I will: chakra three

The third, or solar plexus, chakra, is the seat of our power--or at least the seat of our recognition of power. Remember, with any energy in our lives, it's not so much about its absence or presence as it is about our connection. Energy simply flows, and if it isn't flowing, or isn't flowing in a way that works for us, it's usually because there's a blocked connection of some sort. Often the complications in our chakras are comparable to a dam holding back water. Power through the dam, and things start flowing freely (and stop backing up and flooding other areas!).

An out-of-balance third chakra often is connected to an imbalance of power in our lives (I say "connected" with regards to chakra imbalances because it's not always clear which came first--the out-of-whack chakra [causing the energy imbalance in our outer life] or the out-of-whack life [causing the energy imbalance in the chakra]). It's often the case that chakra imbalances, especially severe ones, can be traced back to events happening in particular timeframes of our early lives--and if you look at childhood development timelines you can often see why. Third chakra imbalances often date back to the ages of 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 years: the time in which children develop personal power and a recognition that they are separate bodies from others. Think the terrible twos, here....

Back to the chakra. Loosely paraphrasing Anodea Judith from her work Wheels of Life: Feeling powerless is failing to consciously use our will. It's not that we're lacking in will, it's that we're applying it in directions that don't serve us. Yes, this can be a big hurdle. Yes, this can be overwhelmingly because of myriad issues that drive us into choosing to respond in accordance with someone else's will, rather than our own real purpose. Yes, yes, yes. Tons of reasons. But I think it's important to realize that our own purpose is there, just waiting for us to take a shot at tuning in. If you feel out of control, powerless, and weak, or simply (if such a thing is simple) stuck, you want to take a look at your third chakra.

This is a chakra to pay attention to with your daily energy clearing as well, especially if you spend much time around other people engaged in power struggles, because this is where those sit as well. This is the chakra associated with the physical element of fire, and as such it's the seat not only of power, but of transformation. It's where we focus when we're doing centering exercises, and if you've ever engaged in a battle of wills and lost, feeling like you've been kicked in the stomach, this is the place. You want this chakra clear and working for you so you can keep healing.

If you need, check back to the post on the root chakra from last week for details on the visualization process we're working with right now. To help boost the energy of the clearing of this chakra, I do suggest running through a grounding/centering exercise first, then visualizing the white light energy of your spirit-aura. When you trance, you'll be looking for a yellow glow just below your rib cage. As you go through the visualization of clearing and balancing this chakra, pay attention to any feelings of anger or fear that may come up. Let yourself breathe through them (literally--give it a try and you'll see what I mean), visualize the white-light energy dissipating them, just as you did when we started on the clearing of personal space. Be willing to let them be too much to deal with in one sitting--sometimes deep issues can be overwhelming. (Note: most of us know if we have serious issues. DO find a qualified counselor or medical professional to work with. Energy work, especially on your own, shouldn't be a substitute for professional help on physical, mental, and emotional issues.)

Continuing the list-o-gemstones: good gemstones to work with for the 3rd chakra include citrine, amber (not actually a stone; amber is a resin), topaz, and again, tiger's eye. My personal favorite is citrine for this work, but amber is also excellent for helping increase personal power.

If your 3rd chakra issues are related to over-powering, and you find yourself downsizing the chakra in your visualization, adding water to your environment, adding tonglen meditation, volunteering in settings that help you exercise compassion...all excellent ways to help bring that into balance. Also recognize if the over-powering is related to fear. Clearing and balancing this, along with the other two lower chakras, can help heal this life imbalance considerable.

The more I think about the chakras as I'm posting these, the more I'm conscious that we're just scratching the surface here. If you have any questions about a particular chakra, feel free to post them in the comments or email me privately at conscioussanity@gmail.com.


Have an amazing and blessed day!

I am willing for this to be perfect

If you aren't already following your dreams to their illogical conclusion (there's a point where logic is no longer applicable), chances are good that you have a deep, hard lesson to learn. I don't mean painful, just hard to internalize.

Trust.

You are going to have to learn to trust your gut, your intuition, your guidance. Learn to trust that yes, you DO know when it's right--that it's not just wishful thinking. Trust that YOU can make a difference in the future of the planet (not to mention yourself!). Trust that taking risks will pay off.

My risk tolerance slope weighs heavily in favor of outcome. If there's an infinitesimal risk of something happening, but the disaster associated with the event is extreme, I'm not going to put it in my top 10 list, probably. Large chance of much smaller disaster is better--I'm usually thinking about what it's going to take to recover. Obviously I don't take this to extremes--I do get on airplanes, and of course I live in Florida where we do get the occasional hurricane. I, like most people, prefer the known to the unknown.

But to really live big, to live the paths of our dreams, we have to take some risks. Sometimes it helps to figure out just what is holding up your comfort zone and start there. Can't give speeches, but want to run for Congress? Start with your local Toastmasters club. Think people are going to laugh at you when you hang your shingle as a Reiki master? Start with word of mouth. Scared that you're going to get it wrong to begin with? That's a tough one.

What do you do when you're scared you're going to get it wrong from the start--that you actually can't DO the thing you want to do? The buddy system can work here. Do the work on yourself, your plants, your friends (with permission, of course) and then trust them to tell you the truth (even the plants). Connect with source on a regular (and  I don't mean semi-annual) basis. Let yourself do it right.

A thought/affirmation that popped into my head last night as I was running through the list in my head of everything I needed to do before moving today (moving house, not moving my feet), and the order and timing I wanted was this: I am willing for this to be perfect.

I am willing for THIS to be perfect.

What's stopping you from starting?

A lot of people seem to think that the things that hold us back apply only to the actual living of the dream.

Uh-uh.

The same things that will keep you from living it, will keep you from finding it, too.

Yes, I know--you're madly trying new things, making dream or bucket lists, seriously in search of your passion. And that's great. But I invite you to slow down for a minute and ask yourself one question: what if I slowed down and let one of these things be the passion?

Just to see what it feels like. It might feel wrong. It might feel right. But I suspect that some if not all of the time, we KNOW what our passion is; we just stop it there and pretend it isn't happening. I think there are two possible reasons for this--for the not-finding, not-recognizing. The big one is fear.

Yes, fear. Which we think is what would stop us from reaching new heights, from starting the work of living consciously. But I think, too, it stops us from recognzing our true passion when we find it. Now I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but I know it applies to someone besides me--I'm just not that special. So how do you know when fear is keeping you from recognizing The One True Thing You Are Here For? At a guess, you could start with your excuses. If even your excuses have excuses, there's a good chance fear is stepping in to stop you.

I'm not going to ask you to psychoanalyze yourself, to ask you why you're feeling that fear (or what you're really afraid of). But do ask yourself: is it right in front of me, and is fear holding shut the door?