The Sri Suktam is a Vedic hymn that describes the glory and compassion of the nourishing aspect of the Divine Mother know as Lakshmi. This beautiful hymn invites Lakshmi into our hearts and our lives. Chanting this hymn surrounds us with light and eliminates material and spiritual poverty.

The Sri Suktam is the most common base used in pujas to aspects of the Mother Goddess. It is also an excellent place to begin learning Vedic chanting. The chandas (meter) is very simple and easy to follow. The Suktam only consist of 16 lines and is easy to learn. Principles of chanting such as prana and mahaprana sounds can be learned through learning to chant the Sri Suktam. In addition, the benefits of chanting Sri Suktam will bring prosperity and abundance to the lives of those who chant it regularly with devotion, not only materially, but spiritually as well. wealth of knowlege, wealth of friendship and wealth of love can all be attain by way of chanting the Sri Suktam. This workshop will examine the pronounciation of each line until the entire group has grasped it. In addition we will examine both the literal and spiritual meaning of each line as we learn it. At the end of the worshop, we will do a puja to goddess Lakshmi that uses the Sri Suktam as the means of worship where everyone is encouraged to chant along!

Significance (from Wikipeda)
The Sri Suktam assumes specific significance because of Sri Mahalakshmi's presence on Lord Sri Venkateswara (at Tirumala) or Vishnu's chest, at the Heart. Lakshmi is the embodiment of Love, from which devotion to God or Bhakti flows from. It is through Love/Bhakti or Lakshmi that the atma or soul is able to reach God or Vishnu.
Sri or Lakshmi is also the personification of the Spiritual energy within us and universe called Kundalini. Also, She embodies the Spiritual World or Vaikunta; the abode of Lakshmi-Narayana or Vishnu, not to be confused with Heaven, as The Heavenly Planets are still part of the Material Universe. Vaikuntha-Dham is purely spiritual, eternal and self illuminating. She is also supposed to have the Divine qualities of God and the soul. Lakshmi is God's superior spiritual feminine energy or the Param Prakriti, which purifies, empowers and uplifts the individual. Hence, She is called the Goddess of Fortune.