Hi, All,
I'm posting this today, because I believe that this ancient Hindu myth tells the story of exactly where we have been and what is happening right now, as I write this post. The tide is turning. The shift of the economy, which is the shift from the old paradigm of greed and disregard and hate for the beloved Mother, to the unfolding of a truly abundant, loving paradigm where All of the Mother's children will be taken care of is happening. We are, everyone of us, even the bad guys are "stirring up the Sea of Milk." (see the story below)
Here is the ancient myth. Look at the wonderful symbolism in a myth written thousands of years ago.
LAKSHMI – THE HINDU GODDESS OF WEALTH
In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi, also known as Shri, is the goddess of all that the material world offers to humanity. The legends say that all women of the world are forms of Lakshmi, and that where Lakshmi presides there is prosperity, virtue, righteousness, truth, and compassion. One of the Lakshmi myths begins when Devendra, King of the Gods, carelessly, allows his horse to trample Lakshmi’s lotus blossom necklace that is lying on the riverbank. The great sage Durvarsa is so incensed by this lack of respect for the gracious Mother of All, that he puts a curse on Devendra so that he may never see Lakshmi again.
But this curse on Devendra deprives the entire Earth of Lakshmi’s presence. Without the goddess of wealth and compassion there is great suffering throughout the land. There is not enough food for all the people. Only the kings dine on fine foods served on golden plates. The demons are happy to see this division between the rich and the poor. They side with the kings and celebrate their greed.
Soon the kings realize that their greed cannot sustain them. Without Lakshmi, the Earth is parched. No food can grow, and even the mightiest rulers have nothing left. They turn their backs on the demons and appeal to the gods to intervene to bring Lakshmi back.
It is revealed that Lakshmi now resides under the sea of milk. It will take the power of all the gods, mortals, and even the demons to churn the sea of milk and return her. After much politicking, the gods convince the demons that once Lakshmi is restored to heaven, the kings will regain their wealth and will turn to them again to support their wars and greed.
All the gods, mortals, and demons agree to work together to churn the sea of milk. They work for many days, but to no avail. At last, just as they are about to give up, Lakshmi arises on a red lotus blossom with golden coins falling from her hands. All are elated by her presence. She brings with her ambrosia to heal the land, and there is great rejoicing, but quickly the demons steal the ambrosia. The celebrating stops as the gods fight the demons to reclaim the ambrosia. The great God Vishnu, who is the preserver of the universe, comes to the rescue, disguised as a beautiful a seductress. He takes the ambrosia from the demons, and then instructs the gods and the demons to sit down in two lines so that he can share the ambrosia equally with all of them. But this is a trick. He fills the cups of the gods with ambrosia, but the cups of demons he fills with poison. With the demons finally gone there is great celebration, as Lakshmi bestows health and prosperity on the land once more.
It’s interesting to note that even the demons are integral in bringing Lakshmi back to Earth. Because the demons hold power over the parched and barren land, they are necessary in the return of the Great Mother Lakshmi. Yet they must be tricked into the game by the gods, who know that their delight in war and the games of greed and seduction, are also their downfall.
In our society, the demons are playing their role in churning up the sea by showing their hand so obviously in the wars, politics, and corporate scandals that abound. As we Power Women and everyone who loves goodness and truth own our power, we are joining the forces churning the sea of milk, and in the final act, we will depose the demons.
