Energy Bodies
We’ve covered energy fields and channels in previous chapters; now it’s time to talk about energy bodies, another important facet of our subtle anatomy. While there are numerous chakra models, we’ll be using the Hindu chakra system as our main focus here, exploring the role of the system as a whole and the specific functions of the individual chakras.
Just as our physical body has organs to process substrates for use by or excretion from the body (among other tasks), our energy system needs a way to process, assimilate, and release different energies, and the chakras fill this role. The Sanskrit word chakra means “wheel,” and many cultures and practitioners visualize the chakras as spinning wheels or vortices of energy, often with a specific color of light associated with each chakra.
Energy worker Barbara Ann Brennan perceives each chakra as a double cone-like shape with the pointed ends facing inward.1 For the primary seven chakras, with the exception of the first (a single downward-facing cone) and seventh (a single upward-facing cone), one half of the double cone opens to the front of the body, with the other half opening to the back. Homeopath and chakra healer Ambika Wauters sees the outer lip of the cone acting as a filter, exchanging energy with our environment throughout the day. If we aren’t able to express or process these energies in a healthy manner, they collect along this filter and create a congestion. The body of the cone is composed of our collective attitudes and beliefs like an etheric fabric woven from the strands of our thoughts and beliefs, and the tip of the cone contains what Wauters calls “the seeds of our destiny.” She believes that we cannot access these seeds until we process and clear out the limited beliefs and other negativity that obstruct our energy.2 When we affirm our self-worth and honor our True Self, these seeds begin to germinate and our destiny takes root and flowers.
Cyndi Dale associates the front side of the chakras with conscious awareness, facets of tangible, day-to-day reality, and our current lifetime, while the back side is related to the unconscious self, awareness beyond the bounds of space and time, and information from the past, including past lives.3 While much chakra healing is focused on the more easily accessible front side, it’s important to work on the back side as well, because the unconscious mind exerts a powerful influence on our everyday experience, and by working with these energies, we can shift seemingly intractable issues and long-standing patterns. The back-side energies also give us access to alternative realities beyond the path we are currently walking, and opening to these energies can create change in seemingly miraculous ways that don’t necessarily conform to the laws of physical reality.
Within the body of the cone, Brennan perceives small, rotating vortices, which she believes are synonymous with the lotus petals in Hindu descriptions of the chakras. These vortices spin at very high but slightly different rates, and it is this difference that generates the unique color signature of the individual chakras, while also allowing them to process different types of energy.4 Just as our body relies on regular intake of food, water, and oxygen to survive, we also require universal energy (chi, prana, etc.). The chakras absorb this energy, processing it into forms usable by the different systems within our subtle and physical body and releasing it into the energy channels for distribution. The chakras also pull in other energies from our environment, including energies from fellow human beings. Not all these energies are beneficial or usable by our system, and their intake can contribute to imbalances, which are outlined in the individual chakra profiles below.
The chakras are said to exist primarily in the first auric layer, which is the layer most closely affiliated with the physical body, but they penetrate and can affect all layers of the aura. Energy healer Donna Eden sees the chakras spiraling down through the auric layers, with successive layers yielding different information, with the most superficial layer containing as-yet-unintegrated energy from recent events, which she describes as “more like a debris than a coherent energy.” 5 By the fourth layer, she is able to perceive incidents from the person’s childhood and other past experiences, with personal stories and images emerging in the fourth through sixth layers. By the seventh layer, Eden is able to access information pertaining to each chakra that was learned and assimilated in previous lifetimes. She believes that as we develop and mature, we bring more alignment and harmony to the chakric layers, which engenders a deeper sense of who we are and our life’s purpose.6
As with the auric layers and the energy channels, each chakra is associated with a different domain of existence. For example, the root chakra is closely associated with your physical experience, and it processes energies regarding your physicality on different levels: physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually. The physiological level can include organ and endocrine gland function, with each chakra influencing a particular subset of physiological processes. On a psychological level, each chakra aids us in integrating our experiences into a cohesive self-concept and narrative, while trauma can interrupt this process. Each chakra pertains to a facet of our maturation or psychological development process, such as survival and sexuality at the root chakra or wise perception and inner sight at the third eye chakra. And finally, on a spiritual level, the chakras help us assimilate energies from various metaphysical sources, which could include the collective unconscious and archetypes, past-life content, and communication with non-physical beings.
Imbalances in a particular area of life can often be mapped to certain chakras and vice versa, and a simple tool for diagnosing chakric health is using a pendulum to determine the movement of energy within each chakra.
Exercise: Pendulum Dowsing the Chakras
I’ve successfully used this technique with a homemade necklace made from rocks found on a hike, so you needn’t get a fancy pendulum to experiment with this method. Ideally, use something with a bit of weight to it, like a small rock or even a washer from the hardware store, looped onto a cord or chain that hangs about six inches or more from your hand. I loop the chain once around my fingers so I can release any sensation of gripping or holding without dropping the pendulum.
Bring yourself into a calm, focused state with a few minutes of steady, conscious breathing. Hold the pendulum over the energy center you wish to explore, typically a few inches away from the body (I feel a sort of energetic tug or gentle “locking in” sensation when I’ve found the proper distance). And now for the tricky part: release expectations and clear your mind, as best you can. It might take some time, but the pendulum will begin to move, with the pattern generally becoming more pronounced and easier to determine as the movement builds. When a chakra is closed, indicated by no movement, I experience this as the energetic line “going slack,” like a dropping off in sensation.
If you detect an imbalance in any of the chakras, you can use the healing exercises outlined in the individual chakra profiles below or this very simple yet effective method: visualize the imbalanced chakra glowing with brightly colored light (find color indications in the chakra profiles or follow your intuition), and say to yourself three times, “My [chakra name] is healthy and balanced on all levels.” Alternatively, or in addition, place your hands over the chakra and let healing energy flow, clearing away obstructions and returning the chakra to a state of optimal health. You’ll also find chakra-healing techniques on page 237.
The Seven-Chakra System
Let’s look more closely at the chakras by outlining some of their individual functions and qualities, using the seven-chakra framework (we’ll talk about alternative models at the end of this chapter). This is not a comprehensive cataloging of the chakra system, but it will give you a solid foundation from which to work with these energy centers. It’s important to remember that none of the chakras operates in isolation, and it is their ability to work as a coherent system that is vital to our health and sense of wholeness. Know, too, that the qualities listed here, while in common usage, are not unanimously agreed upon by all healers, and you may experience or see different qualities when working with yourself or others. Use this material as a guide, but don’t let it quash your own intuitive experience.
Root Chakra
Location: Perineum at the base of the spine
Color: Red
Sanskrit Name: Muladhara
Element: Earth
Sense: Smell
Primary Functions: Root, support, safety, security
Associated Glands: Adrenals
Associated Body Parts: Blood, skeletal system, kidneys, legs, teeth
Seed Sound: Lam
Crystals: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, lodestone, hematite
Archetypes: The Mother (positive), the Victim (negative)
Astrological Association: Earth, Saturn, Capricorn
Physical Connections: Development of physical structure, survival functions, DNA and inheritance, food and physical nourishment, physical movement, grounding
Mental/Emotional Connections: Trust and a sense of safety; self-worth and deserving; feeling a right to be here; ability to be present; passion, rage, joy, and other primal feelings; survival instinct
Spiritual Connections: Seeing the sacred in the physical, ability to manifest in the physical realm, commitment to life/will to live
Signs of Health: Feeling embodied and present, balanced physical health, nourishing diet and movement practices, connection to nature, healthy relationship to finances
Signs of Imbalance: Addiction; sexual dysfunction; urinary and colorectal issues; reproductive health issues; instability regarding basic needs, such as housing and food; chronic financial instability; overeating or undereating; body dysmorphia; family-of-origin issues; childhood abuse; foot problems
The root chakra is our root, our seat, of physical existence; thus, when this chakra is healthy, we are able to survive and thrive in the physical realm, which includes having a safe and comfortable place to live; access to nourishing food and clean water; a healthy lifestyle, including diet, movement, and sleep; and a stable relationship with our finances. When this energy center is out of balance, we can experience upheaval in any of these areas, including addiction, chronic financial instability, unsafe or otherwise unhealthy living conditions, and a feeling of not being present in our bodies or actively engaged in life. It may be difficult for us to manifest our thoughts, ideas, and desires into tangible reality, and we may struggle with feeling that we don’t deserve to be here.
Exercise: Root Chakra Forest Bathing
There are many meditative practices for healing the root chakra that work beautifully, but one of my favorite practices that heals not only the root but also our entire self is the practice of forest bathing. Quite simply, this involves spending time in nature, even if that’s the park up the street, provided it has at least one tree in good health. While in this space, do your best to be fully present, and a great way to do this is to engage the five senses, just as you did in the Cultivating Awareness through Sensory Delight Exercise in Chapter 1. What do you see, smell, and hear? Touch the bark of the tree, the soil, the leaves. What do the different textures feel like? While there might not be anything that you can safely taste, can you detect a “flavor” to the air? As much as possible, resist the urge to play over events of the day in your mind or otherwise get caught up in your thoughts. You don’t have to obsess over emptying the mind, but when thoughts arise, treat them like dryer lint: little blobs of thoroughly uninteresting material that need not have any impact on the current moment. Let them blow away.
After spending at least ten minutes in this natural space, as you walk or sit, bring your attention to your root chakra at the perineum. Let any intuitive knowings arise regarding the health of this chakra, such as images, memories, thoughts, and physical sensations. Ask your higher self any questions you have about this chakra, including how to create and maintain its health. Visualize this chakra glowing with a ruby red light, clearing any obstructions and returning the energy to a healthy vibration and flow.
Sacral Chakra
Location: Slightly below the navel
Color: Orange
Sanskrit name: Svadhisthana
Element: Water
Sense: Taste
Primary Functions: Desire, pleasure, sexuality, creativity
Associated Body Parts: Genitals, womb, kidneys, bladder, circulatory system
Associated Glands: Ovaries, testes
Seed Sound: Vam
Crystals: Moonstone, coral, carnelian, tiger’s eye
Archetypes: The Empress/Emperor (positive), the Martyr (negative)
Astrological Association: Moon, Jupiter, Cancer, Scorpio
Physical Connections: Feeling emotions through the body (crying, laughing, etc.); sensual and sexual experiences; movement; appetite for food and sex
Mental/Emotional Connections: Ability and a desire for healthy change, mental flexibility and emotional resilience, welcoming pleasurable experiences, authentic emotional expression, creativity
Spiritual Connections: Empathy and compassion, honoring feelings (our own and other people’s), finding meaning in life, expressing joy
Signs of Health: Ability to experience pleasure, including sexual pleasure; expression of creative energy; healthy emotional expression; nurturing, healthy relationships; ability to create healthy structure and boundaries
Signs of Imbalance: Lower back pain; impotence and reproductive health issues; urinary, bladder, or kidney issues; painful/dysfunctional menstrual cycles, fibroids, endometriosis; chronic and/or pervasive pain issues; creative blocks; codependent relationships; lack of or excessive appetite for food or sex; difficulty establishing healthy limits
The sacral chakra brings us from the solidity, the unity, of chakra one to the polarity of two. Here is where we experience a sense of differentiation that allows us to come into relationship with others and with ourselves. Thus, this chakra is closely associated with the trappings of relationship, including emotions, pleasure and pain, and the need for boundaries and flexibility. This encounter with the other, whether that be another person or the meeting of our inner polarities (such as our yin-yang energies), is a potentially creative act, and in order to manifest what we desire, over generating unwanted experiences, we must bring as much conscious awareness as possible to these encounters.
Tending to the sacral chakra, then, requires taking responsibility for our relationships, both with ourselves and others, and this starts with a robust self-care practice, for it is impossible to offer in relationship what we cannot offer to ourselves, be that love, support, companionship, and so forth. Healthy relationship also requires boundaries, for you and I cannot be in relationship if I don’t know where I end and you begin. These boundaries also apply to self-relationship, because a healthy lifestyle requires balance that can only be cultivated when we are willing to set appropriate limits: for example, by turning off the TV so we can get a good night’s sleep. And relationships cannot thrive without healthy emotional expression, so practicing our ability to be present when our emotions arise, rather than mindlessly reacting from them, and learning ways to express our emotions authentically in ways that deepen intimacy, even when dealing with more challenging emotions, strengthens this chakra as well. Using the Flow of Emotions Exercise in Chapter 1 is a great way to boost sacral chakra health, as is the following exercise, which uses the power of healing energy to highlight and transform boundary issues.
Find a place where you can lie down comfortably without being disturbed. If this pose is accessible to you, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted on the floor. If your feet are directly below your knees, move them about a foot away from your butt to create more opening. This pose helps to release a muscle called the psoas, which travels from the lower spine, through the pelvic bowl, to the femur (thigh bone), and I have found this muscle to be energetically related to the lower three chakras.
Place both palms over your lower belly. Imagine there are elastic cords running from your knees, along the tops of your thighs, and attaching to the front of your hip bones, and as you breathe, let these cords start to lengthen and soften. While you may not notice much, if any, external movement, this area can feel longer and more spacious as you relax. Continue to breathe as long as you like here, entering a state of relaxation and calm.
Imagine the area under your hands beginning to glow with a beautiful orange light, like freshly squeezed citrus. Do this for a few rounds of breath, and then open your crown chakra to the flow of healing energy, seeing and sensing a pure stream of white light traveling down your body and into your belly, further energizing and balancing your sacral chakra. Focus on this flow for a few more breaths, and when you feel ready, ask your higher self, “Where in my life do I need to set a healthy boundary?” Spend some time here in contemplation, allowing any images, sensations, memories, and other insights to arise, and ask your higher self any clarifying questions as needed. Ideally, before you come out of this meditation, you will have one clear action step to establish healthy boundaries in your life. When you’re ready, set the intention that your chakras are returning to a state that is healthy and balanced for you, release any imagery, and gently roll to one side to press yourself up to a seated position.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Location: Directly below the sternum
Color: Yellow
Sanskrit Name: Manipura
Element: Fire
Sense: Sight
Primary Functions: Will, power, self-esteem
Associated Body Parts: Muscles, digestive system
Associated Gland: Pancreas
Seed Sound: Ram
Crystals: Citrine, amber, topaz
Archetypes: The Warrior (positive), the Servant (negative)
Astrological Association: Sun, Mars, Leo, Aries
Physical Connections: Desire to move, to take action, healthy digestion and metabolism
Mental/Emotional Connections: Healthy ego development and self-esteem, healthy decision-making, ability to discern one’s will and direct it toward healthy change, courage
Spiritual Connections: Cultivation of inner power as opposed to exerting power over others, connection to divine will, ability to impact the world in a way that aligns with our higher self
Signs of Health: Ability to make conscious choices, functional expressions of will and power, healthy digestion, ability to take action even when the outcome is uncertain (which, in truth, is always the case!), enjoying a sense of agency and self-directedness in one’s life
Signs of Imbalance: Over-controlling and micromanaging, chronic indecision, abdicating choice and responsibility to others, inflammation, diabetes, digestive disorders, inertia or excessive busyness, chronic nervousness and fear, feeling powerless, judgmental attitudes toward self and others
The solar plexus is a bit like our chakric command-and-control center, and it governs our ability to express healthy forms of power, which include the ability to make life-enhancing decisions and to take action based on those choices. When this chakra isn’t functioning properly, we often experience a dysfunctional relationship to power, which can manifest in excessive or deficient forms. In excess, we might be hyper-controlling, micromanaging our own lives and trying to control other people. It might feel really scary to accept the limits of our control and to be in relationship without trying to change others to meet our expectations. When deficient, we might struggle to exert any control, vacillating on decisions and lacking in energy to carry out our choices. We might prefer to leave the decisions up to someone else, while struggling with resentment and feeling powerless when life doesn’t go the way we’d like it to. It’s not uncommon to experience both, swinging back and forth between rigid control and total loss of willpower, with strict diets and the backlash of binge days being one example of this.
A powerful method for healing the solar plexus chakra involves taking responsibility for our right to choose and realizing that abstaining from decision-making is, in itself, a choice. We cannot avoid choice in life, so it is well worth the effort to learn how to wield this power effectively and in accordance with our highest self. When working with clients energetically, something I often see is a tangled-up wad of energetic threads, like a gnarled ball of yarn, at the solar plexus, and this is always accompanied by a feeling that one’s choices are not one’s own. Cultural and peer pressure outweigh personal prerogative far too often, leaving the person feeling trapped and bound up with shoulds and have tos. The following exercise helps you clear and balance your solar plexus to support healthier decision-making.
Find a place where you can sit or lie down without being disturbed, and get comfy. If you’re lying down, you can use the posture from the previous sacral chakra exercise if it suits you. Place your hands over your solar plexus, which is at the base of the sternum (breastbone). Take as many nice, deep breaths as you need to calm and center yourself, feeling your hands rising and falling with the inhales and exhales.
Bring your awareness to your solar plexus, and first, get a sense of its energetic state. Allow any intuitive messages to arise, which might come in the form of images, thoughts, physical sensations, emotions, and so forth. Ask your higher self any clarifying questions you might have. Then, visualize a beautiful golden sun above you, and focus on the image to increase its energy and power. You might even feel the warmth of the sun on your skin or see hints of light beyond your closed eyelids. Draw the energy of this sun into your solar plexus, and allow its golden yellow light to infuse this chakra with health and vitality, clearing any obstructions and returning this energy center to a state of harmonious flow. Know that the clarity and conscious power of the sun has fully activated your ability to choose, and you can now use this in your daily life practice, outlined next.
Pair the Solar Power Exercise with a daily life practice of making conscious choices more and more often. You can start small with choices like “What flavor tea will I have this morning?” and progress to larger decisions, like “Does it feel nourishing to continue going to Sunday dinners with my extended family?” To enhance this process, anytime you need to, reaffirm your connection to the sun by drawing sun energy into your solar plexus, clearing away any energetic cobwebs and enhancing your ability to make wise decisions. The more you use this practice, the easier it will be to navigate life’s choices with intelligence and grace.
Heart Chakra
Location: Heart/middle of the chest
Color: Green or pink
Sanskrit Name: Anahata
Element: Air
Sense: Touch
Primary Functions: Love, compassion
Associated Body Parts: Lungs, heart, pericardium, hands
Associated Gland: Thymus
Seed Sound: Yam
Crystals: Emerald, rose quartz, tourmaline, jade
Archetypes: The Lover (positive), the Actress/Actor (negative)
Astrological Association: Venus, Libra, Taurus
Physical Connections: Strong heart, healthy immunity
Mental/Emotional Connections: Self-love, ability to give and receive love, seeing life and humanity as generally good in spite of the “ills of the world,” desire to connect with others, ability to refrain from temporary wants and desires when they run counter to higher-self goals
Spiritual Connections: Feeling worthy of and connected to love, both human and divine; ability to attract what our higher self seeks and manifest our soul’s wishes in the physical plane
Signs of Health: Nurturing relationships, self-love, heart health, strong immune system, ability to love within the context of imperfect human relationships, compassion for self and others, ability to return to a state of balance following temporary illness
Signs of Imbalance: Physical heart issues, bronchitis, pneumonia, compromised immune system, difficulty receiving and expressing love, self-hatred, need for immediate and constant gratification of wants and desires, tendency to withhold love when expectations are not met, chronic health issues (physical or mental)
As the midpoint between the lower and upper chakras, the heart plays a huge role in helping us manifest our higher goals in the physical realm while staying connected to sources of love and guidance that we cannot experience solely through the physical senses. When this chakra is malfunctioning, among other things, we might feel that life requires constant toil and struggle and that we really can’t count on anyone or anything to support us. This often fosters chronic overwork, which can lead to this chakra’s associated issues of impaired heart and immune system health. By regularly tending to this chakra, we open to the gifts life has to offer; it’s easier for us to ask for, recognize, and receive support in many forms; and we’re more likely to feel connected, both to other people and to a sense of something larger than our human story. Use this practice whenever you’re feeling burnt out or disconnected.
Exercise: Basking in the Love Glow
Choose a time when you can relax for at least fifteen minutes without interruption. Brew a cup of tea containing any combination of rose, hibiscus, or holy basil (tulsi). Sweeten with honey if desired. Get cozy and comfortable, perhaps wrapping yourself in a soft blanket, with the option of lighting your favorite incense (some good choices for the heart chakra include lavender, jasmine, and rose, but the most important thing is to choose a scent you love). Holding the cup of tea in both hands, open to receive a stream of healing energy, down through your crown, into your heart, and coursing down your arms, out through the palm chakras. Visualize this healing energy infusing every molecule of the tea with its energy of unconditional love; you might see the tea take on a green or pink glow in your mind’s eye.
Drink in this magickal elixir, and feel the warmth travel into your body, filling you with love. Allow the energy to fill your heart space, and as it builds, the heart energy begins to glow brighter and brighter until you are shining with its luminescence. Give yourself time to bask in the healing energy of love, feeling it pulsing in tune with your heartbeat, bringing your entire being into a state of perfect love and perfect harmony. When you feel ready, release the imagery and bring yourself back to a normal state of consciousness, allowing yourself as much time as you like to do something that brings you joy.
Throat Chakra
Location: Base of the throat
Color: Bright blue
Sanskrit Name: Visuddha
Element: Sound
Sense: Hearing
Primary Functions: Communication, creativity
Associated Body Parts: Neck, throat, shoulders
Associated Gland: Thyroid
Seed Sound: Ham
Crystals: Celestine, aquamarine, turquoise, blue agate
Archetypes: The Communicator (positive), the Silent Child (negative)
Astrological Association: Mercury, Gemini, Virgo
Physical Connections: Hearing and speech, thyroid, arms and neck, throat
Mental/Emotional Connections: Speaking and listening; setting boundaries and self-protection; ability to take in new information/learning; associated with writing, reading, chanting, and singing; honesty and acting with integrity
Spiritual Connections: Receiving higher guidance, feeling in partnership with spiritual forces, listening to the intuition
Signs of Health: Ability to communicate effectively; active listening skills; full range of motion in the shoulders, neck, and arms; strong voice; keen hearing; freedom for creative expression; thyroid health; honest communication; healthy emotional expression; connected to intuitive faculties
Signs of Imbalance: Sore throat; voice loss; neck and shoulder pain or other dysfunction; trouble expressing oneself; frequent misunderstandings; difficulty listening; physical hearing impairment; jaw tension; thyroid issues; nail biting or other oral habits; excessive talking; smoking, alcohol, or drug abuse; gossiping or lying
The throat chakra is such an important vehicle for communication, both within ourselves and with the world around us, so when this energy center is imbalanced, we can feel disconnected from our inner truth and from a sense of community and partnership. It can be useful to explore our patterns in conversation to get a sense of how energy is flowing through this chakra, and if you can enlist feedback from a trusted friend, all the better, as these patterns can sometimes be tricky to see ourselves. If you find it difficult to speak up and regularly have the sensation of “holding your tongue” or “biting back your words” or feeling like there’s “a lump in your throat,” this is a sign that the throat chakra is out of balance. Similarly, if you find yourself interrupting, needing to fill every silence with chitchat, or talking very loudly and rapidly in non-urgent situations, your throat chakra is likely in need of some TLC. Remember that these outward forms of communication are mirrors for our internal dialogue. In the former case, we might often suppress our feelings, authentic thoughts, or intuition, while in the latter case, we might be overrun with mental chatter, feel unable to “get our thoughts straight,” or routinely let our ego overrule authentic needs to maintain a certain image of ourselves.
After doing this self-inventory of your conversational habits, with optional feedback from a friend, the following exercise will help to return the throat chakra to a more balanced state. Remember to partner this work with practical action steps based on what you discovered in the conversation inventory. For example, if you noticed that you tend to interrupt, really be mindful of this urge when it arises, take some calming breaths, and wait for your turn to speak. If you tend to hold back what you really think and feel, start practicing more authentic expression with people you trust, gradually expanding this to all your interactions.
For this exercise, you will need the sound of a singing bowl. If you don’t have a singing bowl, don’t fret. Simply do an online search for “singing bowl sound,” and you will have your choice of countless free options. Find a place where you can sit undisturbed, and come into a comfortable position. Close your eyes, and bring awareness to your breath, gradually lengthening the inhales and exhales, becoming more present and centered.
Bring your attention to your throat chakra at the base of your throat. Begin the singing bowl sound, and imagine your throat chakra glowing with a pure, sky-blue light, clear and radiant. Give yourself at least a few minutes to take in the sound, feeling the vibration, and visualize the sound waves breaking free and neutralizing any harmful energy, particularly in your throat chakra. Say to yourself three times, “My throat chakra is healthy and balanced on all levels.” When ready, gently come out of the meditation.
Third Eye Chakra
Location: Slightly above the space between the brows
Color: Indigo
Sanskrit Name: Ajna
Element: Light
Sense: Intuition
Primary Functions: Intuition, clear seeing
Associated Body Parts: Eyes
Associated Gland: Pituitary
Seed Sound: Om
Crystals: Lapis lazuli, sapphire, quartz, indigo gabbro
Archetypes: The Sage (positive), the Intellectual (negative)
Astrological Association: Neptune, the moon, Sagittarius, Pisces
Physical Connections: Eyes, sinuses, endocrine system
Mental/Emotional Connections: Ability to see subtle connections between people, situations, events; ability to perceive patterns, internal and external; active imagination, ability to visualize new possibilities and desired outcomes
Spiritual Connections: Honors intuition, feels a sense of purpose and enthusiasm about the future
Signs of Health: Sense of clarity and focus, vibrant imagination, ability to see new options and creatively problem-solve, healthy physical vision, clear sinuses, balanced hormones
Signs of Imbalance: Distrust or lack of connection to intuition, sinus issues, poor eyesight and other ocular health issues, confusion and inability to pick up on subtle cues, lack of imagination, feels like things are impossible or there are limited options, hormonal imbalances
The third eye is our vision center, processing both inner and outer sight. When this chakra is working optimally, we hold a healthy self-image, and we are able to visualize positive opportunities that we feel enthused to translate into action in partnership with the rest of our energetic system. When this chakra is blocked, we often feel muddled and confused, and all of the seemingly available options feel like more of the same old, same old. We all have the ability to access inner wisdom that can realign us with a strong sense of purpose, but it can be easy to forget how in the hustle and bustle of daily life. By regularly carving out time to retreat, even briefly, from the sensory overload of work, family, busy social calendars, buzzing phones and a never-ending stream of emails, we strengthen our ability to recognize our inner voice, making it that much easier to connect when we need it most. The following exercise can be done whenever you need a dose of clarity, and I like to pencil it onto my calendar at regular intervals, such as New Year’s Day, my birthday, and so on, to ensure I’m not wandering too far from my soul’s path.
Exercise: Third Eye Visioneering
Go someplace new, like a park you haven’t been to before (or in a while) or a new coffee shop. The idea is to get out of your normal groove to shake loose different thoughts, feelings, and other energy. Bring a notebook, whatever calendar tool you use, and colored pens or markers. Take a few moments (you can do this in the restroom if you feel self-conscious or unsafe closing your eyes in a public place) to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Bring your awareness to your third eye, visualize it glowing with a beautiful indigo light, and say to yourself three times (silently, if you need to), “My third eye is healthy and balanced on all levels.”
Get out your notebook and pens and start on a clean, fresh page. Start free writing, describing your ideal day from the time you wake up until your head hits the pillow. What are you doing, where are you doing it, who are you with, how do you feel? Write until you’ve gotten everything out that needs to be committed to paper. How many of these things can you start to incorporate into your life now? Choose one that feels most important to you right now, and write it at the top of a fresh sheet of paper. Make sure the phrasing is specific, and take time now to revise if needed. For example, instead of “I want to be healthier,” try something more focused, like “I will run a nine-minute mile by June 1.”
If you didn’t note many feelings in the first step, take some time now to imagine how you would be feeling while carrying out this priority. Confident? Engaged? Stimulated? Joyful? Is there a theme with certain emotions stated in slightly different ways? If possible, condense it down to one to three desired emotions.
Now that you have a priority to focus on and you’re clear on how you want to feel by engaging in this activity, start brainstorming all the ways that you can work this into your day-to-day life right now. When you’re finished, choose three specific action steps to move forward with your chosen priority and put them on your calendar, just like any other important engagement. For example, if your priority is to run a nine-minute mile, what could support you in reaching that goal? Getting a running buddy and setting up your first run date? Hiring a trainer and booking your first three sessions? Going on a ten-minute jog three mornings this week? Buying running shoes that actually fit?
Are there things you would need to stop doing or do much less of to make room for your desires? Make a list and develop a short-and-sweet action plan to phase out each of these activities, working on one at a time. Pencil these actions steps onto your calendar. When you’ve successfully phased out an activity, celebrate! Really honor the occasion to generate positive momentum as you pencil in the next phase-out activity. Bonus: concentrate your efforts on the period between the full moon and the new moon, when the moon is waning. This is a great time for releasing things.
And finally, sweeten the process by going back to your chosen feelings. What are three ways this week that you can cultivate or increase your chances of feeling this way? For example, if your chosen feeling was confidence, you might wear your favorite outfit, the one that makes you feel unstoppable, to this week’s work meeting. Or you might carry a carnelian, red jasper, or tiger’s eye crystal, looking at it throughout the day and consciously drawing in the energy of confidence. These activities don’t have to be directly tied to your chosen priority (in this example, running a mile), but by consciously generating your desired feeling more often, you add a powerful oomph to your efforts even when you’re not engaged in your priority activity, while also getting to feel the way you want to feel more of the time. It’s a win-win!
Crown Chakra
Location: At or slightly above the crown of the head
Color: Violet or white
Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara
Element: Thought
Sense: Thinking
Primary Function: Consciousness
Associated Body Parts: Central nervous system
Associated Gland: Pineal
Seed Sound: Silence
Crystals: Diamond, amethyst, clear quartz
Archetypes: The Guru (positive), the Egotist (negative)
Astrological Association: The universe, Aquarius
Physical Connections: Pineal gland and associated functions (regulation of circadian rhythm, appetite, body temperature, emotions)
Mental/Emotional Connections: Clear thought processes, mental-emotional stability, feeling a sense of life purpose, knowing one’s higher values and acting in accordance, an integrated sense of self, healthy connections with others, nourishing spiritual practice of one’s choosing, positive self-image, ability to feel bliss
Spiritual Connections: Feeling one with all existence, feeling connected to the Divine, accessing the Akashic Records
Signs of Health: Feeling engaged and purposeful in one’s life, ability to make decisions in accordance with one’s higher values, healthy self-esteem, cohesion of internal parts (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), sense of belonging in one’s chosen communities, regular experiences of peace and joy
Signs of Imbalance: Learning disorders, headaches, religious fanaticism, psychosis, immune system dysfunction, chronic depression, dizziness and light-headedness, feelings of alienation or persecution and paranoia, difficulty feeling peace or joy
The crown chakra is the energy center most closely associated with Source energy, like our personal electrical socket for plugging into divine consciousness. When this chakra is well functioning, we feel connected to a sense of something that is larger than ourselves, which helps balance and heal the delusions of the ego, which, by definition, are very self-centered. The ego takes everything personally, and while we need our ego to function in physical reality, when it doesn’t feel a connection to Source, this I-centered tendency goes into overdrive and throws us off balance. We take things a little too personally and we become embroiled in unceasing, self-generated drama.
Among other issues, this can lead to a state of hypersensitivity about what others might think of us, because when we over-identify with our ego, our primary life goal becomes protecting this limited sense of self. From this place, it’s common to suppress our natural desires, our honest thoughts and opinions, and our true emotions, which leads to rejecting the work our soul feels called to do. At a certain point, we might forget (on a conscious level) what this work even is and feel aimless and unsure of our life’s purpose. We feel dependent on gaining approval from others and spend a great deal of energy pursuing external metrics of success, such as degrees and awards, to “prove” that we’re worthy. This is not to say that the pursuit of degrees and awards is, in and of itself, unhealthy—simply that when we do this from a place of trying to assuage a fear that we’re not enough, we set ourselves up for suffering.
If this sounds familiar, let’s change the soundtrack and reopen an enlivening connection to Source. Think of this as the first step toward weaning yourself off the endless hamster wheel of external approval seeking so you can know, deep down, your inherent worth and value. The following exercise clears and balances your crown chakra, which, again, is your personal hotline to the Divine. Tap into this guidance whenever self-doubt is tempting you to hold back your inner awesomeness in the name of “playing it safe.”
Exercise: Hotline to the Divine
Find a place to sit comfortably where you won’t be disturbed, and close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath, and gradually slow and lengthen your inhales and exhales to invite a state of peace and calm. Bring your awareness to the crown of your head, and imagine a beautiful white lotus flower. See as the lotus begins to unfurl, opening layer after layer of petals, bringing you into a deeper state of focus with each unfurling. Continue for a few more breath cycles.
In the center of the lotus, you discover a white-light diamond with almost blinding brilliance. This is your True Self. Bask in your divine nature, breathing here for a few cycles. See a stream of healing energy descend into the lotus, where it fully activates the potential held in your crown chakra in accordance with your highest good. The stream of energy penetrates your central channel and descends to the third eye, activating its full potential for your highest good. Continue this process of allowing healing energy to travel down your central channel, activating each chakra in accordance with your highest good: the throat, the heart, the solar plexus, the sacral, and the root chakras. At the root, allow this energy to swirl into a glowing ball of white light, cradled in your pelvic bowl, and feel the connection, the oneness between body and spirit. Allow this unity to inspire an upward stream of energy, once more traveling through your central channel, flowing freely through your cleared and balanced chakras, until it flowers at your crown, creating a beautiful fountain of light. Rest here for a few breath cycles, enjoying a sense of integration of all your parts into the beauty and brilliance of your True Self.
In this space, if there’s anything you need help with, ask questions and open to receive higher guidance in whatever forms arise. Give thanks, and when you’re ready, slowly let the imagery fade. Set the intention that your chakras are in a state that is perfectly balanced for you, right here, right now, and bring yourself back to a normal state of consciousness. If you received guidance in this space, write it in your journal and take your first action step based on this guidance within the next three days to keep the energy active and flowing.
Other Chakra Systems
The seven-chakra model from a Hindu perspective is but one way of conceptualizing human energetic bodies, and even within the Hindu framework, there is variation to the number of and location of the primary chakras, with some ancient texts citing four to seven or more of these energy centers. Donna Eden suggests these differences may be due, in part, to the existence of many smaller chakras throughout the body, as well as vortices of energy that appear wherever new energy is needed.7 I have also had teachers who were resistant to one-size-fits-all models of the chakras, as they felt it was more important to get a felt-intuitive sense of where these energies reside within the individual. My outlook falls somewhere in the middle: I find various chakra models to be helpful guides, and I love to explore my own energy field firsthand. As a bonus, consciously interacting with our energy is one of the best ways to maintain its good health, so these explorations initiate healing and enhance our self-awareness simultaneously.
Now that we’ve looked at the energetic layers, pathways, and centers in and around the body, in the next chapter we’ll look at different theories of how reiki and other vibrational medicines work to initiate healing.
1. Brennan, Hands of Light, 46.
2. Ambika Wauters, The Complete Guide to Chakras: Unleash the Positive Power Within (Hauppauge, NY: Barrons, 2010), 23.
3. Dale, The Complete Book of Chakra Healing, 154.
4. Brennan, Hands of Light, 48.
5. Donna Eden and David Feinstein, Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body & Energies for Optimal Health, Joy & Vitality, 10th anniv. ed. (New York: Penguin, 2008), 155.
6. Eden and Feinstein, Energy Medicine, 156.
7. Eden and Feinstein, Energy Medicine, 153.