Ch / 5 Heart Chakra—Anahata
The Heart Chakra is the center of your body’s energy universe. It sits over your physical heart and regulates energy flow, in the same way that your physical heart regulates the blood flow. Here sits heartache as well as deepest affection; here sits the ability to hold, heal, and help the entire planet, the entire universe; and here sits compassion for all people in all places across time.
When the Heart Chakra is well aligned, you are able to easily and openly love others as you love yourself. When it is blocked, you feel despair, or a lack of hope or optimism. In the realm of love, there are many extremes, from the opposite of love (hate) to the deepest form of love (salvation). Love is the only force in the universe that can actually save you, for it can raise the level of your consciousness to a more elevated state beyond the three-dimensional experience of time and space. Love can also heal the physical body in spontaneous and miraculous ways, since its vibration affects the cells in your body. Indeed, love is the closest one can come to real magic. Love is magic.
Embodiment Exercise: Heart Chakra Induction
The Heart Chakra induction is designed to open and expand your heart space. Let past hurts go and be fully here now, welcoming the love that surrounds you. Bathe in this awareness as you begin this ritual.
1/ Close your eyes and allow yourself to connect deeply with this moment, noticing the position of your body, the slow inhale and exhale of your breath, the temperature around you. Let go of the stress of yesterday or earlier today, and release your anxiety about what might happen later today or tomorrow. Be here now.
2/ From this place of centered connection, bring your attention to your heart. Cross your hands over your heart, and inhale there. As you exhale, imagine a bright green ray of light emanating from your chest into your hands, surrounding them in a bubble of healing and loving green light. This is the Green or Emerald Ray, the light of love and unconditional, compassionate care that comes only from our heart center. You may already be familiar with the concept of unconditional love, but if not, simply imagine the love you would feel for a baby or small child who needed your help, or a small animal that could not care for itself. That place of unselfish offering is the essence of the Heart Chakra.
3/ Bring your attention to the Green Ray and summon its light into your hands, allowing it to form into a green sphere of healing love energy within your palms. As your hands warm, know that you are holding within them the very energy of love itself, a powerful tool to be held and used with great care and reverence. Where will you send this Green Ray? To someone you know and love, or to the far corners of the Earth to bless those you have never met? Imagine the possibilities of wielding a beam of healing light energy. In some ways, holding this power is unimaginable—and yet, you already do and always have. By imagining energy, you gather, mold, manifest, and direct it with ease.
4/ Take your hands now and stretch them out before you, sending the Green Ray of light and love to every place it is needed. Ask your guides to send the ray on your behalf where it is needed, trusting that they are aware of spaces in need where you have never been, souls in need you have never met. Let the Love Energy flow through you without restriction, serving as a good channel for its passage. May you be blessed as a conduit of love, always.
5/ Fold your hands in prayer, and then bring your folded hands to your heart space. Give thanks for love within and without: love above, love below. Then close your induction with the universal blessing: Amen, A’ho, So it is.”
Reflection Questions for the Heart Chakra
In Greek, there are many words for love. In fact, in most languages, there are more words for love than there are in English, which can leave us English speakers bereft of language to express our deepest feelings. The four main types of love expressed in the Greek language are eros, or romantic love; filia, or brotherly love; storge, or maternal love; and agape, or love for all. Consider these definitions of love and how they might expand your current ideas and definitions of love as you answer the questions that follow.
Brew a cup of rose tea infused with lavender for deep heart-centered peace. Hold a piece of rose quartz, the stone of love, or morganite, which reminds you of your worthiness of love. Then light a pink or green candle, both of which are the colors of the Heart Chakra, as you channel your responses to these prompts:
1/ How has your definition of love changed over the past few years or months, if at all? Does love look different to you today than it has before, and how are you being asked to love differently, or more, than in the past?
2/ Where does love live in your body right now? Ask yourself where in your body you feel most loved and appreciated, and then consider where in your body you need more or deeper love right now. For example, if you are an artist, perhaps you feel that your love is most appreciated in your hands—your creative channels. Or as a mother, especially a mother of a newborn, perhaps you feel most appreciated in your breasts—as channels of milk, a liquid life force. Whichever way you have experienced and received love, consider how you can offer more love to yourself where it is needed today.
3/ Some people in your life may offer you eros, while others bring more filia. Then there is agape, or general love of humankind. Who are the people in your life that bring each kind of love to you? Take a moment to appreciate them now. Also, be mindful not to expect a different kind of love from people than they are able to offer you, for such is the root of disappointment and sorrow.
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 other 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 HEART CHAKRA
goddesses
ÁINE, HERA, ISHTAR, QUAN YIN
gemstones
CHRYSOPRASE, GIRASOL, IDOCRASE, MANGANO CALCITE, PINK TOURMALINE, RHODOCHROSITE, ROSE QUARTZ, RUBY
tarot card
MAJOR ARCANA: THE LOVERS
runes
INGWAZ, KENAZ
essential oils/herbs
BERGAMOT, BLACK SPRUCE, CACAO, CARDAMOM, CILANTRO, HAWTHORN BERRIES, JASMINE, LAVENDER, MARJORAM, PALMAROSA, PARSLEY, ROSE, THYME
planet
VENUS
Goddesses of the Heart Chakra
ÁINE
In the same way that there are many names for love around the world, so, too, are there many gods and goddesses of love, each reflecting a different face of this multifaceted energy stream. Áine is the Irish/Celtic goddess of wealth, love, and sovereignty or personal integrity. As goddess of both the sun and the moon, she was able to regulate time, as well as beginnings and endings, to help attract new love or to ease suffering when love was lost. Ishtar (earlier known as Inanna) was the first true goddess of love from the Akkadian (previously Sumerian) civilization. She revealed the creative and destructive powers of love. As wife to Zeus, the father of the Gods in the Greek pantheon, Hera represents another face of love—that of the loyal and dutiful wife, queen of the home domain. Finally, Quan Yin offers us yet another perspective on love as pure compassion. She is the bodhisattva of divine feminine mercy and grace.
Each of these goddesses in one way or another is associated with the element of water, which is also the element of the direction of west on the Lakota Medicine Wheel. Quan Yin, for instance, holds a chalice of healing waters that she pours upon the world. Reflect on the power of water to heal, refresh, and renew you. Imagine standing beneath Quan Yin’s chalice of healing water, allowing it to flow over and through you. Receive the water from her compassionate stream and commit to carrying its energy into your daily life, pouring it onto others as you have been blessed to receive.
GEMSTONES, ESSENTIAL OILS, AND HERBS OF THE HEART CHAKRA
Heart Chakra Gemstones
PINK TOURMALINE opens the energy stream of unconditional love unlike any other gemstone, while light pink MANGANO CALCITE nurses a broken heart back to health. Pink tourmaline reminds you that it is safe to love with an open heart, while mangano calcite heals trauma that has occurred in the heart space before.
ROSE QUARTZ is the primary stone of love, magnifying love both within you and in your home or sacred space. It is known as the mother of all love stones, for it activates universal and unconditional love.
GIRASOL is a lighter and more translucent form of rose quartz, and brings renewal energies to love in your life. Carry it to bring the light of the sun to love in your life.
RHODOCHROSITE is the rose of the Heart Chakra gemstone family, the blooming flower of kindness, love, and possibility. Rhodochrosite brings renewed hope in love. Rhodo means “rose” in Greek. When you work with rhodochrosite, imagine holding the rose of love and compassion in your hands. Extend this rose from your hands out into the world, allowing the petals to open and embrace everyone you know and love in the warmth of unconditional acceptance, forgiveness, and peace.
CHRYSOPRASE heals old love wounds and is said to help support cardiac health as well.
IDOCRASE and, to a lesser extent, RUBY, bring passion and intensity of physical lust to Heart Chakra work, activating more of the eros-based energies. According to an ancient Indian tale, when a loved one dies, their soul lives on as a ruby in your heart. When you wear ruby jewelry, you honor their legacy.
Try working with your Heart Chakra gemstones by bringing them into your bedroom, which should be a sanctuary of love in your home, whether you are single or in a relationship. Love energies support deep and restful sleep, so anchor your bedroom by placing the stones of love somewhere near its entrance. Even a small table can be transformed into a love altar by draping it in lace or pink velvet and placing intentionally chosen stones from the list above in a shape that is meaningful or inspirational to you.
Consider burning a pink candle each night for five minutes as you transition from day to evening time, releasing cares and anxieties and preparing to shift your thoughts to love and intimate connection. Feel every part of your body soften and open to this intention. Your body, mind, and spirit long for love, as does your environment. Attention and intention, when combined, infuse your space and your spirit with love. Everyone around you will feel and appreciate the efforts you make to deepen and expand love consciousness in your life.
Heart Chakra Herbs and Essential Oils
Hawthorn Berries are the healers of the heart. Protective of both the heart and home, they are able to clear negative stored energy in the Heart Chakra from past pain and heartache. Jasmine, grand seductress of the Heart Chakra, tempts lovers with her seductive charms. Few can resist her floral powers of passionate persuasion. Lavender is often thought of as a Crown Chakra flower, and of course it can be, but in the heart center, lavender brings peace in love, something many seek but cannot find. Marjoram can bring peace and tranquility in love as well, in addition to tranquility in relationships.
Rose is the grand dame of the Heart Chakra, perhaps the most revered of all the love flowers. She guards the door to your heart, while Thyme brings healing and purification. Cilantro is used in love magic to increase passion. Parsley combines passion with fertility, and is excellent for couples when trying to conceive. Palmarosa is both a mood and beauty enhancer, aligned with the planet Venus—as many of the Heart Chakra herbs are—to increase its love energies. Cacao, a natural aphrodisiac, is used in the sacred Cacao Ceremony to induce love and open the heart channel. Plus cacao eases anxiety and makes you more receptive to love’s advances. Cardamom adds its lusty spice to any love magic you might conjure, and Black Spruce offers cleansing and healing properties to your love rituals. Bergamot is a source of clarity in love, helping you see through the rose-tinted glasses of new love to the deeper substance of your attraction.
Consider crafting a love potion to honor the love within your heart that longs to dance with your divine partner. What follows here is a basic recipe, but feel free to follow your heart and add other ingredients as you feel called.
Love’s Kiss Perfume to Honor the Sacred Union
Ingredients
• 2 ounces (57 g) carrier oil (Rosehip seed is preferred for this recipe, given its connection to love via rose.)
• 10 drops rose de mai essential oil, for true love’s essence
• 2 drops lavender, for peace and balance
• 4 drops ylang tlang, for sexy energies of union and fruition
• 2 drops patchouli, if desired, to ground your energies together in the dance of love
• 2 chip stones, 1 each of rose quartz for love and emerald for fidelity (or substitute ruby for passion or chrysoprase for healing)
Gently combine all the ingredients, asking your Love Guides—the light beings who guide you as you engage in human relationships—to attend the process and bless your desired union. Call upon Venus, too, to bless you with love, beauty, and desire now and as you wear this potion. Amen, A’ho, So it is.
Tarot Card, Runes, and Planet of the Heart Chakra
Major Arcana: The Lovers
In the Major Arcana of the tarot, The Lovers represent both a physical partnership as well as the idea of union, or a choice between one lover and another. When you work with the energy of this card, ask yourself what you really desire. List the qualities you seek in a partner. Create an image in your mind of what life will be like for you in love, right down to the finest detail. The Lovers card invites you to dream big and wide, setting an intention for love that may be more expansive than you have imagined in the past. Remember that when you are in partnership and set the intention for expansion in love, you are also bringing your partner with you into this new level of awareness. Be gentle and mindful, and always ask that the highest good unfolds for all beings.
Runes: Kenaz and Ingwaz
Kenaz is the rune of romantic and erotic love, physical partnership, and procreation, while Ingwaz is the home of “storge,” familial love, and the love of home. One pulls you into relationship with another—the physical expression of desire—while the other pulls you out of relationship to express love to those around you as well as within your physical spaces—perhaps through adornment and decoration, as well as creation and dedication of unique altar spaces. The balance of Kenaz and Ingwaz brings internal and external love energies. Meditate on these divergent messages of love to understand where in your life you need to connect with one or the other, or both.
Planet: Venus
Venus is the ultimate planet of love and beauty. In astrology, your placement of Venus represents the way you love yourself and others. Venus represents your youthfulness and vitality, as well as your capacity for love—both of self and others. Ask yourself: Where in your heart do you need to allow more love to bloom? Call upon Venus to soften your heart and to allow it to be more available to those who want to love you. If you are looking for love, call upon Venus to attract new love to you.
Archetype of the Heart Chakra
In the realm of the Heart Chakra, three archetypes emerge, all of which represent a sacred duality that can be expressed in the form of two physical lovers, or within one person as the balance of Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine.
The Lovers represent the dual expression of love: the feminine softness of understanding and safety combined with masculine strength and power. Together, The Lovers reflect your own duality and ability to be both tender and strong, soft and protective. The Soulmates represent the earthly duo of lovers who are fated to meet, regardless of the physical or emotional distance that separates them. It is said that every soul incarnated in physical form will meet at least one soulmate to whom he or she will be undeniably attracted. Your soulmate represents the completion of your soul in another human form. The Twin Flame is your other half in spirit form who safeguards, protects, and loves you from above, but never incarnates during your lifetime. All souls have a mirror energy on the other side: Many people have “met” their Twin Flame in spirit form, and appreciate having a partner soul in spirit form looking after them from the spirit realm. (To meet such a spirit, simply call upon your love guides and tell them you are ready to encounter your twin spirit. Most often, this encounter happens in dream time. For many, encountering the twin in dream state has reduced physical challenges like insomnia.) It’s like having your own guardian angel who knows you better than anyone else—after all, he or she is your other half!
Mantra of the Heart Chakra
Jai Radha Madhav is a mantra that celebrates the divine love between Radha and Krishna. In many ways, their love is a physical representation of a spiritual union, one in which the individual is able to love and celebrate the collective, and vice versa. They were unable to be together—Radha was married, Krishna was king—but they were true soulmates, connected by their thoughts and their essence across space and time. They represent the power of true love to defy all constraints. If you have ever experienced a soul connection that was blocked by obstacles you thought you could not overcome, you already know the essence of this mantra, which exalts the triumph of soul connection despite impediments.
Embodiment Exercise: Heart Chakra Activation
The purpose of the Heart Chakra activation is to help you have a physical experience of love energy. Once your body registers the vibration of love on the physical plane, it becomes far easier to tap into this energy in the future. Let this meditation guide you.
1/ Reflect for a moment on your deepest experience of love in this lifetime—the experience in which you felt most seen, most valued, most appreciated, most nourished, and most accepted for who you truly are. How did you feel? Specifically, how did your body feel? How did your spirit feel? How did your energy field feel to you then: Was it alive, vital, and full of possibility? How was your self-esteem at that time? How did you think of yourself?
2/ When you are in a state of love, a whole new world of opportunity opens to you. Love is the most powerful energy force in our universe, and with its power you can create whatever you seek, heal your body, and experience a profound level of joy. All you have to do is receive. Love is a gift that constantly desires to be received. Say yes. It is safe to say yes to love.
3/ Imagine a green tidal wave of love energy washing over your whole body, filling you with a deep sense of purpose and peace, knowing that you are loved by beings seen and unseen. You are held by a legion of angels and ancestors who know, love, see, and appreciate you.
4/ Next, bring that love energy to your physical heartspace, placing your hands over your heart. If there are pockets or places within you that still feel heavy with the traumas of the past, send extra love energy there. Remind the little girl or little boy within you that you are here now, and she or he is safe. Remind the little girl or little boy within that all is well now, and you are able to offer her or him whatever is needed to heal the past in this moment. Feel her or him receive the love now that has been missing, filling the holes and gaps with the Green Ray of healed love.
5/ From this place of healed wholeness, you can emerge now, renewed and ready to seek and speak your truth. Take a deep breath here, accepting and allowing love and truth to rest within your spirit. On the exhale, let go of any hesitation or anxiety. Know that you are worthy of this love: Receive it, enjoy it, and spread it into the world.
May you be loved, held, and blessed always. Amen, A’ho, So it is. And on we go.