Three friends of mine have been in India and bought me a present. I got a small statue of Ganesh or Ganesha, the Hindu Elephant-Deity. I of course had to find out more about this god and what I found is very interesting and matches me in many ways.

Ganesh is the Hindu God of knowledge and the remover of obstacles or God of elimination of troubles. He is also called Ganapati (leader of people), Buddhividhata ( god of knowledge ), or Vighnahara (god to remove obstacles).

The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

It is interesting to read about the Significance of the Ganesha Form. I also found an image that lists the symbolisms.

I believe in life long learning, gathering and sharing knowledge. Both as coach and healer I work with removal of obstacles and elimination of troubles.

There is also a Ganesha Mudra (hand yoga) that “can be employed whenever you are struggling. Symbolizes strength when facing troubles. Eases tension.”

Read more:
Ganesha at Wikipedia
Ganesha: Lord of Success

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.