ode to ganesh

Ganesh

Ganesh's Mantra:
Aum Gan Ganapatye Namah
(Om Gan Gan-A-Pot-Tie-Yea Na-ma-ha)

my unsophisticated version of Background on Ganesh for those who have no idea why i'm posting pics of blue elephants...

gahesh is the hindu deity (contrary to deprecating beliefs... hindu mythology believes that their 10,000+ deities are all various components of ONE god... hooray!) believed to be the Remover of Obstacles. folks pray to ganesh before undertaking new ventures, asking him to clear the way. he's also viewed as the first stop in the heirarchy of the gods, believed to purify us for higher pathways ("higher" gods - but instead of viewing this as selective, i view it as intensity... sort of like crawling before you walk... b'c one has to do the work & preparation before entering higher areas.) i appreciate this approach b/c it's much easier sometimes to have a divine relationship when you have aspects like raging destructionist Kali or fiery hot Shiva or mothering Durga to give you a sense that god understands what you're going through...

not to mention: he's a good friend to have when ushering in a New Year

his mantra is in my head lately and i've been playing different versions of it in my classes. i've been asking him to take my junk & i sense his protection. i cant explain why i sense him there... but i do... to the point that people have seen him around me and asked what is going on. hehe

im reminded of a story a friend of a friend told me on his way through Cleveland, over a pint at the Lincoln Pub... he was driving on an especially bad weather night in his junky red car, praying to ganesh to help him through... when he was suddenly certain that this massive blue partying elephant was riding on the top of his car, giving him added weight & traction as he suddenly started navigating beautifully & flying by other cars on the road. i still maintain the mental image of both of them, arms waving, screaming & laughing madly, driving wildly...

don't bring last year's junk into the Now. release it. offer it up. purify.
c.

p.s. coming soon: New Years pics from Kripalu!