Lakshmi Exhibit: A Goddess Grows in Queens

Copyright © 2023 by Laurie Sue Brockway. 

All rights reserved. No part of this website may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Goddess Communications, LLC, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

 

Lakshmi cover image: Qamber Designs and Media

Proofreading: by Proofing With Style, Rev. Dr. Victor Fuhrman, and Claire Milto

Photos: Licensed from DespositPhotos.com, Shutterstock.com, 123RF, and Alamy.com

Queens site visit photos: Photographed by the author

The information shared in this exhibit is used in the spirit of educational purposes. It contains religious, cultural, and spiritual sources from a wide variety of sources for the purpose of informing and inspiring readers. Many of the classic Lakshmi poems, prayers, songs, and salutations have been used so widely that they are part of the culture, but we tried to identify the author or creator wherever possible. Classic chants about the goddess are often evoked in goddess-honoring rituals and spiritual gatherings, and they are shared in that spirit. Some of the content in this book was introduced in Lakshmi Magic.

 

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this exhibit. Lakshmi is actively worshipped today and hails from a diverse and ancient culture. Historical interpretations date back thousands of years and evolved through different eras. Stories, rituals, transliterations, and spellings change depending on many factors, including the religious point of view of the writer, the region, local customs, and dialect. The Hindu people who honor Lakshmi in Queens may have their own cultural or regional traditions. This website is based on my own lived experience and research over the course of twenty-five years of participating in and observing the traditional worship of Lakshmi and my work as an ordained interfaith minister trained to honor religious traditions of all faiths and also find a way to explain them for a non-religious and western audience. This exhibit is offered with love.

 

Heartfelt apologies to goddess Lakshmi in advance for any errors in the spelling of Sanskrit words or terms, or any errors in presenting her information, prayers, or rituals. Thank you, Lakshmi!