Sri Ganesha & Mountain Pride Flower Essence
Archetypal Essay by Alana Layne Greenberg
Ganesha is an archetypal, symbolic representa!on of the dimension of human consciousness that draws inspira!on and encouragement when genera!ng new experiences. This representa!on offers the intui!onal feeling that success is possible, and that change and new beginnings allow for life-long learning that arises from cul!va!ng a rela!onship with the great Mystery of life. Ganesha beckons us to grow through our obstacles via the inner voyage, to dive deeply inside and conjure the resilience necessary to overcome difficul!es born from life’s curves.
The story of Ganesha is rooted in ancient Indian folklore and is alive today throughout the world. Every business in India has a picture of Ganesha placed atop the front door; many homes pay homage to him through daily puja (worship rituals); he is found at the entrance of sacred Hindu sites and temples.
Ganesha has made his way west, and is often invoked before classes inspired by Yogic, Tantric and Ayurvedic thought. Chanted at the beginning of any endeavor, a mantra to Ganesha serves as prayer for an auspicious outcome and to remove obstacles along the path of learning. By offering our sincere gra!tude, we may be endowed with spiritual wisdom as we clear obscura!ons to access and refine our inner light.
Who is this elephant-headed Diety and how did he get that way?
Ganesha’s origins are steeped in Hinduism’s mythos. The tale about how he got his elephant head varies across India – as most things do – but a widely told story goes something like this:
Shiva and Parvati were happily married, living on holy Mt. Kailash. Shiva was called to war and as !me passed Parvati grew lonely, so she fashioned a son from the flesh and oils of her own body, along with sandalwood and turmeric powder, breathing life into him with her prana.
One day Parvati wanted to bathe and instructed her son to guard the door to her boudoir and protect her from intruders; under no circumstances was he to allow anyone to pass. Shiva came home and asked where his wife was, but Ganesha didn’t know his father and refused Shiva’s entry. Enraged, Shiva swifly cut off his son’s head, not knowing it was his son. Parva! came rushing and was so distraught that she ordered Shiva to find the first head he could and fasten it onto Ganesha’s body, or else he should not return.
Shiva made his way into the deep forest and heard thunderous footsteps. He turned and quickly cut off the head of the first elephant he saw, returned home and adhered it to Ganesha’s body, restoring his son’s life.
Within the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses in India, Ganesha stands first as the God amongst Gods. He’s revered as the remover of obstacles yet, paradoxically, he places obstacles on our path so we may clear them and evolve the soul. As our biggest obstacles o$en arise from deep inside in the form of doubts, fears and insecuri!es, Ganesha encourages us to excavate and alchemize within our depths. To overcome wounds and deep traumas. To emerge transformed.
Throughout his life Ganesha sustains several traumas. Clearly the decapita!on is a trauma!c event. While transcribing the Mahabharata – the world’s greatest epic – Ganesha experiences another trauma generated from a self-inflicted wound. He has made a steadfast commitment to write without pause, yet his feathered pen breaks. Ganesha chooses to break off a piece of his tusk and use his own body as a wri!ng instrument to finish the job.
Both of these fissures in his body are the places where light shines through. Ganesha reminds us that within our ta%ered and torn places, courage, ac!on and mastery are born. He reminds us that we become more beau!ful for having been broken. He encourages us to see the gifts in the obstacles, and to use our own bodies to claim victory over adversity.
MOUNTAIN PRIDE: FLOWER ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL WARRIORSHIP
Mountain pride defies the odds. It grows in cracks and crevices on mountainsides and exudes a rejuvenative energy through its vibrant magenta flower petals. One of Mountain Pride’s signatures is perseverance. Just as the flower grows through cracks in the mountains, we must have the endurance to persevere, to grow both because of and in spite of our cracks and wounds.
Mountain Pride is the flower essence for those who are being asked to summon courage and inner strength. It serves as an initiation: opening the door, revealing hurdles as well as the light through the cracks, refining the energy of spiritual warriorship.
Mountain Pride is the flower essence for those who are being asked to summon courage and inner strength. It serves as an initiation: opening the door, revealing hurdles as well as the light through the cracks, refining the energy of spiritual warriorship.
I would recommend Mountain Pride to those stable enough in the body’s antennae of the nervous system to make the descent into vulnerability and pain, wind through the seams in the soul and weave in threads of healing. It is an essence for those who have the tenacity and courage to face the truth in the chasms - no ma%er how difficult, ugly or painful - with resilience and a passionate commitment to overcome challenges.
Mountain Pride is also a potent remedy for those seeking to make sense of the outer world and take a stand for justice. Ganesha's foremost objective in codifying the Mahabharata was to ensure we inherited a world that was fair, righteous, harmonic and spiritually awake. We humans have a significant way to go. Yet we can call upon the strength of Mountain Pride to embolden our resolve, take risks, confront what is unjust and stand up for ourselves and those in need. When the archetypal energies of Mountain Pride and Ganesha entwine they can help us speak up for our values from an unobstructed, undefended heart and generate new possibilities for a better life, within ourselves and for the world.
JAI SRI GANESHA
