Most of the stories we have learned this whole year are of men, sages and animals. Saraswati is one of the personifications of the Divine Mother. Her seat is a lotus flower and her vehicle through the universe is a swan or a peacock.
She is considered knowledge itself manifest as a feminine deity. She identifies and encourages culture, language, speech, wisdom, intellect, creativity, inspiration, poetry, ideas and memory. She would be the muse and creative spirit for all the cultural arts. Saraswati is the godess on the cover of the text we have been using this whole year.
When Saraswati rides around the Cosmos, she does so on a white swan or a peacock.
There is a pose called Hamsasana, The Swan. It is also related to the arm balance Mayurasana, Peacock. Here’s some videos of these postures and we will play with them a little this week.
We will also play with the Hamsayasa hand mudra. It is also called the swan face mudra and known as the mudra of knowledge, peace and meditation.
Not far from Rexburg are several places where trumpeter swans can be seen. Each winter as the trumpeters migrate, they come to the quiet spots in the waterways in and around Island Park and Harriman State Park. Volunteers are helping the trumpeter swan society watch and count the swans in the area.
picture from here
