Chakra Series: Throat Chakra; Express Yourself

This article is part of Kallan's wonderful Sunday Stew. Please hop on over and read all the different flavors added by each chef. I know that you will love it!

I've had fun putting these chakra "lessons" together. They've helped me with my meditations and my focus. I hope they are helping you and that you are enjoying them.

Now we are going to be looking at our throat chakra, the Vishudha. The Vishudha is important for several reasons. For one, it is the connection between your body and your mind. For another, it is there to help your speak your own personal truth. This chakra works in all sounds, words, and communication.

Some people have trouble speaking what needs to be said in a responsible and tactful way. The throat chakra is there to help you do just that. It helps to filter everything your mind thinks. Your Vishudha seeks to unite your mind and body. It will help you find your life purpose.

Your creativity is also connected to this chakra. Why would creativity be connected to this chakra? Because creativity is a form of self-expression. Self-expression is this chakra. Forms of self-expression come in the art that you make, the music that you create, the books and poetry that you write. Do you have a mental block with your art, writing, or music right now? The reason could be that this chakra needs nourishing.

As I said before the Sanskrit name for this chakra is Vishudha. Vishudha mean pure. So what your throat chakra wants more than anything is for you to be able to express your true self. The enemy of this chakra is lying. To express yourself as something other than who you are at the very core of your being would be a lie. When you lie about who you are, when you keep secrets that need to be told, when you fail to speak up at appropriate times, then you are denying your Vishudha of it's very need.

Your truth is what is true to you. It is your dream, your reality, your hopes, your deep intuition. When your Vishudha is at it's full power, you will speak your truth with the integrity, clarity, grace, and courage that it needs....and wants.

Since your throat chakra helps your to express your truth, it also helps your to pursue your life goal. If you are having trouble figuring out what you want to do with your life, then working with this chakra will help to bring your goals and vocation to realization. As you evolve in your life, your goals, too, will evolve. If you are no longer happy doing what you once loved, maybe it is time to work with your Vishudha and find your new life truth.

The throat chakra is one of the upper chakras. It has a few psychic gifts that are related to it: channeling, clairaudience, and telepathy. I have a few of the Seth books. Seth is a spirit that was channeled by Jane Roberts. When you channel a spirit, you are letting it use your voice to speak, so of course this would be a gift that is associated with the throat chakra.

This wonderful chakra is located at the front of your throat and it is a clear, bright blue. It actually begins to develop around the 16th birthday. It's body associations are hearing, speech, thyroid and para-thyroid glands, your body's metabolism and temperature, your intellectual development, the pharyngeal plexus, the etheric template, attentiveness, verbal expression, the neck, shoulders, mouth, teeth, gums, nose, throat, tongue, vocal cords, ears, and your cervical spine, arms, and hands.  Other associations are: the elephant, Jupiter and Mercury, the deities Ambara, Sadashiva, and Shakini. Musical note G, and the Beej Mantra.

Symptoms of a deficient Vishudha:

1. Shy and withdrawn

2. Poor speaking skills or a fear of speaking

3. Unable to know your own desires or act on them

4. A difficulty with putting your thoughts and feelings into words

5. Not able to trust your own instincts

6. Blocked creativity

7. sore throats

8. swollen glands

9. hypothyroidism

10. poor sense of ethics

11. lack of a sense of humor

12. unwillingness to face the truth

13. anxiety

14. dental problems

Symptoms of excess Vishudha:

1. Talking too much

2. Bad listening skills

3. Dominating talker

4. Blunt speech

5. Hyperthyroidism

6. Dental problems

7. Taking yourself too seriously

Signs of a balanced Vishudha:

1. Able to express your creativity

2. Communication will be constructive and graceful

3. You will be content and centered

4. You will be able to express yourself in positive ways

5. Excellent listening skills

What can you do to balance this chakra:

1. Meditate: 

G note, throat chakra

2. Yoga poses

3. My favorite chakra journal series: 

http://timelessrituals.blogspot.it/p/chakrart-fifth-week.html#.U6D0MfldWSp

4. Employing the use of crystals and gemstones during meditation. Any blue stones: Turquoise, Fluorite, Blue lace agate, Silver, Lapis Lazuli, Blue Topaz, Aquamarine, Sodalite, Chrysocolla, Blue Kyanite, 

5. The use of oils during meditation: Lavender, hyacinth, patchouli, frankincense and white musk

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Chakra Series.

Brightest Blessings,

Saga

Chakra Series: Heart Chakra; The Very Heart of Your Matter

This article is part of Kallan's wonderful Sunday Stew. Please hop on over and read all the different flavors added by each chef. I know that you will love it!

This week I've come back to my chakra series. It's time to learn about your 4th chakra, the heart chakra, the Anahata. The Anahata is the center of your being, it is your connection to others, to your world.

You can do nothing until you love yourself. This is the most important thing. Often, people have a problem finding their self-love. But this is of the utmost importance. Self-love will help you to more accepting of yourself, your situations, your relationships. 

When this chakra is healthy you will fall in love with your life and being alive. You will see the world as the beautiful place that it is. You will learn and give unconditional love. Everyone wants to be loved, it is a basic need and a basic right. We all want and need this inner peace. It is what our very souls long for and we should give it to ourselves freely, and we will be able to when this chakra is a beautiful spinning orb of glowing green.

True love, peace, respect, and forgiveness are all things that will be yours when this chakra is in balance. Compassion, forgiveness, and empathy in their correct forms will be given freely from your balanced heart chakra. 

The root chakra is about learning to love yourself and the heart chakra helps you to give this love to your world and your companions. It helps you to share your love, be more accepting, and less critical. You will revel in your connections with others and find your balance for true happiness.

Love is an essential life-giving force and a basic need for every being on the planet. You can read about an interesting study conducted by Harry F. Harlow and rhesus monkeys here. It basically shows love and it's impact in the development of humans.  

It's interesting that I should land on this chakra the same week that my dear friend, Rita, of Lapulia Studios, is renewing her article on self love. You should also visit her article, it is filled with wisdom. Even though the heart chakra deals more with the distribution to your world, I feel like self-love should always be added to and refined. 

This chakra is located in the center of your chest and is a vibrant, emerald green. It develops between the ages of 12 and 16, with a focus between the ages of 42 and 46, and again at ages 72 and 76. Your heart chakra rules your heart (of course), lungs, hands, inner arms, upper back, pericardium, and your ribs. It also relates to your breath and your respiratory system, so lung disorders could point to an out of balance heart chakra. It also governs the immune system. The thymus glad is associated with this chakra. Other association include the astral body, the sense of touch, the Hindu deities Ishana Rudra Shiva and Kakini Shakti,  vital breath Prana, a twelve-petaled lotus, the black antelope, musical note F, and the Yam mantra. 

So what are symptoms of a deficient Anahata:

1. Being antisocial

2. Intolerant and critical, overly pessimistic  

3. Unable to get close with people, a fear of intimacy

4. No empathy

5. Being a loner, isolation from others

6. Relationship difficulties

7. Passive aggressive

8. Lack of forgiveness and holding grudges

BUT, you can also have excessive, so here are the symptoms of excessive.

1. Being overly caring of someone to the point of smothering them.

2. Trying to please everyone

3. Jealousy and Envy

4. Martyrdom

5. Not respecting people's bounderies

If your Anahata is in balance:

1. You will love, as in giving your loved ones their respective space, give them our support. But, you will also be able to recognize an unhealthy relationship and know that even though you still love that person, it is better for both of you to end your relationship.

2. Compassion. In contrast I would like to point out that you shouldn't do something just because you feel like you have to. There are times when you have to draw a line. My friend, Alan, showed me a great article on "Idiot Compassion" 

3. Empathy

4. Acceptance

5. Peace 

6. Forgiveness--Again, I want to point out that you can forgive someone and stay away from them. Listen to your soul, if a relationship is toxic, then stay away. 

Some things that you can do to help balance your Anahata:

1. Meditate:

Yam mantra

F Note, Heart Chakra

2. Yoga poses:

3. One of my most favorite series. If you have been following along, these are excellent for a meditation type study and at the end you can have your very own little chakra art book that you have made.

http://timelessrituals.blogspot.it/p/blog-page_24.html

4. Use crystals during meditation. Any green stones such as malachite, emerald, jade, peridot, adventurine, moss agate, and green tourmaline. Also any pink stones are good to use: rose quartz, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, pink tourmaline, and pink sapphire. A combination of the colors in watermelon tourmaline would be excellent. 

5. Use of essential oils and incense while meditating:

Bergamot, cypruss, jasmine, lavender, neroli, and rose would all be useful for this.

I hope that you enjoyed the 4th in the chakra series. Thank you for reading.

Brightest blessings,

Saga

Chakra Series: Solar Plexus Chakra and Your Unlimited Power

This week's focus will be on the 3rd chakra, the solar plexus, the Manipura. The Manipura is your power center. It is the home of your magical power. Have you been feeling as though your magics need a boost or that you are in a magical slump? Then here is where you need to start looking to fix it.

Your ego, your self, your courage, and your ambition are all controlled by this chakra. You will be able to stand your ground, make goals and stick with them, and you will know your self-worth. It is interesting that your courage rests in this chakra and cowards are called yellow-bellied. Because the more courage you have the more brilliant this chakra will shine.

This chakra is a beautiful fiery golden yellow. It is your sun, your furnace, your source of unlimited power. This is also a source of your prosperity. I know you would like to get this in good working order.

With this chakra in smooth running order your possibilities will be unlimited. You will be able to create your world as you want it. You won't just see how you want your life, but you will be able to follow through with it. You will have your power and know how to use it.

So, how do you build the fire in your power furnace?

"With the realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world." ~His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

First we will look at the symptoms of Manipura deficiency:

shame
low energy
victim mentality
indigestion
ulcers
irritable bowel syndrome
diverticulitis
low self esteem
tendency to be cold, physically and emotionally
easily manipulated
eating disorders
muscular disorders or spasms


Your solar plexus is where your "gut feeling" intuition originates. When it is out of balance, you will have a hard time differentiating what your gut is telling you.

If your Manipura is in BALANCE you will have:

confidence
a great sense of humor
an ego that is in balance
a warm personality
and a good self esteem
prosperity
bliss
self-assurance
wisdom in decisions

Manipura means jewel (mani) place, city (pura)
This chakra sits in the upper portion of your abdomen between your diaphram and naval.

Associations with this chakra include:

Musical note E
Deities Vishnu and Lakshmi
Ten petaled lotus
Ram mantra
The fire element
The sense of smell
Pancreas
Digestive system
Gall bladder
Liver
Adrenals

As always, you can also have an overabundance. Symptoms include:

Aggression
Hunger for power
Temper tantrums
Manipulative
Arrogance
Hyperactivity
Competitive








What are some things that you can do to balance your Manipura?

1. As always, meditate:

2. Yoga poses for the solar plexus chakra:

3. I love this series: 

http://timelessrituals.blogspot.it/p/chakrart-third-week.html#.U1Ey9PldWSo

4. And of course, some of the stones that you want to work with:

Of course the stones you want to work with are going to be anything in the fire colors, orange/red/yellow. Some of the stones that I listed on the root chakra and the sacral chakra can be used since they use the red and orange colors. Also, I previously did not take pics of hematite, but it is an excellent stone for all three chakras, so I finally took a pic of it today.

Orange calcite helps with irritable bowels syndrome, problems with your gall bladder, and general intestinal disorders. It also helps depression and will clear away tensions and anxiety.

This one helps you with decision making and clear thinking. And also action for getting things done.

Amber helps out your spleen, liver, and gallbladder. It also helps for you to have a sunny disposition and works to boost your self-confidence.

Boosts your energy and works on your liver, endocrine glands, and your gall bladder. It helps to strengthen the solar plexus chakra by clearing the aura and releasing tensions.

Prehnite is more of a green color, but it is a golden green. It helps not just your solar plexus chakra but it also will help with the next chakra in the series, the heart chakra. Prehnite helps by enhancing your precognition which will help with your judgement skills, your "gut feelings".

Hematite helps with nervousness and anxiety and also increases intuition. It also helps with OCD and eating disorders.

I hope that you are enjoying the chakra series.

Brightest Blessings,

Saga