actually mean to me?"
Money, itself, has no value.
That is to say, the paper or plastic that carries the money currency is worthless.
It is the energy behind the money that has value.
What is of value to you? What does your money stand for?
Does it represent your time? security? peace of mind? freedom? productivity? love?
When you have plenty of money, how do you feel?
Compare this answer to the one you originally asked yourself at the outset of our Eleven Moons journey: How do you want to feel? (remember that?)
As we move toward transformation, allow yourself to embrace the possibilities of living a completely abundant and prosperous life.
For the next 19 nights light a candle at your alter. Allow this ritual, like the fire rituals of Ayna to invoke creative fertility and real prosperity. Tend the financial fires both within your heart/mind AND as it manifests outwardly in your life.
LISTEN: Awakening Absolute Abundance
(Please give the audio file several seconds to begin.)
Soul Questions & Action Steps
- Did you find this practice difficult? ....or easy? ...uncomfortable? ...or freeing?
- Can you free yourself from your limiting thoughts and just FEEL?
- What makes you feel beautiful?
- What "messed up" ideas do you hold about your body?
- What "messed up" ideas limit your experiences of sensual freedom and pleasure?
- Are you ready to completely let them go? ...or not quite yet?
- If not today, set a date with yourself to confront and destroy your limitations, soon!
Together, we create community. Please share your experience, below! 💖
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Week 2: Communicating Abundance
Week 2: Jealous Much?
ARE YOU COMMUNICATING ABUNDANCE OR LACK?
(Please review your June Journal for full content.)
This week’s theme could also be “Relating Abundance.” The next step I am taking on
this journey is to recognize how I relate to abundance, prosperity, and success...AND that includes how I am communicating.
As I examine my thoughts around money, I feel some pretty real emotions: anger, frustration, jealousy, envy, confusion, excitement, hope, and inspiration—the whole gamut.
The way I relate and, further, communicate about money springs directly from this undercurrent of emotions.
I realize that my tendency toward saving or spending is also emotionally driven. I might feel like I “deserve” to buy something I don’t need at all, or that I “can’t afford” something I could actually benefit from enjoying.
My pent-up emotions around money turn me into either a victim or a perpetrator. I might feel deprived, lamenting that I don’t get what others seem to have. Or else, I might feel guilty with buyer’s remorse.
This week’s challenge is to move beyond feelings of victimhood to become my own financial hero. I, alone, have the power to improve my situation and it all begins with the thoughts I think and the words I use.
I am improving my relationship with my money in the same way other’s might work on their marriage:
this journey is to recognize how I relate to abundance, prosperity, and success...AND that includes how I am communicating.
As I examine my thoughts around money, I feel some pretty real emotions: anger, frustration, jealousy, envy, confusion, excitement, hope, and inspiration—the whole gamut.
The way I relate and, further, communicate about money springs directly from this undercurrent of emotions.
I realize that my tendency toward saving or spending is also emotionally driven. I might feel like I “deserve” to buy something I don’t need at all, or that I “can’t afford” something I could actually benefit from enjoying.
My pent-up emotions around money turn me into either a victim or a perpetrator. I might feel deprived, lamenting that I don’t get what others seem to have. Or else, I might feel guilty with buyer’s remorse.
This week’s challenge is to move beyond feelings of victimhood to become my own financial hero. I, alone, have the power to improve my situation and it all begins with the thoughts I think and the words I use.
I am improving my relationship with my money in the same way other’s might work on their marriage:
- Open to what “the other” (in this case my money) has to say about me. Honestly facing my relationship to it and listening to the truth. What can I learn from my past mistakes?
- Shift my perspective of “the other" (in this case...money). Look at it with the eyes of compassion and love. See it for what it really is. Recognize it’s value in my life and envision what we can create together.
- Evolve the way I talk about “the other” (money) from lamentations of victimhood into empowered affirmations for lasting change. For instance, I can turn the statement, “I can’t afford that,” into “That is not where I choose to put my money right now.” Then, I become an investor, an empowered value-keeper, and the hero of my money story. I am in the decision making seat around my financial success.
When you have completely emerged from any habitual hiding places, released the constrictions you have around prosperity, and are taking action steps toward your financial goals, you can see that abundance is all around you just waiting for your collaboration. You can be inspired by others success rather than wallow in your own insecurity. Those feelings of excitement, hope, and inspiration further fuel your momentum toward realizing your visions of healthy wealth.
PRACTICE: Ho'o'pono'pono Meditation for Abundance
(Please allow a few seconds for audio to load)
Soul Questions & Action Steps
- What is your dominant emotion around the idea of money right now: Anger? Grief? Constriction? Freedom? Bliss?
- Do you tend to spend or even “blow” your money? OR do you tend to save? Hoard?
- What emotion could be fueling this particular way of relating to your money?
- In what ways have you allowed yourself to be a money victim (with feelings of lack)?
- In what ways have you been a money perpetrator (with feelings of entitlement)?
- How much money do you think is enough? How much do you really want to have? How much do you truly believe you CAN have?
- If there are discrepancies among those last three questions, what is the cause of that discrepancy?
Week 3: Prosperity Impact
Week 3: Prosperity Impact
(Please review your June Journal for full content.)
Stories are told to inspire, to entertain, and to bring awareness of one’s own human experience. Some of my favorite Indian folktales come from the southern region of Karnataka. The following story was an oral tale, told in the language of Kannada and then translated into a written collection of Indian folktales by A.K. Ramanujan. Due to the malleable nature of folktales, there are always variations and adaptations. This story is no exception.
It is the story of A Flowering Tree. I share it with you now from my imagination..to yours.
It is the story of A Flowering Tree. I share it with you now from my imagination..to yours.
This is the tale of a girl—beautiful, brave, and kind—who lived with her older sister and their mother. They were very poor and their poverty had made their mother bitter and hopeless. Still, the young maiden grew to be compassionate and loving.
One day, she turned to her older sister and said: “Mother is so very old and so very tired. She works so hard and still we have so little. I have been thinking of a way to help her. I can turn myself into a flowering tree, then you can take the flowers and sell them for good money.”
Amazed and confused, the older sister asked, “How will you turn yourself into a flowering tree?”
The maiden explained that she would need her sisters help. “Please fetch two pitchers of water...” she asked. “Do not touch the water at all; not even with your fingertips. While I sit and pray, pour one pitcher of water all over my body. I will become a flowering tree. Pick all my flowers carefully. Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf. Then pour the second pitcher of water on me and I will return to my human form.”
The older sister brought the water into the yard where she found the maiden sitting in meditation—invoking the radiant abundance of Lakshmi.
As she had been instructed to do, the older sister poured the water over the seated maiden.
To her surprise and delight, the plan worked! She watched as the girl’s legs became roots, her arms became branches, and the most bountiful, fragrant flowers bloomed. She carefully plucked all the blossoms, mindful not to break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf. Then she poured the second pitcher of water over the flowering tree, and the flower maiden returned to her human form. She stood, wrung out her sari, and shook the water from her hair.
Together, the sisters gathered up all the flowers and brought them to the king’s palace, where they knew they could sell them for a very high price.
At that time, there were three siblings living in the palace. Two princesses and a prince.
In just five days, the oldest princess would be married. She and the queen were discussing the details of the wedding when the two sisters happened by.
“Flowers, flowers, who wants flowers?”
The princess had never seen a more glorious garland or smelled a more beautiful fragrance. “I must have all those flowers for my wedding guests!” she cried.
The queen gave the girls a handful of coins in exchange for all they had. Their success was so rewarding, they decided to repeat the trick again and again each night, selling their bounty at the palace each day and hiding their growing treasury of coins to surprise their mother.
On the day of the royal wedding, delicate garlands graced the entire palace with their magnificence. The bride’s brother—the prince—was deeply enchanted by the unusual flowers. He wondered what kind of tree could yield such sublime blossoms.
So the next day, after the newlyweds had left for their neighboring kingdom, he watched and waited for the flower-sellers to return. After the sisters had sold what they had for the day, the prince followed them home. Keeping a safe distance, he saw the girls enter the old woman’s house, but there was not a single flowering branch anywhere around it. He became even more intrigued than before, so he climbed the nearest tree and waited until nightfall.
That evening, when the girls entered the yard, the prince saw the entire miracle unfold.
He watched as the maiden sat in meditation—invoking the abundance of Lakshmi. He saw the flowering tree appear under the first pitcher of water. He watched as the older sister harvested the flowers and as the maiden’s body was restored. The prince was love-struck. Returning to the palace, he declared his intention to marry the girl who could turn herself into a flowering tree. They wed that very same week.
Entering their wedding chambers, the prince asked his new wife to share her flowers with him so they might to sleep on the soft petals all through the night and wake to their fragrance at dawn. Reluctantly, she agreed and taught him the rules of the arrangement: “...Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf.”
For days and nights they delighted in the bliss of the flowering tree and all of its blossoms.
Soon the youngest princess was jealous and wanted garlands for herself. She devised a plan. One afternoon, she invited her new sister-in-law, along with a group of girls, into the forest to swing. Once they had hung their swings from the forest branches, the young princess begged the flower maiden to become a tree so that all her friends might pluck her posies. The maiden was instinctively reluctant, but the princess insulted and insisted.
The maiden eventually agreed, but with the advice to please be mindful: “...Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf.”
But night was beginning to fall, a thunderstorm was building overhead, and the greedy girls were reckless. They broke branches, snapped twigs, and tore several leaves as they snatched and grabbed the blossoms.
Once all the flowers were gone, they hastily splashed the second pitcher toward the maiden as they ran for shelter.
The maiden's body was severely wounded. She had no hands, no feet, and her limbs were broken. She could not walk or speak. A torrent of rainwater carried her into a nearby stream, where she remained circling in an eddy until morning. There she was discovered by a caravan of salesmen, who brought her into the neighboring kingdom, gave her a little food and left her perched along the side of the road.
Who do you think happened by?
It was the princes’ older sister—the one who had married. She was now queen of that neighboring kingdom, where the maiden sat on the side of the road. Although the queen did not recognize the flower maiden in her broken state, she found the beauty in her face hauntingly familiar. She ordered to have her brought back to the palace to be cared for.
Meanwhile, the loss of his wife drove the prince into deep grief. He renounced his kingdom, all wealth, and all pleasure. He became an ascetic, wandering from place to place and begging for every meal. Until one day he ambled into the neighboring kingdom and onto the lawn of his older sister’s palace.
How does this story end!?
I’ll tell you that when the queen saw her brother she was devastated and confused. She immediately brought him inside bathed him and offered him the most luxurious clothing. He would not dress. She offered him the most decadent meals, but he would not eat. He longed only for the return of his wife and her unique flowers.
Each night, the queen sent a different maidservant into her brother’s chambers to tell him stories, lift his spirits, and hold his hand. Each night he remained restrained and uninspired.
On the seventh night, the queen’s maidservants—frustrated and insulted—dressed up the flower maiden’s mutilated body and laid her upon his bed. After hours of lying motionless, the prince finally noticed the woman lying there. He recognized his wife at once and immediately rose to fill two pitchers with water. He was careful not to touch the water at all; not even with his fingertips.
He poured the first pitcher over her broken body. As before, she turned into a flowering tree. He saw that her branches were broken, her twigs snapped, and many leaves were torn.
The prince mended each branch, twig, and leaf with loving care.
When he poured the second pitcher of water, the flower maiden was restored to wholeness.
The two were reunited with a new love for each other and valuable wisdom.
The renunciate prince returned to enjoy his wealth with balance, gratitude, and moderation. The flower maiden learned that, while it is truly a blessing to give...
there are times when it is certainly best to say, “No” with loving clarity and discernment.
This story is an invitation to consider how you are spending your blossoms.
Invoking the abundance of goddess archetypes helps us to shift our mindset. But that is not the end. There are some serious choices to make and powerful action steps to be taken...
This week I invite you to contemplate the impact of your own prosperity.
If you allow yourself to completely awaken absolute abundance in all areas of your life— if you were to completely embrace and actualize more wealth—who would benefit?
When I contemplate this for my own life, it is easy for me to think about my daughter first. I want her to feel safe and provided for. I want her to enjoy aspects of life she might not have the opportunity to enjoy without money—a comfortable home, good food, travel, and cultural experiences.
My husband easily comes to mind, too. I would love to be able to provide financial stability for our family, giving him an opportunity to ease his mind and reap the rewards of all his hard work.
I quickly think of all the people I could empower, inspire, uplift, and support, if I had the financial prosperity and, therefore, all the creative freedom to manifest my biggest dreams.
It is infinitely harder to think about myself—how I, personally, would benefit.
You too?
We're conditioned to think of others first. But here is the rub: You cannot give a single thing if you have nothing to give. This fact stands whether you are talking about time, compassion, creativity, energy...or, yes, even MONEY!
Like they advise us in an airplane, “Put on your own oxygen mask, before assisting others.”
Taking care of your finances is a matter of Self-Love.
When you love yourself, you have more—of everything!—to give to others. You can give in a way that truly refuels your own soul.
One day, she turned to her older sister and said: “Mother is so very old and so very tired. She works so hard and still we have so little. I have been thinking of a way to help her. I can turn myself into a flowering tree, then you can take the flowers and sell them for good money.”
Amazed and confused, the older sister asked, “How will you turn yourself into a flowering tree?”
The maiden explained that she would need her sisters help. “Please fetch two pitchers of water...” she asked. “Do not touch the water at all; not even with your fingertips. While I sit and pray, pour one pitcher of water all over my body. I will become a flowering tree. Pick all my flowers carefully. Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf. Then pour the second pitcher of water on me and I will return to my human form.”
The older sister brought the water into the yard where she found the maiden sitting in meditation—invoking the radiant abundance of Lakshmi.
As she had been instructed to do, the older sister poured the water over the seated maiden.
To her surprise and delight, the plan worked! She watched as the girl’s legs became roots, her arms became branches, and the most bountiful, fragrant flowers bloomed. She carefully plucked all the blossoms, mindful not to break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf. Then she poured the second pitcher of water over the flowering tree, and the flower maiden returned to her human form. She stood, wrung out her sari, and shook the water from her hair.
Together, the sisters gathered up all the flowers and brought them to the king’s palace, where they knew they could sell them for a very high price.
At that time, there were three siblings living in the palace. Two princesses and a prince.
In just five days, the oldest princess would be married. She and the queen were discussing the details of the wedding when the two sisters happened by.
“Flowers, flowers, who wants flowers?”
The princess had never seen a more glorious garland or smelled a more beautiful fragrance. “I must have all those flowers for my wedding guests!” she cried.
The queen gave the girls a handful of coins in exchange for all they had. Their success was so rewarding, they decided to repeat the trick again and again each night, selling their bounty at the palace each day and hiding their growing treasury of coins to surprise their mother.
On the day of the royal wedding, delicate garlands graced the entire palace with their magnificence. The bride’s brother—the prince—was deeply enchanted by the unusual flowers. He wondered what kind of tree could yield such sublime blossoms.
So the next day, after the newlyweds had left for their neighboring kingdom, he watched and waited for the flower-sellers to return. After the sisters had sold what they had for the day, the prince followed them home. Keeping a safe distance, he saw the girls enter the old woman’s house, but there was not a single flowering branch anywhere around it. He became even more intrigued than before, so he climbed the nearest tree and waited until nightfall.
That evening, when the girls entered the yard, the prince saw the entire miracle unfold.
He watched as the maiden sat in meditation—invoking the abundance of Lakshmi. He saw the flowering tree appear under the first pitcher of water. He watched as the older sister harvested the flowers and as the maiden’s body was restored. The prince was love-struck. Returning to the palace, he declared his intention to marry the girl who could turn herself into a flowering tree. They wed that very same week.
Entering their wedding chambers, the prince asked his new wife to share her flowers with him so they might to sleep on the soft petals all through the night and wake to their fragrance at dawn. Reluctantly, she agreed and taught him the rules of the arrangement: “...Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf.”
For days and nights they delighted in the bliss of the flowering tree and all of its blossoms.
Soon the youngest princess was jealous and wanted garlands for herself. She devised a plan. One afternoon, she invited her new sister-in-law, along with a group of girls, into the forest to swing. Once they had hung their swings from the forest branches, the young princess begged the flower maiden to become a tree so that all her friends might pluck her posies. The maiden was instinctively reluctant, but the princess insulted and insisted.
The maiden eventually agreed, but with the advice to please be mindful: “...Do not break a single branch, snap a single twig, or tear a single leaf.”
But night was beginning to fall, a thunderstorm was building overhead, and the greedy girls were reckless. They broke branches, snapped twigs, and tore several leaves as they snatched and grabbed the blossoms.
Once all the flowers were gone, they hastily splashed the second pitcher toward the maiden as they ran for shelter.
The maiden's body was severely wounded. She had no hands, no feet, and her limbs were broken. She could not walk or speak. A torrent of rainwater carried her into a nearby stream, where she remained circling in an eddy until morning. There she was discovered by a caravan of salesmen, who brought her into the neighboring kingdom, gave her a little food and left her perched along the side of the road.
Who do you think happened by?
It was the princes’ older sister—the one who had married. She was now queen of that neighboring kingdom, where the maiden sat on the side of the road. Although the queen did not recognize the flower maiden in her broken state, she found the beauty in her face hauntingly familiar. She ordered to have her brought back to the palace to be cared for.
Meanwhile, the loss of his wife drove the prince into deep grief. He renounced his kingdom, all wealth, and all pleasure. He became an ascetic, wandering from place to place and begging for every meal. Until one day he ambled into the neighboring kingdom and onto the lawn of his older sister’s palace.
How does this story end!?
I’ll tell you that when the queen saw her brother she was devastated and confused. She immediately brought him inside bathed him and offered him the most luxurious clothing. He would not dress. She offered him the most decadent meals, but he would not eat. He longed only for the return of his wife and her unique flowers.
Each night, the queen sent a different maidservant into her brother’s chambers to tell him stories, lift his spirits, and hold his hand. Each night he remained restrained and uninspired.
On the seventh night, the queen’s maidservants—frustrated and insulted—dressed up the flower maiden’s mutilated body and laid her upon his bed. After hours of lying motionless, the prince finally noticed the woman lying there. He recognized his wife at once and immediately rose to fill two pitchers with water. He was careful not to touch the water at all; not even with his fingertips.
He poured the first pitcher over her broken body. As before, she turned into a flowering tree. He saw that her branches were broken, her twigs snapped, and many leaves were torn.
The prince mended each branch, twig, and leaf with loving care.
When he poured the second pitcher of water, the flower maiden was restored to wholeness.
The two were reunited with a new love for each other and valuable wisdom.
The renunciate prince returned to enjoy his wealth with balance, gratitude, and moderation. The flower maiden learned that, while it is truly a blessing to give...
there are times when it is certainly best to say, “No” with loving clarity and discernment.
This story is an invitation to consider how you are spending your blossoms.
Invoking the abundance of goddess archetypes helps us to shift our mindset. But that is not the end. There are some serious choices to make and powerful action steps to be taken...
This week I invite you to contemplate the impact of your own prosperity.
If you allow yourself to completely awaken absolute abundance in all areas of your life— if you were to completely embrace and actualize more wealth—who would benefit?
When I contemplate this for my own life, it is easy for me to think about my daughter first. I want her to feel safe and provided for. I want her to enjoy aspects of life she might not have the opportunity to enjoy without money—a comfortable home, good food, travel, and cultural experiences.
My husband easily comes to mind, too. I would love to be able to provide financial stability for our family, giving him an opportunity to ease his mind and reap the rewards of all his hard work.
I quickly think of all the people I could empower, inspire, uplift, and support, if I had the financial prosperity and, therefore, all the creative freedom to manifest my biggest dreams.
It is infinitely harder to think about myself—how I, personally, would benefit.
You too?
We're conditioned to think of others first. But here is the rub: You cannot give a single thing if you have nothing to give. This fact stands whether you are talking about time, compassion, creativity, energy...or, yes, even MONEY!
Like they advise us in an airplane, “Put on your own oxygen mask, before assisting others.”
Taking care of your finances is a matter of Self-Love.
When you love yourself, you have more—of everything!—to give to others. You can give in a way that truly refuels your own soul.
Soul Questions & Action Steps
- Who would benefit from your financial prosperity? In other words: who would you personally like to serve and support? In what causes, companies, or services would you wish to invest?
- How would YOU, personally, benefit from more financial prosperity?
- Have you been paying loving attention to where your money goes?
- Do you feel more like a fountain of flowing abundance or a leaky faucet? (A flowering tree or a broken one?)
- Are you giving to people, companies, causes, organizations, etc., that refill you on some level: spiritually, emotionally, physically, ecologically, intellectually...or some other way? Or is your giving draining you?
- Are you spending your money on things that fulfill you and keep abundance flowing? ... or things that give you buyer’s remorse and make you feel unsatisfied?
- CREATE A VISION BOARD with all the things you would do and ways you would like to serve the world if you experienced more financial abundance in your life. Notice any feelings that arise as you do this. Are there limiting voices? ...shaming voices? Resist the urge to make yourself wrong for dreaming big.
The more you have, the more you can share.
Together, we create community. Please share your answers below.
Week 4: Living Prosperity
Week 4: Living Prosperity
(Please review your June Journal for full content.)
ACTION STEPS
DAILY
WEEKLY
MONTHLY
I am a value keeper.
I am an investor.
Living within my means is not an act of deprivation. It is compassionate Self-Care.
I will remember that my “net worth” is not the same thing as my Self-worth.
I will allow myself to have fun with this new and exciting endeavor to pay positive attention to my money...and watch it grow.
- Change the notion that I will be abundant when I have reached my financial goals...into the realization that I will be abundant WHILE I am reaching my financial goals. I will enjoy each day abundantly embracing all the richness that life has to offer and each way that I can relish in the beauty of the human experience without spending money.
- Have compassion for myself despite my past money mistakes. Love and accept where I am financially, including all the emotions that surround my financial consciousness.
- Pay positive attention to my money, tracking both my income and spending.
- Check my bank account balance every morning with gratitude for what I have.
- Focus on the value of each dollar I earn and spend as an expression of my energy. Commit to providing the highest value and, in return, value my work/gifts. (Spending less to give more.)
WEEKLY
- Set up a Weekly Money Date to get and stay clear and organized about my finances by totaling income and spending.
- Clean out my wallet and organize receipts.
- Create a money calendar with bill due dates and automatic payments.
- Recognize at least one way each week to save money, spend less, cut costs, etc. and put that money into a Self-Care savings account that I can use for emergencies, surprises, investments, and to pay off debt. (Make this a game, setting progressive goals for my Self-Care fund).
- Extend my money date into a weekly conversation about money with my partner, committing to have sex directly after to awaken and coordinate our 2nd Chakras.
MONTHLY
- Monthly Money Date to total monthly income and expenses.
- Create and meet with an investment group or financial consciousness group or simply talk about my finances with a money mentor I trust.
- Monthly statement and bill review. Make each monthly payment with gratitude for the blessings received.
- Use my emotional responses to my bills and spending to reduce or eliminate spending that doesn’t feel necessary or supportive to my financial goals.
- Brainstorm 10 ways to increase my income and take action steps for the top 3 ideas.
- Assemble and meet with a financial team I trust and enjoy working with: accountant, advisor, lawyer. (Remember these people work for me, not the other way around).
- Financial review of the previous year.
- Create financial goals for the new year.
I am a value keeper.
I am an investor.
Living within my means is not an act of deprivation. It is compassionate Self-Care.
I will remember that my “net worth” is not the same thing as my Self-worth.
I will allow myself to have fun with this new and exciting endeavor to pay positive attention to my money...and watch it grow.
Ayurveda: Kapha to Pitta
Transitioning from Kapha to Pitta
(Find more recipes in your June Soulstice Journal.)
Love & Money Sun Tea
- fresh strawberries
- peppermint leaves (or peppermint tea) fennel sprigs
- citrine pebbles
- rose quartz pebbles
- pure filtered water
- the sun
Full Moon Community Council
Full Rose Moon Community Council
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Join me for the ROSE MOON Community Council to celebrate the Summer Soulstice. Here, I offer you a surprise bonus story–a folktale from the Tamil region of India that has completely rewired my relationship to abundance. I hope it will also help you to re-imagine what Infinite Abundance can look like for you.
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Further Study for June
