Niki Naeve

The Power of Symbols

How can ganesh help us bust through our barriers and lead us from “inner homelessness?“

Refuge is on all the services! Just search your favorite one for “Niki Naeve!”

Here is Refuge on Spotify.

Here it is on Apple Music.

And… Amazon Music.

We live in uncertain times.  Our ancestors have lived in such times, and our descendants likely will, too. Thankfully, humanity has always sought and found ways to make sense of chaos. Over millennia, spiritual traditions have emerged to help us navigate fear and disorder. From struggle has come wisdom: stories, prayers, and rituals passed down and refined through generations.

Hinduism, one of the world’s oldest major religions, dating back over 5,000 years, gives us ganesh—the elephant-headed deity known as the remover of obstacles. (In case you wonder why I don’t capitalize the first letter of “ganesh,” it’s because my Sanskrit teacher tells me this would be applying a Western/English language rule to a Sanskit word; I do my best to comply with rules of both languages!)

Symbols like ganesh can connect us with our inner world, helping to reframe fear, anxiety, and confusion and weave those feelings into a sense of stability, stillness, and self-assuredness. Holding the image of the “remover of obstacles” can serve as a powerful tool for breaking through all the noise with a sense of hope, deep guidance, and transformation.

We must draw on every helpful resource we have, as we’re all too aware that mental health is a major concern today.

In a personal exploration of ganesh, I asked for your voices – a recording of a recurring thought that blocks your sense of clarity or growth. Some super brave individuals stepped up, identifying mental scripts which hold them back. I’m exquisitely aware how vulnerable this must have felt, and incredibly grateful for those who were willing to share their innermost struggles with me (and an unknown number of strangers!)

Then I asked them to record a personal “antidote”—a phrase which counters that limiting belief and helps them move forward. 

And those precious voices became an integral part of the music which emerged.

Even if we’re not practicing Hindus, ganesh can serve as a powerful symbolic anchor—helping us clear our own paths with strength and compassion.  We can use this awareness as a touchstone for our mental health and well being.

For those who prefer a more visual experience or would like to singalong with lyrics…I put together a lil’ video!

(Click on above picture to access video)

So, what does it mean?

“Sharanam” translates to “Refuge.”  We all need refuge…  from geopolitics, from our over-scheduled lives, from the rumination of our minds.  This chant invites you to ask yourself, what do you need sanctuary from?  What are your ways of seeking it?  What are the things you say to yourself, to calm the inner turbulence? 

Refuge, to me, is a distinct center of stillness in a turbulent world. I hope this chant can take you from that all-too familiar inner place of “homelessness,” and help guide you home.

Translation of Sanskrit chants is often complicated, opening up layers of meaning which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I’m not a Sanskrit scholar by any means, but with a little research and some conversations with an actual Sanskrit scholar, here is one way to think about the lyrics to “Refuge:”

ganesha sharanam, sharanam ganesha:

ganesha – The elephant-headed god

sharanam – refuge

“I take refuge in ganesha, the elephant-headed god.“

om gam ganapataye, namo, namaha:

om – Seed sound of the universe

gam – Seed sound for ganapati, another name for ganesh.

namo – I honor, or venerate.

namaha – Whatever is being chanted, I have no hand in it. (This is the Vedic seers’ way to transcend the ego.)

“Om, I honor and revere ganesh.”

shri ganesha deva:

shri – Title of honor, holy, auspicious.

ganesh – The elephant headed god, known for removing obstacles.

deva – God, divine, deity.

“Oh, Lord ganesha, the revered one!” or, “Victory to Lord ganesh!”

Happy chanting!