Ganesha mantra is a powerful way to invoke a new beginning.
One of the best-known archetypes of Hinduism, Ganesha, is worshipped for his strength, stamina, perseverance, resistance, and longevity.
Ganesha is the Lord of New Beginnings, Remover of Obstacles, and all-around trickster. He is depicted with an elephant head and a human body.
The son of Parvati (Goddess of Fertility) and Shiva (God of Destruction), Ganesha is the one who places obstacles on the path to make you question your actions.
He also removes the obstacles from the path, which is why he is the trickster. Ganesha’s ultimate goal is to make the practitioner more aware by reflecting and removing barriers.
This article outlines the Ganesha mantra, themes, mythology, mantras, and movement practices to enhance ingenuity and remove creative blockages.
Table of Contents:
Why Call Upon Ganesha?
Ganesha is typically the first of the Hindu Deities called upon for a blessing.
Individuals seek Ganesha’s strength when initiating a new project or facing a challenge. Ganesha aids those who seek his wisdom by encouraging momentum. He asks the practitioner to remain open, present, and aware.
Everything is uncertain; all we have is this moment.
Ganesha serves as a symbol to remind us of the ephemeral quality of the universe and that to live fully is to act NOW and not wait.
Why You Would Call Upon Ganesha:
When initiating a new project or adventure.
When starting a new job or career.
When shifting in a relationship, be it professional or personal.
When seeking guidance on a path.
When looking for a direction to take or making a big decision.
If you feel confused or distraught and are unsure of what to do.
When seeking knowledge or wisdom.
If you want to be blessed with wisdom and luck.
When seeking the courage to overcome mental, physical, or emotional blockages.
When seeking support in overcoming a fear of the unknown.
You need space, clarity, and assurance in a situation or idea.
Themes and Mythology for Ganesha
Ganesha has the body of a six-year-old and the head of an elephant. He has trouble finding a wife as a young man, so he goes to his mother, Parvati, and seeks her counsel.
He goes to Parvati and says, “Mother, will you help me find a wife?”
Parvati says, “Yes, go to the wall outside of my room and write ‘tomorrow, mother will help me find a wife.’”
Ganesha goes to the wall, writes what she says, and feels excitement for what is coming. The next day he goes to Parvati and asks the same thing, to which she replies, “Go outside and read what is on my wall.” So he reads what it says to which she replies, “So come back tomorrow, and we will find you a wife.”
The moral of the story is that tomorrow never comes: all we have is today.
Ganesha is the son of Shiva, the God of Destruction. He is often depicted with the trident of Shiva stamped on his forehead. This object symbolizes the full cycle represented by the Universe’s Supreme Trinity.
Each prong on the trident stands for the Creation, Preservation, or Destruction presented by each of the Hindu Deities in the Tridevi and Trimurti.
Animals: mouse.
Colour: green and yellow.
Objects: trident.
Sitting atop a lotus flower, Ganesha is decorated with jewels, garlands, and a crown of gold. He holds various objects in his hands. A small mouse sits in front of Ganesha in many illustrations and serves as Ganesha’s vehicle or mount.
The mouse is the ego, and Ganesha uses the rodent to express the need to control the ego. Once the practitioner controls the ego, they’ll have attained Ganesha’s consciousness and awareness.
Four palms of Ganesha hold:
Lotus = enlightenment/spiritual discrimination
Hatchet = removal of desires
Rosary = spiritual awareness/devotion
Bowl of sweets = rewards of a wise life
Ganesha’s Parents Shiva and Parvati
Shiva is the patron Saint of yogis. He’s the meditator and quite the rebel. He’s dancing the Tandava, a dance of destruction and transformation, or he’s seated in meditation.
What he does is he goes to Mount Kailash, and he lives in this cave. He goes up to this cave, and he sits there for centuries at a time, meditating.
When he’s meditating, he’s connecting to higher consciousness. Parvati, his wife, gets annoyed and starts to get bored because her husband is off meditating and not spending time with her.
So Parvati goes to find Shiva in deep meditation. Nobody can wake Shiva from his meditative state, but Parvati goes to him, and she begins to dance and move around him.
She has a particular scent, and the scent of her perfume and the dance pull him from meditation.
Parvati is the one who brings him back to the physical world out of the ethereal realm. She has a grounding effect on Shiva, and through their connection, balance is achieved.
Parvati symbolizes the earth, and she also symbolizes the ultimate partner or the ultimate wife. Parvati is very disciplined, and some stories share how Parvati started being a spiritual practitioner at the age of three or four.
She surpasses Shiva regarding how enlightened she is or connected to the divine, so Shiva is attracted to that aspect of Parvati. She is his equal or a little bit above in terms of her spiritual practice.
3 Ganesha Mantra Yoga Classes
New Chapter Vinyasa
In this 60-minute vinyasa class, you’ll move into Eka Pada Koundinyasana A (flying splits) as the peak pose.
Focus: arm balancing, twists
Element: fire
Strengthens the adductors (inner thighs), core, and arm muscles
Lengthens the hamstrings, psoas (hip flexors), upper back, and front body
Benefits: develop discernment and tapas (discipline) through a peak wave and mantra.
No Tomorrow – Audio Only Vinyasa
In this 60-minute vinyasa yoga class, you’ll move toward Patita Tarasana (fallen triangle pose) and variations of Vrikshasana (tree pose).
Focus: hip opening
Element: earth and water
Strengthens the inner leg lines, hamstrings, and core
Lengthens the outer hips, hip flexors, and muscles at the chest and shoulders.
Benefits: create space in the body and mind with manta and movement.
New Beginnings Meditation
A 15-minute meditation that features a mantra to Ganesha to bless the spaces you occupy. We chant to Ganesha to make space and clear the path as we embark on a new journey.
Focus: relaxation
Element: ether
Benefits: clear and calm the mind to attune to the present moment.
Ganesha is a popular deity of worship owing to his blessing of new beginnings.
Chanting to Ganesha draws upon the energy of this mythic deity.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
Meaning is “salutations to the remover of obstacles.
- Om = the primordial sound that connects us all
- Gam = the bija seed sound for Ganesha
- Ganapataye = another (formal) name for Ganesha
- Namaha = I offer myself to you, I bow to you
Chakras to Activate Ganesha’s Energy
Ganesha is the blesser of new beginnings and therefore works with the energy of the first chakra, located at the base of the spine. Ganesha reminds us of spiritual discernment through action and earthy pleasures.
He asks the practitioner to act NOW and stay aware and open to what manifests in the physical realm.
The root chakra, Muladhara, connects us to our inner stability and grounding. When balanced in this chakra, we feel connected to the earth, those around us, and ourselves.
When we feel out of balance in this chakra, we may feel overwhelmed, agitated, disconnected, and over-excited.
Muladhara works with security, the physical body, and our connection to the family/tribal community. The qualities of the earth are fertile, grounded, soft, nurturing, and feminine.
Ganesha is the son of Parvati, the Goddess of Fertility and known as the Muse of the Mountains.
She is the symbol of the earth element and uses her prowess to draw Shiva back to earth from the ether, the consciousness.
Chakra translates from Sanskrit as ‘disk’ and refers to the energy points that link the physical and energetic bodies.
The chakras are segmented into three different groups: the lower chakras (1-3), heart chakra (4), and upper chakras (5-7). The second chakra and sixth chakra express a polarity. Regarding placement, the second and sixth chakra directly oppose each other. Each work together within the context of their integration and affect.
The saying, ‘as above, so below is used to describe chakra polarity.
Hermes Trismegisto was the first to use the phrase. An Egyptian Sage noted to have created alchemy, Hermes Trismegisto is mentioned in occult literature and combined the knowledge of the material and subtle realms. His words are recorded in the Emerald Tablet and express that that which is below directly corresponds to that which is above and that the two accomplish the miracles of the One Thing.
Embracing the Shadow of Ganesha
The shadow side of Ganesha is expressed as fear and anxiety toward the future and what it holds.
Indecisiveness, flippancy, and non-commitment are expressed in Ganesha’s shadow.
Over-excitement and egoic actions are also part of the dark side of the elephant-headed lord. When in balance, Ganesha presides with ease and clarity; there is an awareness and acceptance of what is without manipulation of what is to come.
Ganesha’s shadow is disconnected from the tangible qualities of the earth that remind the practitioner that there is enough- enough food, shelter, water, space, and love.
Ways to Bring Into Harmony:
Do activities that are grounding. Touch the earth with your feet, strengthen the legs and core, lay in meditation, and breathe into your upper back.
Spend quality time with family and friends. Nourish your closest relationships to feel a connection with the community.
Do deep breathing exercises, such as Nadi Shodhana, to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm over-excitement and agitation.
Take a class from the For Anxiety and Stress Collection with slower-paced practices and pranayamas clear the mind and body of overwhelm.
The Powerful Presence of the Archetypes
“As with any powerful symbolic form, the Hindu deities represent, and in my experience actually can uncover, helpful psychological forces. They personify energies that we feel but may never have thought to name or invoke.” — Sally Kempton.
Archetypes allow us to develop a strong point of focus through the embodiment of qualities, emotions, and behaviors that empower. Each archetype’s unique and precise characteristics create a foundation to explore qualities that foster growth, receptivity, and acceptance.
Working with an archetype may assist with the release of stagnant/blocked memories, ideas, thoughts, and emotions. It may also support revealing the individual’s innermost desires, goals, needs, and expressions.
Saraswati is a potent figure to work with to harness creative energy, refine attention to language in verbal and written forms, and enhance all aspects of learning, communication, and discernment.
Advantages to Archetype Work:
Influence behavior
Universal role models
Invoke potent personality traits
Provide strength, focus, support
Lean on individual development
