2. Clean Your Space
Make Space for Lakshmi's Grace
Lakshmi likes clean spaces and environments. To invite her to your abode or office, you need to clean up and remove excess clutter. It is a tradition to honor Lakshmi with cleanliness. Before the Hindu new year of Diwali, which falls in October or November, women clean their houses the night before the new moon to help attract Lakshmi. On Diwali, they light oil lamps to invite her; she is drawn to the sparkling cleanliness and the glowing lights. She can more easily bring good things to us when our lives are organized, or at least when we are trying to be more organized. When sharing a home with others or with kids running around, it can be challenging to keep things clear, but do your best to declutter and create order in your desk area and your files. Also, try to organize important papers and financial records and make a neat area for your bills and income tax receipts. Even if you can't pay all your bills, know what you owe. Enhance your Lakshmi consciousness by blessing your bills and thanking Lakshmi in advance for helping you pay them.
Try this sacred cleaning ritual:
Pray to Ganesh: Say a prayer for courage, strength, and creativity so you can toss out the old, knowing you are doing so to bring in the new. Before people of the Hindu faith ask for Lakshmi's assistance, they invoke Ganesh, Lord of Obstacles, and ask for his help in removing barriers to the success Lakshmi can bring. You can do this by saying:
O, elephant-headed Lord!
Remover of obstacles,
the bestower of happiness,
salutations unto thee.
Please fill this place with your Holy Presence
Protect me, and surround me with your love,
Give me the strength to identify those things that I no longer need.
Guide me in thanking these items for all they have given me.
Help me let go and find peace and release.
Om Ganesh, Om Ganesh, Om Ganesh.
Please open the path to prosperity.
Thank you. And so it is.
Make cleaning fun: The idea is not to force yourself to part with things you love but to remove or reassign anything that tethers you to the past negativity or blocks you from moving forward. Your physical space should empower your Lakshmi consciousness and spiritual practice with her.
Clean as a devotional act: Light a candle and turn your place into a sacred space before you begin cleaning. Play Hindu devotional music that makes you happy. Dance around as you toss things out. Music and dance are like a moving prayer that helps generate good feelings and hopefulness. Make cleaning up an enjoyable and sacred experience. Open the windows for fresh air. Let the sunshine and spring air in. If it is raining, let negative ions bring healing and envision the rain washing away the stale aspects of your life. Remember, rain also represents the scent of Lakshmi.
Surrender clutter: As you go through old stuff, clutter, and memorabilia, ask yourself, "Is this item serving me or am I serving it?" If it is taking up space in your home or heart or creating more work than it is worth, let it go and make it an offering to Lakshmi and Ganesh by donating what you don't need to charity or a friend. Release anything that belongs in the trash or recycling.
Cleanse yourself: After a good day of clearing out, clear your energy field and your physical body with a shower. Envision the dirt and discomfort trickling down into the shower drain, along with your attachment to the items you are letting go of. Finally, purify yourself so you can invite Lakshmi to your home with a prayer.
Praise Lakshmi and pray to her: Offer thanks to Lakshmi for motivating you to clean up your home and office and, thereby, your life. Cleanliness gives a fresh start for any new project. Praise Lakshmi's powers and attributes and petition her for help.
Dearest Mahalakshmi (Mother Lakshmi), who resides in the pink lotus, who wears a red sari, and who is gifted with great beauty, please come into my life. Brilliant Lakshmi, who is loved by Vishnu, the gods, and the sages, please bring your light into my life. Generous Lakshmi, who has four arms, who carries two lotuses, who wards off evil, and who pours forth the abundance of the universe, please bless me with your bounty and help me increase my spiritual and material wealth. Let me see life through my spiritual eyes and recognize all the blessings that are around me. Guide me toward the situations in life that will help me continue to bond with you as I transform my life and help those I love have better lives. Thank you, Mother Lakshmi, for all you have given and all the auspiciousness you bring to our world. And so it is.