Lakshmi ("Good Fortune"), sometimes called Sri ("Prosperity")
is the Hindu goddess of love and beauty who brings wealth.
She is the wife of Vishnu, and was born from the Sea, like
Aphrodite,
fully grown and gorgeous.
The tale goes that the Gods were in need of renewal, and
a plan was made to churn the great Ocean of Milk to make
soma, the divine food that grants immortality, in
the same way that cream is churned to butter. This was done
on the requisite grand scale by using Mount Mandara as the
churning paddle. The great snake Vasuki was wrapped around
the mountain and pulled by the Gods on the one side and the
Asuras or demons on the other. This produced a lot of heat
(much like a bow-type firestarter works) and eventually,
though the poor serpent was pretty uncomfortable being yanked
this way and that, many great treasures were produced: the
hoped-for soma; Parijata, the Tree of Paradise; Varuni
Goddess of Wine; the Apsaras; the Sun and the Moon; and finally
Lakshmi Herself, seated on an open lotus. Vishnu fell in
love with Her immediately and They were wedded.
Lakshmi is a beautiful and much-beloved Goddess, and in
fact Vishnu is often referred to with the title "Husband
of Lakshmi". She is called the "Lotus Goddess"
and is often shown holding one as Her emblem. She is also
Goddess of abundance, fertility and wealth. Holly basil is
sacred to Her and said to bring children. Lakshmi is sometimes
represented as a basket full of rice and is depicted on coins,
or with coins falling from Her hands.
Lakshmi and Vishnu are bound together in love through
time. As Vishnu is descendent in His avatars, Lakshmi is
also reborn as His wife--as Sita ("the Furrow"), She is the
wife of Rama and Goddess of the fertile Earth; and as Rukmini
("Twilight") She is married to Krishna.
In a reading this card signifies good fortune and prosperity
as well as spirituality and the beauty of this earthly world.
This card reminds us that riches, prosperity and material
comforts need not be viewed as shallow or non-spiritual;
Lakshmi sees over both the spiritual and material in beauty
and joy.
Alternate spellings: Sree, Laxmi
Alternate incarnations: Sita, Rukmini, Kamala ("Lotus"
or "Desire"), Radha ("Success"), Varahini
(wife of Varaha, Vishnu in His Boar incarnation), Dharani,
Mahalakshmi ("Great Lakshmi") the shakti
of Vishnu as Narayana.
Titles: Ksirabdhitanaya ("Daughter of the Ocean of
Milk"), Jaladhija ("Ocean Born"), Padma ("Lotus")
or Padmavati ("Lotus-bearer").
