Goddess of the Week: Benzaiten

Image by Okinawa Soba via Flickr

Jess needs a goddess for when life seems overwhelming, for when too much happens at once. What she really needs is a goddess of flow, a goddess like Benzaiten, the Japanese goddess of all that flows.

Not surprisingly, Benzaiten is a sea goddess, and she reminds us that when the current runs too swift and too strong, we need to work with it, not against it. That's true for all things that flow, whether we're talking about eloquent words, changing fortunes, or the passage of time.

Benzaiten says, "Relax. Find your rhythm. You will get where you're going, and you'll be less tired, if you trust in the laws of buoyancy and let yourself float. By all means, definitely avoid that pesky Butterfly stroke. I can't even understand the mechanics of that one. How was it even invented? It doesn't even seem normal and, I'm telling you, in times of flux and stress, you don't need to spend time figuring out how to contort your body and flip flop like some crazy dolphin. You need a great big floatation device wrapped round your belly and a martini glass filled with a pretty pink Cosmopolitan.

Of the seven Japanese gods of fortune, Benzaiten is the only female so she definitely knows what she's talking about. She plays with the big boys all the time and she always survives. Like this one time, this annoying dragon dude was totally pestering her. He blew smoke in her face; he tried to set her favorite lute on fire. Worst of all, he dissed her in front of the other six gods of fortune. He was all, "That bitch Benzaiten thinks she so great, but she is all full of salt water. Plus she smells like kelp." The other six gods of fortune totally expected Benzaiten to go all war god and smote him, but Benzaiten just stayed in the flow. You know what she did? She fricking married the dragon dude and reformed him. She pulled him into the current and let the water extinguish his flaming snout.* It actually worked out pretty well. He turned out to be a very good form of air transport.

The point is, when you are stressed out, resist the natural urge to make for the shore. It might seem safer there, but life is more manageable when we focus on the journey and not the destination.

Channel this goddess: When your load is too heavy, when your responsibilities are too many, and when you feel like your drowning. Remember: relax, float. It's all about the journey.

Need a goddess: I got goddesses! Leave a note in the comments section telling me what you need, and I will see what I can do.

Jess: This should serve you well when you move.

*Warning: only goddesses have the power to change annoying dragons into sweet little sea horses. Mortal women should stay away from mean dragon dudes. We cannot change them. They only bring us down.