In Vedic Astrology, the planet Venus (Shukra) is often associated with the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. Lakshmi is known as the Goddess of prosperity, abundance, wealth, fortune, love, fertility and beauty.
Often times, when people want to attract more abundance, wealth and money into their life, they may pray or worship Goddesses such as Lakshmi or Venus, to ask for blessings. And yet, often times, money doesn’t really flow as easily to them, or they may feel uncomfortable asking for it because they may not consider it “spiritual”. There are the ideas that we wouldn’t be spiritual if we are asking for money or that we should focus more on our spiritual gifts and abilities. But money, in its essence, is energy – it is like prana, it is breath, and it needs to breathe. If we hold the concept that divinity experiences itself through us as human beings, then divinity experiences itself through our material reality as well. It inhales and exhales like the breath in our chest, like the ebb and flow of waves, and through our every moment of emotion and experience it too experiences itself in a way it could not have otherwise.
Many years ago when I started studying mysticism, I learned a beautiful story by one of my spiritual teachers. In a village once, many, many years ago, high in the mountains, people prayed every day and night to the Goddess Lakshmi to bless them with spiritual wisdom and fulfillment of heart. The Goddess kept blessing them with rain for their crops, with sun for their wellness, and financial abundance, so that poverty is alleviated and no child would go to sleep hungry. But the people of the village grew tiresome and angry that they weren’t gaining spiritual abilities and opening of their third eye. Lakshmi continued to bless them with abundance, beauty and the harmony embedded in the freedom from war; she blessed them with the talent of hands to sew new shirts for the children and men, with the growth of crops for more food, with the blossoming of flowers for more beauty. Still, people were angry and said, “Where are my spiritual gifts, this is not spiritual, we want to be spiritual!” One man even shouted: “I don’t want money, I want to be spiritually rich!” And so Lakshmi pulled away, and so all other Gods pulled away their blessings too – and the poverty of heart became the poverty of land, until the people learned that all on this earth is spiritual if we choose to expand through gratitude, awareness and appreciation.
Money is not evil. It certainly can be misused and abused, just like spiritual knowledge can too be misused and abused depending on the person who uses it. In other words, anything can become “bad” or wasteful when it is in the wrong hands.
So when it comes to attracting money and asking for the blessing of wealth and abundance in a material form, we should certainly hold respect towards the material things we already have and are given, rather than judge them to be of less value compared to spiritual wisdom and abilities. Often times these limiting money beliefs that we hold are the limits to more blessings to come to us.
To attract Lakshmi, we essentially need to show respect for all her blessings, which means showing respect for money as well. Lakshmi’s blessing of financial abundance is founded on the concept that money is energy that is meant to be circulated consciously and valued properly. Money is meant to help you with your goals of realizing and providing support to self and others, for nurturing and abundance, expansion of creativity, furthering knowledge and wisdom, and to assist you on your path as you walk your true life’s purpose with integrity, virtue and purity of heart.
Deeper Into the Esoteric Secrets
Before we move on to three ways on how to attract more abundance and financial wealth into our life, let’s first dig deeper into Lakshmi’s esoteric secrets through her symbolism.
Lakshmi is essentially about creativity and creating – so to continue to create and expand, she blesses you with opportunities through the resources she will provide for you, such as money.
She is usually depicted standing on a lotus, which represents the flowering of life energy, while also teaching us the fragility of detachment and the acceptance of impermanence. Lakshmi is also very beautifully and richly dressed, and there is usually a portrayal of constant movement of falling coins around her. Abundance and life force energy are constantly moving, never stagnating.
Sometimes I describe both Lakshmi and Venus as a woman’s body that is constantly adjusting itself while she is sleeping to put her body into its sweetest most comfortable balance. In other words, she is an energy that desires to put into balance all that which is not currently in balance and harmony. This reminds us that balance is not static, it is dynamic and ever moving, to adjust – it is not extreme, it is the meeting place of trust and faith, it is the point of time of both sunrise and sunset, when the sun kisses the arms of dawn and the moon kisses the arms of dusk.
Sometimes Lakshmi is also portrayed to live in the heart of God Vishnu – so she is seen as the means through which he can do his work on earth. In other words – it is through the resources provided to you, that you can continue God’s work – and when aligned to your purpose, trust that all will conspire to help you continue to do your work, giving you what you need. In some ways, Lakshmi is something that we are losing the sacredness of in our modern world – because by nature and essence she is vulnerable and humble, and yet her power is precisely in that.
In some other depictions, she is washing Vishnu’s feet – a gesture that shows her humility and devotion to the service and to the caring itself rather than the “object”. A lot of people may find this uncomfortable as an image – a woman washing men’s feet – but there is caring, tending and when we love someone, of course our devotion becomes to care for them. It also shows the symbolism of true abundance and wealth – which is the wealth of devotion. Many people may shame stay-at-home moms nowadays, but there is so much in true wealth that they contribute through all the work they do each day, which if we ever had to quantify, it’d be a six-figure salary.
Through all these portrayals it is also as if it gives the divine a purpose – that there is something to be rescued, to be taken care of and supported, that there is something sacred to be protected. Lakshmi is that which is to be protected, yet she is also that which is invincible through her vulnerability.
There is a gentleness to Lakshmi, and I think our world certainly needs more tenderness – and to learn the power of vulnerability and sensitivity. The real wealth is the wealth of devotion. Chop wood, carry water, feed people, feed hearts with love, joy and compassion. You have hands, use them. You have tongue and lips to speak love, use it. The rest will be given. While Lakshmi may be a concept far above us to understand or comprehend, once we realize her, it is said we’ll be at Vishnu’s feet. Or in God’s arms. Whichever, whoever and all you believe in.
Connection to Heart and the 4th House, and the 2nd and 7th Houses
Venus is the natural ruler of both the 2nd and the 7th houses. In the 2nd house, Venus reminds us of the importance of self-value and self-worth; and to appreciate the beauty of our possessions, as well as to take care of them and our physical body. It also reminds us that the energy of money is connected to our value, and the energy manifestation of our inner lives and beliefs about abundance. Often times, when people are not as generous with their money towards others, as just as not generous with their affections or emotional giving towards others also.
In the 7th house, the house of marriage, committed relationships and harmony, Venus reminds us of the concept of interdependence; and the energy of both giving and receiving, which is the universal law of equivalent energy exchange.
Venus also represents love and is the karaka of the forth house, which is the home of the heart. Cancer is the natural ruler of the forth house, and Venus in Cancer is actually one of the most spiritual and beautiful placements in esoteric astrology.
The Moon is the ruler of Cancer, and when we combine the two feminine energies of the Moon and Venus, we see one of the most beautiful unions. People who have Moon-Venus conjunctions especially are known to be surrounded by an aura of love, beauty and harmony which is enchanting and inspiring to everyone around them. The Hebrew letter associated with the Moon is Kof, or Kuf, (ק) and it essentially means “holy”. Love is holy, devotion is holy. Love is sacred, and love is the seed of God. When we embody love, we become a church through which we can inspired others. Kof is also associated with the part of our brain that is connected to intuition, found at the back of our neck, and it also rules subconscious reflexes such as sneezing. Through this we see the importance of intuitive development and ability to trust herself, and trust life, as she walks through the unknown physical, spiritual and emotional wildlands.
Since Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, it also gives Venus deeper wisdom and discernment, so that she doesn’t over-indulge and become extreme (which can happen in some of the other signs). When we open the doorways of our heart, we essentially open the doorways to abundance.
In the forth house, Venus joins with higher esoteric manifestation of Cancer’s heart energy, bringing forth a greater consciousness for the universal application of love. We understand the importance of contributing to others, nourishing others, and this opens the channels for more abundance to enter our lives and support us in these actions. There is also the association between money, family upbringing and beliefs, self value and confidence, and the ability to express love – all of which are interrelated, and we’ll discuss this further down in the article.
When we express ourselves through the house and sign of our natal Venus, we open our heart and allow more abundance into our life – because we give more generously to others through our heart, expressing our talents and creativity. For example, if your natal Venus is in the third house, then it is through your beautiful expression of words that you will bring more love into this world and change humanity for the better by touching people’s hearts.
Some people may have debilitated or afflicted Venus in their charts, but no matter how difficult it is for them to do, they should try to learn and push themselves to express their love and feelings towards others. If you find yourself in that position where this is hard for you do, just try little by little: say you appreciate someone, compliment them, give to them, focus on the positive and find something beautiful in each person rather than criticizing or judging. The more you open your heart, the more you open your Venus consciousness also.
So what are three ways of manifesting more abundance and financial wealth into our life?
Ways to Attract Lakshmi in our Life
1. Create Beauty, Harmony, Order and Comfort
… and she stands beautifully in her lotus flower
To attract more abundance and wealth into our life, we need to create a space of beauty, harmony, order and comfort in our home, and respect for our things and possessions that we already have. As we know, Lakshmi is a Goddess, just like Venus, who is adorned in beauty, and in her aura harmony forever lives.
We need to decorate our home in beautiful ways; it shouldn’t be a posh cold museum though, it should be comfortable, loving and warm. We need to invest in sleeping on clean and beautiful sheets, and clean our house regularly. We need to take care of our clothes, rather than throwing socks around the house. We don’t need a lot of things in our closet, but we need to show care for what we already have – clean it, iron it, tidy it up nicely and lay it gently.
We need to respect all we already have in our physical space – our spoons, cups and pillows on the couch. We need to sit together as family when we have dinner, to show respect for how food gathers us in love, gratitude and abundance. We need to create a sense of serenity and peace in our home, and also, a sense of order because chaos is energetically blocking and rejecting all else. Making our entrance beautiful and tidy is also important, as this is the face of our house and how we enter is an energy that imprints on us. Whatever the words of beauty, harmony and comfort mean to you, whether as flowers or candles, use them to create your space in a way that inspires that energy within you as well.
2. Money Needs to Flow, to Breathe
… and she sits in Vishnu’s heart, an ashram of love
To attract more money in our life, we need to understand that money is energy. To flow, it needs to be spent just as it is received. This doesn’t mean spend wastefully or unwisely, but it means to spend it consciously and towards things that give you pleasure, that contribute or help you grow.
To make the energy flow, money needs to breathe, to be alive. Money is considered like prana, which is life force energy and “breath”. We can do all the good in the world for the betterment of all humanity, but if we don’t have money to eat or a place to sleep, we won’t be able to do much anyway. All spiritual teachers throughout humanity were able to do their work because they were supported financially, and because they were incredibly grateful for it. Still today, some people remember and understand the concept of equivalent energy exchange – that when we go into a church, temple or any spiritual building, we live a donation at the front door; and that when we come across people who have helped us in some shape or form through writings or teachings, we donate to them because this is how a bridge between us solidifies. Through that bridge, we then solidify knowledge and wisdom into our own consciousness as well, and it continues to flow. Without an engagement or inter-exchange of energy, in whatever shape or form, nothing will ever truly make an impact on our consciousness.
We need to spend money, and not just pile it up. Again, this doesn’t mean to spend money wastefully, carelessly or beyond our means, digging ourselves into debt. It means that we should take our loved ones to a nice restaurant once in a while, buy them a gift, go on a vacation, invest our money into education and self-development, invest our money into someone else’s creative ideas, projects or social start-up, support fellow artists and change-makers, give to charity, donate, or help a marginalized community across the world build their water well. It also means to make yourself happy and if you need to buy a new shirt, then buy a new shirt. Remember that the concept of Lakshmi’s money comes down to value, growth and towards helping you. Giving away money to charity always comes back to you – which is why many people do that when they want to manifest more money. I would personally advice you to have clear and pure intentions, and give not out of selfish reasons, but from the purity of your heart. This is because whatever you give out does comes back to you, but it comes back with the imprint of your initial energy and intention.
Money needs to flow through the spaces where it can grow. And growth comes in many ways, not only as investments. When you go on a vacation with your loved ones (and it can be as simple as a one day trip to a nature park), you are essentially expanding your time of love and togetherness – this is growth. When you are joyful and happy, this is growth, because joyfulness is the energy of heart’s expansion. You need to experience your life, live your life, enjoy your life; you shouldn’t indulge or be dependent on the material, or be materialistic, but you should experience the fullness of this physical plane, which includes the appreciation of material possessions also. And we all know how much true happiness and pleasure it gives us when we give a gift to a loved one! It feels so much better when we gift another and see the smile on their face!
Another aspect of energy is that sometimes we think that if we give it, we’ll have less of it. For example, if we give love to another, we’ll have less of it ourselves. And so we hold on to things, close our heart and energy, and are not as generous. But energy is always there, and when we understand that it all comes down to our sense of self-worth and self-value, we become greater circuits of this life force energy and the universal breath that flows through us. If we are truly coming from a space of inner love, we’ll have no problem being generous with our love. With money, sure, we’ll have less dollars if we give to another, but – we will make more, and we’ll be given more in turn. This is the law of abundance.
Like the breath in our lungs, we inhale and exhale – money flows in and then we give it forward in a way that is meaningful to us in that moment. Otherwise, as all else in life, it will stagnate and pollute. So spend it and spread it consciously and mindfully. When we give, life gives us more to support us in our expansion.
In Indigenous cultures, our creative gifts are also said to be blessings meant to be shared with others – otherwise they weaken in their energy. It is said that when we express them and share them with others, we dance before others, and then we all rejoice in a beautiful dance together creating even more beauty in the world.
There are always ways to help others, and this is beautifully expressed by the words of Christian monk Saint Dorotheos of Gaza: “No one can say “I am poor and hence I have no means of giving alms.” For even if you cannot give as the rich gave their gifts into the temple treasury, give two coins as the poor widow did, and from you God will consider it a greater gift than the gifts of the rich. And if you do not have as much as two coins? You can show compassion to the sick and give alms by ministering to them. And if you cannot do even this? You can comfort your brother by your words. “A good word is better than the best of gifts.”
3. Open Heart, Open Palms
… and she washed his feet, in her wealth of devotion
The real wealth is the wealth of devotion. The image at his feet shows us that one never becomes inferior in serving others, in caring and tending for us. It is a deep level of respect, as we support one another, and give to another in the way they need to receive and be helped. We support another on their own unique walk in life in whatever ways they need. Money is a way to show appreciation and support for someone’s dreams, ideas, creative projects, business, social ventures, humanitarian pursuits and every day life to eat and sleep and dress well. Money is a way to assist us on our path as our feet walk our heart’s calling, truth and soul’s purpose.
To attract anything in life, we need to first be open to it. To open to something, we need to deepen in self-knowledge, and we do this through letting go of limiting beliefs, conditioned mindsets and self-restraints. It requires radical self-honesty, which requires vulnerability.
A common idea is that money is a villain – let go of this, and don’t reject it, be receptive to people helping you financially when you need it. We also hold other ideas such as that the rich are spiritually poor and bad, and that only the poor can have true fulfillment; that true love cannot be felt by the rich; that the rich are unhappy; that money is a bad impure thing and the root of all evil, etc. And we’ve probably all have had the experience of being scammed or taken advantage of by the “one-percenters”. But it is not money that is inherently good or bad – it is the integrity, accountability and intentions of people that give currency its value and effect.
Remind yourself that it is hands that hold it that make something “good or bad”. Spiritual knowledge in the wrong hands, and without awareness, can also become evil and dangerous. So at the end of the day, it all depends on us, and how we use and apply something in our life. Let go of any limiting and conditioned beliefs that you may hold, let go of any shame or guilt about money that it is “not spiritual” or that it is “sinful”, and remember that as all else in life, it is only our intention that makes something fair or wasteful. Often times when we are drawn to a spiritual field of work, we are driven by the intention to contribute, by the “I just want to help.” But to make a change that is sustainable, we need the resources to do so.
Our relationship to money begins with understanding what money really means to us, and often times money may be related to the emotional body, to nurturing, confidence and love, which is why Venus (and Lakshmi) rule all of these aspects of our life together. What does money mean to you? What is your relationship to money? What does value mean to you? Perhaps in your childhood you saw this really cute toy and wanted it, but were told that you’ll get it only if you ace your test. Perhaps then an idea formed that you deserved something only in return for some achievement or accomplishment, and so, your self-esteem or self-worth is tied into it. Or perhaps you hold guilt of having money today, while your grandparents and parents had very little and often struggled financially. Or perhaps you know all the stories of your grandparents who struggled so much and were robbed by banks and institutions, thereby money is connected to bad things – and subconsciously, you don’t even want it, because you fear that you’ll be somehow betraying your family line. Or perhaps – you still feel like that little child who wanted so much to have that toy, but now as an adult you realize it was because your parents just couldn’t afford it, and so you are filled with shame and guilt about how much you wanted it at the time, or that you were a “bad ungrateful” child. When we approach anything from our past beliefs, it is important to acknowledge these beliefs for they were formed and passed to us because of very valid reasons and experiences. It is then important to have compassion and grace, and just let go of what no longer is relevant to our life.
We all need to be supported in our lives. Jesus Christ was supported financially by his disciples. Van Gogh was supported by his brother. Every spiritual temple is supported financially by others, just as Buddhist monks too are each individually supported by the donations of the people in their communities.
There is a beautiful practice in Zen Buddhism, where the monks go out each morning to collect alms in their empty bowls. They can only live off of what they have gathered through the donations, and in fact, this is only done by the most advanced monks. This is because within this practice is the learning to receive. It is very easy to give, for those of us who have big charitable hearts, but it is much harder to receive, which is why this lesson is so important. More than that though, it teaches vulnerability and humility. How many of us can go out there with open palms, fully trusting that life will provide us with what we need to support us on our paths?
And then there’s the other lesson: that the hands that give and the monks’ bowls that receive are both dependent on the same emptiness. Within this emptiness, is the grateful heart. There, is the fullness of life, spirit and love.
For more of my writings, browse through my Art of Love.
Recommended articles:
The Importance of Receiving and Interdependence, as Reminded by the Monks’ Alms
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