Guiding Goddess and Lunar Horoscope for April 2019

March 29, 2019

This April 2019 brings a flux of energy with the arrival of the spring season and a slue of planets entering retrograde (Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn!). This month, we find our mental peace, emotional balance, and infinite abundance within the glow of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi.

In Hindu spirituality, Lakshmi is the epitome of wealth and abundance in both the material and spiritual realms. She rules prosperity in all its forms, and widely bestows Her gifts to those who are open to receive. One of her names, Shri, translates as ‘auspiciousness’: the epitome of beauty, lovingkindness, health and well-being, good fortune, and material prosperity. She is so powerful that even the Gods depend on her goodwill for their success and riches.

She is generally pictured wearing red and gold, standing on a blooming lotus with gold coins pouring from Her hands. While the Goddess blesses you with inner abundance, she also supplies you with everything you need in the physical realm. In addition to beauty, financial prosperity, and success, Lakshmi offers the most lasting forms of wealth: empathy, compassion, integrity, and an open heart for giving and receiving love.

Her depictions often feature elephants as well; a nod to her connection to Hindu God Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles. Lakshmi and Ganesha are often invoked and worshiped together, as the Elephant God opens and clears the path of any obstacles to enlightenment, joy, and prosperity.

With Lakshmi, we have the ability to tap into the finer side of life. The blessings she bestows reflect her own generous nature, and her desire to make our lives sweet, happy, and wonderful. This Goddess understands that there must be a flow of money into a practitioner’s life, as the energy exchange of gold is the foundation of the modern world.

However, Lakshmi also guides us to understand the sacredness of money, and she will not remain where there is pride, arrogance, greed, or harshness. If her gifts are being misused, the Goddess will simply withdraw her energy, and take her blessings with her. She can help a practitioner overcome these shadow aspects through the center of her power – the principle of value, and of giving and receiving.

“The fundamental principle around Lakshmi and wealth is to find the balance between carefulness and generosity, between trusting in abundance and taking care of what you have. Knowing that the universe is always ready to offer support, you live without fear, and you use money generously. At the same time, when you look at material wealth as Lakshmi’s expression, you take care of it. On a day-to-day level, Lakshmi’s energy flourishes when we keep budgets, conserve water and energy, and maintain ecological balance in all its forms. So, one of the core practices for honoring Lakshmi is to take care of your money in all the obvious ways: from paying your bills on time and keeping down your credit card debt, to maintaining a savings account and managing your investments, and even to keeping the money in your wallet tidy.”

- Sally Kempton, Awakening Shakti

In all her auspiciousness, Lakshmi teaches us that money is only one type of currency. We give of ourselves in other ways; we barter our time, our words, our services in exchange for goods, peace of mind, even love and companionship.

When we give more, we receive more. And it’s within this balance, along with an attitude on non-attachment, where we can experience the truth of Lakshmi’s blessings. If our motivation to give is solely based on what we are receiving in return, we are inadvertently blocking the complete manifestation of Lakshmi’s gifts. If we have difficulty receiving because we feel we “aren’t worthy”, we are not only turning our nose up at the way the Goddess tries to bless us, but we are also blocking the blessings of the giver.

This month, allow yourself to give with an open and free heart, and then receive in the same way, in order to experience the true bounty of Lakshmi’s auspiciousness.

April 5^th, 2019: NEW MOON IN ARIES

This lunar phase lights a fire in our spirits for a new beginning. The energy here is of major lifestyle changes and inner transformations, fueled by a wild and confident disposition. It’s a wonderful time to consider how you want your home life, relationships, and career to change, as you’ll be feeling assertiveness to make your moves towards attainment.

But dude, be chill about it.

Aries is all explosions and fireworks, and in the dark of the moon, that energy can push you into rash decisions and Scarface-style-walk-outs. And while that may feel liberating now, how does it help you in the long run? Connecting to Goddess Lakshmi this month will help cool that Aries fire, and allow this moon’s influence to work for you instead of against you. Focus your energy on discovering/reevaluating your personal goals, and make plans towards manifestation. And by working with the Goddess of Auspiciousness, you can move yourself towards a higher quality of life without having to burn every bridge behind you.

April 19^th, 2019: FULL MOON IN LIBRA

The Full Moon this month brings in the balancing scales of Libra, influencing your romantic and familial relationships. This is when you begin to see the bright green sprouts from all the assessment and transformation seeds you planted during New Moon.

Lakshmi will help you weigh the beauty and abundance of your relationships against the lack and emptiness within those connections. It’s time to clean out the contact list, folks. Which relationships are good, which need a little fine-tuning, and whose number needs to be deleted? Libra energy offers us communication, fairness, and a sensible view of a situation, while the Full Moon lends us strength, positivity, and the wherewithal to begin again. It’s a favorable time to honor and strengthen the relationships which empower you, and gently detach yourself from those people who no longer serve your highest good.

Allow Lakshmi to remind you this season that true balance is found in giving and receiving love. Are you giving as good as you’re getting?

Lakshmi Correspondences

Energy: abundance, prosperity, wealth in all its forms, beauty, love, manifestation, fertility, growth, overflow, success, light, good fortune, good luck

Chakra: heart and root

Consort/Partner: Vishnu (If you have an altar to Lakshmi, it is believed you must also have an image of Vishnu, or she will not stay)

Seed Sound: Shrim (shreem)

Mantra: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei Namaha

Colors: Red, Hot Pink, Purple, White, Gold, Green

Place in Nature: Ocean, lakes, gardens, meadows, fields

Element: Water

Gemstones/Crystals: clear quartz, white and round real pearls, mother of pearls, amethyst, opalite, aquamarine, malachite, rose quartz, cherry quartz, chrysoprase, green calcite, pistachio opal, pyrite, green aventurine, ruby, ruby in kyanite, ruby in fuchiste, ruby in zoisite, amazonite, green tourmaline, pink tourmaline, watermelon tourmaline, green jade, red coral

Animals: Owl, Elephant, Cow

Essential Oils/Scents: Sandalwood, Rose, Lemongrass, Honeysuckle, Lotus, Jasmine, Lemongrass, Patchouli, Neroli, Saffron

Specific Offerings: Ripe fruits and vegetables; coconuts; flowers, especially lotuses; garlands of flowers; lotus seeds; incense; sweet rice pudding; dates and figs; milk; ghee; honey; cowrie shells; coins; money (crisp bills); gold jewelry; white and round real pearls; seashells and other gifts from the ocean; sumptuous fabrics in her colors, bowl of rice and/or grains; turmeric; sandalwood paste; saffron and/or saffron paste; perfume; mirror; three dimensional or image of the Sri Yantra