Lamp of the Awake

Alighting a lamp each day is a yogic discipline to set ourselves free.Of all essentials for a journey of light, the single most important is the LAMP. To light a lamp at least once a day is like cleansing the mind and renewal; sustaining our human reality with harmony and abundance; safeguarding against karma of past and future and most important; building our personal relationship with Source. 

From the yogic perspective, a Lamp is revered as the Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of Sustenance as the live fire sustains the yogi by providing for all basic requirements, i.e, to receive food offerings from visitors whenever hungry. Our special Lamp comes from the ancient Srirangam Temple, a powerful Lord Vishnu temple in South India.

For a spiritual and awake person, alighting the inner lamp with the physical lighting of an actual fire-lamp is a daily discipline. The essential possession in our journey into yoga and meditation is a lamp since, we are enabled to go back within into our divine center no matter how turbulent, ecstatic or in turmoil we find ourselves to be.

The more spiritually awakened we are, the more we are bound to feel sense of deep longing and loneliness at the sacred moment of sunset or sunrise (the time of "sandhya", the ideal times suggested by the yogis for meditation). It was the intense void that made Siddhartha leave his illusionary world of a householder to become Buddha, the Knower of One.

This depression of utter loneliness is the deep call from within wanting to unite to the Absolute. For one on the path into Source, this call is sacred- it is a call to light a lamp and sit down to meditate and renew to be whole and radiant again- to be with our inner Guru, The Master. The process of alighting the lamp within and meditating intensely is called "nishthi". The process of deep meditation to renew and be the center is like a snake renewing its old skin of karma to be in the ever present wholesome new.

In nearly all spiritual practices in cultures around the world, the Divine is represented in the lamp's fire. Meditating on this fire, eyes closed or open, enables an easier access and deeper union with the energies Divine. The yogic principle behind this is- that when a lamp is lit outside ourselves, we manifest lighting our inner lamp that guides us in our awakening journey.

The discipline of lighting a lamp every day enables the empowering energies of being aligned with Source.
- Effective meditation: The physical fire of the lamp stimulates the inner fire that clears away clutter of the mind and enables us to connect to Source with ease.
- In yoga, a lamp lit before our yoga practice enables us the protective, guiding and enlightening energies of the Divine. Helps an injury free yoga practice.
- Alighting a lamp at least once a day is a discipline that comes from the joys of experiencing our heart's treasures of love, abundance, wisdom and connection to Source. Being with our heart, at the center, is being awake to the abundant being we truly are.

This special lamp from India: is made of panchloha- the five metal alloy that is considered sacred for worship items.
6.75 inches height x 4.25 inches base width

Depicted on the lamp is Goddess Mahalaxmi (the Goddess of grace and abundance): Ashta Laxmi, the eight forms

The Eight Forms of the Goddess of Abundance, grace and beauty are:
Aadi Laxmi- the Eternal Goddess,
Santhana Laxmi- Goddess of our household and family,
Gaja Laxmi- Immense strength and power,
Dhana Laxmi- Financial abundance,
Dhaanya Laxmi- Goddess of health and food,
Vijaya Laxmi- Success and victory,
Veera Laxmi- Goddess of fearlessness,
Center: Aiswarya Laxmi: The Goddess of Spiritual and Material Abundance