Saraswati is the goddess who "flows as language, insight, and sound"
A Saraswati woman loves solving intellectual and artistic problems.
Saraswati women are not so much interested in relationships; they are passionate but in an impersonal way.
She is associated with the creative impulse and the flow of creativity through you. She writes novels, plays music, finds connections, and solves intellectual problems.
She is associated with computers and the flow of information on the internet. You can invoke her to help you finish a paper or fix your computer.
Shadow side: when you have trouble expressing yourself or you are misunderstanding communication, your saraswati energy is blocked. Also, misuse of creative speech: lies, propaganda, rumors, internet chatter, negative self-talk.
Discursive though itself is Saraswati's shadow: "if you doubt the power of the goddess, an hour of trying to stop the mind will convince you that Sarawsati's creative flow is indeed a river, or perhaps a fountain- endlessly running. You can't control her, you can only flow with her, using a mantra or your own awareness as a boat you can steer along those channels that lead to expansion and joy rather than suffering and confusion." Kempton, p. 183
"Her skin is fair and her eyes are lustrous, with a deep peace radiating from them. She is dressed in a white sari, and around her neck are pearls. She carries a book in her hand." She rides a swan. "Breathe with the sense that you are breathing with her."
Her swan is a symbol of discernment. The swan lives in a lake in the Himalayas. "It is said that if you pour milk into the lake, the Paramahamsa's beak will act as a filter, separating the milk from the water, so he only drinks the milk. One of Sarawati's gifts is the discrimination to separate truthful, liberating knowledge- and words- from the kind of information that creates confusion and fear. She is, for this reason, the prime deity of wisdom and knowledge- especially the knowledge transmitted heart to heart, by the speech of the teacher." Kempton, p. 186
"As an archetype of the feminine, Saraswati is the solitary woman, the scholar at her desk, the yogini or the nun who gives up conventional life for something subtler, more pure." Jane Austen, Dian Fossey
She teaches us we need dedication and immersion in order to extract the subtle truths of life and art.
Many men with an abundance of Saraswati energy have a hard time with relationships. When you're a channel for her energy you might not have the space for ordinary relationships.
She is also the goddess of intuition and insight. "You can prime intuition by asking yourself a question and then holding still until the answer comes." Kempton, p. 191
"To recieve insight, you have to go past the thinking mind. You have to get quiet enough, focused enough, and patient enough to discern the voice of the inspiration or the intuition." p. 192
"Her shakti expresses itself through the inner work we do to hone the mind, to study, to practice- the careful, rigorous effort that allows us to become a container for wisdom and inspiration." p.196
Ideas and quotes taken from "Awakening Shakti", by Sally Kempton
