Ch 4
Solar Plexus Chakra— Manipura
The Solar Plexus Chakra, which sits two finger-widths above your belly button, is the energy center of power and confidence. When it is well-balanced and aligned with the rest of the chakras, you feel empowered, confident, and capable. It is the key to manifesting what you create at the Sacral Chakra. That is, the Solar Plexus Chakra is the key that unlocks the door you built in the previous chapter. In this chapter, you will step through that door and reap the rewards of your work.
There is much fulfillment to be had at the Solar Plexus Chakra, if used cautiously. An imbalanced Solar Plexus Chakra can lead you to feel either powerless or omnipotent, leading to confusion and potential danger. As the saying goes, all things in moderation. To use your power wisely, you must temper it with humility. Humility is the medicine the Solar Plexus chakra offers.
Embodiment Exercise: Solar Plexus Chakra Induction
The Solar Plexus induction is designed to welcome you to your deepest sense of personal power. For some of you, it may have been decades since you honored or recognized yourself as a powerful being. That’s okay! As you bring your attention to this moment and prepare to engage the energies of the Solar Plexus Chakra and your own personal power, consider how the Sun is, in many ways, a mirror of the Solar Plexus Chakra. Solar energy emits a beautiful, warm, comforting, golden light that is also the light of inspiration and manifestation and offers you a deep sense of strength and power. Use this short meditation to guide you.
1 – To open your connection to the Solar Plexus Chakra, imagine sitting in the middle of a tropical beach on a sunny day. Feel the air swirling around you, warming you from within and without. Notice a gentle breeze moving through, just enough to keep you comfortable. Feel the sand under you, surrounding and comforting you.
2 – Now imagine the sun above you, sitting in center sky, beaming down upon you. Each ray is a source of power for you, a place where you can expand and become. Receive those rays: Let them flow down upon you from above, on the top of your head, your shoulders, your arms, and your hands. Close your eyes and be nourished by this connection with the sun. All forces of light are now with you in this moment. They are here to strengthen you and remind you of your own power and competence. You have the skills and wisdom you need to move forward powerfully in your life, make good choices and decisions, and manifest what you seek.
3 – By consciously connecting with your own personal power at the Solar Plexus Chakra, you empower those around you to explore their potency as well. In this way, as each person finds her power in this life, so the entire collective becomes empowered to rise. Sense how your own inner sense of royalty, your own inner sense of sovereignty, becomes active now. You are so ready for the next chapter of your life to unfold. Feel that excitement, and step boldly through the door before you. This is your time. Everything has been guiding you here.
4 – When you feel fully prepared to walk through this door of possibility, invite any ancestors or spirit guides who wish to accompany you. Feel their presence as they surround you, and trust that they will offer any wisdom you need to progress safely to the next level of your development. Close your induction with the universal blessing: “Amen, A’ho, So it is.”
Correspondences for the Solar Plexus Chakra
GODDESSES
Ma’at, Sekhmet
GEMSTONES
Amber, Citrine, Copal, Golden Calcite, Golden Healer Quartz, Orpiment, Pyrite, Tiger’s Eye, Yellow Aventurine, Yellow Fluorite, Yellow Jade
TAROT CARD
Major Arcana: The Emperor
RUNE
Thurisaz
ESSENTIAL OILS/HERBS
Anise, Celery, Cinnamon, Cumin, Grapefruit, Helichrysum, Juniper, Lemon, Lily Of The Valley, Marshmallow, Melissa, Mint, Neroli, Tea Tree, Turmeric
PLANET
Sun
Solar Plexus Chakra—Manipura
MA’AT
Goddesses of the Solar Plexus Chakra
There are many goddesses of power, and therefore of the Solar Plexus Chakra, and each face of power they represent speaks differently. You will identify with some more easily, or more profoundly, based on your life experiences. Sekhmet is the golden sun goddess of the Egyptian pantheon who rises in the East, the direction of dawn and the Solar Plexus. Ma’at is her counterpart in the Egyptian pantheon, patron goddess of justice and fair outcomes. Diana and Athena come forward from the Greek pantheon, goddesses of the hunt and wisdom, respectively.
Sekhmet and Ma’at harness the elements in service of your empowerment; their focus is your perfect balance of elements and energies. When you need more energy, they can summon fire to give you a burst of southern directional energy for focus, will, and strength. When you need inspiration, they can blow the winds of the east in your direction, helping you to breathe more deeply into the moment and find your center. Call upon these goddesses when you feel overwhelmed and incapable of completing the tasks before you. Call upon them by name, followed by the words, “Be with me now.” Then take a deep breath and imagine that every molecule of oxygen is filled with love, power, and purpose. Let yourself breathe in the fullness of your most capable, empowered essence. You are magic! You can do anything! You are limitless! And most of all, you are doing your very best right now.
Gemstones, Essential Oils, and Herbs of the Solar Plexus Chakra
Solar Plexus Chakra Gemstones
AMBER will help you channel ancient wisdom, while TIGER’S EYE both enhances intuition and activates a protective shield around the bearer. Meditate with it to channel visions of past lives.
CITRINE is bright sunshine captured in time. The primary gemstone for both prosperity and manifestation, citrine opens, aligns, and heals the Solar Plexus Chakra. In China, citrine is called “the Merchant’s stone” and is kept in cash registers because it is said to attract wealth to the bearer.
GOLDEN HEALER QUARTZ empowers you to locate the internal causes of your own illness and suffering and also provides you with tools for self-healing. It is also said to magnify prosperity and bring financial abundance.
ORPIMENT is a mineral of instantaneous manifestation, said to more easily manifest thoughts and energies into physical form, accelerating spiritual and physical development.
PYRITE is the gemstone of confidence and inner strength, while GOLDEN CALCITE helps you integrate external wisdom.
YELLOW AVENTURINE is the gemstone of fearless adventure and brings empowerment via lived experience. If someone has slighted you, carrying a piece of yellow aventurine can help heal your relationship.
YELLOW FLUORITE is an alternate for citrine, another gemstone of manifestation and wealth. It can also help business owners attract new clients and customers.
YELLOW JADE stimulates the digestive system, helps burn calories, and reduces appetite. Place a piece of yellow jade above the belly button to help ease stomach pain, improve digestion, and increase metabolism.
Work with Solar Plexus gemstones at the summer solstice, or any day of the year between noon and 1 p.m. when the sun sits at center sky. The area of the body governed by the Solar Plexus Chakra is the abdomen and intestinal tracts, so if you want to place gems on your body, lie down and place them over these areas. This way, your body can conduct the energy of the gems, integrating them into your broader energy field.
Solar Plexus Chakra Herbs and Essential Oils
Lily of the Valley is the flower of remembrance and sweet recollection, helping you channel the wisdom of your ancestors who have healed and moved into the light. Lemon is the fruit of awakening and presence, and helps calm the central nervous system while energizing your power center. Helichrysum is an anti-aging ingredient used in high-end skincare lines and an anti-inflammatory, reducing swelling and easing irritation. Juniper is a source of protection in particular spaces, helping keep homes and properties safe from theft. Grapefruit invigorates and refreshes, while Neroli calms frayed nerves and facilitates manifestation. Tea Tree is a master healer, because it is anti-bacterial and anti-microbial as well as anti-fungal.
Anise aids in divination and the development of psychic powers but is also considered a sacred offering to Great Spirit in ritual and ceremony. Celery is protective and healing, and cinnamon brings prosperity to the bearer. Marshmallow enhances clairvoyance, which is the ability to clearly see the future. Mint is for luck and wealth, while Melissa is useful for love and success magic, and turmeric is the world’s most powerful antioxidant, the exact color of the Solar Plexus Chakra. Cumin is both protective and healing, connecting you with energies of creative expansion. Copal, though a resin and not an herb, should be burned when you feel the need for transformation within or in your physical spaces. Copal has been used in rites of purification and transformation since Biblical times.
The herbs and resin of the Solar Plexus Chakra can be incorporated into a potent incense blend that, when burned at the full moon, can enhance both personal power and manifestation potential. (It smells amazing, too.) A recipe can be found on the following pages.
Full Moon Incense Blend for Power and Manifestation
Ingredients
• 1 ounce (28 g) copal resin, ground into powder
• 1 ounce (28 g) mint leaves, crushed
• 1 ounce (28 g) cinnamon bark chips
• 1 ounce (28 g) basil leaves, crushed
• 3 drops each of anise, neroli, and cedar essential oils
Combine all ingredients with a mortar and pestle, grinding until your desired consistency has been reached. Copal clears the space while mint and cinnamon summon energy streams for prosperity. Anise comes through to bless you and seal the energies, while neroli brings blessings and strength. Cedar solidifies your intentions and offers grounding to anchor them.
When you burn this Full Moon Incense, you are stepping in the footsteps of your ancestors. Enjoy the experience of connecting to their power, and allow them space to infuse their power into you, blessing you as you carry on their lineage and work in this lifetime. Amen, A’ho, So it is.
Tarot Card, Rune, and Planet of the Solar Plexus Chakra
Major Arcana: The Emperor
In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, The Emperor is the creator and maintainer of sacred structures, both energy-related and within society. In this way, he controls the many ways in which leadership is exercised. Although some find The Emperor an imposing figure of control and authority, you might expand your vision of him to include power and possibility. He is a teacher of masculine forms of manifestation and empowerment, a direct line to your own powerful lineage.
Imagine if you were able to access all your power right now, including power you feel you have lost to relationships and life circumstances. What would it mean to reclaim your deepest sense of power and control? What can you learn from The Emperor’s fearless approach to power and leadership?
Rune: Thurisaz
This is one of the most potent of all the runes because it reflects the strength of Thor’s mighty hammer, with all its creative and destructive capacities. Thurisaz reminds you that your own power is vast and great. Be respectful of its bounds, and be humble in the face of the power. Find diplomatic solutions to complex problems, reserving Thor’s mighty hammer for extreme cases.
How might you bring more compassion to the major challenges of your life, asks Thurisaz, and how might your personal power expand if you could temper it with respect and love for all? Is there a way to align what is best for you with what is best for the whole? When you find yourself in a circumstance where you feel called upon to use strong or excessive force, call upon the energy of this rune to temper your instincts. Even in ancient times of war and conflict, the wise beings in every culture always advised and pursued peace first.
Planet: Sun
The Sun is the main planet corresponding to the Solar Plexus Chakra because, out of all the planets, the Sun has the most direct, linear, and potent energy. The Sun’s warmth and strength make it an ideal planetary ally for the work of empowering the soul, helping you access wisdom of objectivity, directness, clarity, decisiveness, and will power.