Today I found a message in a bottle on the shores of Lake Jocassee. Harley and I hurriedly returned to camp so we could open the bottle and read the note. I've reprinted it here:
Dear Miss Mermaid,
You found Lord Ganesha!
I saw your post about the found object with elephant's head. It's considered very auspicious (quite lucky!!) to find this and care for it lovingly. It's really considered great fortune to find this image. It is an image of Ganesha, one of the most beloved and famous of Hindu gods. I was quite surprised and happy to see him on your blog! Funny, I had actually gone to your blog to click on an amazon link... and Ganesha is the god of good will, hope, prosperity, material objects and wealth! He is merry and childlike, and also very wise.
Ganesha is most revered as the remover of obstacles, especially obstacles preventing wealth, prosperity, and spiritual advancement. Many people keep a little icon of him, like the one you found, or a little statue of him, in their home to bring them prosperity. He is also the god of arts, sciences, and learning -- especially of writing! He is seen as intelligent, loving and forgiving, and also is a powerful protector of humans, and a destroyer of evil. His big belly symbolizes that he holds the wealth of this world, and also represents that he swallows the sorrows of humanity.
He is mostly known for bringing wealth and prosperity, although in some cases, he can limit wealth if one is much too selfish and too proud, unkind, or lacking generosity or humility. So he is a reminder to stay generous and kind to others and to try to remember the higher things in life, the spiritual things. He reminds us to enjoy the bounties of material life, but don't be so attached to them or worshiping material things. Rather, we should remember there is a Truth beyond all of this, and we should strive toward that, rather than striving toward owning a lot of stuff or being proud of all our stuff. If one makes some efforts in that direction, or even just keeps those things in mind -- Ganesha brings wealth and prosperity to that person.
There is so much to know about Ganesha. Here is a link with an interesting diagram showing all the aspects of his image or icon (statue or carving) and what they represent:
HEALING DEITIES ~ GANESH
Ganesha is most revered as the remover of obstacles, especially obstacles preventing wealth, prosperity, and spiritual advancement. Many people keep a little icon of him, like the one you found, or a little statue of him, in their home to bring them prosperity. He is also the god of arts, sciences, and learning -- especially of writing! He is seen as intelligent, loving and forgiving, and also is a powerful protector of humans, and a destroyer of evil. His big belly symbolizes that he holds the wealth of this world, and also represents that he swallows the sorrows of humanity.
He is mostly known for bringing wealth and prosperity, although in some cases, he can limit wealth if one is much too selfish and too proud, unkind, or lacking generosity or humility. So he is a reminder to stay generous and kind to others and to try to remember the higher things in life, the spiritual things. He reminds us to enjoy the bounties of material life, but don't be so attached to them or worshiping material things. Rather, we should remember there is a Truth beyond all of this, and we should strive toward that, rather than striving toward owning a lot of stuff or being proud of all our stuff. If one makes some efforts in that direction, or even just keeps those things in mind -- Ganesha brings wealth and prosperity to that person.
There is so much to know about Ganesha. Here is a link with an interesting diagram showing all the aspects of his image or icon (statue or carving) and what they represent:
HEALING DEITIES ~ GANESH
It is considered very lucky to keep a Ganesha idol at home or in one's professional spaces. It is believed that it enhances the reception of positive vibes wherever it is kept. It is said to win over any obstacles in one's life, home, or profession.. It is the custom to adorn homes and houses with Ganesha in parts of India.
Ganesha represents the goodness of knowledge. For many people whose income depends upon their brain, Ganesha is revered. There are tons of stories where Ganesha granted very good fortune to those who kept his image in their home or office."
Ganesha icons (statues or carvings) are often found in or near lakes, because they can be used as part of a ritual of praying to the icon and then ceremoniously placing the icon into a lake or river, which is believed by Hindus to be the only pure way to lay an icon to rest. So that could be why you found it there. This ceremony of placing the icon at rest in a lack or river is often done at this time of year during a celebration called Ganesh Chaterthi, which is going on right now.
Indian and Hindu families buy a Ganesha idol -- usually of clay -- and after the 10-day celebration of worship, these idols are carried around the city in a holy procession and then immersed in the sea or river or lake. The dates change slightly each year because they are based on the lunar calendar, but they are around the end of August and beginning of Sept. This year, Ganesh Chaterthi is celebrated from August 29 to Sept 8. So it's happening right now. Here are some pictures of the celebrations going on in India right now:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/29/ganesh-chaturthi-photos_n_5737576.html
Here are many stories about Ganesha and statues and paintings of him -- the stories about how he got the elephant head vary somewhat:
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/ganesha/
Here is more about Ganesha in Hinduism:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordganesha/a/ganesha.htm
Ganesha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia He is also revered in other religions including Buddhism and Jainism, but is most famous in Hinduism. Here is info about him in other world religions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha_in_world_religions
See: Ganesha objects at amazon
Also: Books about Ganesha
I think that it is very, very lucky that you found him! Have fun with him! And may he bring prosperity, hope, and joy to your life. May he protect you and your home, heal you and your home, and assist you with your many professional activities of writing and creating blogs, books, etc. Enjoy!
Love,
L
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Dear L,
We send you lots of gratitude, love and puppy dog kisses for all this exciting enlightening information and fantastic wishes.
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Dear L,
We send you lots of gratitude, love and puppy dog kisses for all this exciting enlightening information and fantastic wishes.
I've checked my photo dates and Lord Genesha was found August 19, 2014. He appeared to have been in the lake a long time before being cleaned up for this photo. I took a "before" picture but sadly it came out blurry.
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Earth's Biggest Selection
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