Gauri

Gauri is the goddess of energy, nourishment, purity, dedication, aspiration and compassion. Charming and radiant, Gauri is another manifestation of Parvati and consort of Shiva. Kali is considered her opposite, dark and violent where Gauri is fair and gentle. Gauri is Parvati's courage, grace and power while still being known for her comforting and nurturing nature. She bestows courage and strength onto her followers, giving them the strength to pursue their dreams. Some also pray to Gauri hoping she might bless them with fertility and virility when seeking a child, offering her ghee and flowers. For these reasons Gauri is associated either with Rylmar, the aspect of aspirations, or Emryl, the aspect of heat, both encouraging, nurturing and pushing humanity forward with grace!

According to myth, Shiva once teased Parvati for being dark skinned, upsetting Parvati enough that she sought out a lighter complexion. She departed her home and devoted herself to prayascitta (ritual atonement) for hundreds of years, impressing Brahma and earning a boon! She washed herself in the Ganga river and discarded her old skin -which then became Kali- and was given lustrous golden skin, reborn as Gauri.

Gauri represents the par of Parvati which is pure and fertile, granting bountiful harvests when offered rice. Her actions have made her a symbol of virtue and austerity, emphasizing hard work towards dreams and ambitions. She embodies purity and dedication, devoted to gain the approval of her husband. She is also admired by unmarried women seeking a husband, revering her as a symbol of growth and of casting off the past.

In Gauri's four arms, she carries a lotus, a brimming pot and trishula trident representing fortune and fertility. She might also carry a drum, rosary or mirror or pefrom mudra, gestures which grant boons and dispel fear. Her vahana is a cow, Gauri associated with milk and mirrors, or a giant iguana. She also wears green or pure white sari and her face glows with youth and radiance, associated with the sun.