Varamahalakshmi, Gowri Habba and Ganesh Chaturthi: rituals and their meaning

August and early September carry a beautiful sequence of festivals, especially here in Karnataka. First we welcome Lakshmi, then Gowri, then Ganesha, and for Jain families the same weeks bring Paryushan and Samvatsari, the day of asking and giving forgiveness. Each one has its own mood, and together they make a gentle cycle: invite abundance, find balance, clear what blocks you, and release what you carry.

Here is how I think about each of them, and simple ways you can mark them at home.

Varamahalakshmi and the Lion's Gate

Varamahalakshmi Vratha is observed on the Friday before the full moon in the month of Shravana. Married women in particular worship Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance, prosperity and grace, and ask for blessings for the whole family. The kalasha is decorated as the goddess, and the home is cleaned and filled with flowers, rangoli and lamps.

In 2025 the festival fell on 8 August, right in the middle of what many people call the Lion's Gate portal. Between roughly 28 July and 12 August, with its peak on 8 August (8:8), the Sun is in Leo and the bright star Sirius rises in the sky alongside Orion's Belt. In spiritual circles this window is treated as a time for releasing blockages and attracting abundance. To me it felt very fitting that a festival for the Goddess of Abundance should fall on the same day.

A simple way to work with this energy

1. Clean one corner of your home where you will light your lamp. Clearing space is the first step to receiving.
2. Light a diya and sit for a few minutes with slow, steady breaths.
3. Write down one or two blocks you would like to release, for example a fear around money or a habit of saying no to help.
4. Then write what you would like to welcome, in the present tense: "I welcome steady abundance into my home."
5. Offer gratitude to Lakshmi, or simply to life, for what you already have.

Gowri Habba: a balanced start

Gowri Habba is celebrated the day before Ganesh Chaturthi. Goddess Gowri, a form of Parvati, is worshipped as the mother of Ganesha, and in Karnataka married daughters often receive the bagina, a blessed offering of turmeric, kumkum, bangles, rice and lentils. Gowri stands for strength, devotion and the steady energy that holds a family together.

In 2025, Gowri Habba fell in the middle of the week, together with the start of the Jain new year after Paryushan. My tarot reading for that mid-week was about a rejuvenating, structured and emotionally balanced start. It is a good reminder that festivals are not only about doing more; they are also a chance to put a little order back into your days and your feelings.

How to use this energy

• Choose one routine you have let slip, such as sleep, a morning walk or a few minutes of quiet, and restart it on the festival day.
• Spend a few minutes with how you feel. Name the emotion, without judging it.
• If you are giving or receiving the bagina, hold it as a blessing of steadiness, not only a tradition.

Ganesh Chaturthi and Samvatsari: choosing forgiveness

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and the one we pray to before any new beginning. Families bring home an idol, offer modaks and durva grass, and gather for aarti, music and food.

In 2025, Ganesh Chaturthi also fell alongside Samvatsari, the final and most important day of the Jain Paryushan Mahaparv. On Samvatsari, Jains practise pratikraman, a reflection on one's actions over the past year, and say Michchhami Dukkadam to family, friends and anyone they may have hurt: "If I have caused you pain in thought, word or deed, please forgive me." Asking for forgiveness and giving it are both part of the practice.

I love how naturally these two festivals sit together. Ganesha removes obstacles, and forgiveness removes some of the heaviest ones we carry inside.

Pick a path for the weekend

For that festival weekend I offered a simple choice. Take two minutes of deep breathing first, then choose intuitively:

• Social and joyful. Connect with family, friends and loved ones. Celebrate the festival, dance, rejoice and share your light with others.
• Inner journey. Practise release and introspection. Go inward, do some shadow work, practise breathwork and honour your inner wisdom.

Neither is better than the other. Your soul already knows which one it needs; listen to what feels aligned. You can still use this choice at any festival, or on any weekend that feels busy.

If forgiveness is what you are drawn to, my post on Ho'oponopono and its four phrases is a gentle daily practice that goes very well with the spirit of Michchhami Dukkadam.

What these rituals are not

These are devotional and reflective practices. They are not a way to force outcomes, and they don't replace financial advice, medical care or the hard conversations some situations need. Forgiveness also does not mean staying where you are being hurt; it can sit alongside firm boundaries.

If you'd like support

If a festival season brings up old hurts, or you feel stuck in a pattern you would like to release, we can work on it together. My Reiki healing sessions are a gentle place to start, and you are always welcome to send me a message first.