“For now, let us discuss just the first step—the movement from solid to liquid, meaning from shape to shapelessness, which is described as Gaṇapati in the tradition of Śrī Vidyā.
In Gaṇapati Tarpaṇās, we start by forming a pyramid from a paste of impurities that is connected to idea of “my body.” As the mantras are repeated, spoon after spoon of perfumed water is poured over the pyramidal form, a symbol of spirit encased in a body. As your actions dissolve this pyramid, you experience the ecstasy of flowing out from your body. And as this physical body dissolves, so does your individual consciousness dissolve into the collective consciousness.
Let me explain. Suppose that four of us perform this ritual together, placing four turmeric pyramids into a single large plate. Initially each pyramid (meaning each of us as individuals) contains its own awareness. But as the pyramids dissolve under the constant dripping of water, these awarenesses gradually leak out and blend together—and in the end, they all become one.
What have we achieved by doing this? Well, four separate people have become one single person. And this larger “person” contains all of our collective ideas. So now each of us knows the thoughts of the other three as if they were our own. We don’t have to tell one another what we’re thinking. That’s why the first step in Śrī Vidyā is giving the mantra of Gaṇeśa. It enlarges your ideas about who you are—so that the people you know can support your ideas, and you can support theirs.”
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