Ch / 4 Solar Plexus Chakra—Manipura
The Solar Plexus Chakra sits two finger-widths above your belly button, in what is called the Power House of the energy field—your energy center of power and confidence. When this chakra 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. Think of the Solar Plexus Chakra as the key that unlocks the door you built in chapter 3. 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. But there are cautionary tales to tell as well. An imbalanced Solar Plexus Chakra can lead you to feel either powerless or omnipotent, both of which are states of confusion and potential danger. As the saying goes, all things in moderation. In order to use your power wisely in life, for the Greatest Good of All Beings, you must temper power 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, 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 also 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.”
Reflection Questions for the Solar Plexus Chakra
Power, in our society and in many of our mental models, is typically associated with the Divine Masculine and is thought to be a more natural energy stream for men to access than women. However, the original civilizations of our planet were matriarchies, in which women found power in formal positions of authority and leadership. Though we live in Western society, many of us remember on a soul level what another, more fluid, form of leadership looks and feels like. Are you ready to tap into your well of personal power? If so, brew a cup of herbal tea with Solar Plexus herbs to support you, such as calendula, lemon, anise, and turmeric. Work with pyrite and citrine to activate the Solar Plexus Chakra and summon solar energies for deep alignment with power, purpose, and a positive perspective. Then, ask your spirit guides to be present with you as you consider and respond to the following questions:
1/ Where do you exercise your personal power in your life? When you think about your own power, what images come to mind?
2/ How would you describe yourself as a leader, and as what sort of leader would the people in your life describe you? Do you lead more effectively at home or professionally?
3/ What does leadership mean to you? Can you identify positive role models—in any context—who inspire you to carry your leadership in a different way, perhaps in a way that is more deeply aligned with who you are and what you value?
When you are ready to close your reflective writing, thank your spirit guides and higher self for attending you while you write, and blow out your candles. Store any gems you’ve used and writing tools together in a special place so that you’ll have them handy when you want to do more reflective writing in the future.
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
Goddesses of the Solar Plexus Chakra
MA’AT
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.
These two goddesses 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 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 and cash drawers because it 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. Outside of the United States, pyrite is a well-known talisman of wealth: Gem-grade crystals command top dollar from many collectors.
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.
Consider working with Solar Plexus gemstones at the summer solstice, or any day of the year between noon and 1 p.m. This is when the sun sits at center sky, in its own position of power. 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, you can lie down and place them over these areas. This way, your body can conduct the energy of the gems, unifying and connecting them and integrating them into your broader energy field.
Solar Plexus 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, but is also 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 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.)
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 socially, personally, energetically, and spiritually. While 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 powerful teacher of masculine forms of manifestation and empowerment, a direct line to your own powerful lineage.
Imagine if you were able to access all of 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 of others around you. Thurisaz reminds you that it is important to 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 to communicate your opinion or perspective, call upon the energy of this rune to temper your instincts. Save the iron fist for occasions when there are no other options. 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. This is 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.
Archetype of the Solar Plexus Chakra
In the realm of the Solar Plexus Chakra, The Father, The King, and The Queen are our guides. Each one offers a different perspective on what it means to lead, to love, and to live from a place of empowered wisdom.
The Father teaches us how to love with boundaries, separating the heart from the mind in order to provide limits and structure. The King reminds us that steady and fair rule is more important than reckless decision-making and power plays. The Queen reinforces the role of compassion in leadership, prioritizing the needs of the people and the greater good of the kingdom. Together, they comprise a unified, integrated vision of leadership that is both fair and kind. This balance leads toward a future in which all people can feel unified, empowered, and blessed.
Mantra of the Solar Plexus Chakra
In Sanskrit, Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha is a mantra recited in honor of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god of obstacle removal and success. Its literal translation is: “I bow to Ganesha, who is capable of removing all obstacles.” Recite this mantra when you feel incapable of overcoming the obstacles in front of you, and you will feel Ganesha’s power supporting you, and his desire to manifest your success. Remember that obstacles are your teachers: They instruct you to push beyond what you perceive to be your own human limits or potential and explore what is available to you beyond your assumptions. When you encounter an obstacle, observe it, and then dialogue with Ganesha for strategies to circumvent or overcome whatever stands between you and your desires.
Embodiment Exercise: Solar Plexus Chakra Activation
How do you feel as you reflect on this chapter, which is all about your personal power? Take a moment to acknowledge what an immensely powerful person you are. Use this short meditation to guide you as you activate a deeper sense of personal power in the world.
1/ First, know that your influence is even greater than you can imagine. Think of all the people in the world who have been touched by you over your lifetime. The words you have spoken, the experiences you have shared, the love you have offered—these are your gifts, your legacies. Your energy fingerprint is an extension of you and your impact on the planet. You are a shining star.
2/ Now, consider how it would feel—right here, in this moment—to fully accept and acknowledge your power. How would it be to expect, and even demand, the respect you so richly deserve, and feel it returned to you in every moment, in every relationship, and in every exchange? Imagine the respect and power you desire returning to you from lifetimes past where it may have been lost or released for reasons you no longer remember.
3/ The act of acknowledging that power has been lost and must be returned creates an energy field that can nourish, sustain, and support you. Let that field surround you now, reassuring you that you are right where you need to be and that your life is unfolding according to a divine plan etched in the bedrock of time. Your power, too, has belonged to you since the dawn of time. You need only claim it now.
4/ As you arrive at this new place of power and possibility, take a deep, cleansing breath and then, like a lion stretching out its paws in the midday sun, let yourself enjoy this moment of centered strength. Imagine that you are like the lion, one of the totem animals of this chakra: You are strong, ferocious, and yet gentle. Once you feel this truth in your bones, seal your knowing with the affirmation, “Amen, A’ho, So it is.”
May you be inspired, empowered, and encouraged always. Amen, A’ho, So it is. And on we go.