My Auspicious Omen: Ganesha

Her image means something

Image by Yogesh Pedamkar for Unsplash

Whenever I see this elephant, I know something good is around the corner because Ganesha is an Indian deity known as the remover of obstacles.

I don’t see her often. She appears to me once in a blue, randomly, like every couple of months or maybe even once a year. Yoga studios used to feature her as part of their decor: a hanging tapestry on the wall, a small statue on the shelf, or an entrance greeting, but ever since studios started softening their connection to Hindu symbolism to appeal to a broader audience, I don’t see her as much, so whenever I do now, it’s a treat.

When I wrote my relationship memoir, *More Than One Soulmate*, there’s a scene where I check into my glamping tent on the first day in Tulum, Mexico, to find a wooden elephant centerpiece sitting amid the coffee table. I took it as a good sign since I went there specifically to write my book. And what do you know!? It became an Amazon bestseller in the Mexico travel category after I self-published. This was a dream come true because when I was writing it, I had no idea how the book would do. Plus, I was honestly afraid of how people would judge me after reading about my experiences — After all, it’s a memoir.

Who is Ganesha?

Ganesha is an elephant deity in the Hindu tradition, symbolizing the force that removes obstacles from our path, like a herd of elephants charging forward and removing anything in their way. In India, it’s common to see drivers place a little elephant statue inside their car because it’s known to get you out of traffic jams. But that’s just a cute, little, fun fact. On a more serious note, Ganesha is considered a God. Whether one believes this or not, there is an automatic respect that comes when seeing the elephant, especially during new beginnings.

Image by Timur Kozmenko for Unsplash

The Next Time I Saw Ganesha

The second country I visited in Latin America, after Tulum, Mexico, was Costa Rica. It was a big step for me, heart racing as I walked through customs. I’m not used to traveling outside of America, and with all the conversations surrounding sex trafficking, I tend to always look behind my shoulders. But life’s too short to swim in the same pool, so I took my chances and flew over the ocean— even if that meant alone, because I refused to put my life on hold.

Upon walking into the retreat center I booked, there she was again. This time larger, taking up way more space at the entrance: Ganesha. This wasn’t a small, wooden coffee table centerpiece; this was a massive statue at the front. Of course, I took it as a sign — a really good one.

My intention for traveling this time around was to write my next book, including an audio version, which I hadn’t recorded before. And, I have to say, “Wow! That was fun!” My recording engineer added sounds like wind chimes, bird calls, and nature elements. At one point, we even included city sounds to capture a NYC vibe: honking horns, buses, and police sirens. It added such an extra layer of pizazz, bringing the story to life — something I wasn’t expecting. Oh, I forgot to mention, the recording studio we worked at was positioned right inside the retreat, Embody Costa Rica, so this was really an awesome experience!

Although the book isn’t yet finished, I believe we’re off to a great start, especially since I saw Ganesha upon my arrival.

Another Hidden Meaning of Ganesha

For years, I had thought that seeing Ganesha just meant that any obstacles in your way would automatically be removed, until my recording engineer explained a deeper meaning. He told me, “Ganesha can also place obstacles in your way on purpose, to challenge you to grow into the person who can remove them on your own.”

Whoa. I was mind-blown. It made sense. Why should the energy surrounding an elephant figure magically erase your biggest problem without any effort from you? Not only did it make me think, but it even frightened me a little, because I received that piece of knowledge only after seeing her presence much larger this time around. Did that mean I was ready for the next level of my evolution — and that it wasn’t going to be easy? Damn.

Currently, things are smooth sailing, but the book hasn’t been released yet since I’m still in the middle of writing the paperback version as well as recording the audio. Aside from that, life is happening every day. Unexpected situations arise that I didn’t see coming, and all I can do is keep living, keep creating, keep producing, keep trying. As the world moves away from different religions and closer to others, I feel that there’s one truth that will always be the same: Know Thyself.

Maybe that’s what my engineer meant when he said that Ganesha can put something difficult in your path to see if you’re able to solve it yourself — not as a form of punishment, but as a tool for growth.

If you like what you read, feel free to visit jasmineclemente.com, and let’s figure this life out together through the power of writing.