GloForward Feature: Goddess Saraswati
Goddesses as Guides: Flowing In New Directions
by Paulette Bodeman
May 28, 2021
Our Goddess series explores three ancient archetypes representing different qualities and aspects of the universal feminine. Their stories can serve as guides through the midlife transition that all women face.
In part one, you met Kali who reminds that in order for newness to arise in your life something needs to die away. She helps you to get real with yourself about the change and provides the courageous force you need to bring your shadows into the light.
From the depths of Kali, the erudite Saraswati arises. She is often called Krama Shakti or the Goddess of divine timing.
Remember the adage, “you can’t fool Mother Nature?” That’s Saraswati. You can’t fool her because she is Nature.
She’s the Goddess of flow, sequence and sacred order. As such she is there with you in the transition when your blood years begin to wane and then stop all together.
Saraswati isn’t out to “get you.” She’s there to assist and support you through this powerful phase of life. Saraswati wants you to remember that every stage of life is in perfect order. One phase is no more important than another.
It’s up to you to decide either to fight the current of change or learn to swim with grace and joy.
Saraswati is also the embodiment of the arts. With her regal beauty and poise, she holds the key to knowledge, wisdom, sound and articulation.
For many women, a portal of creativity opens during this transitional time. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to paint, write or learn a new language. But raising children and working never allowed time for it. However, now that the kids are out of the nest you finally have the space for you.
If you call upon the Goddess energy of Saraswati when embarking on any creative endeavor, she will step in, take hold of your hand, and sweetly whisper, “no need to feel lost, this way dear heart, this way.”
Saraswati is graceful, cool and collected and with her keen intelligence. When asked, she will dance on your tongue allowing your thoughts to transform into words of eloquence and potency. Through her you learn to be a better communicator and to speak your truth with clarity and compassion.
Ask for her assistance the next time you need to hold a team meeting, go on a job interview or have a difficult conversation with a friend or loved one.
The Gift of Discernment
Saraswati is the river of life and consciousness. And through her worldly and divine wisdom this Goddess is the power of discernment that’s needed when faced with challenge and choice.
Often in midlife transition you can feel as if you’ve been shaken in a box like a jig-saw puzzle with pieces of your identity thrown on the floor. You feel sad and lonely and have no idea how to put the pieces of who you are together again. Saraswati is the force within that will guide you in designing a brand-new version of you.
As women loving and living in today’s world, we’re making judgements and decisions all day long. Through the gift of discernment, Saraswati helps us to move through the falsity and fragility of our humanness and connect to the wisdom of our higher nature.
Confusion often arises in the potency of midlife change. How many nights do you wake with your mind racing, “is this it? Is this my life?" Or “my marriage is over; my kids are gone and it’s just little old me. Now what?”
Saraswati is the direct connection to your breath and through the movement of your breath she asks you to pause. If you pay attention to the pause certainty arises along with inspiration, insight and intuition. Saraswati is your Aha moments and creative hits.
She’s known to be an impeccable organizer and can be a perfectionist. Which is why she moves with an inner knowing of sequence and flow, like the river she’s named after.
While she’s elegant and classic, Saraswati is also unconventional in a quiet way. Don’t underestimate her outward appearance of sophistication and civility, for she will do exactly what’s needed to get the job done.
Saraswati helps us shift our shadows into the creative process by turning our base metal into gold. She asks us to go with the flow without grasping onto our personal agendas.
Finding New Purpose
Mid-transition often feels as if your mind, body and spirit have been turned inside out. Perhaps you are an empty-nester or are thinking of re-entering the job-force. Whatever your north star has been, your focus in life has now shifted. You find yourself questioning your purpose and value. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the window and wonder, “who the hell are you?”
As the Goddess of flow and sequence Saraswati encourages you to develop a personal purpose for this particular period of your life. Sure, it may feel challenging. That’s why it’s helpful to be assured that yes, your life has shifted flowing in a new direction… and oh how exciting it is - if you allow it to be so!
Perhaps you may want to volunteer for an adult literacy program, return to school and earn that Masters of French Literature you’ve always wanted, sell the big house and travel more.
Saraswati reminds you that there is power and truth in change. She challenges you to trust, lean into the process and go for it.
Next in our series is Lakshmi, who affirms the vitality and radiance of life at all stages and guides us to make the best choices we can in any given circumstance.
Paulette Bodeman
Paulette is a highly regarded yoga teacher and trainer, and long-time student of Tantric philosophy and the stories of India. She is also an Amazon best-seller, Certified Professional Integrative Coach, the founder of the Breakaway Academy and the Badass & Brilliant Method. For more than three decades students have praised the whole-hearted and transformational power of Paulette’s teachings, coaching, and personal development retreats. Paulette is a life-long learner who continues to crave knowledge. She’s earned a B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology and has studied with renowned yoga scholars. She continues to up-level her coaching skills by studying with internationally recognized business and life coaches.
