Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

In Eastern Body, Western Mind, chakra authority Anodea Judith brought a fresh approach to the yoga-based Eastern chakra system, adapting it to the Western framework of Jungian psychology, somatic therapy, childhood developmental theory, and metaphysics and applying the chakra system to important modern social realities and issues such as addiction, codependence, family dynamics, sexuality, and personal empowerment.

Arranged schematically, the book uses the inherent structure of the chakra system as a map upon which to chart our Western understanding of individual development. Each chapter focuses on a single chakra, starting with a description of its characteristics and then exploring its particular childhood developmental patterns, traumas and abuses, and how to heal and maintain balance. - Eastern body, Western mind: psychology and the chakra system as a path to the self

PREFACE TO THIS EDITION

The chakra system has gained popularity in the West, leading to its commercialization
Exposure risks trivialization, but also makes it accessible for more people
The book aims to provide an elegant system for understanding health and imbalances
Universal principles, not one-size-fits-all formulas
Chakras open sequentially during childhood and can be influenced by parents' unresolved issues
Discusses the upward and downward currents of energy and their roles in liberation and manifestation
Healing requires understanding of inner and outer forces, and their connection

Challenges:

Many people lack understanding of chakras and the ancient Tantric yoga tradition
Some techniques can bring temporary shifts but don't address deeper issues
The rapid pace of life and emotional wounds compromise our aliveness
Culture accepts this compromise as normal, requiring ongoing efforts to heal and find purpose

Value of Chakra System:

Maps the journey of healing and awakening
Connects inner and outer worlds
Integrates psychology, spirituality, and physicality
Addresses emotional wounds and their impact on aliveness

Eastern Body, Western Mind:

Originally focused on issues in therapy, such as addiction, codependence, family dynamics, character structures, personal empowerment, feminism, male emancipation, sexuality, politics, and spirituality
Integrates techniques from bioenergetics to visualization, depth psychology to spiritual practice
Dedicated to those engaged in their own healing process, therapists, counselors, body-workers, and parents
Uses the chakra system as a tool for diagnosis and healing.

Chakra System as a Lens for Understanding Soul's Evolution

Presentation of the system through major components: individual chakras
Three philosophical threads woven together

Enlightenment Philosophies (Upward and Beyond)

Movement toward mental and spiritual realms
Transcendence
Eastern cultures focus
Seek to escape mundane world
Focus on higher planes of consciousness

Embodiment Philosophies (Down and In)

Movement toward manifestation, soul, body, engagement with the world
Immanence, or presence of the divine within
Reflected in practices like somatic therapy, bioenergetics, earth-centered spirituality
Focus on ending suffering by engaging with causes

Integrative Philosophies (Toward Integration of Opposites)

Mind and body, Heaven and Earth, spirit and matter, light and shadow, male and female
Transformation and wholeness
Carl Gustav Jung's depth psychology and soul's journey toward individuation focused

Chakra System

Representation of the universe
Seven levels representing major areas of human life: love/relationship, power/spirituality, emotion/instinct, etc.
Sexuality just one aspect of second chakra
Inevitable blending of Eastern and Western approaches
Understanding internal energy arrangement for defense, need recognition, balance restoration
Valid as psychological theory and versatile

Book Structure

User-friendly with subtitles and reference charts
Varied audience focus: clinically oriented and general
Real people's stories combined and anonymized
Western approach to chakras within a spiritual context

Chakra System Description

Describes energetic structure organizing life force
Understanding for defense, need recognition, balance restoration
As valid as any psychological theory and versatile

Philosophical Threads Recap

Enlightenment: upward, mental/spiritual realms, transcendence, escape suffering
Embodiment: down, manifestation, immanence, engage with causes
Integrative: balance, integration of opposites, transformation, wholeness

INTRODUCTION

Sacred Centers of the Self: Discovering the Rainbow Bridge

Introduction:

Journey through the dimensions of self
Transformation of consciousness connecting spirit and matter
Reclaiming multidimensional diversity of human experience
Seven colors of rainbow represent seven vibratory modalities of existence

The Rainbow as a Metaphor:

Expresses diversity of light from source to manifestation
Represents seven chakras in Indian yogic tradition, energy centers within each person
Serpent goddess Kundalini represents evolutionary life force, awakens through chakras
Axis mundi, central axis of world running through vertical core of each individual

Eastern and Western Perspectives:

Eastern spiritual wealth brings new dimensions to Westerners
Balance between material abundance and spiritual wealth is possible
Rainbow Bridge spans cultures of East and West

Mythological Significance of the Rainbow:

Symbol of hope, harmony, and peace
Connection between Heaven and Earth in various mythologies
Bridge to divine nature for humans

The Journey as a Sacred Quest:

Reconnecting to own divinity
Restoring the Rainbow Bridge
Averting doomsday by reestablishing connection between Heaven and Earth

Rainbow as a Bridge:

In Turkish language, literally means "bridge"
Doomsday can be averted by restoring the Rainbow Bridge through consciousness

WHEELS THAT HEAL

Chakra System: a seven-leveled philosophical model of the universe, originating in India over 4,000 years ago. Translates to "wheel" or "disk" in Sanskrit.

Represents steps of ever-expanding states of consciousness.
Centers of organization that receive, assimilate, and express life force energy.
Seven major chakras stacked from base of spine to top of head; minor chakras in hands, feet, etc.

Yoga: a discipline designed to yoke together the individual with the divine using mental and physical practices.

Chakra Characteristics:

Intangible, not physical entities, yet have strong effects on the body and mind.
Programmed deep in the core of the mind-body interface.
Influence glandular processes, body shape, chronic physical ailments, thoughts, and behavior.
Can be influenced through techniques like yoga, breathing, meditation, etc.

Chakra Locations:

Seven major chakras: Figure 0.1 shows their relative locations.
Associated with various states of consciousness, archetypal elements, and philosophical constructs.

Lower Chakras: physically closer to the earth, related to practical matters and ruled by physical and social law.

Chakra 1: Survival
Chakra 2: Sexuality
Chakra 3: Power

Upper Chakras: represent mental realms and work on a symbolic level through words, images, and concepts.

Chakra 4: Love
Chakra 5: Communication
Chakra 6: Intuition
Chakra 7: Consciousness itself

Archetypal Elements: associated with each chakra.

Earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, thought

Elements' Principles: universal principles represented by each element.

Gravitation, polarity, combustion, equilibrium, vibration, luminescence, consciousness itself

Chakras as a ladder: connecting the polarities of Heaven and Earth, mind and body, spirit and matter.

Color Association: seven colors in the rainbow; red for base chakra, violet for crown, and other colors represent steps between.

Opening and healing chakras: becoming the Rainbow Bridge

Table of Correspondences: Figure 0.3 provides basic information about each chakra.

THE HUMAN BIOCOMPUTER

The Human Biocomputer: Understanding Chakras as Programs and Energy Flow

Chakras, meaning "disks," can be thought of as storage units for vital programs in our lives
We have programs for survival, sexuality, power, love, and communication
The seventh chakra represents the operating system that organizes and interprets all other programs
Our programming is a result of cultural influences and personal experiences, some conscious and some unconscious
The challenge is to identify these programs and rewrite them as necessary for healing
Our body is the hardware, our programming is the software, and we are the user (Self)

The Importance of Energy Flow in Understanding Chakras

Energy or life force activates all programs
Human bodies have vertical major energy pathways and subtler currents running in other directions
Two essential poles: earth-centered pole (grounding) and the pole of consciousness
Grounding is the connection to the body and the material world for safety, stability, and centering
Consciousness comes from the mind, organizes sensory information, and connects us to the spiritual realm
The chakras act as channels for energy flow between these polarities, allowing us to tap into different frequencies of soul and spirit.

Understanding Chakra Patterns

Each person has unique patterns of energy flow and expression through their behavior and environment
Understanding these patterns can help identify how chakra programs are running our lives
Some common patterns include ignoring the body (Sally), pushing people away while talking too much (George), and lack of success and poor self-image (Jane)

Activating Our Programs: The Role of Energy Flow and Energetic Contact

Activation requires a charge of energy moving through the psychic currents of the body
Grounding is the connection to the earth, providing safety, stability, and centering through sensation and feeling
Consciousness connects us to our mind, memory, dreams, and beliefs, allowing for dynamic energy flow throughout our being.

LIBERATION AND MANIFESTATION

Liberation and Manifestation:

Liberation: path of transcendence, consciousness and matter combine to create chakras, current of consciousness moving downward (liberating current), historically seen as path to spiritual freedom.
Manifestation: path of immanence, energy becomes denser as it descends, current of manifestation required for embodiment.
Balance between both needed for wholeness.

Chakras:

Seven vortices created by consciousness and matter.
Downward flow of energy (current of manifestation) enters through the crown chakra and moves downward.
Upward flow of energy (current of liberation) originates at base chakra.
Both currents combine in the sacred marriage (hieros gamos), creating limitless possibilities.

Obstacles to Liberation and Manifestation:

Physical pain, childhood traumas, social programming, oppressive environments can cut us off from ground and liberating current.
Misinformation and indoctrination can invalidate consciousness and disconnect instincts and memories.

Integration of Mind, Body, and Energy:

Both vertical (manifestation and liberation) and horizontal (reception and expression) currents are essential for wholeness.
Integration of these currents leads to profound insight and healing.

Reception and Expression:

Two horizontal currents flow into and out of each chakra, required for full range of expression and reception.
Blockages in these currents can distort reception and expression.

Balancing Reception and Expression:

Techniques to open and close each chakra, allowing for a full range of reception and expression.
Balancing both vertical and horizontal currents crucial for personal evolution.

CHAKRA BLOCKAGE

A block develops when equal and opposing forces meet on a particular plane
Cannot eliminate one force, must be integrated
Blocks may relate to chakra function (communication, power, physical health, etc.)
Contributors to chakra blockage: childhood traumas, cultural conditioning, limited belief systems, exhausting habits, physical and emotional injuries, lack of attention

Effects of Chakra Blockage:

Difficulties in communication, fear and submission, physical health issues, financial crises
Coping strategies become chronic patterns (defense structures)
Tension in body (body armor) affects posture, breathing, metabolism, emotional states, perceptions, interpretations, belief systems
Affects relationships, work, creativity, and belief systems
Manifestations of incomplete or unbalanced experiences

Impact on Energy Currents:

Unable to fully utilize liberating current, stuck on survival issues
Unable to properly ground manifesting current, lost in ideas, unable to connect in real world
Unable to receive certain types of energy (love, new information), chakra atrophies and functions further limited
Unable to express energy, stagnation and closed system

Quote from Nei Ching:

A block of any significant degree gains severity over time
Small fears grow into full-blown phobias, anger leads to isolation, depression, and more anger
Clinging in relationships creates abandonment, further holding on
Any specific chakra block affects flow of four basic currents

Healing Chakra Blockages:

Recognize blocks
Understand source and meaning
Develop tools for healing (meditation, therapy, yoga, etc.)

Addressing Personal History

Examining developmental stages and traumas
Understanding programming from each stage

Applying Exercises and Techniques

Physical exercises to open specific parts of the body
Meditations, real-world tasks, and visualization techniques

Balancing Excess and Deficiency Excess:

Overcompensation or avoidance of situations
Chronic tension, excessive worrying, compulsive behavior
Stiffened membranes preventing penetration
Example: A densely overweight person may have an excessive first chakra

Deficiency:

Withdrawal from situations
Vague, unreliable, overly changeable
Unglued membranes with porosity
Example: A frightened person who talks constantly would have an excessive fifth chakra

Excess and Deficiency: Coping Strategies

Result of stress, trauma, or unpleasant circumstances
Both restrict the flow of energy through the system
Dysfunctional behavior and health problems

Healing Imbalances

Excessive chakras need to discharge energy
Deficient chakras need to receive energy
Difficult to open long-closed chakras
Subtleties require individualized approach

Multidimensional Healing Approach

Verbally through discussion
Physically through work with the body and movement
Spiritually through meditation
Emotionally through exploration of feelings
Visually through images
Aurally through sounds
Actualized through outer-world tasks that strengthen certain areas of our lives.

CHARACTER ARMOR

Character Armor:

A meeting place for psyche and soma (mind and body)
Represents self-care practices and coping strategies
Developed from difficulties during developmental stages
Chronic holding patterns become automatic, beyond conscious awareness
Not decided but rather "hardwired" into the system
Correlates with distribution of energy through chakras

John Conger:

Character provides a house for energy (shell)
Excess and deficiency become chronic holding patterns (character armor)
Character structure describes overall patterns of armoring in the body

Character Structures: Schizoid/Creative:

Split between mind and body
Highly creative and intelligent
Issues around right to exist
Overdeveloped upper chakras
Discussed in first chakra chapter

Oral/Lover:

Developed from deprivation in nurturing stage
Emotionally oriented towards merging and giving
Discussed in second chakra chapter

Masochist/Endurer:

Fixated at third chakra
Energy bound at will
Robbed of autonomy
Turn blocked energy inward against self
Strong and loyal, can endure difficulty well
Positively referred to as Endurer structure
Discussed in second or third chakra chapter

Rigid/Achiever:

Wounded by lack of approval
Focuses on achievement
Highly functional but afraid of relationships and intimacy
Discussed in fourth chakra chapter

Hysteric:

Variation on Rigid/Achiever structure
Occurs more often in women
Emotions initially held back, later erupt with intensity
Discussed in fifth chakra chapter

Psychopath/Challenger-Defender:

Orientated towards power-over
Defends the meek and challenges the strong
Excessive rather than deficient development at third chakra
Brings energy upward in body, especially to neck and shoulders
Discussed in fifth chakra chapter

Additional Resources:

Pictures of different body types: Figure 0.5
Chart of characteristics: Figure 0.6
Detailed discussions on relationship to excess and deficiency patterns of all seven chakras follow in more detailed discussions.

THE SEVEN RIGHTS

The Seven Rights and the Chakras:

Chakra One: The Right to Be Here and Have:
- Instinctual sense of right to exist
- Foundation of survival and security
- Includes right to take up space, individuality, and take care of oneself
- Underlies ability to contain, hold, keep, and manifest
- Corollary: Right to have what we need to survive
- Difficulty allowing ourselves to have things
- Deprivation even when help is offered
- Affects ability to contain, hold, keep, and manifest
Chakra Two: The Right to Feel:
- Emotional expression is essential
- Infringement on this right leads to numbness and disconnection
- Corollary: Right to want
- Difficulty knowing what we want when unable to feel
- Impact on healthy sexuality
Chakra Three: The Right to Act:
- Cultures with rigid behavior patterns restrict this right
- Decreases vitality and inner authority
- Corollary: Right to be free
Chakra Four: The Right to Love and Be Loved:
- Damaged by family dysfunction, cultural prejudice, war, or poor self-esteem
- Central chakra in a system of seven
Chakra Five: The Right to Speak and Hear Truth:
- Not allowed to speak truthfully or not being heard
- Damaged by family secrets, government lies, or denial of information
Chakra Six: The Right to See:
- Damaged when what we perceive is not real
- Impaired vision and psychic perceptions
Chakra Seven: The Right to Know:
- Includes right to accurate information, truth, knowledge, and spiritual connection
- Forcing spiritual dogmas on others infringes on this right

Loss of Chakra Rights: * Blocks healing and chakra reclamation * Affects physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being * Reclaiming these rights is necessary for overall health and balance.

THE SEVEN IDENTITIES

Identity: A constantly changing and expanding manifestation of the spirit that gives meaning and helps us operate in the world. It is important but can limit us if clung to.

Seven Chakra Identities:

Physical Identity (Chakra One): The first identity level associated with self-preservation, identifying with the body and its physical qualities. Necessary for dealing with the physical world.
Emotional Identity (Chakra Two): Beneath the surface of the body churn the emotions. Identity focused on feelings, "I feel therefore I am." Expands experience of the body and connects us to the flow of the world.
Ego Identity (Chakra Three): Identification with our will, behavior, and actions. Realization of being a separate entity with the power to choose. Oriented towards self-definition. "I am what I do."
Social Identity (Chakra Four): Creation of a persona or social mask to interact with others based on how we perceive our role in serving others and our self-acceptance. Expands beyond the realm of self-centered needs.
Creative Identity (Chakra Five): Identification with our self-expression through creativity, commitments, and taking responsibility for what we say and produce.
Intellectual Identity (Chakra Six): Identification with knowledge and understanding. Ability to think abstractly and make decisions based on logic and reason.
Spiritual Identity (Chakra Seven): Identification with the highest aspects of consciousness, beyond the individual self. Connection to the universal spirit or divine.

Identity as Clothing: Metaphoric layers that cover the essential soul underneath. Necessary but problematic when confused for the whole self.

Positive and Negative Chakra Identities: Real parts of ourselves, yet not the whole. Can be liberating or imprisoning.

Creative Identity Development:

Expands outward, contributing to larger system
Identify with archetypal possibilities and inspirations
Realization of personal contribution to the larger system
Foundation: healthy ego, social confidence, compassion

Chakra Six: Archetypal Identity

Expand into transpersonal identity
Personal story as part of a larger story
Carry pieces of archetypal stories (Mother Goddess, Father archetype)
Universal understanding of self
Self-reflection in larger system
Consciously embrace evolution of archetypal symbols
Contribution to larger archetypal causes

Chakra Seven: Universal Identity

Expansion into universal identity
Realization of magnificent scope of cosmos
Transcendence of smaller identities
Integration of individuality into larger field of the divine
Buddhist maxim: "Thou Art That"
Purpose of spiritual disciplines: break through bonding with smaller identities
Each identity primary during developmental process
Consolidate lower identities in appropriate perspective as higher identities emerge.

DEMONS OF THE CHAKRAS

Chakras and Their Demons:

The unconscious has both dark and light aspects (Jung)
Each chakra has a specific demon that interferes with its health and identity
Demons are counterforces that teach us something
Unacknowledged demons keep us from moving forward

Chakras and Their Demons (continued): Chakra One:

Demon: Fear
Arises when something threatens survival
Prevents feeling secure, focused, and calm
Creates hypervigilance

Chakra Two:

Demon: Guilt
Undermines emotional and sexual energy flow
Inhibits reaching out to others
Diminishes emotional and sexual connections

Chakra Three:

Demon: Shame
Undermines self-esteem, personal power, spontaneous activity, and joy
Collapses third chakra
Turns radiating energy inward against self

Heart Chakra:

Demon: Grief
Counteracts heart's lightness and expansion
Makes heart feel heavy and closed
Results from hurts to the heart

Fifth Chakra:

Demon: Lies
Twist relationship to outside world
Distorted information

Sixth Chakra:

Demon: Illusion
Fixates attention
Keeps us from seeing accurately

Seventh Chakra:

Demon: Attachment
Small focus of attention
Obscures realization and unity with cosmic consciousness.

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

Chakra Developmental Stages according to William Shakespeare and Eastern Philosophy:

All the World's a Stage: Each person goes through various developmental stages in life.
Seven Ages: Chakras evolve sequentially, each completed stage supporting the healthy awakening of the next.

Chakra One: Infancy (Mid-pregnancy to 12 months after birth)

Body Formation: Takes place during prenatal development and infancy.
Infant's Developmental Task: To learn how to operate the body.
Focus on Survival: Consciousness is focused internally, with little awareness of the outside world.
Trust vs. Mistrust (Erikson): Infants develop a sense of trust or mistrust based on their experiences during this stage.
Foundation of Security: Successfully progressing through this stage builds the foundation for security and self-preservation, forming the physical identity.

Chakra Two: Six Months to Approximately 2 Years

Comes into conscious attention around six months when visual acuity develops
Infant becomes aware of things outside immediate range and experiences alertness
Discovers separation from mother, leading to ambivalence and fear
Characterized by conflict of separation vs. attachment
First distinctions experienced as binary choices: good/bad, pleasure/pain, etc.
Focused on formation of emotional identity for self-gratification
Communication mainly through emotion

Chakra Three: 18 Months to Approximately 4 Years

Period of attempted autonomy during "terrible twos" or willful stage
Child has successfully "hatched" from mother and wants to experiment with volition
Development of language allows for understanding of cause and effect, leading to impulse control and delayed gratification (If I eat vegetables, I'll get dessert)
Unconscious instinctual states of lower chakras begin to come under conscious control
Child is self-centered and focused on establishing a sense of personhood, power, and self-creation
Important achievement: autonomy and will, balanced with the will of others
Erikson refers to this stage as autonomy vs. shame and doubt
Formation of personal ego identity, primarily focused on self-definition

Chakra Four (Age 4-7):

Developed as child leaves egocentricity of third chakra
Interests in relationships outside primary family ones
Loving becomes more conscious and adapted
Autonomy developed in third chakra forms foundation for relationships
First model of relationships comes from family
Learning how things relate to each other is dominant task
Formation of social identity based on self-acceptance
Successful resolution leads to direction and purpose (initiative vs. guilt)

Chakra Five (Age 7-12):

Period of personal creativity and offering to the world
Solid sense of self and desire to express energy
Thinking operates on symbolic level, allowing for creativity and abstract thinking
Formation of creative identity based on self-expression
Resolution leads to sense of competence (industry vs. inferiority)

Chakra Six (Adolescence):

Recognition and application of patterns in life decisions
Emergence of formal operations stage and symbolic conception of the world
Reexamining social identity and making it a conscious choice
Dawning interest in spiritual matters and self-reflection
Formation of archetypal identity
Resolution leads to clarity about role in the world (identity vs. role confusion)

Chakra Seven (Early Adulthood and Beyond):

Pursuit of knowledge, formation of worldview, and spiritual awakening
New information filtered through developing worldview
Search for meaning and asking questions about nature of life, universe, Self
Formation of universal identity based on self-knowledge.

INTERACTIVE DEVELOPMENT: THE CHAKRA SYSTEM AS A WHOLE

Both ascending and descending energy currents play a role in development.
Awareness of the body (Chakra one) allows differentiation and operation on it, leading to physical world interaction.
Dawning of images (Chakra six) brings perception of the external world, otherness, and exploration (Chakra two).
Language skills (Chakra five) enable exertion of will (Chakra three), conceptualization, and relationship development (Chakra four).
Difficulties during any stage can impact the developing chakra and subsequent ones.
Examples: Sense of power linked to meeting survival needs, heart ease with nurturance in first two chakras, communication with balanced ego and sense of love and acceptance.

Figure 0.12: Diagram representing the interaction between ascending and descending energy currents during development.

Adult Development: The Process of Individuation

Chakra development in adulthood is conscious, requiring personal desire to occur.
Some people remain in dependency and powerlessness, never experiencing adult chakra development or higher self potential.
For those seeking growth, here's a description of the second round of chakra evolution.

Individuation

Becoming a single, homogeneous being.
Embracing unique inner qualities = "self-realization" (C.G. Jung).

Early Adulthood: Chakra Stages Begin Again

The second round of development is less clearly defined due to individual variations.
Some life stages overlap or occur in different orders, such as career, family, spirituality, etc.

Guideline for Chakra Development in Adulthood (General)

Leaving home: Establishing independence (early adulthood).
Awareness of body and emotions: Connection to self and others (Chakras one through four).
Exploring relationships: Building healthy, balanced relationships (Chakra four and beyond).
Personal power: Developing inner strength and autonomy (Chakra three and above).
Self-expression: Creative exploration of personal potential (Chakra five and beyond).
Transcendence: Connecting to a greater purpose or spirituality (Chakras six through eight).
Integration: Synthesizing experiences into a cohesive whole (All chakras).

Chakra Development Stages:

Chakra One: Base (Survival)
- Getting a place to live
- Learning self-care
- Finding independent income
- Variable duration, may be lifelong struggle
- Marks basic independence and self-sufficiency
Chakra Two: Sexual/Relationships (Emotional Needs)
- Forming sexual relationships
- Awareness of "other" becomes more acute
- Satisfaction of emotional needs
- Projection of emotional needs on partners
- Unconscious patterns from shadow may sabotage relationships
- Misunderstandings, blaming, and emotional turmoil common
- Personal will and responsibility have not yet awakened in some cases
Chakra Three: Personal Power (Individuation)
- Liberation from societal expectations
- Becoming a true individual under own power and will
- May or may not awaken in one's life
- Time of making one's own way in the world
- Developing personal career, building skills, controlling destiny
- Political involvement and seeking affinity with others
- Misaligned third chakra seeks power over others; awakened third chakra seeks power with others
Chakra Four: Love/Relationships (Empathy and Altruism)
- Focus on true empathy and lasting partnerships
- Relationships require reevaluation of behavior towards others
- Examination of family dynamics, role in relationships, personal contribution to world
- Midlife beginning of individuation, focused on balance between inner masculine and feminine
Chakra Five: Creative Expression (Personal Contribution)
- Making personal contribution to community through creative expression
- Business creation, writing a book or thesis, building own house, artistic hobby
- Occurs around midlife for most people, sooner for more creative personalities
- May be period of marking contribution through public service
Chakra Six: Introspection (Reflection and Study)
- Involves reflection and study of patterns
- Exploration of mythology, religion, philosophy
- Period of searching, travel, renewed study of inner paths
- Introverted stage of taking in from outside after satisfying extroverted urges
- Time of spiritual interest and development if not already occurred
- Intensifies when children grown and adult has more time for contemplation and spiritual practice
Chakra Seven: Wisdom (Knowledge and Teaching)
- Bringing together information gathered throughout life and passing it on to others
- May mean leaving mundane world for spiritual pursuit, or time of teaching and sharing, developing mastery.

General:

These developmental stages are not the same for everyone, nor experienced in the same order
Adult development is often arrested by unresolved childhood conflicts
It's important to understand the complete system and examine each person as a whole before making assessments.

CHAKRA ONE

CHAKRA ONE+: Reclaiming the Temple of the Body

First Chakra (Muladhara)

Element: Earth
Name: Muladhara (root)
Purpose: Foundation
Issues: Roots, grounding, nourishment, trust, health, home, family, prosperity, appropriate boundaries
Color: Red
Location: Base of spine, coccygeal plexus
Identity: Physical
Orientation: Self-preservation
Demon: Fear
Developmental Stage: 2nd trimester to 12 months
Developmental Tasks: Physical growth, motor skills, object permanence
Basic Rights: To be here and have balanced characteristics: good health, vitality, well grounded, comfortable in body, sense of trust in the world, feeling of safety and security, ability to relax and be still, stability, prosperity, right livelihood

Traumas and Abuses:

Birth trauma
Abandonment, physical neglect
Poor physical bonding with mother
Malnourishment, feeding difficulties
Major illness or surgery
Physical abuse or violent environment
Enema abuse
Inherited traumas—parents’ survival fears (i.e., holocaust survivors, war veterans, poverty conditions)

Deficiency:

Disconnection from body
Notably underweight
Fearful, anxious, restless, can’t settle
Poor focus and discipline
Financial difficulty
Poor boundaries
Chronic disorganization

Excess:

Obesity, overeating
Hoarding, material fixation, greed
Sluggish, lazy, tired
Fear of change, addiction to security
Rigid boundaries

Physical Malfunctions:

Disorders of the bowel, anus, large intestine
Disorders of solid parts of the body: bones, teeth
Issues with legs, feet, knees, base of spine, buttocks
Eating disorders
Frequent illness (can be deficient and/or excessive)

Healing Practices:

Reconnect with body
Physical activity: aerobics, weights, running, dance
Lots of touch, massage
Bioenergetic grounding
Hatha yoga
Look at earliest childhood relationship to mother
Reclaim right to be here

Affirmations:

It is safe for me to be here
The earth supports me and meets my needs
I love my body and trust its wisdom
I am immersed in abundance
I’m here and I’m real.

SHADES OF RED

Mary's Story:

Mary entered the office with palpable pain and hypervigilance
Suffered from anorexia, numbness in extremities, disconnected from her body and life
Had tried other therapists without success due to mind-body separation
Common issue among clients, leads to dissociative state

Effects of Disconnection from Body:

Compulsive actions, no longer rooted in feelings or consciousness
Spiritual homelessness, lacking an anchor in life
Cultural epidemic, caused by degrading jobs, automatic routines, and annihilating environments

Consequences of Dissociation:

Senseless violence, lack of empathy towards others' bodies
Self-annihilation through plastic surgery or addictions
Children are repressed, not taught body awareness or self-understanding
Mind over body mentality perpetuates body devaluation and fragmentation

Body Devaluation:

Religious attitudes devalue the body as root of evil or insignificant
Medical practices treat body mechanically, ignoring spirit within
Psychotherapists ignore role of body in mental health
Universities educate minds at cost of bodies, perpetuating dissociation and disconnection

Healing the Split:

Necessary step for personal and global healing
Heals foundation and base upon which all else is built
Recovering body leads to healing of self and world.

BASIC ISSUES OF THE FIRST CHAKRA

First Chakra (Muladhara):

Foundation of the temple and the entire chakra system
Situated at the base of the spine
Anchors the temple of the body to the earth
Provides stability, firmness, and consistency
Defines boundaries and determines shape and structure of the body
Connection to survival instincts

The Foundation of the Temple (Muladhara):

Resting upon the earth as a universal ground
Build the foundation for the temple of the body
Anchor for the Rainbow Bridge
Damage to this chakra affects all others above

Basic Issues:

Survival: the original challenge to being alive and the primary instinct
Assuring survival allows consciousness to engage in other activities
Threatens consciousness dominates all functions when activated
Can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and health problems
Common in those raised in violent or impoverished environments

Effects of Damage:

Plagued with issues of survival: health, money, housing, job problems
Elusive sense of safety and security
Rupture between consciousness and the core of being
Disconnected from natural instincts and environment

Instinct to Survive:

Unavoidable and fundamental instinct
Archaic baseline maintenance program for physical existence
Dominates all functions when threatened
Keep body in hyperstimulated readiness with stress hormones
Common in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Reclaiming the First Chakra:

Living harmoniously with survival instincts without being unconsciously ruled by them.

THE DEMON OF FEAR

Fear arises when sacred gets scrambled and survival is threatened
Heightens awareness, floods body with natural chemicals (adrenalin) for action
Focuses attention outward and upward to chakras of perception and mental activity
Results in hypervigilance, restlessness, anxiety, and inability to relax or settle
Can stem from environment of danger or deprivation during childhood
Creates a constant state of stress, which may lead to health issues like high blood pressure, heart trouble, stomach troubles, immune system depletion, weak adrenal glands, insomnia, or chronic fatigue
Fear engages survival instincts and wakes us up but can become constant and hinder appropriate response
Can be understood and released through acknowledgment of origins, allowing body to express responses, and developing resources for effective future encounters

Fear as a Sacred Adversary:

Fear exists as an ally teaching self-preservation and the importance of taking care of ourselves
Both fear and faith have similar causes: beliefs that govern behavior and influence feelings
Replacing unreasonable fear with reasonable faith acts as a natural antidote to the first chakra demon

Reclaiming Our Roots (Muladhara Chakra):

Sanskrit name for base chakra: "root support"
Represents our connection to our bodies, physical world, earth, ancestors, family, and personal history
Acknowledging past and examining it helps create a solid foundation
Corresponds to the element earth and human dependence on energy from the planet
Bringing muladhara to consciousness connects us to the commonality of the collective unconscious and anchors us into the earth
Groundedness channels flow of excitement from ourselves to the environment and vice versa.

GROUNDING

Grounding and the First Chakra:

A healthy first chakra enables grounding, which is essential for basic aliveness and well-being.
Grounding connects us to our body and environment, providing strength and stability.
Physically, grounding occurs through the legs and feet, allowing energy to flow up from the base of the body.
Being grounded brings consciousness into the body and aids in forming healthy boundaries.
Spiritual growth requires embracing our natural tendencies rather than denying them through ascetic practices.

Effects of Grounding:

Presence, focus, and dynamic energy
Connection to emotional-electrical currents and physical-psychic processes
Confident and contained demeanor

Consequences of Ungroundedness:

Loss of stability and center
Difficulty containing and holding boundaries
Inability to mature and transform

Nourishment and the First Chakra:

Adequate nourishment is necessary for physical survival.
Lack of support or nourishment leads to a feeling of collapse.
Neglecting one's right to be here can manifest as eating disorders or abandonment issues.

Manifestation and Prosperity:

Grounding, connection with the body, self-nourishment, and self-preservation contribute to prosperity.
Meeting basic survival needs provides security, stability, and independence.
Manifestation requires focusing on specific goals and accepting limitations.

Limitation and Acceptance:

Boundaries create necessary limitations for manifestation and growth.
Accepting and cooperating with limitations allows energy to build and expand to higher levels.
Rebelling against limitations keeps us in survival mode and unable to transcend them.

GROWING THE LOTUS

Growing the Lotus: Developmental Formation of the First Chakra

Age: Womb to 12 months

Tasks:

Physical growth
Motor development
Bonding and developing a sense of trust
Feeling safe in the world

Needs and Issues:

Trust:
- Infants need caretakers to meet their needs
- Lack of trust can affect emotional grounding and self-confidence
Nourishment:
- Infants cannot provide for themselves
- Needs for food are met through others
Safety:
- Infants experience a frightening world outside the womb
- Trust in caretakers is crucial for feeling safe

Experience of Newborns:

Emerging from the warm and dark womb into light and cold
Scared and hungry
Basic instinct draws infant to breast for nourishment
Need for trust and safety

Quote by Stanley Keleman:

Infants have no control over their needs or surroundings
Needs must be met, creating psychological foundation for relating to the world

Impact of Family:

Lack of touching and holding can lead to emotional instability and fear of falling
Importance of caretakers in establishing trust and sense of safety

First Chakra Development:

Trust or mistrust is the foundation for all other chakras
Enables security, emotional well-being, connection, bonding, and exploration
Basic survival instincts are met through support from parents and caretakers
Infant's first experiences of body and environment influence development

Infant Development:

Nervous system responds instinctually in first few months
No concept of separate selfhood
Mother's emotional state and nutritional balance during pregnancy impact development
Environment (womb) plays a role in infant's first experiences of self
Birth is the gateway into life and the beginning of individuality
First five to six months, infant remains in a state of fused identity
Neonate experiences immersion in Dynamic Ground prior to ego development

Impact of Environment:

Mother's body, voice, touch, and presence form the first experience of self
Warm and attentive environments promote positive charge, hope, confidence, and enthusiasm
Cold or cruel environments negatively impact early experiences of life and self
Unmet needs during infancy can lead to distrust, dissociation, helplessness, inadequacy, and feelings of hostility towards the world

Trust vs. Mistrust:

First developmental struggle in life
Healthy resolution: a feeling of hope
Essential for thriving and moving forward
Developmental tasks centered around learning to operate the body as the basic vehicle of life
Sensory-motor period, where awareness is sensory and the task is motor development
At six months, child becomes vertical, energy begins to flow upward, and the second chakra opens.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

Traumas and Abuses Impacting the First Chakra:

Anything threatening survival in early life can affect first chakra formation.
Younger children are more vulnerable to these threats.
A smooth first year creates a solid foundation for later resilience.
Trauma forces a child into fear and helplessness, blocking the downward energy flow.
The mind-body connection is crucial for recovery.

Birth Trauma:

Our first survival experience; separation from mother after birth is traumatic.
Technological birth practices shock our ancient nervous systems.
Breastfeeding and postnatal contact are important for bonding.
Birth traumas can cause further difficulties and health issues.
A proper grounding during infancy leads to calmness and positive relationships.

Impact of Birth Trauma:

Infants may cry excessively, have health problems, and hinder parent-child bonding.
Adults who experienced traumatic births might view life as surreal and accept isolation.
Lack of safety and bonding in infancy can result in a vague sense of something missing from life.

Impact of Incubator Babies:

Deprived of mother's touching and suckling.
Seeing loving faces through glass without being touched is disembodied.
Adults who were incubator babies might have trouble with relationships and understanding the importance of safety and bonding.

Abandonment:

Directly impacts survival, both physically and emotionally
Physical abandonment: children in institutions suffer from marasmus, a wasting disease due to lack of touch
Emotional abandonment: feelings of unwantedness and fear
Can be subtle or blatant, longer separations create profound insecurity
Adopted children experience abandonment by birth parents
Threatens survival and elicits fear, may inhibit appropriate responses to common situations
May result in excessive first chakra, clinging to security
Leads to tendencies to abandon oneself in various ways

Impacts of Abandonment:

Physical: weakness, hunched upper back
Emotional: fear, insecurity, low self-esteem, mistrust of others
Psychological: excessive clinging to security, inability to change

Neglect:

Subtler form of abandonment
Intermittent, instability leads to mistrust and further alienation
Impacts third chakra (self-esteem) and fourth chakra (right to be loved)
Result in self-neglect, shame, eating disorders, or digestive difficulties

Feeding Difficulties:

Malnourishment or hostile eating situations affect ability to nourish oneself
Emotional state of mother during feeding and inherited attitudes about food impact vital survival function
Can result in trust issues, eating disorders, or stagnant energy due to being a closed system.

Enemas and First Chakra Trauma:

Repeated use of enemas can be traumatic to the first chakra, leading to trust issues and a fractured sense of solidity (John Bradshaw)
Can result in difficulties with boundaries, autonomy, and an inability or excessive need to hold and contain (third chakra issue)
May have sexual overtones in some cases
Destroys the child's trust and sense of control over their body
Energy is pulled upward towards the head, leading to issues with feelings and self-esteem (second and third chakras)

Physical Abuse:

Causes pain and teaches dissociation from bodily sensations
May lead to addictive stress response and a need for crisis in order to feel alive
Impacts all chakras, with difficulties in surrendering to feelings (second), power dynamics and self-esteem (third), relationships (fourth), communication (fifth), clear seeing (sixth), and clear thinking (seventh)
Physically harms the body, leading to first chakra issues
Creates a profound betrayal of trust
May result in excessive or deficient coping strategies, such as dissociation or obsession with the body
Fragmenting effect on the nervous system and natural flow of experience
Can lead to physical injuries and damage
Constantly dangerous environment, leading to fear and a constant companion, creating future crisis situations to stimulate a familiar sense of aliveness.

ACCIDENTS, SURGERIES, ILLNESSES

Accidents, Surgeries, and Illnesses:

James had a series of freak accidents starting at age 4, including being hit by a car, fracturing his skull, appendicitis, and being attacked by a mugger
These events traumatized his nervous system and led to post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating and containing energy
Surgeries, illnesses, and accidents can have long-term emotional effects, including unconscious fears, difficulty sleeping, changes in eating habits, nervousness, and difficulty concentrating

Effects of Trauma

Impact of accidents may leave unidentified marks in the body as post-traumatic stress symptoms
These symptoms may include energetic fragmentation and difficulty with containment, focus, grounding, and first chakra issues

Inherited Trauma:

Lucy's sister died in the crib when she was two years old, leading to her parents doting on her out of fear that she might also die
Lucy absorbed her parents' unconscious fear and had frequent health problems and insecurities throughout her life
Parents with war trauma, poverty issues, racial persecution, holocaust survival, loss of a previous child, or unresolved survival issues may pass their fears onto their children through attitudes and beliefs about the world's danger.

Impact on First Chakra:

Trauma can contaminate the underlying ground of being with an unidentified layer of fear and distrust that eventually becomes part of the bodily experience
This can lead to first chakra issues, such as difficulty with containment, focus, grounding, and other first chakra issues.

Poor Boundaries and Embodiment:

Interfering with boundary formation or dissolution can hinder self-development (Stanley Keleman)
Clients without proper nurturing, continuity, and safety may struggle with boundaries (example of a client who grew up in an orphanage)
Lack of boundaries can lead to legal issues, such as child molesting charges
The world will provide boundaries if we don't establish our own (rejection, jail, illness)
Pairing up with people with overly rigid boundaries is also a possibility

Effects of Poor Boundaries:

Fear to set appropriate limits due to unmet lower chakra needs
Unable to experience satisfaction of "enough" due to past denial of merging and contact
Inability to form boundaries when serving family's survival needs in childhood
Disembodiment: splitting into a disconnected spirit and body (Alexander Lowen)

Implications:

If lower chakra needs are not met, we may be afraid to set limits and establish boundaries
Proper grounding and satisfaction of our basic needs enable us to set healthy boundaries
Lack of awareness of bodily feelings and attitudes can lead to a disconnected sense of self.

Upper Chakra Dominance and First Chakra Damage:

Experiences threatening survival lead to upward energy movement, cutting off bodily sensations and inhibiting the downward current.
A person may be physically numb and neglect basic needs like eating and resting, resulting in frequent illnesses and lack of emotion awareness.
Hypervigilant to external messages, searching for connection or danger, creating a mind-body split.
Ground is often overlooked or invisible, leading to confusion and difficulty addressing the root issue.

Neurotic, Schizoid, and Schizophrenic Egos:

Neurotic ego: Dominates the body, seeing it as an object to be controlled.
Schizoid ego: Denies the body, disregarding its needs and sensations.
Schizophrenic ego: Dissociates from the body, leading to alienation and objectification.

Impact of First Chakra Damage on Other Chakras:

Sexuality: Affected due to experience of the body and connection.
Personal power: Weakened without ground to stand on.
Relationships: Adversely affected by lack of boundaries and constant reassurance.
Communication: Blocked or excessive, disconnected from feeling.
Upper chakras: Intensified with imagination and intellect as a defense against feeling; can lead to confusion, vagueness, or feeling of going crazy.

Objectifying the Body:

Person may see their body as an alien entity, object, or thing.
Women often view their bodies in this way due to societal conditioning.
Resulting in control and maintenance focus rather than embracing the body as a living, dynamic statement of self.

Additional Chakra Imbalances:

Second chakra: Sexuality affected by lack of connection with the body.
Third chakra: Personal power weakened without ground.
Fourth chakra: Relationships adversely affected, communication may be blocked or excessive.
Fifth chakra: Communication and expression may be affected, leading to confusion or vagueness.
Sixth chakra: Intensification of intellect as a defense against feeling.
Seventh chakra: Disconnection from the body and ground, potentially leading to feelings of going crazy.

Grounding and Embodying Consciousness:

Addressing first chakra damage by building a downward current and developing a solid foundation (ground).
Grounding practices like mindfulness meditation, yoga, or grounding exercises can be helpful.
Embracing the body as a living, dynamic statement of self rather than an object to be controlled.

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE SCHIZOID: CREATIVE AND INTELLIGENT

An emergency mechanism for coping with danger to life and sanity
High degree of intelligence, creativity, and interest in spiritual matters
Develops early in life due to lack of sense of safety or wanting from mother
Marked by energetic statement of withdrawal from life

The Unwanted Child

Developed when mother's emotions are transmitted to the child in womb
Mother's fear, anger, or unwillingness to be pregnant impacts fetus
Lack of freedom, safety, and sense of being wanted leads to contraction as a normal way of being

Characteristics of Schizoid/Creative

Questioning right to exist, taking up space, and attending to physical needs
Ignoring signals of hunger, thirst, or fatigue
Difficulty experiencing body as whole organism
Blocked at throat, constantly clearing it while speaking
Hurtful speech, hurried and frightened
Highly sensitive and intelligent mind
Upper chakras highly developed, lower chakras have little energy
Out of touch with body, lack of sexual partners and close friends
Energetic process is fragmented, preferring to stay in realm of conversation
Fear-based, living in fear and unable to handle too much charge or excitement

Healing Schizoid/Creative Character Structure

Assignments in self-care: eating, sleeping, massage, baths
Reclaim body piece by piece through drawing, movement, and boundary work
Break habit of contraction with gentle physical exploration
Gradually trust more people, open up, value self, and participate in life.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Determining excess or deficiency in a chakra is necessary before using exercises
An excessive chakra benefits from relaxing or discharging exercises, while a deficient one benefits from stimulating or charging exercises

Concept of Charge:

Charge is a bioenergetic term for the body's basic excitement
It is felt during intense emotional states such as anger, excitement, love, fear, and spiritual connection
Issues from childhood can hold positive or negative charge
Charge can be invoked through grounding exercises, increased breathing, fantasy, visualization, talking about charged material, or experiencing truth

Characteristics of Charge:

Can be felt as intensity, enthusiasm, or heightened awareness
Positive experiences also hold charge and can give a sense of well-being
Increasing charge increases body's aliveness and awareness

Depression and Undercharge:

Depression is a state of undercharge, lack of excitement or enthusiasm
Increasing charge can help increase sense of well-being for those who are depressed or have weak bodies

Negative Effects of Charge:

Not all charge is pleasurable; rigidity and chronic muscular tension defend against charge
Overcharging the body can lead to anxiety, restlessness, fear, or feeling out of control
Excessive charge is experienced as stress

Images and Truth:

Dream images may hold a lot of charge and discussing them can spontaneously arise in the body as one discusses his dream
Truth also has a charge, especially when it has been previously hidden.

Deficiencies in the First Chakra:

A contracted and vacant first chakra may be recognizable by a person's physical posture and movements
Contraction can pull energy upward, backward, or downward, leading to various symptoms
- Upward contraction: empty and vacant feeling, out of touch with feelings in the area
- Backward contraction: difficulty concentrating, restlessness, shifting position constantly
- Downward contraction: poor muscle tone, circulation, color, boundary formation, undernourished and undercharged
A deficient first chakra may result from neglect or rejection during developmental stages, leading to insufficient energy for a solid foundation
People with deficient first chakras respond well to grounding exercises and boundary work

Excesses in the First Chakra:

An excessive first chakra feels heavy and solid, but with a sluggish and massive feeling
The body may be large and dense, with excess weight distributed around the hips, thighs, and buttocks
Movements are infrequent, eyes defensive, and head held steady
People with excessive first chakras like routine, security, and possessions, and may appear cynical about spiritual subjects
Excessive first chakra types need to discharge, let go, and shift from excessive stability to movement and flow through physical activities such as dancing, walking, swimming, or stretching

Balance in the First Chakra:

A balanced first chakra is both solidly grounded and dynamically alive
There is a sense of form without rigidity, bodily comfort, and healthy distribution of energy throughout
Integrating excessive and deficient strategies involves bringing extremes back toward a common center, anchored in the physical body

Assessing Your History:

Developmental life experiences can reveal information about a chakra's structure
Neglect or rejection usually leads to deficiencies, while stressful situations and challenges result in excesses
Persistent problems can be sorted into problems of excess or deficiency by comparing statements with the chart at the beginning of the chapter.

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE FIRST CHAKRA

First Chakra Healing:

Healing relationship with body, ground, and environment
Determine connection with body and surroundings through observation of:
- Walking, talking, moving, breathing, sitting, eye contact
- Energetic statements (contraction, expansion, conflict, freezing, collapse, activation, deadening, dissociation)
- Emotions secondary to energetic statements

First Chakra Work:

Keep focus on bodily sensations instead of emotions for containment
Grounding techniques: putting feet back down, standing up

Body Drawing Exercise:

Clients draw their own body on large newsprint with crayons
No need for realism; depict how body feels energetically
Therapist asks questions about the drawing and overlooked aspects
Provides graphic representation of internal schema and areas needing attention
- Helps track progress over time

Observations:

Pencil-thin vs. puffy body
Rigid vs. fluid bodies
Fearful, contracted vs. overly expanded bodies
Underformed, collapsed bodies

Mirror Exercise:

Have client hold drawing before full-length mirror for self-reflection
Provides insight into internal schema and areas needing attention
Helpful in identifying how the person sees themselves

Home Assignment:

If no mirror available, give as home assignment.

Benefits:

Healing relationship with body and environment
Gaining relief from painful emotions through physical expression
Understanding inner process without intellectualization
Provides a visual representation of progress over time

BODY DIALOG

Body Dialog Exercise for Overcoming Dissociation:

Reestablishing Communication with the Body:
- The first step in overcoming dissociation is to reconnect with the body.
- Client lays down, comfortable position, therapist takes notes.
- Client personifies body parts as workers in a corporation.
- Client asks each part how they feel about their job and role (from feet to face).
The Body as a Corporation:
- Client speaks as if they are a visiting consultant interviewing body parts.
Expressing Emotional Experiences:
- Client completes sentence "I am my [body part] and I..." with emotional experience.
Whole Body Speaks:
- Each body part has the opportunity to express its feelings and experiences.
Reading Back the Words:
- Therapist reads back what was written, omitting body parts.
- Client sees how their body is expressing their life experience.
Dialoguing with Significant Parts:
- After whole body has spoken, client can have dialog with significant parts.
Developing a Relationship:
- Goal is to develop a relationship through communication and acknowledgment.
- Dialogue can occur between client and themselves or therapist and client.
Stanley Keleman Quote:
- "When the whole body has had a chance to speak, I then read back what I have written, omitting the actual body parts. The client then gets a chance to see how the body is expressing her life experience." - Stanley Keleman
Understanding Body Experiences:
- Body does not lie, it experiences truth for itself.
Continuing the Dialogue:
- Client can continue dialog with significant parts to gain deeper understanding and facilitate change.

AFFIRM THE PHYSICAL

First Chakra:

Represents our physical reality
Damage leads to a damaged relationship with the physical world
Healing through creating a new relationship with the body, earth, and surroundings
Affirming and pleasurable experiences are crucial for Schizoid structure with deficient first chakra
Regular massage and physical exercise essential
Massage breaks down contracted body armor and provides nurturing experience
Exercise pumps energy through body and develops strength
Body-ego is energized by the power of Dynamic Ground
Entire physical being is electrically charged, making any bodily part a potential seat of somatic ecstasy

Working with Bodily Experience:

Encourage clients to connect feelings with physical sensations
Identify physical responses to emotions (e.g., butterflies in stomach, shallow breathing)
Deepen feelings by intensifying physical response or creating an opposite reaction
Help clients notice body numbness through exaggerating physical sensations
Lessen negative feelings through opposite movements and grounding techniques

Importance of Grounding:

Necessary for emotional and physical healing
Encourages confrontation, saying no, getting angry, or defending
Supports new structure by making it harder to retreat energetically
Essential in maintaining a grounded position during emotional processing
Prevents overwhelming the system with cathartic release if trauma is severe

Interdependence of Emotional and Physical Structures:

Changes in physical structure support new emotional responses
Changes in emotional expression support new physical postures
Both sides must be worked simultaneously, but focus on the physical for this text.

WORK ON THE FEET

Grounding Work with the Feet

Connects us to the ground and grounding through feet and legs
Two types: working directly on feet or standing on them

Directly Working on the Feet:

Foot massage, flexing, arching, kicking, pushing
Using tools like tennis balls or footsie rollers
Helps open up muscles and releases tension

Standing on the Feet:

Maintains deeper energetic connection to the body
Essential for people with grounding problems
Encourages greater presence in therapy sessions

Simple Grounding Techniques while Sitting:

Keeping feet on the ground, preferably barefoot
Pressing into feet reaffirms and strengthens grounding connection

Working Psychologically while Standing:

Increases body's energy
Allows greater assertiveness, overcomes passivity
Supports independence and manifests autonomy

Attention to Client's Feet:

Feeling feet holding up body's weight
Texture of floor beneath
Awareness of feet often increases, leading to greater grounding

Body Postures:

Conscious: held in stomach, lifted shoulders and chest, straight spine
Unconscious: slumping, tightening, standing habitually on one leg

Client's Experience with Grounding:

Jittery or secure?
Focus of tension or relaxation?
Emotional responses (fear, excitement, sadness)?
Sensations in the body and when they started
Inviting deeper experience through statements and questions

Body Postures and Energy Flow:

Locking knees cuts down on energetic connection between legs and ground, deadens bodily sensations
Passive weight vs. alertness posture
Dead weight: collapses chest, pushes belly forward, head falls downward, lessens breathing
Alertness posture: holds knees slightly bent, keeps center of gravity low

Philosophical Implications:

Having a client stand on their feet embodies concepts like autonomy, taking a stand, having a leg to stand on, etc.
It's not so much the meaning of life we seek but our aliveness

GROUNDING EXERCISE

Grounding Exercise:

Client stands with feet shoulder width apart, toes slightly inward, knees slightly bent
Ask client to push into their feet as if trying to part the floorboards for leg solidity
Establish basic position and ask client to bend and straighten knees slowly while maintaining contact with the ground
Trembling in the legs is a sign of new energy coming into the body
Energy can be used to enliven deadened parts or passed upward to the rest of the body
Increased contact with the ground builds up charge, which can lead to anxiety

Dealing with Anxiety:

Observe client's physical and emotional states
Curtail anxiety by slowing down or stopping the exercise, kicking legs in the air, or sitting in a chair
Process anxiety by working through the material it illuminates
Allow client to express feelings and find solid contact with someone

Benefits of Grounding:

Increases energy flow in the body
Builds up charge
Helps resolve issues related to first chakra (jobs, housing, physical ailments)

Observations and Dialogue:

Observe client's physical and emotional states during exercise
Keep in touch with client through constant dialog to determine if they can handle pushing deeper into the issue

Case Study:

Sally experienced anxiety during her first grounding experience due to confusion about her instinctual response to needing someone when they were not there
Anxiety was resolved by allowing her to express feelings and find solid contact with someone, resulting in a feeling of calm.

REGRESSIVE TECHNIQUES

Regressive Techniques:

Preambulatory stages of life require certain techniques for first chakra work
Rebirthing techniques involve laying down and simulate womb and birth experience
Holotropic breath work releases deep tensions held in the body
Not suitable for clients with serious trauma or unknown histories

Early Childhood Stages Techniques:

Client lies down on back with bent knees
Facilitate relaxation and deeper breathing
Pushing the feet exercise: client raises legs, waves around, pushes outward with toes, kicks rapidly
Expressive charge-discharge cycle for basic anger release
Afterflow is important for feeling energy in body

Tenderer Emotions Techniques:

Client begins lying down, works with hands and lips
Massage shoulders and back, encourage reaching forward
Encourage suckling response by pushing out lips
Rekindles oral experience, satisfies cravings

Considerations:

Establish clear boundaries and safety before using these techniques
Aware of transference and countertransference issues
Describe exercises ahead of time, allow client to opt out
Not suitable for clients with extreme need to please or sexual abuse survivors
Caution and discretion are imperative

First Chakra:

Important for grounding and building foundation for growth
Cultural programming weakens connection to first chakra
Reclaiming body as sacred temple, asserting right to survive.

CHAKRA TWO

CHAKRA TWO: SECOND CHAKRA OVERVIEW

Element: Water
Name: Svadhisthana (sweetness)
Purpose: Movement and connection
Location: Lower abdomen, sacral plexus

Characteristics of a Balanced Second Chakra

Graceful movement
Emotional intelligence
Ability to experience pleasure
Nurturance of self and others
Ability to change
Healthy boundaries

Developmental Stages and Tasks

Developmental Stage: 6 months to 2 years
Sensate exploration of the world
Locomotion
Basic Rights: To feel and have pleasure

Challenges and Traumas

Issues: Movement, sensation, emotions, sexuality, desire, need, pleasure
Demon: Guilt
Traumas: Sexual abuse (covert or overt), emotional abuse, volatile situations, neglect, coldness, rejection, denial of child's feeling states, lack of mirroring, enmeshment, emotional manipulation, overuse of playpen or restricting normal movement, religious or moral severity, physical abuse, alcoholic families, inherited issues – parents who have not worked out their own issues around sexuality, untreated incest cases

Deficiency and Excess

Deficiency: Rigidity in body and attitudes, frigidity, fear of sex, poor social skills, denial of pleasure, excessive boundaries, fear of change, lack of desire, passion, excitement
Excess: Sexual acting out, sexual addiction, pleasure addiction, excessively strong emotions, hysteria, bipolar mood swings, crisis junkies, oversensitive, poor boundaries, invasion of others, seductive manipulation, emotional dependency, obsessive attachment

Physical Malfunctions

Disorders of reproductive organs, spleen, urinary system
Menstrual difficulties
Sexual dysfunction: impotence, premature ejaculation, frigidity, nonorgasmic
Low back pain, knee trouble, lack of flexibility
Deadened senses, loss of appetite for food, sex, life

Healing Practices

Movement therapy
Emotional release or containment as appropriate
Inner child work
Boundary work
12-step programs for addictions
Assign healthy pleasures
Develop sensate intelligence

Affirmations

I deserve pleasure in my life.
I absorb information from my feelings.
I embrace and celebrate my sexuality.
My sexuality is sacred.
I move easily and effortlessly.
Life is pleasurable.

Letting Go to Movement

Opposite of grounding and focusing in first chakra
Challenge is to let go, feel, yield, and flow
Universe exists through consistency and change
Consistency provides meaning, change stimulates expansion
Movements get us up and expand our perception
- Increase sensory input
- Build muscle tissue and enhance flexibility
- Stimulate nervous system

Movement:

Invites pleasure and extends field of perception
Reveals hidden issues and feelings
Senses give clues to unconscious processes in second chakra

Sensation:

Gateway between internal and external world
Constantly changing inner matrix of the world around us
Data input for overall system
Connects and gives meaning to experience
Determines values based on perception and feeling
Loss of sensual connection leads to loss of values and distinctions

Pleasure:

Biological need after survival needs are met
Invites us to extend, expand, and tune in to senses
Guides the soul as logic guides the mind
Source of motivation and inspiration
Key to stimulating movement in second chakra

Childhood:

Source of pleasure comes from touch, closeness, play, and emotional validation.
Children take pleasure in being alive and reaching out to encounter the world.
Meeting life with love and encouragement creates a pleasurable experience.

Pleasure in Childhood and Its Impact on Adult Life:

Jennifer:
- Grew up in a home where pleasure was frowned upon as an indulgence
- Expected to shoulder adult responsibilities, denying time for own pleasures
- Feels guilty about indulging in pleasures
- Struggles with buying clothes, taking vacations, and sexual pleasure
- Lives a grim life, looks older than her years
Oliver:
- Given treats of pleasure as rewards for good behavior
- Denied pleasures when sad or needy
- Learned to deny his own wants
- Feels guilty about having pleasures, wondering if he deserves them
Samantha:
- Grew up in a home where pleasure was provided in a healthy atmosphere
- Loved and respected body, positive and enthusiastic about life
Impact of Family Attitudes on Pleasure:
- Was pleasure regarded as important or discouraged?
- Were vacations taken, laughter shared, and play encouraged?
- Was hard work and self-sacrifice emphasized over pleasure?
- Were work and play, self-discipline and pleasure, balanced?
Attitudes Towards Pleasure:
- Pleasure invites us to live in the present, reduce stress, and extend awareness
- Denial of pleasure can lead to rigidity, brittleness, boundary issues, and addictions
Culture's Perception of Maturity and Pleasure:
- Maturity equated with ability to deny pleasure
- Guilt and rigidity around pleasures as we grow older
- Primary pleasures denied can result in secondary addictive pleasures
Impact of Denied Pleasure on Chakras:
- Constriction of life force, limiting the flow of energy
- Second chakra: importance of pleasure in inviting flow and installing essential programs for wholeness.

EMOTIONS

Emotions:

Source of becoming conscious (Jung)
Instinctual reactions to sensory data
Unconscious reaction to information from senses
Organize our feelings and give meaning to experiences
Can arise from depths of psyche without conscious control
Have a spiritual function as language of the soul
Building blocks of experience, give meaning and integrates felt sense
Pervasive feelings initiate quest for change and transformation
Help unravel story of soul's journey
Subconscious organizations of impulses to move away from harm and toward pleasure
Difficult to feel emotions without some kind of movement

Needs:

Necessities, not idle longings
Basic requirements for healthy functioning
Nonnegotiable bottom line
Often shamed in childhood, leading to disowning needs
Can keep ourselves deprived and depleted by disowning needs
Reclaiming needs allows us to take responsibility for own fulfillment

Desire:

Spiritual/emotional impulse inspiring movement towards something greater
Soul's longing to move forward
Object of desire may not be necessary, but feeling of desire is essential
Desire fuels will and action
Can lead to frustration and growth
Combination of sensation and feeling
Essential for developing energy and power
Thrusting forward that leads us to action
Staying in touch with feelings allows us to know soul's desire

Shadow:

Unacknowledged aspects of personality, including desires and emotions
Can sabotage will by fighting against it
Denying shadow can lead to unhealthy repression or projection of unwanted traits onto others.

THE SHADOW

C.G. Jung's Perspective on Enlightenment and the Second Chakra:

Enlightenment is achieved by making the darkness conscious, not by focusing on figures of light.
The second chakra represents duality and polarity, and its task in adult development is to integrate previously polarized aspects of personality into an indivisible whole.
One essential step is reclaiming the shadow.

The Shadow:

Repressed instinctual energies that are locked away in the unconscious.
They do not die but are no longer part of conscious awareness and are enacted unconsciously.
Keeping the shadow repressed requires a great deal of energy and robs us of grace and power.
It sabotages our work, relationships, and health.
We attract those who embody our rejected shadow in our lives.
Judgment arises out of resonance between the rejected self and behavior of others to remove stimuli that might awaken our shadow.

Impact of Repressing the Shadow:

Cut off from our wholeness and inner child's innocence and spontaneity.
Projected onto others, leading to intense criticism and judgment.
Compels us to attract individuals who embody our rejected aspects.
Causes an unhealthy guilt that rejects our worth as human beings.

Reclaiming the Shadow:

Bringing instinctual energies into consciousness instead of repressing them.
Eliminates judgment and restores wholeness.
Allows us to acknowledge and accept rejected aspects of ourselves.
Prevents the shadow from becoming demonic or taking over our conscious self.

Examples:

Repressed sexuality: seeing others' behavior as shameless, while remaining virtuous.
Suppression of emotions: intolerance for needy and expressive individuals.

Guilt and the Second Chakra:

Guilt is referred to as the demon of the second chakra because it curtails free movement and takes pleasure out of experiences.
Feeling guilty prevents satisfaction and can lead to compulsive activities.
Guilt keeps the shadow, our hidden desires and instincts, caged in the unconscious realm.
Guilt polarizes the personality, dividing light against dark, good against bad.
A polarized personality is characterized by either-or thinking with no room for ambiguity or subtle nuances.
Morals taught in black-and-white terms to young children can lead to immature cognitive processes and either-or thinking.
Feeling trapped in either-or thinking can thwart the movement aspect of the second chakra.

Fuzzy Logic and Ambiguity:

Fuzzy logic is being introduced into computers to make decisions based on approximations between polarities instead of clear black-and-white choices.
Ambiguity has a destabilizing effect, making it hard for some people to hold the tension between opposites and find new standpoints.

Healthy vs. Toxic Guilt:

Guilt can be a healthy feeling that allows us to examine our behavior and make necessary changes.
Excessive, habitual, internalized, and toxic guilt dominates the free flow of movement and full sensate experience of life.

Effects of Guilt on the Second Chakra:

Guilt can thwart the movement aspect of the second chakra by taking pleasure out of experiences and creating paralysis.
Developing the ability to feel emotions fully allows us to discern subtle nuances between polarities and make better decisions.
Healthy guilt acts as a guide, while toxic guilt dominates and binds us.

SEXUALITY

Sexuality:

Ultimate expression of issues associated with second chakra
Incorporation of Eros, the connecting force of attraction
Expresses movement, sensation, pleasure, desire, emotions, polarity
Unites opposites, transcends isolation, forms foundation for next chakra level (power)
Brings us into contact with others, grounds for growth
Misunderstood in modern culture

Eros:

Ancient god, connecting force that unites and delights
Hindu mythology: originator of all gods, binding power of allurement
Denial can lead to destructive activities
Unity of culture and nature, work and love, morality and sexuality
Embracing Eros: capacity for surrender, ability to flow with instinctual/emotional body
Ecstatic expression of life force in lower chakras

Effects of Mismanaged Sexuality:

Denial can pull things apart, leads to destructive activities
Guilt as antidote to pleasure and self-esteem, locks essential gateway to pleasure and transformation
Rejection of sexuality sends it to shadow, takes on demonic form (dissociation and perpetration)
Essential for reclaiming second chakra, honoring Eros in every aspect of life

Balanced Second Chakra Characteristics:

Capacity for sexual satisfaction and pleasure
Comfort with intimacy
Ability to accept movement and change gracefully
Steadiness and clarity in emotional states
Nurturing self and others while maintaining healthy boundaries
Healthy expression of intimacy, pleasure, and joy
Qualifications for healthy sexuality to be decided by individuals
Consenting adults, mutual enhancement, integration with life, stimulation of growth, enhances chakra system.

GROWING THE LOTUS. DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE SECOND CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

Second Chakra Development:

Age: 6 months to 2 years

Tasks:

Sensate exploration of the world
Locomotion
Separation from symbiotic fusion

Needs and Issues:

Separation vs. attachment
Safety and support for exploration
Emotional security
Stimulating environment
Self-gratification

Significant Milestones:

Increased alertness at 6 months
Desire to explore the external world through senses
Development of locomotion
Shattering of blissful psychic unity
Connection of dualities through feelings

Challenges:

Distinctions between inner and outer, self and other, pleasure and pain
Duality of "good mother" and "bad mother"
Security and emerging as a separate self

Importance of Touch:

Provides security and connectedness
Helps develop trust in senses and emotions
Essential for emotional development
Promotes healthy emotional bonds between parents and child

Impact of Environment:

Crucial influence on emotional climate and development
Somatic experiences hardwired into the system
Programming of emotional repertoire through responsive mirroring

Developing a Healthy Second Chakra:

Sensate connection between inner and outer world
Supportive emotional environment for closeness and separation
Feeling of pleasure and connection with body
Awakening consciousness through sensory stimulation

Consequences of Neglect:

Lack of touch or connection leads to anxiety and fear
Prevents appropriate development
Throws one back to the panic and fear of the first chakra.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

Tactile and Sensate Deprivation
David grew up without physical affection, leading to difficulty connecting with himself and understanding his wants (soul wound)
Lack of appropriate sensory input during infancy and childhood affects development of mind-body connection
Jean Liedloff: touch affirms body identity, absence leads to internal disconnection and possible narcissistic wound

Effects of Tactile Deprivation:

Disconnect between feeling self and external image
Happiness becomes a goal instead of normal condition
Split between deeper, vulnerable feelings and shallower exterior self
Children need sensory input for proper development
Appropriate sensate stimulation increases intelligence and coordination
Lack of touch can result in autoerotic behaviors or eating disorders as attempts to fill the gap

Impact on Development:

Sensory channels may shut down due to too much or too little stimulation
Children deprived of touch may distance themselves from others, denying their need for closeness
Lack of touch affects development of end organs in skin, leading to feedback deficiency
Failure to learn sensate language is like failing to learn to read, losing an essential channel of information
Sensations are building blocks of emotional intelligence and allow us to get along well with others

Development during Infancy:

Baby learns to string together sensations, actions, and reactions into organized sense of self between ages 9-18 months
Linking different senses into a single gestalt marks primary connection between mind and body
If senses do not logically flow from experience, child may distrust them and shut them down

Consequences of Sensory Deprivation:

Misjudgment of situations due to underdeveloped sensate function (Jung)
Overstimulation can create anxiety, while understimulation leaves the child disconnected
Child may not be able to trust her senses as reliable information gatherers in adulthood.

Emotional Environment

Rebecca's experiences during her parents' divorce shaped her emotional identity
Witnessed violent fights between parents and learned anger as primary way of relating
Emotions reflect the emotional climate in which a child is immersed
Emotional energy moves us and has to go somewhere

Impact of Unhealthy Emotional Environments on Children

Repression of emotions can affect physiological state, sense of self, and social relationships
Children may learn unhealthy emotional patterns from their environment
Punishment, rejection, or shame for expressing feelings can lead to emotional illiteracy

Emotional Identity and Emotional Literacy

Child develops emotional identity during this stage
Emotions become core complex within the developing self
Effective mirroring and positive response to emotional expression promotes emotional literacy
Emotions can evolve into meaning and mature through the chakras

Consequences of Repressing Emotions

Inhibiting emotions requires deadening sensations and aliveness
Alcohol or drugs may be used to create distance from experience
Behavior may be compulsive, devoid of feelings
Abusive parents are unable to feel the pain of the child

Importance of Emotional Literacy

Emotions are the first language of the child
Effective mirroring and positive response help child understand emotions
Understanding emotions allows for more mature expression
Emotional literacy promotes connection and human experience.

Emotional Enmeshment:

Children are not entirely belong to their parents; they develop their own identity (Gibran)
Second Chakra Development:
- Begins with mother-child fusion, ends with autonomy
- Child learns emotions as extension of family's but later develops own
- Enmeshment occurs when child is not allowed to express unique identity

Effects of Emotional Enmeshment:

Guilt for pursuing one's needs and interests
False sense of self, defined by others' reactions
Outer persona at odds with inner needs (Narcissistic Personality - Miller)
Lack of individuation or authenticity

Characteristics of Enmeshed Child:

Highly aware of others’ feelings
Clairsentience (ability to sense others’ emotions)
Other-directed second chakra, not grounded in bodily experience
- Can lead to tumultuous blend of others' emotions that one cannot control

Impact of Emotional Enmeshment:

Victim experiences life as taken by someone else (Evangeline Kane)
- Imposed death experience for the victim.

Sexual Abuse:

Hits the second chakra, affecting its development and function
Impacts free flow of energy, intimacy, pleasure, healthy sexuality, comfort with emotions, sense of boundaries, positive body image, trust, power, communication, and relationships
Can result in excess intuition and thinking in chakras six and seven as compensation
Includes any act that does not respect a child's natural sexual development
Forms of sexual abuse: slapping or punishing children for exploring their genitals, pushing sexuality onto unwilling or developmentally inappropriate children, exhibitionism, voyeurism, exposure to pornography, unwanted physical affection, age-inappropriate language, invasion of privacy, and sexual engagement with a child
Can be emotionally numbing, leading to addictions, eating disorders, phobias, sexual dysfunction, guilt, shame, depression, hostility, dependency, sleep disorders, psychosomatic disorders, repressed memories, intrusive memories, confusion between pleasure and pain, and emotional betrayal
Difficulty with boundaries may result in further traumas and high incidence of subsequent abuse
Effects can be lifelong and impact immune system function

Impact on Chakras:

Second chakra: assaults feeling and sensate functions, affects ego development and boundary formation
Sixth and seventh chakras: compensate with excess intuition and thinking due to the assault on the second chakra

Childhood Sexual Abuse:

Affects all aspects of the second chakra
The younger the event, the more devastating its effects
Stimulation of erogenous zones at sensitive ages may result in difficulty forming boundaries and protecting oneself from further invasions
Can lead to emotional numbness, addictions, eating disorders, phobias, sexual dysfunction, guilt, shame, depression, hostility, dependency, sleep disorders, psychosomatic disorders, repressed memories, intrusive memories, confusion between pleasure and pain, difficulty with intimacy and trust, and celibacy or promiscuity
Some untreated survivors may become perpetrators

Rape:

Violates the second chakra on multiple levels: power, boundaries, dignity, emotion, body, spirit
Can force the entire chakra system to close due to the trauma
Effects can be similar to those of childhood sexual abuse when there are unhealed wounds from earlier experiences
Strong foundations in lower chakras aid recovery process.

Abortion:

Abortion has emotional consequences for women, including moral struggle, emotional turmoil, guilt, fear, grief, and loss.
It interrupts the natural process of pregnancy and causes physical trauma to second chakra organs.
Women should treat themselves with tenderness after an abortion, similar to how they would treat a rape victim.
Dialogue or ritual around the possible spirit of the child is important, as well as dialoguing with the body before, during, and after the procedure.
Having support from friends and writing in a journal can help in healing.
Political climate around abortion can add to the pain and trauma for women, instead of love and support they need.

Effects of Abuses on Second Chakra:

The wounds to the second chakra are profound due to societal confusion around sexuality and pleasure, mechanization, and disconnection between mind and body and self and environment.
Blocked development of the second chakra severs internal and external connections.
Lack of tactile stimulation and nurturing leads to fragmentation, isolation, and disconnection from feelings and others.
Denial of expression through movement results in rigidity, requiring great energy and leading to judgmental behavior.

General Effects of Abuses:

In a world that denies pleasure and sensate experiences, we become out of touch with our bodies and feelings.
Lack of empathy and compassion results from disconnection from self and others.
Rigidity and lack of flexibility hinder new ideas and possibilities, leading to judgmental behavior.

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE ORAL: THE LOVER

Samantha's case study illustrates an individual with an Oral character structure or "Lover" type.
She experiences deep feelings of loss, despair, and abandonment following the end of a primary relationship.
Oral characters are undernourished emotionally, leading to chronic neediness and a dependency on external sources for validation and energy.

Oral Characteristics:

Fear of reaching out for what they want due to fear of disappointment.
Dependent, addictive, and needy behavior.
Soft and underformed body with possible collapse in the chest.
Chronically undercharged, prone to depression, and seeking nourishment from food or love.
Focus on service to others as a defense mechanism.
Clingy and hurt by rejection, which perpetuates the problem.

Psychosexual Development:

Correlates to the oral stage in Freud's psychosexual stages.
Emotional and physical deprivation during this stage can impact future development.
Affects the ability to ground and form, leading to excessive neediness in the second chakra.

Impact of Deprivation:

Oral character remains chronically undercharged, leading to emotional instability and low energy levels.
Struggles with the question of "Am I wanted?" rather than "Will I survive?"
Focus is on satisfying nourishment from food or love.

Defenses and Coping Mechanisms:

Seeks dependence and merging as a defense against deprivation.
Fixated outside the self for energy and validation.
Prone to codependency.

Healing Oral Character Structure:

Learning to nourish oneself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Developing boundaries and focusing on self-care and spiritual growth.
Encouraging aggression to build inner strength and assertiveness.
Balancing the second chakra by developing willpower and grounding.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Second Chakra: Excess and Deficiency

Reflects amount of internal and external movement, emotional identification, and sexual expression
Balance essential for progress to third chakra center of power
Maintaining flexibility to expand to either pole as situations require
Holding one's center (grounding of chakra one) crucial for finding balance

Second Chakra Deficiency

Restricted movement: physical, emotional, and sexual
Rigid or jerky motions, stiff joints, and inflexible musculature
Inhibits flow of excitation, lowers breathing and metabolic rate, diminishes emotions
Creates fear of change and monopolarization of ideas
Avoidance of pleasure, harsh inner critic, denial of self-pleasure
Emptiness, dullness about life, feeling stuck, isolation, resignation, apathy, or pessimism
Repressed, diminished, or nonexistent sexual feelings
Fear and judgment around sex, shame, shyness, intense awkwardness in social situations, perceived as having no feelings

Physical Signs of Second Chakra Deficiency:

Stiff pelvis, inflexibility, difficulty bending knees and hips
Rigid musculature that has trouble yielding to softness and feeling
Restricted movement inhibits the flow of energy through the body

Emotional Signs of Second Chakra Deficiency:

Emptiness, dullness about life
Feeling stuck, resignation, apathy, or pessimism
Inability to sense one's own needs
Fear of change and monopolarization of ideas
Intense awkwardness in social situations
Perceived as having no feelings
Hidden emotions

Sexual Signs of Second Chakra Deficiency:

Repressed, diminished, or nonexistent sexual feelings
Difficulty connecting emotionally during sex
Numbness in the lower body
Difficulty achieving arousal or climax
Shame around sex, judgment, or intense shyness
Fear and avoidance of sex due to past wounds or internalized shame about not being good enough.

Second Chakra Excesses

Dana's excessive second chakra: intense emotional states, social, sexual, and dramatic relationships
Difficulty separating feelings from realities, sensitive to emotions, and unable to let things go
Needs constant stimulation and connection, may be codependent or addicted to people and partying
Craves sensory stimulation and variety, has a weak container for emotions
Sexually responsive but can lead to addiction or neglect of other areas of life

Characteristics:

Emotional volatility: anger, tears, excitement, fears
Inability to comprehend separateness, clairsentient, unable to distinguish own feelings from others'
Intense need for connection, social and emotional dependency
Highly sensitive to emotions, taking on others' feelings
Craving for stimulation, change, and excitement
Difficulty sitting still or focusing, impulsivity
Overwhelmed by intense emotions, difficulty containing and discharging them
Addictive behaviors as a compensation or avoidance strategy

Effects:

Intense emotional experiences dictate behavior of others in the family
Excessive focus on others at the cost of self, creating codependent relationships
Difficulty setting boundaries, forming healthy relationships
Addiction to people and partying as a way to avoid deeper emotions
Sexual addiction or neglecting other aspects of life for intimacy
Inability to channel emotional energy into productive output
Feeling lost or alone in quieter states
Craving for constant stimulation hinders personal growth

Implications:

Second chakra relates to water and emotions, with a weak container for emotional energy due to poor boundaries
Upward current is more active than downward current of conscious understanding
Excessive second chakra leads the rest of the system around by its gonads
Addictions are a compensation or avoidance strategy, often related to emotional needs and feelings of lack of control
Second chakra imbalances may result in addictive behaviors, creating a cycle that is never satisfied.

Healing:

Reconnecting with the sensations of the body
Discharging and containing pervading emotions
Completing blocked movements frozen by trauma
Learning to decipher and appropriately meet needs
Focusing on healthy boundaries, self-care, and personal growth.

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE SECOND CHAKRA

Healing the Second Chakra:

John Bradshaw: "We cannot heal what we cannot feel" (attitudes towards emotions and sexuality)
Healing second chakra is a complex task, involving various aspects of emotional and sexual health
Goal is to encourage movement in restricted areas or contain excess movement
Focus on paying attention to subtle currents and impulses

Natural Healing Process:

The body has its own healing process
Wounds need cleaning and bandaging, but healing occurs naturally
Interrupted healing process upsets foundation and free flow of energy
Streaming of energy through the body restores balance and promotes healing
Act on behalf of natural healing process for optimal results

Healing Techniques:

Encourage movement where it is restricted
Contain excess movement through releasing emotions or tolerating increased sensation
Pay attention to subtle currents and impulses

Challenges in Healing the Second Chakra:

Cultural attitudes towards emotions and sexuality complicate healing
Difficulty defining healthy emotional responses and sexuality
Challenges in opening sensate channels in a stimulating world
Struggles with holding a healthy sexuality when others are wounded

Importance of Balancing Second Chakra:

Ability to embrace change without losing core stability is a touchstone for healing
Healing techniques focus on encouraging movement and containing excess movement within chakra theory
Integrating emotional energy towards constructive ends through the natural healing process.

THAWING THE ICE— RESTORING THE FREE FLOW OF MOVEMENT

Thawing the Ice: A process of restoring the free flow of movement and emotion in individuals with traumatic experiences.

Ray's Story:

Complained of recurrent neck pain, tried various methods without success
Held body rigidly, energy contracted
Trauma response: inhibited fight or flight leading to frozen response

Trauma and the Freezing Response:

Occurs when an individual adapts to threat but cannot adapt again or return to pre-threat functioning
Results in partial checkout from body and dissociation from painful sensations
Peter Levine's description: ongoing activation with inhibition, leading to frozen intensity (tonic immobility)
Natural response throughout the animal kingdom for survival against predators

Bioenergetic Work:

Began favorably with Ray, releasing trapped energy through movement
Gradually integrated historical material and emotions into movements
Established boundaries and power to work more deeply on emotional content

The Freezing Response and Thawing:

Increased energy flow in preparation for fight or flight during trauma
Repeated trauma forces living in contradiction of activation and inhibition
Frozen response produces immobility, rigidity, and uncoordinated movements
Thawing involves freeing up body's natural movement slowly and carefully
Anchoring energy to ground it and prevent overwhelming nervous system
Small pieces of traumatic experience integrated gradually (titration)

The Impact of Trauma:

Universal imprint left by trauma: guilt
Individual may feel responsible for causing the trauma regardless of circumstances.

Additional Notes:

Peter Levine's book, "Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma through the Body" provides a more detailed description of the process.

WORKING THROUGH GUILT

Working Through Guilt:

Examining past influences:
- Child with poor academic performance: acknowledge volatile family situations hindering focus on studies.
- Person feeling needy: determine if needs were met in the past.
Acknowledging past forces:
- Allows for change in present behavior.
- Does not mean avoiding responsibility, but understanding context.

Steps to Move Through Guilt:

Put the guilty behavior in context: Identify external factors acting on you at the time.
Examine motives and underlying needs: Understand what you were trying to satisfy or accomplish.
Identify potential influences from upbringing: Consider how your behavior was modeled for you.
Address underlying needs: Seek ways to directly fulfill those needs in a healthy manner.
Make amends for any harm caused: Find ways to make things right, or address the situation in a more global way.
Plan new behavior: Set goals for healthier actions moving forward.
Forgive yourself and move on: Allow yourself to let go of guilt and focus on growth.

Healthy Guilt:

Emotional core of conscience: results from behaving against beliefs and values.
Questions to examine limiting belief systems:
- What belief system says certain behaviors are wrong (e.g., sex, self-care)?
- Where did you learn it?
- Who does the belief serve?
- What are the effects of those values on your life and relationships?
- What is your own belief, and what evidence supports it?
- What are the results of following that belief system?
- Is harm caused to yourself or others?
- Seek support for actions you believe in.

EMOTIONAL WORK: RECLAIMING OUR RIGHT TO FEEL

Healing the Second Chakra:

Involves reclaiming the right to feel
Blocks to feelings: guilt and shame
Emotions related to abuse can be overwhelming and conflicting
- Intense longing and betrayal
- Expansive anger and contracting fear
- Simultaneous urge to reach out and withdraw

Reclaiming the Right to Feel:

Emotions are natural responses
Precursors to action (chakra three)
Difficult to allow emotions if inspired action is dangerous or frightening

Managing Excessive Emotions:

Create a safe way to lessen emotional force
- Channel emotion into appropriate movements or activities
  - Anger: cleaning house, physical activity
  - Grief: writing poetry
  - Fear: heightened awareness
  - Longing: creative activities

Understanding Emotions:

Dimensional texture of experience
Without feelings, life is flat and meaning elusive
When emotions are excessive, shift awareness to body sensations
Consciously bringing attention inward softens emotions, brings richer information and connection.

Emotional Release:

Goal of therapy to facilitate emotional release for healing and transformation
Catharsis can bring profound healing but not always the case
Emotional release involves body and movement, releasing energy vortex of emotion
Not enough for head to acknowledge emotions without bodily expression and movement
Can be overwhelming if trauma is severe or emotional patterns are deeply ingrained
Short-term relief without cognitive integration can lead to seeking repeated release
Emotional release completes actions that have been interrupted, makes energy available for new orientation

Containment:

Alternative to emotional release when ground is not stable or safety and containment are needed
Learning to embrace feelings bodily and let them unfold within containing body
Prevent disintegration and retraumatization from severe past traumas
Balance for excessive second chakra, prevent addictive behaviors and understand motivation
Containment invites creation of alternative paths for energy expression
Not denying or negating experiences but consciously focusing on emotional process and where it is trying to go

Emotional Release Pros:

Healing and transformation through releasing long-held emotions
Completing interrupted actions and gaining new orientation to situation
Reclaiming energy once emotion is released

Emotional Release Cons:

Can be overwhelming if trauma is severe or emotional patterns are deeply ingrained
May simply discharge energy without cognitive integration, leading to repeat seeking of release

Containment Pros:

Prevents disintegration and retraumatization from severe past traumas
Balances excessive second chakra and prevents addictive behaviors
Invites creation of alternative paths for energy expression

Containment Cons:

Not advisable when ground is not stable or safe, as it can leave one disintegrated rather than integrated.

SEXUAL HEALING—COURTING EROS

Sexual Healing:

Connection and expansion force that should not be separated from the rest of life
Involves emotional/sensate approach to life
Engage with yearning, poetry, texture, closeness
Requires balance between containment and flow
Cannot occur in isolation; tied to emotions, senses, desires, pleasure, needs

Sexual Healing and Eros:

Eros is the binding element par excellence
Bridge between being and becoming
Binds fact and value together
Courting Eros requires surrender to the unknown
Requires emotional and physical security
Healing emotional wounds restores appropriate discrimination and trust
Infuses sexuality with the divine, enhancing and connecting

Mechanical Sexual Dysfunctions:

Reflect failure to contain or surrender to excitement
Energetic issues reflected in personality
Addressing energy patterns in body armor may address sexual problems

Emotional Healing:

Important for emotional confidence and trust
Allows full opening to the experience of Eros
Restores discrimination and trust
Grounding of the first chakra and emotional confidence of the second is necessary

Sexuality and Chakras:

Second chakra: prime mover of energy in the system
Vital forces begin their journey upward, carrying the soul on currents of emotion and desire
Balanced second chakra has a deep emotional core that is grounded and open
Importance of body health (first chakra), ego and sense of power (third chakra), relationships (fourth chakra), imagination (sixth chakra), and spiritual union (seventh chakra) in sexual healing.

Sexual Healing and Intimacy:

Involves another person, a sacred lover
Trust and patience required
Encourage processing emotions during sexual experience
Importance of clear communication and open hearts
Enhances and is affected by each chakra

CHAKRA THREE

Chakra Three: Burning Our Way into Power (Third Chakra)

Third Chakra at a Glance:

Element: Fire
Name: Manipura (lustrous gem)
Purpose: Transformation
Issues: Energy, activity, autonomy, individuation, will, self-esteem, proactivity, power
Color: Yellow
Location: Solar plexus

Identity:

Ego identity: Self-definition

Orientation: Self-definition

Demon: Shame

Developmental Stage: 18 months to 4 years

Developmental Tasks: Realization of separateness, establishment of autonomy
Basic Rights: To act and be an individual

Balanced Characteristics: Responsible, reliable, balanced, effective will, good self-esteem, balanced ego-strength, warmth in personality, confidence, spontaneity, playfulness, sense of humor, appropriate self-discipline, sense of one's personal power, able to meet challenges

Traumas and Abuses:

Deficiency: Low energy, weak will, poor self-discipline, low self-esteem, cold (emotionally and/or physically), poor digestion, collapsed middle, attraction to stimulants, victim mentality, blaming of others, passive, unreliable
Excess: Overly aggressive, dominating, controlling, need to be right, have the last word, manipulative, power hungry, deceitful, attraction to sedatives, temper tantrums, violent outbursts, stubbornness, driving ambition (type A personality), competitive, arrogant, hyperactive
Physical malfunctions: Eating disorders, digestive disorders, ulcers, hypoglycemia, diabetes, muscle spasms, muscular disorders, chronic fatigue, hypertension, disorders of stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, liver

Healing Practices:

Deficiency: Risk taking, grounding and emotional contact, deep relaxation, stress control
Excess: Vigorous exercise (running, aerobics), martial arts, sit-ups, psychotherapy: build ego strength, release or contain anger, work on shame issues, strengthen the will, encourage autonomy

Affirmations:

I honor the power within me.
I accomplish tasks easily and effortlessly.
The fire within me burns through all blocks and fears.
I can do whatever I will to do.

SHADES OF YELLOW

Power and Powerlessness

Culture obsessed with power: headlines reveal conflict, dominance, and victimization
Strength defined as dominance, sensitivity seen as weakness
Political news reads like sports page: winners and losers, one up or one down
Fascinated by others' triumphs and struggles for control

Questions about Power

What is power? Where does it come from?
How do we use it? Avoid its duality?
Empowerment without diminishing others?
Society of victims and controllers: obedience, cooperation with larger structures

Concepts of Power

"Power-over" based on struggle and opposition between dualities
Found with guns and money, dominion to rule
Inner world: power gained by fighting inferior parts
Struggle becomes focus of life force
Winning inner battles leads to fragmentation
Reclaiming power: transformation, inspiration, empowerment

Third Chakra and Power

Challenge of the third chakra: restructuring how we think about power
Duality emphasizes combination and synergy rather than separation
Combination of ascending and descending currents creates focused energy
Integrating both sides of polarity: reaching beyond duality, expanding choices
Exercising will: discovering strengths, individuation, building power
Leaving safety behind, meeting challenge, growing stronger
Purpose of third chakra: transforming inertia into conscious direction
Fire of chakra three: dynamic and light, rising upward, necessary to reach upper chakras
Willingness to leave passivity behind, confront uncertainty, individuate

Basic Issues of the Third Chakra

Energy
Activity
Autonomy
Authority
Individuation
Will
Self-esteem
Shame
Proactivity

ENERGY AND ACTIVITY

Energy and Activity

Grounding is essential for converting energy into action
Energy builds up and needs reorganization, expression, and discharge
Increased excitation leads to urge to organize feelings into action

Natural Expression of Energy

Expression of energy is through activity
Activity engages us with surroundings, teaches about world and self
Can result in delight or disaster

Maturity and Personal Responsibility

As we mature, choose which impulses to act upon and control
Emergence of conscious self where mind acts upon instincts
Birth of ego and personal responsibility

Healthy Third Chakra

Exhibits energetic vitality
Enjoyment and enthusiasm about life
Sense of personal power gives hope and positive outlook
Strength and will to face challenges

Impact of Shame and Disapproval

Activity can diminish sense of power with shame and disapproval
Inhibition of impulses leads to self-consciousness and division within personality
Takes energy to maintain this division, robs us of basic vitality and wholeness

AUTONOMY

Autonomy and Chakras:

Progression from lower to higher chakras: individuality to universality
Lower gears (first three chakras): grounded, engaged, motivated, active, preserve individual self
Upper chakras: connect to universal through communication, vision, understanding
Heart chakra: individual and universal meet in perfect balance

Importance of Autonomy:

Firm grasp of self essential for love and universal consciousness
Overcoming the vastness of the universal without a solid sense of self can lead to loss of identity
New Age and spiritual movement often overlook personal ego and autonomy
Essential step for obtaining universal consciousness: letting go of attachment and transcending smallness of ego
Autonomous individuals retain their individuality, follow own growth, and come together by choice
Balanced relationships allow separation and freedom
Autonomy essential for personal responsibility

Effects of Lack of Autonomy:

Loss of identity and sense of self
Overwhelmed by vastness of upper chakras
Blaming others for problems instead of taking responsibility
Enmeshed relationships with overreliance on partners for autonomy
Passive and irresponsible behavior
Waiting for others to change instead of taking action

Grounding Exercises:

Simple grounding exercises can help reconnect individuals to themselves
Reconstruction takes time and effort
Grounding in autonomy allows for appropriate responsibility and power.

INDIVIDUATION

Individuation: A process of personal growth and self-realization described by Carl Jung. It is a journey towards wholeness and awakening, integrating previously undeveloped aspects of oneself into a comprehensive Self.

Journey towards realization and embracing the larger world of the personal and collective unconscious
Awakens from small world to individuate and embrace unique, divine individuality
Cannot be fully grasped as it is part of the mystery of transformation

Third Chakra and Individuation:

Begins at third chakra, where ego awakens and differentiates from outer expectations
Overcoming unconscious habits defined by others
Daring to be unique and risking disapproval for personal truth
Unfolding of unique destiny and unfolding of the soul
Prevents changing the world if not individuated from societal expectations
Power cannot be truly claimed without willingness to individuate

Jung's Concept of Individuation:

Parallels adult development process through chakras
Begins in third chakra with birth of psychic autonomy
Many people do not awaken this chakra, remaining less differentiated in lower chakras
Damage to or lack of completion in lower chakras keeps us from maturing and true psychic freedom.

EGO IDENTITY

Ego Identity:

Formation of an autonomous new identity beyond physical body and emotional experience
Marks the birth of the ego as a conscious, self-determining separate entity

Freud's Concept of Ego:

One of three major components of personality
Mediates between id (instinctual drives) and superego (consciousness that controls these drives)
Manages division between conscious and unconscious, interior and exterior
Organizes instinctual energies and regulates their flow

Jung's Concept of Ego:

Represents conscious element of the Self
Facilitates interaction between inner and outer experience
Acts as an operating principle

Pierrakos' Concept of Ego:

Mediates energy flow into and out of the core of human being
Discriminates, analyzes, regulates energy and experience
Organizes instinctive energy coming up from chakras 1 & 2

Characteristics of a Well-Functioning Ego:

Allows guidance by unconscious energies while considering spiritual energies
Maintains consistency in the Self
Protects core Self with defenses
Develops strategies and behaviors to meet core self's needs
Organizes consciousness toward self-definition

Ego as a Container for Individuation:

Divides between conscious and unconscious aspects of Self
Spurs growth through interaction with the world
Acts as a foundation for personal development

The Importance of Ego:

Grounded self and individualized roots of consciousness
Balances energy in the system and maintains homeostasis
Necessary to anchor growth beyond the realms of the ego (individuation)

Transcending the Ego:

Not a limiting or false concept, but a necessary foundation for growth
Should not confine us at all times, but serve as an anchor for experience

Love and Will in Modern Times:

Once seen as answers to life's problems
Now considered the source of problems due to excessive focus on them

WILL

Chakra Therapy Session: A woman in a therapy group volunteered to work on third chakra issues but lacked initiative.

Problem of External Dependence:

She looked outside herself for direction instead of questioning her own needs and desires.
Believed there was a prescribed way of living and acting, without examining the source.

The Importance of Personal Will:

The will is the intensity of desire raised to action.
It's crucial to recognize and foster our personal will for authentic growth.
Questioning "What would I do if there was nothing I was supposed to do?" can lead to self-discovery.

Childhood Conditioning:

As children, we are rewarded for obeying societal expectations and punished for disobedience.
Our will becomes structured by external influences, neglecting our inner needs and direction.
Obedience is a form of disembodied will that can make us susceptible to manipulation.

Consequences of Suppressed Will:

We become passive-aggressive or reactive in our actions instead of taking strategic steps.
We may lose touch with our emotions and become apathetic, unable to enter the heart chakra's love.

The Power of Intention:

The will is rooted in desire (wish) and consciousness.
Our longing fuels the will, which brings future goals into reality.

Physical Manifestation of Will:

The third chakra, located in the solar plexus, represents personal power and self-esteem.
A strong will keeps our body upright and our chakras aligned, providing vitality and grounding.

Exercises for Developing Will:

Doing exercises like sit-ups can strengthen stomach muscles and support the vulnerable solar plexus area.
Practicing self-care and setting personal goals can help foster a strong will.

SELF-ESTEEM

Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem can lead to avoidance of choices and decisions, stifling personal development (Whitmont)
Energetic vitality requires a healthy sense of self (Whitmont)
Making mistakes is necessary for growth and developing a sense of power (Whitmont)

Self-Worth and Shame

Self-worth: essential for taking care of oneself and feeling confident (Bradshaw)
High self-worth leads to self-care and personal power (Bradshaw)
Shame: demon of the third chakra, blocks personal power and effective action (Bradshaw)
Shame transforms into a toxic identity when it takes over one's whole being (Bradshaw)
Shame-bound personalities feel stuck and engage in compulsive repetition and addiction (Bradshaw)

Proactivity

Being proactive is an alternative to being reactive or inactive (Covey)
Proactive people choose their actions, take responsibility for shaping their future, and are a causative influence on their environment (Covey)

Power

Power as the ability to make change and transform (Starhawk)
Power is not a thing but a process of becoming real (Starhawk)
Power comes from authenticity, taking risks, making mistakes, and being responsible for them (Starhawk)
Earth and water anchor us in reality, forming the container for transformation (Starhawk)

GROWING THE LOTUS. DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE THIRD CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

Third Chakra Development (18 months to 4 years)

Tasks:
- Development of autonomy
- Development of language
- Impulse control
- Mastery of holding on and letting go
- Toilet training
- Self-definition
Needs and Issues:
- Appropriate discipline
- Support of autonomy
- Confidence and encouragement
- Play
Characteristics:
- Emerging autonomy still immersed in dependency
- Feeling separate while wanting constant assurance from parents
- Desire for self-expression and willfulness
- Difficulty with impulse control
Challenges:
- Decisive stage for developing cooperation, self-esteem, and a strong will
- Transition from anxiety of separating from mother to independence
- Development of language instills concepts enabling mind to operate on impulses and behavior
- Establishing connection between language and action for impulse control
- Conceptualization of past, present, and future enabling control, planning, and reflection
Milestones:
- Anxiety of separating from mother decreases around 18-24 months
- Language abilities progress to simple two to three word sentences
- Child emerges as cooperative individual around three years
Impact on Development:
- Proper handling of third chakra stage crucial for self-esteem, personal autonomy, and a strong will
- Development of ego identity by sorting through impulses and instincts from lower chakras.

Ego's Role in Personality Development:

Ego acts as mediator between shadow and persona
Decides which personality parts are "hired" or "fired" based on growing definition of Self
Struggle for control played out during toilet training

Toilet Training and Muscular Control:

Involves learning to control muscles previously allowed to respond in the moment
Establishes patterns for life, becoming hardwired into character structure
Shame or early toilet training can lead to external regulation of holding on and letting go
Loss of spontaneity and joy if held on to or let go too readily

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt:

Successful handling of this stage results in autonomy and power
Unfulfilled lower chakras may hinder individuation
Thwarting a child's autonomy can lead to resistance or submission
Lack of inner control diminishes personal power and responsibility

Implications for Parenting:

Supply guidance without suppressing emerging ego
Allow child to assert herself as an autonomous being
Avoid excessive indulgence or overcontrol
Provide appropriate limits for growth
Encourage inner discipline for accomplishing difficult tasks.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

Traumas and Abuses: The Story of Carl

Claude Steiner's story about an ordinary man named Carl
Carl enjoyed sitting in the park basking in the sun
One day, a large uniformed man blocked the sun from Carl
Carl tried to move but the man followed, blocking the sun again
Carl asked the man to move but he refused
Carl became angry and tried to push him away
The man responded by stepping on Carl's foot with his boot
Carl screamed for help but no one came
He looked around and saw everyone in the park was being treated similarly
Most people were passive, some reading, others staring disapprovingly at Carl

The Loss of Personal Power

People are held in places within a culture where personal power is epidemically lost
People are ostracized for acts of individuality or feared
To keep power over others, people often give up their freedom and authenticity
Examples: straight men offended by flamboyantly dressed gay men, obedient wives offended by militant feminism, war veterans offended by peace marchers
This loss results in a civilization obsessed with creating the shadow of power through warfare and technology
Numb to our pain, we deplete ourselves, our resources, and our planet
Cultural myth tells us that power lies outside of ourselves

The Taking Away of Power

It is natural for us to use our life energy to move forward
Instinctual to protect ourselves
Authority relieves us of the responsibility of independent action
We are depleted, numb, and emptied inside
Our cultural myth perpetuates this powerlessness by telling us that power lies outside of ourselves in approval, gadgets, or a distant god.

Possible Outcomes for Carl

Continued to yell and scream but was chained to his bench
Gave up rebellion and conformed to expectations
Rallied support and created an uprising in the park
Transformed his jailer
What would you have done?

Poisonous Pedagogy and Authority:

Previous generations believed in the ultimate authority of God, man over woman, parent over child.
Children were expected to be obedient and quiet, and punishment was believed to be for their own good.
Measures used to accomplish this ranged from rejection to physical beatings.
Children may be made an accomplice in their own punishment.
People spend years in therapy to recover from self-negating beliefs instilled during childhood.
These beliefs are passed down from generation to generation, denying basic instincts and causing division among individuals.

Developing Inner Authority:

Children contend with various models of authority (parents, caretakers, teachers).
Inner authority is essential for organizing personal energy into an effective will.
To command our lives, we need inner authority to make decisions and resist or yield appropriately.
The absence or presence of inner authority shapes our concept of power and relationships with others.

Impact of Authority on Inner Authority:

Our inner authority is formed by those who held authority over us as children.
If our parent was authoritarian, our inner authority may be tyrannical or a wimp.
The gender of the authority figure also influences how we carry and project power.
Examine the influence of authority in your own life:
- Central authority figure during childhood?
- How did they establish their authority?
- Feelings towards this person and their authority?
- Obeyed out of respect or fear?
- Reactions to this authority (rebel, obey, or vary)?
- Current form and alignment with your life?

Inner Authority and Inner King:

The inner King represents the vital and vigorous inner authority in childhood.
The inner King may be killed if not protected by inner warriors.
The absence of inner authority as a child results in its being formed by those who held authority over us.
Bringing inner authority into better alignment with your life involves recognizing its strengths, aligning it with your values, and making conscious decisions to cooperate willfully or resist with intention.

Understanding Authority and Punishment

Respect for authority resonates with inner truth, invites participation, and increases power and skill (Starhawk)
Fear-based authority and punishment regress behavior to survival level (Starhawk)

Effects of Punishment

Instills fear, controls behavior, robs free will, conditions automatic reactions (Starhawk)
Must take away something greater than what might be gained, can be physical or emotional, literal or symbolic

Impact of Physical and Emotional Abuse

Forces acceptance of dictated actions, undermines self-definition and power
Creates a sense of smallness and vulnerability in the face of power (John Bradshaw)

Responses to Punishment

Comply, rebel, withdraw, manipulate (Starhawk)
Can make third chakra dysfunctional if they characterize a pattern

Effects of Denying Authenticity

Building power on compliance and living up to expectations instead of authenticity (Starhawk)
Developing sense of self based on external sources, leading to feelings of inadequacy and weakness if dominance is imposed

Starhawk's Ways of Responding to Punishment

Comply: being deficient in third chakra function
Rebel: being excessive in third chakra function
Withdraw: creating stumbling blocks to true effectiveness and responsibility
Manipulate: initial rebellion followed by manipulation through withdrawal

Impact of Childhood Punishment

Can lead to passive-aggressive behavior, feeling small, and seeing others as bigger or stronger

The Parentified Child:

It is better for individuals to fulfill their own duties than take on those of others, even if successful.
Situations within families may require children to assume adult responsibilities prematurely.
Reasons for this include parental substance abuse, poverty, illness, death, or divorce.
Children in these situations often feel inadequate and powerless due to unrealistic expectations.
Recognizing the inappropriateness of these roles and working through feelings is essential for overcoming a sense of inadequacy.

Effects of Parental Responsibilities on Children:

Janet's Story: Oldest child of an alcoholic mother and traveling father, took on role of substitute parent at a young age due to mother's substance abuse.
- Felt powerless and inadequate due to siblings' resentment and household chaos.
- Struggled academically and did not attend college as a result.
Jack's Story: Son of a prominent surgeon, excelled academically but experienced severe nervous breakdown upon entering college due to feeling inadequate.
- Constantly pushed beyond age-appropriate level, felt shyness and inferiority around peers.

Impact on Third Chakra:

The third chakra handles raw energy throughout the system.
Overstimulation: Children's sensory systems are overwhelmed when exposed to adult intensity and may react with hypersensitivity or hyperactivity.
Understimulation: Lack of proper stimulation in early childhood can result in feelings of emptiness, fatigue, and fear of sexual inadequacy.

Effects on Child Development:

Janet and Jack's Stories: Both children experienced a sense of inadequacy due to premature responsibilities, affecting their self-esteem and academic performance.
Randy's Story: Lack of stimulation during infancy led to feelings of emptiness, fear of sexual inadequacy, and fatigue.
Both overstimulation and understimulation can have damaging effects on a child's emotional, physical, and intellectual development.

Shame and its Impact:

Intensifies control and release dynamics
Results from various forms of childhood abuse or excessive criticism
Creates a consciousness that scrutinizes and controls behavior
Collapses the third chakra, affecting breathing, alignment, and perception
Experienced as an inward spiral in the belly
Creates a block between mind and body, fuses sense of shame and self

Origins of Shame:

Childhood abuse: physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, abandonment, excessive criticism
Parental statements like "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"
Failure to praise accomplishments or teach self-care
Unacknowledged parental shame passed down to children

Effects of Shame:

Divides ego from instinctual core
Reduces the size of the chest cavity and affects breathing
Displaces chakras six and seven (perception and understanding) from central column
Affects thoughts and perceptions, causing them to be out of kilter with reality
Creates a belief of being fatally flawed
Leads to self-fulfilling prophecy of inferiority

Shame and Chakras:

Shame collapses the third chakra, affecting whole torso and alignment
Mind tries to run body beyond capabilities, ignoring messages for rest or food
Denies emotional needs and keeps system run-down.

Will and Child Raising:

Willful children are more challenging to raise due to their energy and desire to make decisions.
Parents may find it difficult to tolerate this challenge due to being overworked, disengaged, or shame-bound.
The will is disabled when emotions get bound by shame, freezing the interaction of the mind and will.

Parental Guidance:

Parents should provide guiding principles and final authority for the child's safety and well-being.
Struggling with a child's natural rhythms can lead parents to break their will, establishing complete authority.
A separate identity and individuation cannot take place without allowing the child to make decisions and express feelings.

Impact of Breaking the Will:

Breaking the will of a child creates people who lack feeling, enthusiasm, and a healthy sense of power.
Such individuals are easily manipulated, controlled, and may resort to passive-aggressive behavior or violence.
Without a strong will, individuals struggle with self-control and personal freedom.

Rules of Poisonous Pedagogy:

Adults are the masters: Parents hold all the power and determine what is right and wrong.
Child is held responsible for parents' anger: The child is blamed for adult emotions.
Parents must be shielded: Children should not express feelings that may upset their parents.
Child's life-affirming feelings are a threat: Parents suppress the child's positive emotions.
Will must be broken as soon as possible: Parental domination and control stifles individuality from an early age.

Impact on Chakra Development:

These abusive rules impact the development of the third chakra, affecting will, self-esteem, personal responsibility, and personal freedom.
Domination and suppression can lead to a collapse at the core, requiring other chakras to compensate.

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE ENDURER

Character Structure: The Endurer (or Masochist)

Description: Sam was described as a dense, muscular, and heavy character with a sad and plaintive expression. His voice did not match his powerful body and seemed to come out in a modified whine. He began expressing feelings of fatigue, depression, and feeling stuck in his job.

Subversion of Muscular System: In the development of this character structure, the muscular system of the growing child is subverted from its natural function of movement to the neurotic function of holding.

Alexander Lowen's Analysis: According to Alexander Lowen, Sam was an example of the Endurer character structure.

Endurer Dilemma: The Endurer is locked in a holding pattern that binds the energy of the will, restrains autonomy, and compresses spontaneity, joy, and optimism. They are caught in a vicious cycle where activity that cannot move forward is turned against the self.

Block in Energy: A block in the energy is a place in the psychic and somatic realm where two or more opposing forces meet. The Endurer experiences this as feeling stuck between needs that seem mutually exclusive.

Development of Endurer Structure: The Endurer structure develops when the parent is overly controlling, squashing the child's emerging autonomy. The child submits to authority but resists on the inside, leading to passive-aggressive behavior and a tendency to sabotage.

Characteristics of Endurers: Endurers are reliable, steady, hardworking, anxious to please, and able to endure. They can stick to business and accomplish difficult or unpleasant tasks, but they also have a tendency to sabotage themselves. The ambivalence is between aggression and tender feelings.

History of Sam: Sam's mother was smothering, his father distant and passive, and his older brother picked on him. When he was just over two years old, his sister was born, and his mother forced him into early toilet training to avoid having two children in diapers. He was punished for defending himself so that he would not become like his brother. His mother doted on him but controlled him, usurping his autonomy. When he later dropped out of college because of poor grades, she refused to speak to him for a number of years.

Effects of Endurer Structure: The Endurer's life becomes grim, their energy bound, and their sexuality lukewarm. They feel stuck and have a reduced energy level. This results in a deficient third chakra.

The Endurer Character:

Desires approval and affection, leading to conflict between need for love and autonomy
Feels both manipulated and angry towards the source of affection
Accepts reality while fighting its demands, resulting in terrible inner conflict (Lowen)
Conditioned by conditional love as reward or punishment for behavior
Third and fourth chakras are at odds: love or autonomy but not both
Root cause is fear of shame and humiliation

Characteristics of Endurer:

Experiences shame attacks when punished or criticized
Collapses third chakra, making it difficult to protect oneself
Fears exposure and humiliation, leading to holding in feelings, thoughts, needs, and self
Primary pattern is holding in, creating blocks in the chakra system (legs, hands, throat, genitals)
Body becomes dense and large with thick padding between thighs and chest
Posture reflects shame: tail tucked in, head lowered, third chakra collapsed
First and fifth chakras are blocked, leading to masochism
Anger arises but turns inward as energy builds up and is punished internally
Feelings of hopelessness and despair result from internal conflict between superego and id

Endurer's Experience:

Experiences life as a series of "have-to's"
Unable to see proactive paths for change
Believes situations must be tolerated rather than altered
Liberating current cannot enter upper chakras due to will's submission and resistance
Inner critic dominates, fueled by shame and fear of exposure

Healing the Endurer:

Expressing both angry and tender feelings
Releasing anger from self-criticism through externalization
Acknowledging needs and releasing them from shame
Movement breaks holding patterns and allows for nurturance
Building self-esteem to stand up to inner critic and reclaim autonomy

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Excess and Deficiency in Third Chakra:

Third Chakra Excess:

Demand for a false self to hide the authentic self
Compensates for feelings of helplessness, abandonment, neglect, and abuse
Attachment to power, control, and self-esteem boosting
Human doing instead of human being
Constant activity and chronic stress
Rigid will that is inflexible and easily angered or fearful
Need to be in control of oneself, others, and situations
Physical control of body through rigorous regimens
Disengagement from experience and feelings
Robs vital energy from other chakras
Abuse of power, neglecting self-nurturance, compassion, patience, and understanding
High anxiety level leading to hyperactivity and muscle tension

Third Chakra Excess Signs:

Constant activity and human doing instead of being
Rigid will and inflexibility
Need for control
Physical control of body through rigorous regimens
Disengagement from experience and feelings
Abuse of power
Neglect of self-nurturance, compassion, patience, and understanding
High anxiety level leading to hyperactivity and muscle tension

Third Chakra Deficiency:

Underdeveloped will
Lack of vitality and motivation
Feeling helpless and powerless
Poor self-esteem
Lack of direction and purpose

Third Chakra Deficiency Signs:

Lack of motivation and vitality
Helplessness and powerlessness
Poor self-esteem
Lack of direction and purpose

Excessive Attachment to Power:

Compensates for feelings of helplessness, abandonment, neglect, and abuse
Constant need for approval from others
Human doing instead of human being
Rigid will that is inflexible and easily angered or fearful
Need to be in control of oneself, others, and situations
Physical control of body through rigorous regimens
Disengagement from experience and feelings
Abuse of power
Neglect of self-nurturance, compassion, patience, and understanding
High anxiety level leading to hyperactivity and muscle tension

Signs of Excessive Power:

Dominating, aggressive, angry, and inflated personality
Need for constant control and perfectionism
Disregard for the feelings and needs of others
Neglect of self-care and nurturance
High anxiety level leading to hyperactivity and muscle tension

Flexible Will:

Balanced approach to life
Adaptable and resilient
Ability to handle challenges with grace and ease
Openness to new experiences and perspectives

Signs of a Flexible Will:

Adaptability and resilience
Graceful handling of challenges
Openness to new experiences and perspectives
Balanced approach to life.

Third Chakra Deficiency:

Characterized by lack of fire and vitality, poor self-discipline, weak will, and lack of spontaneity
People may be easily manipulated, victimized, depressed, and appear cold or withdrawn
Fear, guilt, and shame dominate, contracting energy and binding it with shame
Passivity is a common coping mechanism to avoid vulnerability and risk
Relationships may be characterized by passive behavior and secret resentment
People may let others take the lead while experiencing frustration and control
Fear of confrontation and emotional risks, leading to isolation and depletion
Lack of willpower, poor follow-through, and avoidance of responsibility

Symptoms:

Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression
Victim mentality
Intensely shy or cold behavior
Passive-aggressiveness
Fear of isolation and engagement
Poor self-esteem

Causes:

Excessive activity that runs out of fuel
Chronic holding that binds energy into exhaustion
Medical conditions such as candida overgrowth, Epstein-Barr syndrome, Lyme disease, and food allergies

Coping Mechanisms:

Passivity and avoidance
Isolation and monotony
People pleasing
Following rules and letting others lead
Playing it safe

Upper Chakras:

May be excessive by contrast, leading to a need for love and liberation
Love can increase energy of the third chakra and build self-esteem
Relationship failure can lead to contraction and return to beliefs of inadequacy

Stimulants:

Attracted to stimulants like caffeine, amphetamines, or cocaine to feel normal or continue constant activity
Highly anxious personalities may be attracted to calming drugs such as opiates, barbiturates, and alcohol

Both Deficient and Excessive Strategies:

May exhibit both deficient and excessive behaviors in dealing with underlying wounds of autonomy and self-esteem.

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE THIRD CHAKRA

Healing the Third Chakra (Manipura)

Essential for healthy metabolism, energy distribution, and determining the course of our lives
Two levels of work: internal management of energy and external expression
Inner work comes first to overcome inertia and knots within the body

Overcoming Inertia (Healing Deficiency)

First step in individuation process
Build up energy as if kindling a fire
Increase metabolic energy through:
- Attention to diet (complex carbs, sufficient protein, vegetables)
- Regular eating intervals and aerobic exercise
- Engage in activities that energize
Confronting challenges increases psychic voltage and reveals hidden reserves of power

Building the Fire (Deficient Third Chakras)

Nourish body with proper fuel
Increase physical fitness to improve energy flow and self-esteem
Identify activities that provide nourishment and support
Embrace challenges to increase energy and aliveness

Strengthening the Will (Deficient Third Chakras)

Create a long-term master plan for goals and desires
Stick to plans or routines to increase feelings of power and control
Balance energy distribution by engaging other chakras when needed

Managing Excess Energy (Excessive Third Chakras)

Redirect excess energy to other chakras
Open channels for emotional expression and softening the heart
Practice relaxation techniques (guided meditation, yoga)
Allow downtime without expectations or goals

Maintaining Balance (Third Chakra Imbalances)

Understand your individual energy patterns and needs
Cultivate awareness of emotions and thoughts
Practice self-acceptance and self-compassion
Seek professional guidance when needed.

OTHER GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR THIRD CHAKRA HEALING

Third Chakra Healing: General Strategies

Give up attachment to being safe:
- Accept risks and challenges
- Face reality of an uncertain world
- Increase personal power by taking responsibility and proactively shaping future
Work with anger:
- Anger is relevant to third chakra as it expresses assertive energy
- Blocked anger can result in deficient or excessive conditions
- Deficient structures may not express anger, leading to frustration and weight problems
- Releasing blocked anger improves metabolism and stabilizes weight issues
- Address past abuses of power to free energy for present challenges

Give up Attachment to Being Safe

Safety is a comforting illusion that limits personal growth
Clinging to safety keeps us powerless and wanting the world to be shaped for us
Increases personal power through facing challenges and taking risks
Need to accept responsibility and mature
Meeting challenges and resolving them successfully increases power

Work with Anger

Anger is energy that expresses assertive, fiery emotion
Blocked anger can result in deficient or excessive conditions
Deficient structures may not be aware of their own anger
Allowing expression of anger gives permission to have this energizing and empowering emotion
Releasing blocked anger improves metabolism and helps stabilize weight problems
Address past issues that caused anger to free energy for present challenges
Inappropriate charge for present issues can be addressed by examining past abuses of power

Feelings, Needs, and Drives

Core of human life is grounded in feelings, needs, and drives
Shame hounds us to the core when these are suppressed
Addressing shame frees up energy for personal growth.

Therapeutic Anger:

Releasing anger towards parents helps prevent continuous badgering of partners.
Standing up to parents prevents resentment towards wives, girlfriends, or daughters.
Expressing anger at its source increases empowerment and decreases excessive harm.
Clients may fear expressing anger in therapy will make them horrible, angry people.
Expressing anger actually makes clients less angry and more effective in their lives.

Third Chakra and Shame:

Imbalances in third chakra lead to shame demon attacks.
Shame foundations undermined by fear of making mistakes or not being "good enough."
Shame results from abuse, seeing the child self in context helps dissipate it.
Inner child dialogues replace critical, shaming programs with compassion and forgiveness.

Building Ego Strength:

Third chakra work focuses on building ego strength.
Develop contact with authentic self through body and feelings/aspirations.
Raise self-esteem by attacking shame demon.
Create a sense of power through meeting challenges and engaging in stimulating activities.
Release inhibitions and fears to access spontaneous, playful energy.

Manifesting Goals:

Honoring consciousness coming down from top chakra with goals and intentions.
Develop willpower by applying energy to goals or routines that develop skills/energy.
Results positively reinforce the process and ground third chakra power in reality.

Healthy Third Chakra:

Healing third chakra brings a healthy sense of power.
Promotes proactive, causative approach to life.
Confident, warm, responsible, and persevering personality.
Able to confront opposition effectively without reactive retaliation.
Person with good vitality and playful ability to laugh at themselves.

CHAKRA FOUR

Chakra Four (Fourth Chakra) at a Glance

Element: Air
Name: Anahata (unstruck)
Purposes: Love, balance
Issues: Love and relationship balance, self-love, intimacy, anima/animus, devotion, reaching out and taking in
Color: Green
Location: Chest, heart, cardiac plexus

Identity

Social Orientation: Self-acceptance, acceptance of others

Characteristics (Balanced)

Compassionate
Loving
Empathetic
Self-loving
Altruistic
Peaceful, balanced
Good immune system

Developmental Stage and Tasks

Developmental Stage: 4 to 7 years
Developmental Tasks: Forming peer and family relationships. Developing persona

Basic Rights

To love and be loved

Traumas and Abuses

Rejection, abandonment, loss
Shaming, constant criticism
Abuses to any other chakras, especially lower chakras
Unacknowledged grief (including parents’ grief)
Divorce, death of loved one
Loveless, cold environment
Conditional love
Sexual or physical abuse
Betrayal

Deficiency

Antisocial
Withdrawn, cold
Critical, judgmental, intolerant of self or others
Loneliness, isolation
Depression
Fear of intimacy, fear of relationships
Lack of empathy
Narcissism

Excess

Codependency
Poor boundaries
Demanding
Clinging
Jealousy
Overly sacrificing

Physical Malfunctions

Disorders of the heart, lungs, thymus, breasts, arms
Shortness of breath
Sunken chest
Circulation problems
Asthma
Immune system deficiency
Tension between shoulder blades, pain in chest

Healing Practices

Breathing exercises (pranayama)
Work with arms: reaching out, taking in
Journaling, self-discovery
Psychotherapy
Examine assumptions about relationships
Emotional release of grief
Forgiveness when appropriate
Inner child work
Codependency work
Self-acceptance
Anima-animus integration

Affirmations

I am worthy of love
I am loving to myself and others
There is an infinite supply of love
I live in balance with others

Shades of Green

Our culture may be obsessed by power, but we are driven by the need for love
The basic right of the heart chakra—to love and be loved—is simple, profound, direct
Love is the force that runs our lives

We cannot live without love, yet it is lacking in the world

All forms of child abuse are travesties of love, not a complete absence of love but an absence of healthy love

Travesties of Love

Spanking, sexual molestation, severe punishment, smothering, overmanagement with the justification of "I love you"
Turning towards warfare and violence instead of love
Television violence modeling behavior for children
Gangs providing sense of belonging for youth with cruelty as a sign of manhood
Political agendas cutting funds for needy populations while defense budget soars

Mythology and Cultural Values

Myths shape our lives, define what is possible, and influence relationships
In Western civilization, the Great Mother archetype has been forgotten
The Great Father has become sole protagonist in dominant mythology
We have inherited a myth of a broken home
Prevalent myth is one of separation from nature, each other, and the divine

Consequences of Separation

Individuals endowed with moral right to further their own existence at the expense of environment and others
Vast separations between men and women, women and women, and men and men
Love culturally restricted to limited heterosexual dyads and their offspring
Resulting in abuse, divorce, isolation, and limitation

Healing the Heart and Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

Reconnecting severed parts of the world and recognizing our divine nature as part of greater mystery of unfolding
Healing the heart through integration of mind and body, mystical and mundane, self and other into an integrated whole
Necessary for assuring the future of this world

UNFOLDING THE PETALS. BASIC ISSUES OF THE FOURTH CHAKRA

Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra

Enters the mystery of love and relationships
Basic issues: balance, self-reflection, self-acceptance, intimacy, love, compassion, devotion, grief, and self-expression

Balance

Perfect balance between manifesting and liberating currents
Foundation for healthy and long-lasting relationships
Essential principle at the heart of the chakra system
Represents integration of spirit and mind with body and soul
Ancient tantric diagram depicts heart chakra as a lotus of twelve petals containing a six-pointed star made of interlacing triangles
Balance is essential for love relationships, both self and others

Love and Relationships

Expands our horizons and brings us into deeper connection with ourselves
Falls in love: sees things anew, physical connection, confronts deepest nature, reveals shadow, and sets ground for chakra five expression
Being loved increases self-experience and divinity, reflects our own divinity, and forces us to examine ourselves in new light
Loss of love produces profound despair, throws us back to past, and forces confrontation and healing

Self-Reflection and Self-Acceptance

Love melts rigid attitudes and alters psychic structure
Intimacy allows rejected parts of psyche to emerge safely and sets ground for self-expression
Being loved increases experience of Self and fosters self-care and pride
Loss of love brings vulnerability, confrontation, and healing

Intimacy

Bringing forth deeply interior aspects of the self
Honoring self before offering it to another
Essential for healthy relationships
Blocked by absence of self-love
Self-love fosters respectful, honest, compassionate relationships

Anima/Animus and Eros/Thanatos

Heart chakra deals with balance between opposites, feminine and masculine energies, and life and death forces (anima/animus and eros/thanatos)
Love unites opposites in perfect harmony

Grief and Compassion

Love brings spiritual awakening, loss produces profound despair, and grief is a necessary part of the process
Grief leads to deeper understanding of self and others, fostering compassion and empathy
Balance between love and loss allows us to fully experience both

Devotion

Heart chakra also deals with devotion, which deepens our connection to ourselves and others, as well as to the divine.

SELF-REFLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

Clients may not truly establish or live fully in their "I" or Self
Beholding self is essential for healing and recognition of soul
Self-reflective consciousness = place of self-examination
Defines and comes into relationship with oneself
Essential for evolution and rising from third chakra obsession to fourth chakra integration and peace
Allows integration of psychic pieces and seeing how they relate, becoming whole
Requires conscious attention to change patterns and create something new
Without self-examination, repetition of past and neurotic patterns

Self-Examination

Births a new integrated Self, not bound by the past
Essential for establishing balance in heart chakra
Involves mind listening to body's subtle communications
Leads to recovery of memories, working through traumas, releasing stored tensions, and completing unresolved emotional transactions
Reconnects feelings with mental images, impulses with belief systems, and sensation with meaning

Mind-Body Balance in Heart Chakra

Prime area of balance in heart chakra
Involves learning to decipher body's messages
Mind listens to body's subtle communications
Leads to integration of various parts of experience
Love is a bodied truth and somatic reality
Work on lower chakras prepares for this higher-level understanding.

ANIMA AND ANIMUS

Concepts in Jungian psychology representing the inner feminine and inner masculine archetypes.
Help in continuing individuation process in heart chakra.
Men believed to carry anima more prominently, women animus, but both genders have both.

Characteristics:

Archetypes also exist externally as cultural stereotypes.
First imprinting comes from parents and media, influencing our perceptions.
Culturally dictated images of masculine and feminine can lead to repression if polarized.

Repression and Projection:

Repressed unconscious anima or animus gets projected onto others.
Can cause conflict in intimate relationships.
Both genders capable of carrying undeveloped archetype.

Impact on Relationships:

In heterosexual and gay relationships, roles can be reversed.
Repressed side must be developed for wholeness and balanced relationships.

Hieros Gamos (Internal Sacred Marriage):

Stage in individuation process where masculine and feminine energies within are balanced.
Occurs during midlife when earlier development favored one side over the other.
Balancing both archetypes leads to stable, respectful relationships with freedom.

Implications:

Recognizing and developing undeveloped sides leads to personal growth.
No one else can live our unlived lives for us.
Avoid looking for someone to embody repressed qualities while remaining incomplete.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Relationships and Balance:

Love unites living beings and completes them (Teilhard de Chardin)
Importance of balance in personal relationships
Imbalances lead to pressure, frustration, and stress
Balance is a constantly fluctuating homeostasis

Heart's Desire for Balance:

Reaching out and taking in (fourth chakra)
Fear and grief can block reaching out and taking in
Healthy relationships involve understanding each other through love, not just extreme stress

Reaching Out and Taking In:

Blockages in heart chakra affect arms movement
Deficient chakras result in an inability to receive love
Imbalance leads to the pursuer-distancer dynamic

Case Studies:

David and Julie: David mistrusts and defends; Julie reaches out
- David's mother's overly sweet love left him defensive
- Exercise to practice different dynamics
Kathy: Fear of abandonment and surrendering
- Focus on the sweetness in new relationship
- Practicing pulling her lover in while holding her ground

ATTACHMENT AND FREEDOM

homas Moore's exploration of the struggle between the soul's need for attachment and the spirit's need for freedom in relationships.

Longing and fear of commitment in heart chakra
Lower chakras seek security, while upper chakras crave novelty
Soul finds security, spirit hates constriction and limitation

Balancing Attachment and Freedom:

Healthy relationships honor both upward and downward movements of energy
Need to create balance between expansion and constriction, freedom and commitment
Quote: "Many people seem to live the pain of togetherness and fantasize the joys of separateness"

Impact of Childhood Experiences:

Children of divorce search for refuge in attachment or freedom
Ignores dynamic balance that serves both liberation and manifestation
More we allow one kind of energy, more the other can come through

Commitment and Solitude:

Once commitment is made, easier to respect partner's solitude/freedom
Once freedom is respected, easier to make a commitment
More a partner insists on one aspect, more his lover will yearn for its opposite

Dynamic Balance:

Dance between attachment and freedom
Allowing both energies leads to fruitful relationships that don't settle down in one place.

EROS AND THANATOS

Eros and Thanatos: the dynamic forces in love and relationships

Eros: force of life, allures and unites (son of Aphrodite)
Thanatos: force of death, divides and destroys (born of Night)

Entering a Relationship:

Swept up by Eros
Expanded consciousness and merging with something greater
Longing for union and making living worthwhile

The Dark Side of Love:

Our unconscious patterns sabotage relationships
Annoyance towards partner's lack of consciousness
Missed cues to partner's needs
Facing Thanatos: feeling helpless and powerless

Inseparable Steps in the Dance:

Eros and Thanatos cannot be controlled
Not all relationships end in tragedy, but coming together and parting are necessary
Idealistic views of love may cause great pain when faced with Thanatos

Denial of Thanatos:

Pain can be avoided by honoring Thanatos' presence
Claim, not deny, our need for separateness and understand partner's fear of engulfment

GRIEF: DEMON OF THE HEART

Grief: Demon of the Heart

When Thanatos (death) strikes, we experience grief.
Grief is the resident demon that sits on the heart chakra.
A heavy heart with grief makes it hard to open and breathe.

Effects of Unacknowledged Grief:

Numbness to feelings and aliveness
Hardened, cold, rigid, and distant
Feeling dead inside

Benefits of Acknowledging and Expressing Grief:

Vital key to opening the heart
Shedding tears and expressing truth
Heart lightens, breath deepens
Sense of spaciousness emerges
Hope is reborn
Compassion for others

Love and Grief:

We open ourselves in love and expand
Wounded at the core when hurt in matters of love
Deepest loss: feeling abandoned and losing authentic self

Case Study: Client and Love Loss

Shaky and tearful phone call
Fear of abandonment
Losing both lover and self

Grief from Relationship Ends:

Primal abandonment and powerlessness
Passes with time but can carry unresolved grief

Case Study: Susan and Maternal Love

Over-attentive, smothering mother
Lack of independence
Shaped definition of love
Feeling inadequate and codependent
Constricted chest and depression
Recognizing the grief for loss of authenticity

Impact of Love Impairment:

Personal problem
Collective situation: affecting how we treat each other

Healing from Grief: Compassion

COMPASSION

Compassion:

Defined as "to have passion with" and reaches beyond ourselves to understand the needs of others
Requires being in touch with our own yearnings and pain
Expands upper and lower chakra expression, balancing stability and openness
Penetrates deeply, providing support for all living beings (Great Compassion)
Practice deep compassion instead of fixing things when unable to do so

Nagarjuna:

Indian philosopher who emphasized the importance of compassion
Pain opens us up to deeper understanding of others and expands our being

Quotes:

"Whoever wishes to attain Buddhahood need not follow various practices but must only practice one thing and that is deep compassion."

Chenrezig:

Compassion does not mean fixing things, but offering understanding instead
Importance of empathy and non-demanding listening when working with couples or others in need

Devotion:

Selfless love and conscious surrender to a greater force beyond oneself
Path of bhakti yoga in various branches of yoga
Transcends perceived limitations and allows energy within the Self to flow beyond
Can lead to dependency on external sources if not balanced with self-connection and inner work
Importance of reconnecting responsibly to the self when the object of devotion leaves or falls from grace.

Additional thoughts:

Compassion and devotion are interconnected, as compassion is a form of love for others
Devotion can also lead to expansion of the ego if not balanced with self-awareness and inner work.

GROWING THE LOTUS DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE HEART CHAKRA AT A GLANCE AGE

Fourth Chakra Development:

Age 4 to 7 years
Tasks: Formation of social identity and gender roles, development of altruism, formation of peer relationships
Needs and Issues:
- Initiative vs. guilt: Child begins to understand consequences of actions and develops a sense of responsibility
- Love vs. rejection: Seeking love and acceptance from peers and family
- Social acceptance: Desire to fit in and belong
- Self-acceptance: Developing a positive self-image

Fourth Chakra Development Stages:

Begins between 3-4 years, after autonomy and basic impulse control are established
Marks the formation of social identity or persona
Child begins to see world beyond own needs
Relationships expand from one-on-one to larger family and social structures
Development may not be smooth

Parent-Child Relationship:

Internalization of parent-child relationship is important
Context of relationship also matters, e.g., fear vs. love
Eric Berne's transactional analysis outlines internalized relationships as parent, adult, or child scripts

Impact on Life:

We may find ourselves repeating these relationships with others
Inner critic and rebellious urges may both clamor for the driver's seat throughout life.

Child Development and Gender Identification:

Children may imitate parents or peers through identification, forming relationship programs and internalizing gender roles.
Observing family members provides models for gender-oriented behavior.
Gender roles are reinforced during childhood with messages about masculinity and femininity.
Splitting and repression of masculine or feminine traits can lead to personal crises in midlife.

Impact of Family Dynamics on Social Identity:

Children internalize not only their relationship with parents but also the family system as a whole.
Role assignments (e.g., eldest, youngest, middle child) shape social identity and influence behavior.
Childhood roles in the family are often reenacted in adult relationships and social arenas (school, work).

Social Identity Development:

The development of a social identity prepares children for more complex interactions with the larger world.
Balancing autonomy and relinquishing it is essential during this stage.

Early Childhood Development (Ages 3-6): Preoperational Period

Autonomy: Weak for some children, leading to being swept away by others or living in fear of losing the self.
Behavior driven by external influences and lack of self-awareness.
Intellectual development takes a leap, moving from sensory-motor to conceptual-symbolic.
Children begin to understand relationships between people and components of the world around them.
Interest in concepts and creating larger ideas based on experiences.
Moral development: Good boy/nice girl stage described by Kohlberg.

Social Development and Emotional Needs

Children form relationships as a basis for fourth chakra development.
Stable routines provide security and identity.
Disruptions in relationships can threaten security and developing social identity, affecting self-esteem.
Peer relationships begin to develop at this age.
Imaginary playmates common during this period as practice for real relationships.

Questions to Consider for Healthy Family Relationships

Are family relationships based on fighting for rights or giving up oneself?
Is emotional expression and affection modeled?
Is communication open, and are problems worked through in a healthy way?
Is there consistency and equality among siblings?

Initiative vs. Guilt (Struggle of Fourth Chakra Development)

Building on the previous stage of autonomy vs. shame.
Initiative leads to reaching out to others, love, and heart chakra development.
Shame inhibits reaching out and awakening of heart chakra.

Socialization and Ego Development

Children learn behavior patterns and values that the culture deems important.
Social identity often develops at the cost of previous identities.
Denial of lower chakras for social acceptance and ego enhancement can lead to emotional emptiness.

Integration of Persona and Shadow

Parts of ourselves that get ignored or rejected become part of our shadow, split off from the persona.
Balance and wholeness come from reuniting the persona with the rejected shadow.

Fourth Chakra Development

Transcendence of ego and integration of higher and lower chakras.
Creation of sacred marriage of masculine and feminine.
Development of social empathy and altruism.
Achievement of balance within and expression through relationships with others.
Gateway to spiritual fulfillment and personal mastery.
Reward: Self-acceptance and self-love.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

Lack of love is devastating and disrupts the heart chakra, which integrates and unifies us
Most abuses occur within family relationships, causing a distortion of the relationship and shutting down the connection to others
Abuse impacts development on three levels: the experience of abuse, interpretation of abuse, and fusion of abuse with love

Effects of Childhood Abuse:

A child's first understanding of love comes from fulfilling survival and dependency needs
Traumatic experiences can distort natural development in any chakra
The abuse-love link perpetuates abuse in adult relationships
Superficial attention leaves the child with a superficial capacity for love
Abuse can impact physical, emotional, and psychic development
Abuse undermines the natural developmental process and interferes with self-esteem and relationship to others

Impact of Abuse on Self-Love:

Children identify with their caretakers and take on their attitudes towards themselves
Abuse makes us feel unlovable and convinces us of our intrinsic flaw
Loss of self-love results in seeking validation from others, which often drives them away
Giving everything to another leaves us bankrupted and without a center to attract others.

Abuse as the Antithesis of Love:

Abuse is the opposite of love and interferes with our love for life
If life is painful or lacking in connection, we no longer want to relate to it
Feeling unlovable makes us cut off from our divinity and specialness as human beings.

INTERNALIZED RELATIONSHIPS

Internalized Relationships:

Archetypal components of psyche shaped by early family experiences
Mother: if mistreated, affects understanding of feminine and relationship expectations
- Impaired: fear of control, expectation of withholding
- Projections on women in life lead to unhealthy relationships
Father: influences relationship with masculine qualities and all men
- Repeating patterns with same kind of person, expecting different results

Concepts:

Imago: composite picture of influential figures in early life, etched into nervous system
Programming reactions, defenses, behaviors, interpretations of events
Unraveling primary relationships necessary for self-reflective consciousness and growth

Impact on Current Relationships:

Provide training ground for personal growth
Mirror our hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses
Offer opportunities to reclaim rejected parts of ourselves

Challenges in Bonding:

Unintegrated parts seek bonding elsewhere
Bonding patterns can be oppressive, leading to loss of fresh perspective on partner
Conscious awareness necessary to break unhealthy patterns

Family Impact:

Mother's treatment affects relationship with feminine and all it represents
Father's treatment influences understanding of masculinity and relationships with men

Key Quotes:

"Internalized relationships form archetypal components of our psyche."
"The way our father treated us affects our relationship with all men as well as our internal masculine."
"Our current relationships always provide the training ground for this process."
"Unintegrated parts of ourselves that are not bonded into the heart with love will seek bonding elsewhere."

TWISTED CONCEPTS OF LOVE

Conflicted relationships skew our conception of love
Children's dependency prevents recognition of contradiction between love and abuse
Children equate love with pain and mistreatment, feel duty to bear it

Impact on Heart Chakra and Upper Three Chakras:

Affects ability to speak truth, see clearly, and question
Acceptance of unhealthy relationships impacts heart chakra

Fantasy Bond:

Adults may be blind to abuse in relationships
Illusion of being loved keeps us accepting mistreatment
Make excuses for partners, continue unhealthy relationships

Rejection:

Universal experience that wounds deeply
Fear of rejection triggers feelings of helplessness and despair
Identification with rejector leads to self-rejection and grief

Impact on Heart Chakra:

Rejection felt as death for a child
Loss of love triggers abandonment fears
Deeper the love, stronger identification with the other

Effects of Rejection:

Self-preservation: Anger instead of sadness
Uncovering truths and learning important lessons
Need for self-compassion during grief process
Reconnecting with core self once again.

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE RIGID (Achiever)

Character Structure: Rigid/Achiever

Henry was a successful CEO with a highly charged energy system but lacked depth and openness to deeper feelings.
His body language showed a slightly arched back, tense muscles, and restricted breathing, indicating a blocked heart.
His inability to experience deep emotions was due to parental rejection during his fourth chakra developmental period.

Background:

Henry's parents were originally loving and supportive but suddenly expected him to grow up and rejected his need for love and security.
He was no longer allowed to express vulnerability or seek comfort, leading him to stiffen his body and restrict his breath.
His father's high expectations and distant behavior, combined with his mother's silent support, left Henry feeling unloved and inauthentic.

Impact on Development:

At a time when Henry's heart should have been open and inquisitive, he was told to shut down his feelings and perform.
This rejection of the true self in favor of the achieving self is what gives this character structure its more positive name of the Achiever.
Henry shut down both the second and fourth chakras while squeezing his life force tightly into the third chakra ego/activity center, resulting in successful business activity fueled by drive and ambition.

Symptoms:

Inability to experience deeper emotions or satisfy the need for love and recognition.
Blocked heart due to parental rejection during fourth chakra developmental period.
Restricted breathing and tense body posture.
Channeling energy into achievement as a way to win approval and love.

Positive Aspects:

Highly successful in business and other achievements.
Confident and driven personality.
Ability to focus and perform under pressure.

Negative Aspects:

Inability to experience deeper emotions or form meaningful relationships.
Blocked heart leading to feelings of emptiness and unfulfillment.
Restless and always moving on to the next achievement in search of love and recognition.

Parental Rejection:

Beginning during fourth chakra developmental period.
Originally loving and supportive parents suddenly expected Henry to grow up and rejected his need for love and security.
He was no longer allowed to express vulnerability or seek comfort, leading him to stiffen his body and restrict his breath.
Rejection of the true self in favor of the achieving self.

Impact on Energy Flow:

Closing down of second and fourth chakras while squeezing life force into third chakra ego/activity center.
Highly charged energy system without depth or openness to deeper feelings.

C. G. JUNG

Rigid (Achiever):
- Hold back energetically due to fear of own feelings and disconnected from inner child.
- Afraid to surrender and never feel enough, constantly seeking achievement.
- Prone to addiction or burnout.
- Healing requires meeting vulnerable child and expressing emotions.
Hysteric:
- Women more likely than men due to cultural permission to express feelings.
- Rejection from father leads to hysterical expression of emotions for attention.
- Focus on family and relationships, becoming demanding and possessive.
- Uneven and sporadic emotional expression.
- Pear-shaped body with rigidity in chest.
- Need for authenticity met through strong emotions.
- Can be caring, supportive, charming.
- Long for closeness but fear revealing shortcomings.
Hurried Child:
- Difficulty with reciprocating tenderness and often leave relationships first.
- Defended against rejection, unconsciously reject others.
- Hungry for real love directed towards authentic self.

Commonalities:

Rejection from father during maturation.
Lack of empathy from parents.
High expectations for performance.
Difficulty with intimacy and authenticity.

Rigid (Achiever):

Disconnected inner child.
Fear of feelings, unable to surrender.
Afraid they're never enough.
Prone to addiction or burnout.
Healing requires meeting vulnerable child and expressing emotions.
Energy is channeled into achievement without satisfaction, leaving in frustration.
Heart chakra is closed, energy ascends instead of descending.

Hysteric:

Rejection met with hysterical expression of emotions for attention.
Focus on family and relationships, becoming demanding and possessive.
Uneven and sporadic emotional expression.
Longing for authenticity met through strong emotions.
Pear-shaped body with rigidity in chest.
Difficulty breathing when triggered emotionally.
Can be caring, supportive, charming.

Both:

Heart chakra is closed or tentatively open.
Fear of revealing shortcomings and vulnerability.
Unconsciously reject others to protect themselves.
Hungry for real love directed towards authentic self.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Heart Chakra Excess:

Disconcerting to think of an excess in the heart chakra as a problem
Not an excess of actual love, but excessive use of love for one's own needs
Occurs when we overcompensate for our own wounds
Others become victims in our drama of overcompensating
Love used like a drug to remove ourselves from responsibilities and unresolved pain
Compensating for the incompleteness within oneself or using another to go where one cannot or will not go
Codependent behavior: excessive caretaking and meddling, denying other's self-reliance
Love becomes an obsession, blurring the lines between oneself and the loved one
Jealousy: a projection of insecurities, product of the hungry heart
Craving connection, cannot tolerate separation
Needy behavior results in rejection, deepening underlying wound
Poor boundaries and poor discrimination
Idealistic thinking about love leading to unrealistic expectations
Addiction-like focus on love undermines clarity and judgment

Codependency:

Excessive heart chakra where the emphasis on others is out of balance
Compulsive need to fixate on others with excessive caretaking and meddling
Behavior arises from denied needs for such care
Denies other's self-reliance
Not an act of love but an obsession disguised as love.

Effects of Heart Chakra Excess:

Demanding and possessive love
Blindly connected love
Jealousy: projection of insecurities
Poor boundaries and poor discrimination
Idealistic thinking about perfection of love leading to unmet expectations
Addiction-like focus on love undermines clarity and judgment.

Alan's Reaction: Avoidant Response due to Deficient Heart Chakra

Alan went through a painful divorce and declared he would never fall in love again
Friends encouraged him to find someone new, but he didn't want anyone else
He was reacting to the wound with an avoidant response, closing shop and avoiding risks
Known as deficient heart chakra, responses to wounds of love include:
- Withdrawal from love
- Love becomes conditional ("If you don't treat me better...")
- Playing games of coldness to manipulate others
- Waiting for rescue instead of taking risks
- Feeling depleted, unwilling to give or forgive
- Dwelling on old relationships and holding onto anger
- Judging others as a defense mechanism

Characteristics of Deficient Heart Chakra

Basic stance is avoidant due to past hurt
Feels unlovable at the core, fears intimacy may reveal this core
Lacks empathy and compassion for self and others
Prone to bitterness, cynicism, and judgment as a defense mechanism
Feels unable to afford the risk of opening up and giving love
Stuck in anger and betrayal from past relationships
Deprived of love leads to depression and isolation

Combination of Deficient and Codependent Heart Chakra

Common to oscillate between deficient and codependent heart chakra
When open, overflowing with love for everyone; when closed, pushing others away
Fears revealing unacceptable core in intimacy
Needs self-love to promote pride in one's interior
Cycle perpetuates itself based on fear of loneliness or rejection
Important to examine basic stance and bring it into balance whenever possible

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE HEART CHAKRA

Love acts as a healing force, bridging gaps and mending wounds (Shakespeare)
Honoring individuality essential for soulful love
Inner work of self-love: recognizing and reclaiming individual parts

The Task of Self-Acceptance

Honoring individuality: unique selves within us
Recognize and integrate various subpersonalities
Bring feelings into relationship with belief systems
Form alliances between inner child and responsible adult
Inner masculine makes love with inner feminine
Reclaiming parts with loving awareness of heart chakra

Benefits of Self-Integration

Increases complexity, maturity, and capabilities
Sets ground for creativity (chakra five)
Penetrating insight and understanding (chakras six and seven)

Inner Family Exercise

List various parts of yourself: inner child, critic, lover, clown, parent, achiever, quiet one, etc.
Describe each part with a few words: playful, wounded, needy, exhausted, driving, relentless, etc.
Write down what each part wants: fun, perfection, approval, recognition, etc.
Determine how often these parts succeed and the realism of their desires
Explore relationships between parts: inner child and adult, critic and artist, clown and sad inner child, hero and others
Write dialogs between parts to understand dynamics and seek resolution.

LOVE OPENS WITH FEELING

Feelings are the antennae of the soul, acting as sensory organs for emotional experiences.
Hurt feelings lead to protective reactions and closing off emotions.
The realm of feelings is located in the second chakra and accessed through breath in the heart chakra.

Breath and Feelings:

Holding back feelings results in holding the breath, restricting air flow, and deadening oneself.
Deepening the breath allows repressed feelings to surface and restore natural balance.
Practicing breath work with a trusted friend or therapist is beneficial.
Yoga breathing exercises (pranayama) can also be used to open the chest and charge the body with prana, the vital energy of air.

Observing the Breath:

Most people do not pay attention to their breathing patterns.
The first step in breath work is observing your own breathing and allowing someone else to observe you breathe.
Feedback from an observer can help identify when and how you hold the breath during the cycle.
Smooth and balanced breathing is the goal, with an emphasis on belly or chest breathing.
Consciously expanding restricted areas can bring forth feelings, impulses, and desires.
Try not to block these emotions during the practice.

REACHING OUT AND TAKING IN WITH THE BREATH

Exercise for Opening the Heart: A simple practice that coordinates arm movements with breath for facilitators.

Step One:

Have partner lay down with knees bent, feet in contact with ground
Observe their breathing patterns and aware of held areas
Encourage relaxation by gently touching constricted areas and massaging shoulders, pectoral muscles, and heart chakra area
Use props like a pillow to help open the heart area if needed

Step Two:

Encourage partner to reach arms forward on exhale and pull in toward heart on inhale
Suggest focusing on love during inhale and letting go or offering during exhale
Observe which direction (reaching or pulling) is more challenging for the partner

Step Three:

Stand behind partner and grab hands
Offer resistance during inhale when partner pulls arms in and during exhale when they push away
Increases energy flow and helps release blocked feelings.

GRIEF WORK

Unshed grief restricts breath; deep breathing releases grief
Grief based on loss, especially of loved ones
Loss may lead to loss of parts of self (inner child, tender self, etc.)
Important to regain connection with self rather than increasing attachment to what was lost
Asking questions: Why was this person special? What did they bring to us? What part of self was bonded?
Grieving reclaims sacred essence within ourselves
Triggers previous unhealed wounds
Cleaning wounds leads to wholeness
Remembering hope and looking for "pony" in manure (meaning finding positivity amidst pain)

Forgiveness:

Protecting heart from harm may barricade it against receiving and healing
Blame acts as a barrier to forgiveness
Forgiveness allows heart to lighten and move on
Importance of self-forgiveness: understanding our actions, separating mistake from essence, making amends if necessary
Treating activated part of self with compassion
Difficulty in forgiving others: working through feelings before forgiveness
Forgiveness an organic process, renews openness and awareness, frees up energy for positive future.

LOVE MUST BE WILLED AND CREATED, AS WELL AS FELT

Love as a Verb:

Love is not just a feeling, but an action that requires commitment
Covey advised a man to "love her" even when feelings were not present
Love is created through serving, sacrificing, listening, empathizing, appreciating, and affirming others
Love is a daily commitment that requires effort and attention

Fantasizing About Love:

Imagining ideal relationships can help reprogram the heart chakra
Allowing feelings to fully permeate the body during fantasy helps nourish and heal
Visualizing supportive and loving relationships at various stages of life can help us grow and develop

Expanding Beyond the Self:

The fourth chakra encourages connection with all life beyond our own ego
Acts of selfless service and altruism can uplift both giver and receiver
Giving unexpected favors to others or even to ourselves can help us expand our sense of love

Maintaining a Balance of Energies:

The heart chakra requires balance between intimacy and autonomy
Neglecting boundaries can lead to unconscious shutting down and withdrawal
Engaging in active acts of love, such as reaching out and taking action, can help maintain a healthy balance of energies.

COME CLOSER, GO AWAY

Exercise: "Come Closer, Go Away"

Sit in front of partner with hands meeting at heart level
Partner pulls hands towards his heart saying "Come closer"
Offer resistance but allow movement
Partner pushes hands back saying "Go away"
Offer resistance but allow movement
Repeat process, switching roles
Discuss how it mirrors relationship dynamics
Who initiates pulling/pushing/resisting?
What effect does it have?
Is it balanced?

Healing the Heart Chakra

Brings acceptance and openness for spirit to find peace
Fourth chakra allows letting go after third chakra's work
Being as opposed to doing is qualitative difference between fourth and third chakras
Healing heart involves attending to vulnerable aspects within
Cannot be forced with manipulation, derision, or command
Love exposes instinctual core and enables evolution
Embraces and heals larger world around us
Relationships further individual and collective soul evolution

Quote by Stephen Levine

"Love is not what we become but who we already are."

CHAKRA FIVE: Throat Chakra

At a Glance:

Element: Sound
Name: Vissudha (purification)
Purpose: Communication and Creativity

Characteristics:

Identity: Self-expression
Orientation: Creative
Demonic Influence: Lies
Developmental Stage: 7 to 12 years
Basic Rights: To speak and be heard

Balanced Characteristics:

Resonant voice
Good listener
Clear communication
Lives creatively

Traumas and Abuses:

Lies, mixed messages
Verbal abuse, constant yelling
Excessive criticism (blocks creativity)
Secrets (threats for telling)
Authoritarian parents (don’t talk back)
Alcoholic, chemical-dependent family (don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel)

Deficiency:

Fear of speaking
Small, weak voice
Difficulty putting feelings into words
Introversion, shyness
Tone deaf
Poor rhythm

Excess:

Too much talking, talking as a defense
Inability to listen, poor auditory comprehension
Gossiping
Dominating voice, interruptions

Physical Malfunctions:

Disorders of the throat, ears, voice, neck
Tightness of the jaw
Toxicity (due to the chakra’s name, which means “purification”)

Healing Practices:

Loosen neck and shoulders
Release voice
Singing, chanting, toning
Storytelling
Journal writing
Automatic writing
Practice silence (excess)
Non-goal-oriented creativity
Psychotherapy
Learn communication skills
Complete communications
Letter writing
Inner child communication
Voice dialog

Affirmations:

I hear and speak the truth.
I express myself with clear intent.
Creativity flows in and through me.
My voice is necessary.

Additional Points:

Vibration and Sound Pollution: Our modern world bombards us with dissonance, impacting our body and nervous system.
Mass Communication: Modern communication technologies give us faster access to more information than ever before but can also make it hard for us to hear our own unique vibration and express our truth.

Quote: "If it is true that you are what you eat, it may just as accurately be said that you are what you listen to." - Steven Halpern

THE SUBTLE WORLD OF VIBRATIONS

Sounds identified as vocables from the cosmic drum of Shiva
Paradigm of creation and its dissolution is reabsorption into source
Enter etheric level of throat chakra
Realm of vibrations, sound, communication, and creativity

Throat Chakra (Fifth Chakra)

Transition from balanced middle ground of heart chakra
Focus on upper chakras for liberation and manifestation
Breaking free from gravity and structure
Abstract yet broader in scope
Concerned with vibrations as subtle, rhythmic pulsations

Symbols and the Upper Chakras

Symbols root in depths of soul
Language skims surface of understanding
Words make infinite finite and carry mind beyond becoming
Upper chakras represent symbolic world of mind
Words, images, and thoughts are symbolic reflections of manifested plane
Each word, image, and thought is a packet of meaning
Symbols can be shared to enhance consciousness
Resonate with symbols for deeper understanding.

Resonance and Vibration:

All life is rhythmic and resonating system
Each waveform has a frequency that describes how frequently waves rise and fall
Resonance is a state of synchronization among vibrational patterns
When two or more sounds from different sources vibrate at the same frequency, they resonate together
Rhythmic entrainment of various frequencies forms a coherent central vibration

Principles of Vibration and Resonance:

Waves oscillate back and forth at the same rhythm when in resonance
Waves add height and lock into phase with each other
Oscillating waveforms tend to stabilize when they enter into resonance
Resonant frequencies bond together (rhythm entrainment or sympathetic vibration)

Experiencing Resonance:

Immersed in a field of resonance when listening to music or being in love
Rhythmic movements stay in phase with music and becomes difficult to move out of phase
Feeling pleasure, expansiveness, and rhythmic connection with the pulse of life
Experiencing deep resonance during sleep, when heart rate, breathing, and brain waves settle into a deep, rhythmic entrainment

Resonance in the Body:

The body is made of emptiness and rhythm at its ultimate heart
Needs both flexibility and tension to sound a note and resonate with different frequencies
Opening to resonance requires grounding and an openness of breath for softness and flexibility

Implications of Resonance:

When we can't resonate with the world around us, we become isolated and ill
Sleep puts us back in harmony with our own resonance and helps us rejuvenate from distracting vibrations.

THE ETHERIC BODY

Level of fifth chakra where attention moves from physical plane into subtler etheric fields
Commonly known as aura, generated by internal processes including digestion, neuron firing, emotional state, and outer activities
Our life force is a stream of pulsating energy
When not fragmented, pulsation moves freely through body and out into world
Creates resonant etheric field around body for coherent connections with outside world

Interactions and Resonance:

Etheric fields engage during interactions with others
Most rewarding connections occur with resonance between vibrational fields
Subtle resonance deepens feeling of connection
Kirlian photography reveals etheric body's sensitivity to thoughts and emotions

Kirlian Photography:

Allows seeing of etheric field activity
Revealed remarkable things about etheric body
Cut leaf's etheric body remains similar despite physical changes
Human thought changes result in dramatic aura changes

Fifth Chakra and Vibrational Refinement:

Work to refine vibrations in fifth chakra, vissudha, for subtlety
Purification is vibrational refinement through ridding body of toxins, truthful speech, and working lower chakras issues
Prepares entry into even more refined energies of higher chakras.

COMMUNICATION

Essential function of the fifth chakra
Self-expression: a gateway between inner world and outer world
Allows inner self to get out into the world
Counterpart to sensate reception in second chakra
Problems in one chakra often reflected in the other

Throat Chakra as Internal Gateway

Narrowest passage within whole chakra system
Relay system connecting messages from body with brain information
Mind and body connection is crucial
Unconscious becomes conscious through throat chakra
Blockage in throat chakra hinders upward movement of energy
Impedes access to higher self
Mind-body incongruence leads to neck problems

Case Study: Sarah's Neck Issues

Grew up in violent alcoholic family
Required to keep head in order to survive
Head out of alignment with torso, disconnected from body
Communication between mind and body blocked at throat chakra
Only possible to address the issue when able to take action

The Voice as a Manifestation of the Fifth Chakra

Vehicle for mind's manifestations
Living expression of one's basic vibration
Health of fifth chakra indicated by voice quality
Constricted chakra: whiny, whispered, mumbled
Excessive chakra: loud, shrill, interrupting
Signs of healthy fifth chakra: resonant and rhythmic voice
Balanced conversation with others

Connection Between Voice and Other Chakras

Contracted body (chakra one): restricts the voice
Lack of feeling (chakra two): makes voice seem mechanical
Too little will (chakra three): sounds pinched and whiny
Third chakra excess: dominating voice
Breath (chakra four) required for full voice
Unopen consciousness (chakras six and seven): repetitive and dull
Frozen in the past: voice does not seem present

Inner Dialogue and Integration

Many voices within us
Inner dialog between various parts of self
Honors and integrates each voice through individuation process
Brings all voices together as a whole

Expression and Individuation

Freedom to express ourselves essential for individuation
Blockage in fifth chakra: excessively introverted, unable to express or take in new information
Severe block negatively affects the whole system.

TRUTH AND LIES

Individuality and Truth:

Expressing individuality equals expressing truth
A nonindividuated person may not speak their truth
Fearful or ego-weak individuals may deny their authenticity
Lower chakras' health impacts ability to live in truth

Lower Chakras and Self-Acceptance:

Fourth chakra brings self-acceptance
Acceptance creates container for personal truths to emerge
Strong ego and will necessary to express truth despite opposition

Contradictions and Truth:

Living with inner conflicts requires acknowledging conflicting truths
Resolution comes from accepting all pieces as true
Negative experiences can lead to denial of truth

Lies and the Fifth Chakra:

Lies form the demon of the fifth chakra
Lies told with words, actions, or body language
Living a lie arrests personal progression

Creativity and Truth:

Living in truth allows resonance with others
Creativity is a consciously willed process at the fifth chakra
Communication is creative expression of all within us
Creativity as a pure expression of self's individuation
Creativity the gateway between past and future.

GROWING THE LOTUS DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE FIFTH CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

Fifth Chakra Development: Age 7 to 12

Tasks:

Self-expression
Symbolic reasoning
Communication skills

Needs and Issues:

Industry vs. inferiority
Creativity
Access to tools for learning and creativity
Exposure to larger world

Developmental Stages:

Allowance of child's streamings to develop leads to individuality and connectedness
Development of communication is less clearly defined
Language development begins in the womb
Child realizes sounds represent things at nine months and starts imitating them
Vocabulary growth and constant talking by age four or five
Understanding of time and reversibility around age seven
Moral behavior with social consequences during this stage

Piaget's Period of Concrete Operations:

Marked by more sophisticated symbolic reasoning
Child can create mental representation of a series of actions
Shift in consciousness away from relationship-dominated fourth chakra towards creative expression and social identity

Erikson's Struggle between Industry and Inferiority:

Child learns to win recognition by producing things
School environment becomes main focus for creative expression
Tools provide means of acting on the world and expanding creative possibilities
Child feels secure enough to speak her truth and experiment creatively
Importance of recognition and ego strength

Creative Identity:

Expansion of mental capacity
Learning to use symbols to reach beyond immediate experience
Absorption of information about the world
Awakening of self-expression
Requires systemic fullness gained in previous stages for natural forward movement of communication and creativity.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

Traumas do not make us emotionally ill, but the inability to express them does. (Alice Miller)
Trauma impacts us with a vibration that we are meant to express.
Restricting expression results in loss of resonance and disconnection from life.
Unexpressed trauma is stored in the body as stress.
Blockage in the throat chakra impedes energy flow and expression.

Impact of Trauma:

Unacknowledged vibrations from external sources can cause stress.
Strong negative impacts or intolerable situations that cannot be expressed lead to frozen trauma at the core.
Hiding and blocking emotions is a form of protection against exposure, harm, or ridicule.

Reasons for Blocking Expression:

Shame, fear for safety, or disconnection from the core self can prevent expression.
Physical signs of hiding include tightened neck and shoulders, misaligned head, talking about anything except the real issue, stuffing food, and inertia.

Consequences of Blocked Expression:

Hiding keeps us in isolation and prevents intimacy and evolution.
Long-term blockages make it harder to open up and express ourselves.
Breaking silence requires overcoming habits and demons from the lower chakras.

Fear:

Biological instinct to keep quiet in danger
Instinctually hold breath and voice freezes
Throat chakra closes down due to fear and physiological response
Living in fear of exposing oneself
Silence instilled by external threats
Internalization of shame and guilt

Effects of Fear:

Cannot speak even if wanted to
Racing thoughts, mind unable to think clearly
Throat constricts and chokes on words
Critic internalized as vicious guardian

Causes of Fear:

Childhood experiences of abuse or humiliation
Inability to express what was done to them
Instilled silence through fear of consequences

Guilt and Shame:

Desire to hide oneself due to perceived flaws
Internalized criticism and self-criticism
Critic protects vulnerable self from outer threats

Effects of Guilt and Shame:

Critic becomes overzealous and unrealistic
Self-fulfilling prophecies of inadequacy
Fear and awkwardness when expressing oneself
Monologue instead of dialogue

Challenging the Critic:

Getting a second opinion to challenge critic
Allowing voice of child to emerge and combat critic
Facilitating dialog instead of monologue

Secrets:

All action is communication, keeping secrets requires constant vigilance over what we say and express non-verbally
Children who are forced to keep secrets may experience:
- Sexual abuse survivors: fear, terror, suicide, internalized silence
- Children with family secrets: guarded expression, difficulty in intimate relationships
Secrets kept from children can impede problem-solving skills and emotional exploration
Sexuality is another common forbidden subject, leading to shame and guilt
Secrets block the flow of energy through the fifth chakra, perpetuating negative patterns

Effects of Secrets:

Ignorance: secrets prevent new information from being gained
Emotional suppression: unable to express or acknowledge true feelings
Physical symptoms: terror, shame, guilt, addiction, compulsive behavior
Difficulties in relationships: intimacy, trust, communication

Lies and Mixed Messages:

Lies create dissonance within the self
Being told to feel differently than we do: lies to ourselves and others
Experiencing love but being abused, neglected or shamed: lies about love
Asking for apologies or gratitude for unwanted situations: lies about feelings and experiences
Living a lie: unable to express true emotions and reactions.

Case Study: Daniel's Experience

Victim of his father's rage
Forced to endure punishment without reacting
Denied honest reaction to abuse: lived a lie
Inner critic guards fifth chakra, regulates speech
Resulting in vicious self-criticism and difficulty expressing emotions.

YELLING AND SCREAMING

Children learn by imitation, including language use and communication skills
Hostile home atmosphere (yelling, screaming, arguing) can negatively impact communication development
Unpleasant environment may lead to shutting down aural functions and inner counter-dialogue
Later in life, difficulty listening to others, entertaining new ideas, and being open to hearing truth

Authoritarianism:

Rigid rules without room for discussion limit child's ability to learn communication skills
Lack of a safe space for children to express their truth may lead to feelings of devaluation
Inability to listen impairs clear communication

Neglect:

Lack of conversation and questioning from caregivers hinders communication development
Children need caring adults to talk with, learn reasoning skills, question, think, trust, and share ideas
Neglected children may struggle with poor communication skills and keeping secrets in adulthood.

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE CHALLENGER-DEFENDER

Stella was a powerful and beautiful woman with a seductive smile and compelling eyes
She worked as a model, singer, and had aspirations of acting
Prone to short-lived, frustrating relationships due to rages and distrust
Created an outer persona of beauty and power, hiding vulnerability and insecurity
Had a strong fifth chakra and excessive will in the third chakra
Open but disconnected second chakra, weak sense of ground
Tended to be highly sexual but lacked emotional commitment
Fragile and lonely underneath

Character Structure Development:

Set by age 6, but discussed in fifth chakra due to energy focus on upper chakras
Result of deprivation between ages 2.5-4 (third chakra development)
Creatives and brilliant communicators who enjoy power
Vulnerability is a problem and efforts are made to avoid it
Strong fifth chakra makes them charismatic and powerful
Broad shoulders, narrow hips, attractive, confident
Physically present but poorly grounded

Characteristics:

Powerful and compassionate defenders of underdogs
Great supporters and nurturers, but can turn into attacking challengers when challenged
Seduction and manipulation may have been used against them as children
May ignore ethics to live by their own rules
Inconsistent parenting leads to lack of trust and weak first chakra
Open emotional center with power in third chakra, conditional love in fourth chakra, capable fifth chakra
High intelligence and piercing perceptiveness in sixth and seventh chakras

Needs:

Recognition and meeting of vulnerable needs
Acceptance of imperfect self instead of powerful image
Learning to direct anger at perpetrators instead of loved ones
Loved ones who accept imperfections and do not leave during attacks.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Excess and Deficiency in Throat Chakra

Excess:
- Rapid or incessant talking
- Controlling conversations and subject matter
- Discharging energy through excessive speech
- Displaced rage expression
- Lengthy descriptions without sharing feelings
Causes:
- Defense mechanism to discharge stress and energy
- Fear avoidance of feelings
- Need for attention and control
Deficiency:
- Difficulty getting words together
- Weak, airy, pinched, or rhythmically erratic voice
- Self-consciousness and shyness
- Fear of humiliation
- Communication restriction within
- Great separation between mind and body
- Difficulty communicating about feelings
Causes:
- Defense mechanism to hide emotions as a result of past interrogations or experiences
- Extreme self-consciousness
Excess: Void of real content, lacks balance, and may inhibit effective listening
Deficiency: Inability to communicate effectively, fear of speaking, and difficulty expressing emotions

Combination of Excessive and Deficient Throat Chakras

Lack of ground can result in both excessive speech and difficulty communicating
Can communicate well in some situations but poorly in others

Balanced Throat Chakra

Good communication skills, effective listening, and ability to accurately communicate emotions
Resonant voice with natural rhythms, appropriate tonality, and volume
Balance between speaking and listening
Graceful body movements and timing
Creative approach to life and expression of individuality
Openness to infinite possibilities and new ways of approaching life

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE FIFTH CHAKRA

A friend offered voice lessons in exchange for bodywork, but discovered she couldn't project her voice fully without crying (Emotional Connection to Voice)
The human body is a living resonator of sound, and releasing bodily tensions essential for freeing the throat chakra
Process of getting in touch with basic pulsating vibration: holding breath, feeling contraction and release, experiencing streaming (Reclamation of Body)
Containing strong urges to move forward can result in poor timing and lack of energy (Proper Timing)

Emotional Connection to Voice:

Emotions are connected to the voice and cannot be hidden while singing or projecting voice
Healing involves letting out sound of grief and anger, as well as talking about feelings and putting them into intellectual context

The Vibrating Body:

Human body is a living resonator of sound, affecting each atom and resonating with sounds we make
Release of bodily tensions necessary to restore natural reflexive and vibratory nature of the body
Process of getting in touch with basic pulsating vibration: holding breath, feeling contraction and release, experiencing streaming

Proper Timing:

Containing energy and expressing ourselves before our truth is fully ripened can result in poor timing and lack of energy
Financial pressure, emotional insecurity, fear, hunger for power, and excessive rule of the mind can push us out of sync with our natural rhythm
Lower chakras becoming strong allows proper timing to occur and dancing to the rhythm of our own personal vibration.

EXERCISE

Move freely around the room with eyes closed
Let movements be instinctual rather than deliberate
Make abstract sounds as you move
Coordinate movement and sound for a vibrational experience

Cleaning Out The Field:

Pay attention to outer vibrations (sound pollution, media, rhythms of daily life)
Identify sources of toxic noise and people
Eliminate or reduce exposure to toxic noise (soundproofing, earplugs, etc.)
Take regular periods of quiet time for self-reflection and consciousness expansion

Importance of Sound Awareness:

Ears remain open constantly
Important to pay attention to outer vibrations and their impact on our consciousness
Eliminating distracting patterns helps deepen communication with ourselves and others

Deep Listening:

Inner listening connects heart and mind
Silence is essential for true communication and self-reflection
Practicing inner listening allows upper and lower chakras to resonate, connecting mind and body

Exercise:

Sit in a quiet place and listen to various sounds around you
Blend all sounds into one general sound
Allow your body to subtly move with the rhythm of the combined sound
Follow where the movement takes you while staying with the overall sound.

TONING

Toning encourages natural expression of sound from the throat, unencumbered by intellectual meaning or aesthetic appeal. It is a spontaneous response to physical or emotional stimuli.

Toning is not forced into specific words, melodies, or sounds
Natural sounds emerge when we are moved physically or emotionally
Embarrassment often leads to stifling these sounds, closing down the throat chakra

Benefits of Toning:

Relieves pain by releasing tension through groans and other sounds
Best done after warming up the body

Warm-up Exercise:

Stand erect and stretch body in all directions
Shake out legs and swing arms to loosen up
Close eyes, take deep breath, and let sound emerge
Find a sustainable note that resonates with you
Sing the note fully, feeling where it originates in your body
Let go of the tone naturally and notice how you feel

Preparation for Toning:

Stand with feet planted firmly on the ground
Close eyes and take deep breath
Open mouth and let sound emerge spontaneously

Toning Technique:

Find a sustainable note that resonates with you
Sing this note fully, reaching for resonance and relaxation
Feel where the sound originates in your body (throat, chest, belly, or head)
Let it come from your whole body at once, integrating disconnected parts
Release the tone naturally and notice how you feel

Post-Toning:

Write or draw in a journal to release creativity
Notice feelings of presence and relaxation.

CHANTING AND USING MANTRAS

Mantra: a state indicative of the presence of divinity, a more sophisticated form of toning
Chanting: rhythmic repetition of a simple phrase or sound lulls consciousness into resonance, bypasses conscious mind, allows for deeper resonance or trance state
Mantras are chants uttered silently in the mind, cleanses and orders the mind, expands individuated consciousness to merge with greater consciousness
Transcendental Meditation (TM): a meditation technique where one mentally repeats a given mantra to create meditative state and synchronize brain waves

Benefits of Chanting Mantras:

Synchronizes brain waves between various lobes of the brain
Recalibrates basic vibrational essence
Enter quiet and rhythmic state, free from mental garbage
Releases "liquid nectar" in the pineal gland, contributing to altered consciousness
Resonates with specific chakras (seed sounds and vowel sounds listed)

Chanting Techniques:

Silently chant mantra given by teacher or create own mantra
Each chakra has a specific mantra sound (seed sound and vowel sound listed)
Experiment with both seed sounds and vowel sounds to find what works best
Sit or stand comfortably, deep breaths, let sound resonate fully in body for at least 1 minute when alone, longer with a group

Creating Your Own Mantra:

Pick sounds that resonate with one, two, or three chakras needing attention
Put sounds together in a pleasing way
Sit in silent meditation and mentally intone the created sound
Imagine expanding or clearing the chosen chakras (best results with consistent use over time)

COMMUNICATION

Throat Chakra and Communication:

Techniques for toning the chakra help sounds resonate easily through the body
Focus on effective communication with others, which includes understanding their perspective

The Need to be Heard:

Quote from Steven R. Covey: "If you wish to be understood, seek first to understand"
Human need to be heard is profound and validates our truth, individuality, and existence
Inability to be heard can lead to feelings of insanity, doubt, and disconnection from reality
Sometimes more important than finding solutions is acknowledging the other person's feelings

Communication Dynamics:

Example of couples not being able to effectively communicate due to unmet need to be heard
Karen needed George to acknowledge her struggles, even if he couldn't change them
George wanted Karen to understand his own difficulties with his job and absence from home
Neither was able to express or feel heard, leading to a strained connection

Importance of Listening:

Deep listening can lead to healing and improved communication
Simple practice of acknowledging someone's feelings can go a long way toward resolving issues
Understanding the other person's perspective is crucial for effective communication.

ACTIVE LISTENING

Active Listening:

Enables another person to feel heard
Quiet self and focus entire energy on speaker
Nod or say "mmhm" for acknowledgement, no interruptions or comments
Ask if speaker is complete before responding
Repeat what was heard in own words without parroting exact phrases
Co-communicator corrects misunderstandings, clarifying their perspective
Both parties must be satisfied that they have been truly heard before sharing own truth

Communication:

Difficulties can be addressed by recording conversations or writing out feelings
Writing allows for finding one's voice and clarity in communication
Practice active listening during written communication to deepen understanding

David's Experience:

Struggled to communicate effectively with wife due to personality differences
Encouraged to write down unexpressed feelings without censoring them
Read writing aloud for active listening and building trust in own voice
Practice sticking to truth in face of opposition through role-playing

Writing:

A form of communication that transcends time
Allows for finding voice, clarity, and completion
Can be used for unresolved situations with unreachable or unresponsive people

Music:

A cry of the soul and revelation of human emotion
Performances can serve as initiation into the mysteries of the human soul.

Frederick Delius and the Power of Music

Music affects our entire mind-body system
Moves us emotionally, sells products, and unites communities
Combines upper and lower chakra experiences
Can put us in a trance for healing and spiritual growth

Emotional Effects of Music

Affects emotions through the thalamus and limbic system
Can invoke specific emotional states (anger, depression, etc.)

Shamanic Use of Music and Drumming

Works on principle of resonance for healing
Transcends ego and enters broader spiritual state

Science of Music's Impact on the Brain

Thalamic reflex produces foot tapping, body swaying
Surrounded by limbic system, which affects emotions and endocrine system

Indian Philosophies on Sound and Music

Sound is primordial ingredient of creation
Given to Brahma and Saraswati for creation and beginnings
Creator of consciousness that maintains the web of life
Fifth chakra facilitates passage between abstract information and manifested realm
Sound brings us into resonance and harmony on spiritual plane

CHAKRA SIX: Ajna (Third Eye)

Element: Light
Name: To perceive and command
Purpose: Pattern recognition
Issues: Image, Intuition, Imagination, Visualization, Insight, Dreams, Vision
Color: Indigo
Location: Forehead, brow, carotid plexus, third eye
Identity: Archetypal, Self-reflection
Orientation: Inward
Demon: Illusion
Developmental Stage: Adolescence
Developmental Task: Establishment of personal identity. Ability to perceive patterns
Basic Rights: To see
Balanced Characteristics: Intuitive, Perceptive, Imaginative, Good memory, Good dream recall, Able to think symbolically, Able to visualize

Traumas and Abuses:

What you see doesn't go with what you’re told.
Invalidation of intuition and psychic occurrences.
Ugly or frightening environment (war zone, violence)

Deficiency:

Insensitivity.
Poor vision.
Poor memory.
Difficulty seeing future.
Lack of imagination.
Difficulty visualizing.
Denial (can’t see what is going on).
Monopolarized (one true right and only way)

Excess:

Hallucinations.
Delusions.
Obsessions.
Difficulty concentrating.
Nightmares

Physical Malfunctions:

Headaches.
Vision problems.

Healing Practices:

Create visual art.
Visual stimulation.
Meditation.
Psychotherapy.
Coloring and drawing, art therapy.
Working with memory.
Connecting image with feeling.
Dreamwork.
Hypnosis.
Guided visualizations.
Past life regression therapy

Affirmations:

I see all things in clarity.
I am open to the wisdom within.
I can manifest my vision.

Stories of Image Syndrome:

Monica: Lonely and isolated due to distorted self-image.
Stuart: Unable to see beauty beyond narrow image of an acceptable girlfriend.
William: Living a false life based on illusory images.

Quote by Aniela Jaffe: Consciousness fails, the images sink back again into the dark, into nothingness, and everything remains as if unhappened. But if it succeeds in grasping the meaning of the images, a transformation takes place...

Sixth Chakra Issues:

Pattern Recognition.
Archetypes.
Symbols.
Images.
Dreams.
Intuition.
Transcendence.
Vision.
Clairvoyance.
Illusion.

OPENING THE THIRD EYE

Psychic Development and the Third Eye (Sixth Chakra)

Psychic development requires both intention and attraction of symbol (Jung)
Entering brow chakra, looking back with new vision and seeing pattern
- Building a rainbow bridge with colors of chakras
- Intuiting necessary steps to complete the pattern
- Guidance from sight for actions in transformation
Third eye: inner perception, organ of consciousness and creativity
Function: seeing the way, bringing light of consciousness to all

Pattern Recognition

"Eyes are gateways to the soul" (Shakespeare)
Seeing patterns reveals identity and meaning
- Continue looking beyond initial recognition
Game of connect the dots analogy
- Forming incomplete pattern to see whole image
Chakra six's role: assembling information into meaningful patterns
Simultaneously seeing past, present, and future
Recognition can limit or expand possibilities based on interpretation
Finding insight through recognizing patterns within self
- Towards wholeness, clarity, extended consciousness.

Third Eye (Sixth Chakra) Specifics

Gateway to soul
Higher vibration: light
Basic function: seeing and perceiving beyond physical sight
Organ of inner perception: third eye
Witnesses internal screen: memory, fantasy, images, archetypes, intuition, imagination.

ILLUSION

Illusion and Perception

Illusion is a frozen image that disrupts open-minded perception
We see things based on our own perspective rather than reality (Anais Nin: "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are")

Causes of Illusion

Fixation on an image pulls us out of present time and authentic living
Investment of psychic energy keeps illusion in place
Obsession results from the more energy invested, the more deeply attached

Examples of Illusion

Anya: Adopted illusion of "happily ever after" marriage model, investing all energy into husband and family, denying her own needs and hiding husband's abuse
Maria: Obsessed with fear of abandonment, interpreting present situations based on past experiences (father leaving)

Effects of Illusion

Seals energy into illusion, making it difficult to let go
Repetitive cycles prevent true understanding
Illusions can become obsessions or delusions when excessively invested in

Illusion and Chakras

Sixth chakra excess leads to obsession or delusion
Upper chakras spin wildly without grounded connection to first chakra, resulting in no forward movement

ARCHETYPES

Bits of information that reveal the identity of the whole
Images and experiences constellated by a common theme
Cannot be seen directly, but apparent in events of our lives
Influence our life from the unconscious
Can be symbolically represented by archetypal images
Lie in the unconscious and influence us through projections

Archetypes as Instinct:

Psychological goal toward which whole nature of man strives
Composite of all human experience

Archetypal Categories:

Cat: any feline creature
Great Mother: embodies nurturing and self-sacrificing benevolence or the terrible mother: fear of being devoured
Inner anima archetype: a fantasy woman that seduces a man
Hero: quest to achieve something extraordinary

Archetypes and Chakras:

Each chakra associated with an archetype and an element
Chakra system is an archetypal pattern, similar to Jung's archetype of wholeness, the Self

Individuation:

Archetypal process toward self-realization
Involves reclaiming shadow, establishing autonomy, integrating anima and animus, expressing individuality, recognizing archetypal influences, and integrating all elements into greater wholeness

Encountering Archetypes:

Recognizing archetypal significance of symbols brings us into a larger spiritual framework
Understanding the pattern and meaning leads to insight and directed action

Unconscious:

Deposit of all human experience, including archetypes
A living system of reactions and aptitudes that determine individual life in invisible ways
Archetypes carry numinous energy and meaning.

Archetypes: bits of information that reveal the identity of the whole, psychologically representing instinct as a spiritual goal, composites of images and experiences with common themes, shaping our understanding like morphogenetic fields, influencing our lives, cannot be seen directly but are apparent in events.

Archetype as a spiritual goal: C.G. Jung's perspective, archetypes are the precipitate of all human experience, lying in the unconscious and influencing life, releasing their projections is a duty.
Archetypal image: symbolic representation of an archetype, not fully integrated into the ego leads to illusion.
The Hero archetype: quest for extraordinary achievement, William's drive toward success but felt empty and left his soul thirsting for deeper meaning.
Chakras and archetypes: each chakra can be correlated to an archetype, has the archetypal energy of its associated element.
Archetypal pattern: totality of the Self as the central archetype of order in the psyche, formative principle of individuation.

Individuation: archetypal process, common elements comprise the archetypal pattern, mirrors the unfolding of the chakras, reclaiming the shadow, establishing autonomy, integrating anima and animus, expressing individuality, recognizing archetypal influences, integrating all elements into a greater wholeness.

Recognizing archetypal energy: pattern and meaning bring understanding, guide action.
Archetypal identity: gained through recognition of images and symbols in dreams, imagination, art, relationships, or situations.
Journeying to the Underworld: metaphor for dealing with loss, acceptance as an inward journey with a sacred purpose.

Unconscious: deposit of all human experience, living system of reactions and aptitudes that determine life invisibly, archetypes carry psychic charge and meaning.

Archetypes and instincts: forms which the instincts assume, embedded in a larger field, carry numinous energy.

Image as Symbol:

Archetypes are psychic energies that manifest through symbols (Edward Whitmont)
We encounter symbols of archetypes, not the archetypes themselves
Language is made up of sound symbols and visual representations
Symbols are a whole-brain way of communicating about deep archetypal energies
Archetypes become integrated into consciousness through symbols
Pattern recognition leads to emergence of symbols
Archetypes speak to us in an archetypal language through symbols

Symbols and the Unconscious:

Symbols emerge from dreams, fantasies, art, and chance encounters
Dreams link conscious and unconscious mind
Dreams present alternatives to ordinary reality
Dreams unlock the mystery of soul and spirit connection
Dreams reveal hidden feelings and understandings
Dreams bring answers to problems and are spiritual teachers
Scientific discoveries have been made through dreams

Symbols and Archetypes:

Archetypes are non-physical templates for psychic energy
Archetypes become integrated into consciousness through symbols
Symbols represent archetypal energies in the visual realm

Dreams:

Dreams link lower and upper chakras
Dreams reveal hidden aspects of self and connection to universal archetypal world
Dreams present alternatives to ordinary reality
Dreams provide insights, imagination, vision, and understanding
Dreams communicate essential information about health, relationships, growth, etc.
Dreams are a primary experience of transcendent consciousness
Archetypes speak to us through symbols in dreams

Example of Working with Symbols:

Snake skin appearing in life as a symbol of transformation and shedding old skin
Interpreting the symbol based on personal experiences, feelings, and beliefs
Honoring and bringing into life what is represented by the symbol

INTUITION

A leap towards wholeness from fragmentation
Unconscious recognition of pattern, one of four functions in Jungian typology
Passive function related to chakra six
Development enhances psychic abilities and embraces the mystery of the cosmic world
Suppressed in a culture that favors logic over intuition
Requires surrender and openness, not willpower
Reveals underlying wholeness of the psyche in a momentary illumination

Intuition vs. Rational Mind:

Intuition reveals larger wholes on an immediate, experiential level
Rational mind thinks in pieces, poorly suited for grasping cosmic consciousness
Intuition is described as a flash of light in the darkness

Sixth Chakra and Clairvoyance:

Development opens possibilities for clairvoyance or "clear seeing"
Allows perception of nonphysical planes, auras, chakras, past and future events
Develops through conscious surrender to unconscious mind
Learning to focus internal attention on something to illuminate patterns
Allows us to shine the light of awareness on what we wish to see

Intuition in Spiritual Growth:

Helps maintain ground during transformation
Becomes the ground of the transpersonal psyche
Makes unknown territory knowable
Requires trust, practice, and opening to inner feelings, voices, and images.

TRANSCENDENT FUNCTION

Transcendent Function and Chakras:

Transcendence: uniting opposites in oneself, maintaining psychic life in constant flux
Chakra structure: transition from physical to nonphysical realms
Chakras six and seven: realm of transpersonal consciousness, supraconscious or transcendent consciousness
Below chakra three: instinctual flow of unconscious mind
Chakra three: egoic consciousness, sense of separate self
Realm of transpersonal consciousness: beyond ego and instincts, reflects and combines both
Chakras six and seven: mental mirrors of lower and middle realms, respectively
Chakra six: symbolically reflects unconscious, realm of conscious understanding
Chakra seven: central processing unit (CPU), finds meaning in images from lower chakras

Tantric Texts and Nadis:

Depict chakras as figure eight patterns with Ida and Pingala nadis
Ida and Pingala: polar opposites, solar and lunar, masculine and feminine
Meet in chakra six, ground for dualities to meet and transform

Vision:

Outcome of working through sixth chakra
Emergence of personal vision
Expand internal picture into larger worldview
Addressing personal or global issues
Participating in shaping future
Vision uses imagination to create something new
Illusion vs. vision: pictures held in mind, but illusion binds energy and holds back progress
Vision leads forward, illusions hold back
Essential part of healing process
Changes begin with personal vision
Need an image to steer psychic energy toward new manifestation
Healing of sixth chakra allows for the formation of vision
Liberating from past grips and creating path to future.

GROWING THE LOTUS DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE SIXTH CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

Sixth Chakra Development: The ability to think symbolically and abstractly marks the specific development of the sixth chakra. This period is known as formal operations, which begins around age twelve. At this stage, a child can reason about things they have not experienced and live in the symbolic realm.

Adolescence:

Tasks: Independence, originality
Needs and Issues: Self-reflection, freedom and responsibility, identity vs. role confusion
Symbolic Understanding: Man's need to understand the world and experiences symbolically as well as realistically begins early in childhood and is essential for imaginative creativity.
Pattern Recognition: Developing throughout life, recognition of patterns tells us something about ourselves and the world around us.

Sixth Chakra Development (continued):

Archetypal Hero Worship: Adolescents search for a meaningful personal identity by engaging in hero worship and experimenting with new identities.
Imagination: The adolescent's imagination often clashes with the older generation's lack of imagination.
Persona vs. Identity: While a social persona is formed relatively unconsciously at the fourth chakra stage, personal identity becomes consciously sought during adolescence as part of the search for meaning in life.

Impact on Adolescent Development:

Archetypal Dramas: Archetypal dramas have a significant impact on the creation of identity in adolescents, even if their symbolism is not consciously understood.
Personal Identity: The search for personal meaning and identity during adolescence can lead to experimentation with new roles, ideologies, and cultural icons.
Identity vs. Role Confusion: The dominant concern during adolescence is the search for a meaningful personal identity that resonates with the Self and provides direction for the powerful surge of energy that occurs as physical growth tapers off and sexual energy ripens.

ADULT DEVELOPMENT

Adult Development:

Awakening of symbolic communication and archetypal identity usually occurs after a midlife crisis or in adolescence.
Previously adopted roles no longer satisfy, leading to exploration of new possibilities (Sixth chakra development).
Spiritual awakening brings clarity, insight, and perspective change.
Can occur at any time in life, often preceded by darkness and personal struggles.

Traumas and Abuses:

Visual memory directly linked with somatic experience.
Abuses to any chakra can affect the opening of the sixth chakra.
Repression or dissociation are ways to avoid unpleasant feelings associated with memories.

Case Study: Sandra

Witnessed father's violence towards her mother and repressed the memory, maintaining a false illusion of her father as loving and kind.
Failed to take action when husband became violent, unable to separate love from abuse.
Repressed memory affected her psychically, leading to body sensations, dreams, and visual symptoms (glasses).

Case Study: Tom

Dissociated from childhood memories, unable to understand impact of words and actions on others.
Unacknowledged patterns in relationships led to excessive activation of the sixth chakra, cluttered psyche.

Impact of Environment:

Daily scenes of suffering can close down the sixth chakra and impair physical sight.
Exploring family dynamics around vision problems can reveal underlying illusions.

Illusions in Recovery:

Falsely remembering past as safe and secure might be an illusion of certainty.
Children's intuition can be hindered by denial of family secrets or contradictions.

Shame:

Intense self-scrutiny can paralyze the sixth chakra, making it less available for outward vision.
Shame-based people may shield their eyes from others to prevent negative images from being seen.
Inability to meet another's gaze results in psychological blindness.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

Sixth Chakra Deficiency

Poor intuitive ability
Focus on rational thought process
Psychically insensitive or "head-blind"
Failure to notice subtle nuances of mood, including own intuitions
Difficulty visualizing or imagining things differently
Inability to remember dreams or recall them in waking consciousness
Strong belief in seeing only one true way
Monopolarized state of mind
Refusal to see differences, denial

Effects of Sixth Chakra Deficiency

Undeveloped faculties associated with the sixth chakra
Missing subtle cues and nuances in social situations
Difficulty asking for what we want or noticing when others are hinting for us to leave
Inability to imagine change or visualize alternatives
Repression of unconscious contents, making it difficult to access deeper self
Monopolarized thinking, unable to see other perspectives
Refusal to acknowledge or address denial and unwillingness to take action in life.

Causes of Sixth Chakra Deficiency

Poor memory in general, leading to closure of sixth chakra for protection
Difficulty visualizing or imagining things differently due to repressed memories using up storage capacity
Belief in seeing only one true way and refusal to see differences.

Impact of Sixth Chakra Deficiency on Lower Chakras

If lower chakras have not provided security, person may prefer to stay within the familiar rather than expand into unknown.

Denial

Personal and collective phenomenon
Refusal to acknowledge or address problems or differences, insisting they don't exist
Creates a fantasy world that keeps individuals from taking action in their lives.

Sixth Chakra: Excess

Disconnected image or memory of an event leads to investment of energy in an image
Multiple dissociated images result in excessive condition in the sixth chakra
Elements may manifest as obsessive fantasies, delusions, or hallucinations
Can range from mild neurotic behavior to full-blown psychosis
Appearance of laboring under the burden of too much psychic input
Vision blindness: fixation on image prevents awareness of reality

Causes of Sixth Chakra Excess

Withdrawn energy from lower chakras
Loss of limitation and simplicity in upper chakras
Overidentification with archetypal energies
Poor ego balance
Unresolved past life issues leading to fantasies (may reveal current issues)

Characteristics of Sixth Chakra Excess

Obsession with psychic readings, past readings seen as gospel
Lack of discernment and discrimination
Inability to ground psychic energy
Prone to channeling, risk of receiving inaccurate information
Difficulty concentrating due to intrusive elements and anxiety
Unable to settle the mind or ground psychic energy

Dangers of Sixth Chakra Excess

Impaired ability to discern truth from fantasy
Vastness of astral plane without testing ground of lower chakras
Risk of receiving inaccurate information during psychic activities
Desire to bypass sorting and testing process

Recurrent Nightmares

Result from either excess or deficiency in sixth chakra
Dissociated fragments from unconscious that cannot be integrated into waking life
Compare presence of nightmares with other sixth chakra characteristics to determine state of the chakra

Balanced Sixth Chakra

Intuitive perceptive abilities that enhance functioning
Imagination and creativity
Clear mind, ability to think symbolically
Calm mind, ability to see clearly without personal issues or lower identities in the way.

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE SIXTH CHAKRA

Understanding Mythic Consciousness and the Sixth Chakra:

Proper understanding of mythic consciousness is necessary for psychic and social integration.
In our culture, most people lack development in the sixth chakra due to lack of teaching in intuition, symbolic thinking, and belief in psychic awareness.
Development of the sixth chakra requires overcoming bias and disbelief, focus, practice, and discipline.
Healing at any level brings clarity to the larger picture.
Lack of connection with earth and body hinders effective opening of upper chakras.
Partially awakened upper chakras hinder integration of the Self and resolution of contradictions between perception and experience.

Developing the Sixth Chakra:

Begin development through dreamwork.
Dreams teach us to think symbolically, see what is hidden, and access archetypal realm.
Guidelines for dreamwork:
- Make an affirmation to remember dreams before sleep.
- Review day in reverse before sleeping.
- Do not move when waking until reviewing the dream completely.
- Keep writing implements by bed and write down fragments of dreams.
- Recall usually improves with attention paid to dreams.
Supplements like vitamin B or melatonin may increase dream activity and recall, while marijuana and alcohol suppress it.

Benefits of Developing the Sixth Chakra:

Improved perception and integration.
Fluid and dynamic flow of psyche through chakra system.
Resolution of contradictions between perception and experience.

FURTHER SUGGESTIONS

Dream Journaling and Analysis:

Write dreams in present tense with detailed descriptions, including feelings and senses
Each person, animal, or thing represents an aspect of self
Examine dream ego's state and intentions
Engage in dialog between dream elements
Share dreams with others for deeper understanding

Archetypal Understanding:

Expand into archetypal identity through mythological knowledge
Myths reveal the dance of archetypes on collective consciousness
Knowledge of myths stimulates imagination and spiritual growth
Essential for bridging internal and external during universal consciousness step

Visual Art as a Tool:

Use art to tap unconscious, stimulate visual thinking, and have fun
Draw chakras for self-exploration and understanding
Create collages as an alternative to traditional drawing for emotional expression and growth.

Additional Suggestions:

Nonartists can create art through various methods
Meditative state helps in creating art and exploring emotions
Art is a valuable tool for communication with deepest self and spirit world.

MANDALAS

Jung and Mandalas

Jung described mandalas as symbols reflecting wholeness
Geometric designs emanating from a center, created with compass and ruler
Can create one for each chakra for meditation

Visualization

Involves imagining or remembering non-physically present elements
Similar to psychic seeing, but with different subjects
Developing visualization skills can help with psychic abilities
Simple exercise: imagine a glass of water with various properties

Creative Visualization

Using imagination to manifest desires
Can embellish memories and dreams by asking detailed questions
Use symbols like a house or rose for deeper exploration
Lie down, relax, and engage fully with the visualization
Affirm trust in manifestation and let go when finished

Guided Visualizations and Trance Journeys

Tapes or friends can guide journeys through archetypal realms
Allow yourself to fully experience the journey and its teachings
Can create own trance journeys with a theme and altered state techniques.

DEVELOPING INTUITION

Developing Intuition:

Connecting to the higher power of the universe through intuition (Shakti Gawain)
Intuition is always available but needs validation and trust (Gawain, Clarissa Pinkola Estes)
Validate intuition by listening deeply and entering a state of openness
Beliefs about intuition's power and past experiences can impact trust in it
Create symbols or imaginary guides to help access intuition (Estes)

Intuition:

Passive, largely unconscious experience
Cannot be forced but requires trust and deep listening
Belief in its viability is important
Validate hunches and follow in the right direction
Trust in oneself and surroundings essential for effective intuition

Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Story:

Metaphor for intuition as a turbulent gut feeling
Imaginary symbols can help access intuition (dolls)
Visualize and ask questions to receive answers from within

Clairvoyance:

Clear seeing beyond physical reality (French term)
Clears illusions and sees energies flowing around objects, people
Can be developed by anyone
Developed through meditation, visualization, and following intuition

Developing Clairvoyance:

Combination of exercises: meditation, visualization, trusting intuition
Read each other's chakras in pairs to practice clairvoyance
Ask questions and report impressions back to partner (may not be visual)
Validation of abilities helps build confidence and strengthen "vision" muscle.

VISION QUEST

A spiritual practice involving a solo rite of purification and seeking guidance from the natural world. It is a deep embracing of Self, typically including three phases: separation, quest, and return.

Separation: Leaving the known world behind to psychologically sever oneself from mundane concerns. This usually involves traveling to a wilderness area with minimal equipment and abstaining from food during the heart of the quest.
Quest: Entering a sacred dimension outside time and space, opening fully to spirit. During this phase, one may encounter psychological demons, animal spirits, or have powerful dreams, and there may be an experience of ego death followed by psychological rebirth.
Return: Sharing the vision and wisdom gained with a group or friend upon returning from the solo time. The group or friend can help facilitate the transition back to civilization.

Light and Malillumination:

Humans need exposure to full-spectrum sunlight for optimal health, but artificial lighting and indoor lifestyles decrease our exposure.
Jacob Liberman's book "Light: Medicine of the Future" discusses the importance of natural light and the negative effects of malillumination, including depression, fatigue, stress hormones, cholesterol levels, hyperactivity, learning disorders, visual difficulties, nutritional problems, tooth decay, and seasonal affective disorder.
Light enters the body through the eyes and affects the hypothalamus, pineal gland, and endocrine system, regulating vital functions and coordinating the body with the environment.

Meditation: A practice that improves focus and concentration and is an important element in psychic development. It calms the mind, making it easier to open inner sight and perceive patterns beyond ordinary awareness.

The Self contains our past, present, and future life, and ascending to the sixth chakra opens us to transcendent realms, profound insight, and a larger system of being.
Chakra six expands consciousness through imagination and creativity, preparing us for the final passage on the Rainbow Bridge and understanding the dance of divinity and consciousness in the next chakra.

CHAKRA SEVEN

Seventh Chakra: Opening to the Mystery of Heaven

Seventh Chakra at a Glance

Element: Thought
Name: Sahasrara (thousandfold)
Purpose: Understanding
Issues: Transcendence, Immanence, Belief systems, Higher Power, Divinity, Union, Vision

Characteristics

Color: Violet
Location: Cerebral cortex
Identity: Universal
Orientation: Self-knowledge
Developmental Stage: Early adulthood and after
Developmental Task: Assimilation of knowledge. Development of wisdom
Basic Rights: To know and to learn
Balanced Characteristics: Ability to perceive, analyze, and assimilate information. Intelligent, thoughtful, aware. Open-minded, able to question. Spiritually connected. Wisdom and mastery, broad understanding

Traumas and Abuses

Withheld information
Education that thwarts curiosity
Forced religiosity
Invalidation of one’s beliefs
Blind obedience (no right to question or think for oneself)
Misinformation, lies
Spiritual abuse

Deficiency

Spiritual cynicism
Learning difficulties
Rigid belief systems
Apathy
Excess in lower chakras—materialism, greed, domination of others

Excess

Overintellectualization
Spiritual addiction
Confusion
Dissociation from body

Physical Malfunctions

Coma
Migraines
Brain tumors
Amnesia
Cognitive delusions

Healing Practices

Reestablish physical, emotional connection (excess)
Reestablish spirit connection (deficiency)
Learning and study
Spiritual discipline
Meditation
Psychotherapy
Examine belief systems
Develop inner witness
Work with higher power

Affirmations

Divinity resides within
I am open to new ideas
Information I need comes to me
The world is my teacher
I am guided by higher power
I am guided by inner wisdom

The Separation of Spirit and Matter

Western civilization beliefs: spirit and matter are separate and distinct
Earth treated as an inanimate object
Science examines the world rationally, avoiding spiritual issues
Corporations focus on economic prowess with disregard for spiritual well-being and environment
People prioritizing spirituality considered fringe members of society

Merging with Divine Consciousness

Need to disconnect from illusions and attachments between ourselves and the divine
Ultimate source of soul wounds: stripping ordinary existence of its spiritual meaning, leaving people without purpose or direction
Seventh chakra is about merging with divine consciousness and realizing our true nature
The Rainbow Bridge: connection between individual self and universal creation
Purpose: contact the divine and manifest divinity in bodies and actions to transform the world
Need to retain a home for the spirit to return, avoiding getting lost in the infinite.

CONSCIOUSNESS

The final frontier and key to understanding existence
Allows us to perceive our own existence and the world around us
Act of individual consciousness reflecting on its own immensity is the mystery of the crown chakra
Realization that consciousness flows through all life forms and exists within our own consciousness is enlightenment

Characteristics of Consciousness

More than just thoughts or perceptions
Involves faculties such as memory, discrimination, and integration
A mystery that can only be experienced, not explained

Mystery of the Crown Chakra

Witnessing one's own consciousness is a miracle
Human mind's ability to decipher language, learn, and create is miraculous
Consciousness is described as a unified field in which all existence is embedded
Sentient beings have the capacity to tap into this universal field of intelligence
Expanding awareness through meditation, spiritual practice, altered states of consciousness, study, education, and paying attention

Limitations of Consciousness

Human brain is more sophisticated than any machine we have created
Our ability to access consciousness depends on our apparatus or capacity
A monkey cannot access the same magnitude of consciousness as a human

Expanding Consciousness

Opening the crown chakra involves expanding awareness
Can be achieved through various means such as meditation, spiritual practice, altered states of consciousness, study, education, and paying attention.

DIVING INTO THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Erich Jantsch's three levels of human consciousness: rational, mythical, and evolutionary
Rational system: observing and enacting from the riverbank using scientific methods and empirical means. Essential activities are observation and measurement.
Mythical system: immersing in the river, shifting from observation to experience, identifying with the force of the river and embracing a subject-subject relationship. Archetypal consciousness emerges.
Evolutionary system: merging with the river, transcending the rational system, and entering universal mind. I and thou become we. Realizing that divine consciousness is who the Self really is.

Three System Levels of Human Consciousness by Erich Jantsch:

Rational system:
- Sitting on the riverbank
- Knowledge comes through science and logical, empirical means
- Essential activities: observation and enactment
- I-it relationship: subject to object
Mythical system:
- Immersed in the river
- Shift from observation to experience
- Identify with the river as a force greater than ourselves
- Archetypal consciousness emerges
Evolutionary system:
- Merging with the river
- Transcending the rational system
- I and thou become we
- Universal mind, union with the divine
- Expansion into cosmic consciousness

The Witness:

Consciousness within that silently observes emotions, thoughts, impulses, and attachments
Above and beyond body and experience but silently observes all events
Indestructible spark of divinity and eternal guide
Objective and subjective
Detaches from suffering and teaches us how to swim in the stream when we're flailing about.

Exercises for Embracing the Witness:

Meditate on the present moment and observe the witness inside you.
Practice detaching from your thoughts and emotions while remaining aware of the witness within.
Cultivate self-awareness by observing your own reactions and responses to various situations.
Engage in spiritual practices that help deepen your connection to the witness, such as prayer or meditation.

BELIEF SYSTEMS

The crown chakra can be seen as the operating system in the human psyche, interpreting instructions and deriving meaning from experiences.
Meaning gives purpose to life and influences how we interpret and react to events.
Beliefs are formed based on interpretations of experiences and become the operating system for other chakras.
Our beliefs shape our reality and are influenced by past experiences.
Reprogramming work in the crown chakra involves examining and questioning belief systems.

Formation of Beliefs:

Beliefs are made up of interpretations of experiences, forming a continual feedback system.
Conception is the beginning point of all that we manifest, including our beliefs and concepts.
DNA in biological conception contains "in-form-ation" that organizes tissue into a particular form.
Our beliefs act as ordering principles for information and guide behavior.

Impact of Beliefs on Reality:

The nature of our belief system determines our interpretation of events and influences the way we order our lives.
Different beliefs lead to different interpretations of the same event, which can affect behavior and interactions with others.
Our beliefs shape our reality and are shaped by it in a continual cycle.

Examining Belief Systems:

The awakened crown chakra questions all belief systems, constantly reprogramming and upgrading the operating system of our lives.
It is easier to generate shifts in consciousness than applying insights to changing one's life, but outer changes are impossible without inner awakening.
Reprogramming work in the crown chakra involves examining and challenging limiting beliefs that no longer serve us.

UNIVERSAL IDENTITY

Each identity explored in the text represents a metaphoric layer of clothing that unfolds towards unity and recognition of the one. (C.G. Jung)

First Chakra: Physical Identity

Identification with the body and its needs and abilities, self-preservation.

Second Chakra: Emotional Identity

Transforms physical sensations into value-oriented meaning, sparks desire and motivation, self-gratification.

Third Chakra: Will Identity (Ego Identity)

Birth of the executive element of the Self, separate from unconscious drives, primarily concerned with self-definition.

Fourth Chakra: Social Identity

Expands ego identity to include relationships with others, serves toward service to others, self-acceptance essential for acceptance of others.

Fifth Chakra: Creative Identity

Seeks to make a contribution to the world through art and creativity, self-expression.

Sixth Chakra: Archetypal Identity

Identification with transpersonal, mythic forces that guide our world and lives, self-reflection on divine energies.

Seventh Chakra: Universal Identity

Identification with all of creation, understanding of interconnectedness with the entire web of life, requires consciousness expansion.
Each identity is a belief system and a means of interpretation, influences how we relate to the world and others.
Realizing universal identity requires a foundation of lower identities in place.

ATTACHMENT—DEMON OF THE CROWN CHAKRA

Crown Chakra Demon: Attachment

Inhibits expansion and growth in the crown chakra
Necessary for commitments but denies the fluid state of the universe
Keeps us anchored, unable to move forward
Sources of suffering in Eastern religions
Can learn about attachments through pain and loss

Characteristics of Attachment

Slippery demon: necessary but can become a problem
Renouncing attachment may not be a spiritual act
Can lead to escapism instead of growth
About how we direct psychic energy
Defending against suffering rather than learning from it
Teaches us about ourselves
Empowers underlying needs and beliefs

Effects of Attachment

Fixates energy outside the Self
Distracts us from inner witness
Closes down consciousness
Can lead to ignorance
Similar to addiction: avoidance in reverse

Addressing Attachment

Address underlying factors
Redirect psychic energy to the Self
Question beliefs and their costs/benefits
Expand belief systems
Release through facing or letting go

Examples of Attachment

Yogi abandoning family for enlightenment
Catholic church's attachment to earth-centered cosmology
Father's attachment to son's sinfulness

Impact of Avoidance and Relationships

One person's avoidance becomes another's attachment
Both sides need willingness to release or face issues
Centers involved: third chakra (ego)

Meditation and Consciousness Expansion

Silent mind widens consciousness
Turns towards any point in the universe for knowledge.

HIGHER POWER

Higher Power and Twelve-Step Movement:

Higher power is an essential aspect of the twelve-step movement for addiction and disorder recovery.
Connecting to a higher power involves surrendering attachments, belief systems, habits, and need for control.
Early experiences with higher power come from parents and shape our ability to trust and surrender.
Surrender does not require abandoning lower states but releasing defenses and attachments.

Transcendence and Immanence:

The crown chakra is a gateway to the infinite and to creation.
Transcendence is the goal of moving up through the chakras, offering liberation.
Immanence is the path of manifestation, with the divine existing in everything living and nonliving.
Creation is an expression of the divine that is profound and refined.

Soul vs. Spirit:

The soul gathers spirit, forming an individual's abstract being.
Spirit seeks transcendence and universality, while the soul focuses on manifestation and embodiment.

Embracing the Gods:

We are all elements of the divine but often forget or contract our divinity.
Embracing deity within inspires greater consciousness and responsibility.
Becoming a god/goddess requires commitment to consciousness and attention to every moment.
Mythology embodies archetypal energies, offering infinite manifestations of the divine.

Quotes:

"We are as Gods and might as well become good at it." - Stewart Brand
"Whoever worships another divinity than his self, knowing him not, knows not." - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

GROWING THE LOTUS DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE SEVENTH CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

Age:

Early adulthood and throughout life

Tasks:

Intellectual independence
Spiritual connection
Development of worldview
Education
Ego transcendence
Maturation
Wholeness

Needs and Issues:

Spiritual Freedom:

Desire for deeper understanding and connection to existence
Asking questions about the meaning of life, source, etc.

Intellectual Stimulation:

Expanding horizons
Mastering relationships
Growing towards understanding and wisdom
Continuous learning and upgrading cognitive matrix

Spiritual Practice:

Seeking answers to spiritual questions
Transcending ego in the search for meaning

Seventh Chakra Development:

Builds cognitive structure, belief systems, and understanding of the world
Gradual awakening of consciousness throughout life
Deepening thirst for knowledge and connection in adolescence
Healthy foundation essential for healthy seventh chakra development

Challenges:

Fixation on parents' beliefs
Limited opportunities for learning and information
Lack of encouragement and permission to question
Forcing spirituality upon children

Supporting Seventh Chakra Development:

Stimulating intellect and organizing opportunities for learning
Encouraging questioning and providing discussions or resources to find answers
Modeling the value of learning, thinking, reading, and questioning
Allowing child to make choices, but making broad range available.

TRAUMAS AND ABUSE

Traumas and Abuses:

Abuses to the crown chakra limit focus and concentration.
Withholding information can deprive children of proper mental nourishment and shut down their curiosity.

Withholding Information:

Parents may withhold information from children, believing it's for their own good.
Children are naturally curious and seek knowledge, withholding it can limit their development.
Poor education can also hinder a child's natural hunger for knowledge.

Spiritual Abuse:

Forcing unrealistic purity or spiritual belief systems on children can close the crown chakra and produce shame and fear.
Children should be allowed to explore spirituality at their own pace in a loving and respectful environment.
Exposure to a variety of spiritual options is important for healthy development.

Impact of Trauma:

Untied ancient knowledge can return with slight variations until it's confronted.
Children who experience trauma or abuse may have a harder time opening to spirituality later in life.

Effects of Withholding Information:

Can lead to doubt and shame, making children less likely to ask questions.
Can stunt their intellectual growth and limit their understanding of the world.

Impact of Poor Education:

Fails to stimulate and support a child's natural curiosity and hunger for knowledge.
Makes learning a tedious and boring task instead of a joyous exploration.

Spiritual Abuse Examples:

Forcing children to accompany parents in proselytizing can cause fear, shame, and negative experiences with spirituality.
Insisting on perfection or teaching that they are full of sin can also close the crown chakra.

Importance of Validation:

Validating a child's questions and curiosity can help them understand the world around them.
Allows for healthy intellectual growth and an open crown chakra.

Traumas and abuses to the crown chakra, including withholding information or spiritual abuse, can limit focus and concentration or produce shame and fear, making it harder for individuals to open up to their own personally fulfilling spirituality. Children are naturally curious and need proper mental nourishment through access to knowledge, a loving environment, and validation of their questions. Poor education can also hinder intellectual growth and curiosity, while spiritual abuse can cause negative experiences with spirituality and limit options for healthy exploration.

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY DEFICIENCY

Continuum Philosophy and Intellect

Goal: Make intellect a competent servant instead of an incompetent master
Jean Liedloff: Closed crown chakra prevents realization of transformative energies and consciousness

Crown Chakra and Consciousness

Important for achieving freedom and realizing transformative energies
Patterns of behavior repeat without awareness when crown chakra is closed
Closed chakra may result in being ruled by unconscious

The Know-it-All and Cognitive Closure

Refusal to accept new knowledge and information
Rigid beliefs create cognitive closure
Opposite of infinite knowledge and possibility
Can lead to skepticism and unhappiness
John Bradshaw: Cultic authoritarian religion creates cognitive closure

Need to be Right

Being right supports the ego and closes off new information
Separates individuals from unity and expansion
Question: What gives final authority on what's right?

Failure to Learn

Learning is a process of incorporating change through experience
Difficulties in changing and understanding new information with closed crown chakra
Chronic condition may result in learning difficulties
New information resisted if it erodes belief systems
Question: Are you overly identified with your beliefs?

BELIEF IN LIMITATIONS

Belief in Limitations:

People strongly defend beliefs about what they cannot achieve or change
These beliefs can become self-fulfilling prophecies
Infinite universe has endless possibilities, but we cannot know them all

Spiritual Skepticism:

Disbelief that anything exists beyond the material world
A deficiency of the seventh chakra
Can lead to doubt and hinder trust in a higher power or unknown
A healthy amount of skepticism is necessary for discrimination

Excess in Crown Chakra:

Overinvestment of energy as a defense mechanism
Pulling oneself up into the head to avoid feelings and worldly demands
Can result in confusion, frustration, or dissociation
Schizoid/Creative types often exhibit this pattern

Overintellectualism:

Intellect can harm the soul when possessed
Building on strengths at the cost of other parts (body, emotions, heart)
Creates a safe, fascinating, and ego-inflating world
Can lead to elusiveness and distraction if not grounded in wisdom and understanding

Spiritual Addiction:

Spirituality becomes an escape from lower chakra demands
Vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, or excessive meditation can be addictive
Can result in spiritual growth or arrest depending on application

Feeling Overwhelmed:

Excess energy in the head leading to confusion and dissociation
Too much information without proper organization can be overwhelming
Grounding, meditation, or exercise can help calm or discharge excess energy

Psychosis:

A severe and chronic state of feeling overwhelmed
Reveals an excess in the upper chakras (fifth, sixth, seventh)
Manifestations include voices, hallucinations, or delusional belief systems
Lack of focus and containment due to a breakdown of the operating system's organization.

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE SEVENTH CHAKRA

Awake to reality of spiritual nature by eliminating demons of fear, guilt, shame, grief, lies, illusions, and attachments
Develop capacity for stillness and concentration through meditation
Liberate from habitual patterns of thoughts and experience consciousness as infinite source
Open chakra by developing capacity for stillness and concentration
Healing involves removing demands of outside world, false beliefs, and experiencing personal connection with divine source

Meditation: Technique for Calming, Clarifying, and Energizing the Mind

Train mind to enter subtler states of consciousness
Access deeper, grander state of awareness
Order and clarity brought to mind affects everything else
Numerous techniques available, including:
- Nonspecified, free-flowing movement (Authentic Movement or Rajneesh’s Chaotic Meditation)
- Regulating and watching breath
- Gazing at image, flame, mandala, or symbol
- Uttering mantra, phrase, or affirmation
- Observing witness or following thoughts
- Walking silently and mindfully
- Concentrating on concept or problem (Zen koan)
- Intent listening to sounds or music
- Visualizing moving energy up and/or down body
- Guided visualizations or trance journeys
- Simply relaxing and being receptive
Meditation leads to increased physical health, productivity, creativity, personal satisfaction, and mental silence
Access deeper wisdom and self-knowledge
Quiet mind disengages habitual responses and frees from patterns
Meditation can bring unconscious material into consciousness for processing
Serves both ascending (liberating) and descending (manifestation) currents
Can have profound results, including accessing deeper states of universal consciousness.

Meditation Stages: Concentrative vs Receptive

Yoga Sutras describe three stages in concentrative meditation:
- Ydharana (concentration): focusing awareness on object
- Dhyana (meditation or merging): allowing it to merge with the object
- Samadhi (ecstasy): experiencing state of total absorption and no longer a sense of subject and object
Receptive meditation: opening to flow of thoughts, feelings, or impulses and following wherever it might lead.

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness: essential key to conscious living; fundamental quality in the crown chakra; enables full experience of present moment; requires examining who we are and questioning our perspective; paying attention to subtle flavors and textures of each moment; brings past and future into present consciousness; underlies concept "Waiting Is"

Characteristics of Mindfulness:

Paying Attention: noticing every moment without attachment
Present Moment Awareness: enabling full experience and satisfaction
Connection: being in touch with experiences and emotions
Avoiding Defenses: no dissociation, presumptions, numbness, impatience, fear, or chakra demons

Benefits of Mindfulness:

Open Attention: new possibilities and freedom from unconsciousness
Rich Information: full information equals intelligence, avoids suffering
State of Observation: does not judge, value, negate, or applaud; simply witnesses

Enemies of Mindfulness:

Dissociation: disconnecting from experience
Presumptions: not allowing present moment to unfold uniquely
Numbness: shutting off valuable information and robbing fullness of experience
Impatience: rushing to the future, not realizing richness of present
Fear: cannot fully engage, contracts attention

Quotes:

Mindfulness means paying attention. It involves noticing the subtle flavors and textures of each moment and appreciating their many interwoven levels of meaning without getting attached to any particular one.

We keep [the past and future] consciously in sight as ways to enhance the meaning of the present.

In waiting, we are not putting our attention on the future, but experiencing the perfection of the unfolding present.

When we commit ourselves to paying attention in an open way, without falling prey to our own likes and dislikes, opinions and prejudices, projections and expectations, new possibilities open up and we have a chance to free ourselves from the straightjacket of unconsciousness.

EXERCISE TO DISCOVER THE WITNESS

Exercise to Discover the Witness

Methods: Meditation or conversation with another
Purpose: Recognize the reality of essential self beneath normal vantage point

Meditation Method

Choose emotionally charged scene, story, or situation
Watch drama from witness's perspective
Observe reactions and write down observations in a journal as if describing a third person
Repeat process with each charged part of the scene
Switch to first person to meet the witness and write its observations and insights about self
Remember, witness is not a judge
Witness may observe multiple layers until objective core Self is reached
Core Self has wisdom

With Another

Share troubling scene, story, or situation with a friend or therapist in first person
Friend acknowledges but does not interrupt
Retell the story in third person from witness's perspective
Friend may ask witness for further observations or insights about self.

HIGHER SELF

Concept of connecting with a higher power for guidance and insight
Can be defined in various ways: communing with divine intelligence, God or Goddess, disembodied masters, or an unconscious aspect of our own mind
Important to receive information for healing and guidance towards wholeness

Communing with the Higher Self:

Climbing metaphor for gaining perspective on difficult situations
Archetype that allows us to receive valuable information
Exercise for guidance: talking to a concept of deity (God or Goddess) for insight

Exercise for Guidance from the Higher Self:

Create mental image of deity
Phrase concern as a question and describe it to a friend
Switch roles with friend, ask the question as the deity and answer as the deity would
If alone, play both parts and write or record answers

Talking to God or Goddess:

Create mental image of deity, does not matter what it looks like as long as it carries wisdom and compassion
Phrase concern as a mature question, rather than petty questions
Describe the image and question to a friend
Change places, ask question as the deity and answer as the deity would

Alone:

Can also do exercise alone, play both parts and write or record answers
Image concept of God or Goddess
Write question on paper
Take on the God or Goddess form and read the question
Answer as the deity would, remember or record answer
Do journal writing on insights received.

NONATTACHMENT

Practice to reduce suffering and become mindful
Difficulty detaching when deeply attached
Avoidance increases attachment

Journal Exercise to Loosen Attachment:

*Close eyes and drop into body- *
*Identify object of attachment and associated pain- *
*Observe feelings with witness consciousness- *
*Write down attachment details: person, qualities, benefits, parts of self affected- *
*Identify attached stories and assess accuracy- *
*List what attachment is costing (energy, time, health, etc.)- *
*Find reason for separation (higher wisdom, old wounds, compassion, etc.)
*Meditation: soak in feelings, make clear separation, call in positive energy sources, fill emptiness with new activities or practices

Nonattachment Journal Exercise: (Can be used for avoidance as well)

Identify object of avoidance and associated fear
Observe feelings with witness consciousness
Write down details: person, situation, benefits of avoidance, parts of self affected
Identify avoided stories and assess accuracy
List what avoidance is costing (energy, time, relationships, etc.)
Find reason for separation (growth, new opportunities, healing, etc.)
Meditation: soak in feelings, make clear separation, call in positive energy sources, fill emptiness with new activities or practices

TRANSCENDING THE LOWER EGOS

Transcending the Lower Egos: a meditation exercise to open the crown chakra and drop sheaths of identity associated with lower chakras.

Step One: Let go of anything that is not your body:

Sit comfortably and focus on your body.
Feel its length, width, edges, and boundaries.
Embrace the resident dweller inside your body.
Ask the resident to join you on a journey.

Step Two: Allow yourself to feel emotions:

Notice all emotions experienced.
Separate yourself from them.
Choose not to go on emotional rides if desired.

Step Three: Observe your actions and reactions:

See yourself in actions.
Recognize the ego's attachment.
Understand actions as choices.

Step Four: See yourself interacting with others:

Observe how they see you.
Understand the role you play.
Realize the puppet master behind the persona.

Step Five: Acknowledge your creations:

Recognize the I that created them.
Leave them behind and prepare to move on.

Step Six: Observe archetypal energies:

Understand cultural influences.
See yourself as part of an archetypal urge.
Realize there is a presence separate from archetypal energy.

Step Seven: Expand beyond identification:

Feel the connection with all creation.
Embrace your ultimate reality as divine intelligence or pure awareness.

EXAMINING OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS

Examining Belief Systems:

Expanding consciousness leads to growing belief systems.
Limiting beliefs hinder growth (e.g., "I can't do it," "It's impossible").
Anything is possible, and belief systems originate from experiences and influences.

Exploring the Origin of Beliefs:

Trace beliefs back to their source by asking: When did I first get this idea? Where did those thoughts come from?
Identify outer influences (parents, peers, literature, loved ones).
Reach core experience and ask: Is this a belief I constructed?
Consider the beliefs that influenced previous experiences.

The Role of Consciousness and Information:

Consciousness brings us information to conduct our lives.
Each chakra has unique needs for growth (e.g., first chakra needs food and touch).
The seventh chakra feeds on information.

Importance of Continuous Learning:

Life force and evolution aim to become smarter and obtain more information.
Nourish the seventh chakra by feeding ourselves with new knowledge.
Choose subjects that interest us for learning, including self-exploration.
Gain knowledge of the world around us and within us for self-mastery.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

C.G. Jung's perspective on psychic wholeness: energy withdrawal from external deities to psyche
Origin of the word religion: reconnecting with spirit, soul, and eternal aspects of life
Religion as a psychic structure for connecting with the world
Seven lotus metaphor: religion is one of many petals, impacts crown chakra
Drives towards religion: security (root chakra), emotional fulfillment (sacral chakra), power, community, creative expression (solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye)
Spiritual growth vs. religious obstacles: denial of feelings, avoidance, control, righteousness
Adapting religion as a defense
Religion's benefits: structure, practice, community, support, grounding practices (meditation, choir, rituals, puja, yoga, service)
Importance of religion with a practice vs. just ideas and concepts.

CONCLUSION

Restoration of the Sacred THE MANY SHADES OF THE RAINBOW

Trauma and Difficulties:

Obstacles we encounter in life, including childhood traumas and cultural blind spots
Shut down our evolutionary process

The Archetype of the Self:

Contains the program to become whole
Each time we work through a past trauma, we reclaim a piece of our body's reality and temple

Reclamation and Restoration:

Breaking down barriers to love and divine nature
Recognition of what already is (Enlightenment or awakening)
Unfolding petals of chakras, bringing deeper meaning and richer life experiences

The Journey Continues:

Not about reaching a destination but being conscious throughout the journey
Bring depth and wisdom to every level
Uncovering obstacles is not the end, it's the beginning of another voyage in consciousness

The Return Trip:

Psychic realization or discovery of the soul is just the start
Another voyage made in consciousness instead of ignorance
World still needs wisdom and guidance, even with enlightenment or awakening.

Sri Aurobindo's Teachings on Chakras: The Descent of Consciousness

Journey from top to bottom in consciousness development
Access to upper chakras is unconscious; we don't live there yet
As we grow, we encounter energy coming down from the top
Upper chakra energies filter down, but we don't operate from those levels fully
In the journey downward:
- Instead of basing decisions on feelings, use principles
- Devise strategies instead of repeating impulsive patterns
- Create who we are instead of discovering who we are
Energy coming up from the ground is dynamic and expansive
Energy coming down from the top is systematic and calm
Chakras once fully realized:
- Crown chakra: state of being, consciousness is an experience, not a thing
- Illumination brings inspiration to creativity
- Understanding necessary for compassion in heart chakra
- Power becomes directed transformation with intelligence
Emotions and sexuality deepen and broaden understanding
Consciousness makes the body fully alive, and body gives consciousness a place to live

Ideas on Enlightenment:

Enlightenment comes in pieces, it happens a little bit every day
We gain wisdom from insights, feelings, relationships, successes/failures
Change ourselves, change the world (we're a complete, indivisible system)

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Assessing Chakra Balance

Divide a piece of paper into four columns: Issues, Strengths, Excess, and Deficiency
Go through the chakra lists in the book and write down applicable words for each column
Have a friend assess you and compare results
Use strengths to address weaker areas
Consider journaling and healing activities

Top-Down Approach

Use excessive energy to build up deficient energy
Excess in 6th chakra: visualize a healthy body or better relationship
Strong communicators: use skills to increase sense of power, improve relationships
Highly disciplined: use discipline for physical exercises, meditative practices

Five Basic Character Structures

Each person's energy distribution through chakras is unique
Five basic structures: Overcontroller, Controller, Avoider, Compulsive, and Pleaser

Four Basic Patterns of Unbalanced Energy Distribution

Top-down: excess moves down to deficiency
- Excess in higher chakras, deficiency in lower ones
Bottom-up: deficiency moves up to excess
- Deficient in lower chakras, excessive in upper ones
Inside-out: deficiency moves from core outward
- Low self-esteem, poor boundaries, fear of intimacy
Outside-in: excess moves from external environment inward
- Overstimulation, addiction, dependency on others

General Principles

Use assessment to understand energy patterns
Use strengths to address weaknesses
Energy follows attention

TOP-DOWN SYSTEMS

Characteristics: live primarily in their heads, excessive upper chakras, deficient lower ones, thinking-intuitive types, ponder before acting, often intellectual or analytical jobs
Growth and balance: comes from moving energy downward and connecting with the body
Suffer from early childhood difficulties that led to disconnection from the body
Tend to be complex and intelligent
Natural tendency is to move energy upward
Examples: Schizoid/Creative individuals, teachers, counselors, writers

Bottom-Up Systems:

Characteristics: energetically bottom-heavy, ruled by emotions and instincts, prefer repetitive patterns, simple expectations, satisfied with routines, oriented towards self-preservation and self-gratification
Growth and balance: comes from moving energy upward
Enjoy physical activity, keeping nose to the grindstone, predictable and reliable
Ruled by unconscious, often follow impulses and path of least resistance
May result from strict parenting that curtails natural expansiveness and punishes creative behavior
Examples: sports jocks, laborers, outdoorsmen, empty-headed ingenue, classic housewives

Commonalities:

Top-down and bottom-up systems refer to chakra systems and energy flow within individuals
Both types have growth and balance achieved through moving energy in opposite directions of their natural tendency
Childhood experiences play a significant role in shaping these energy systems
Both types have stereotypical examples and are not limited to those examples alone.

INSIDE-OUT SYSTEMS

Energetically centered in middle ego centers
Growth comes from extending energy downward to deeper self and upward toward spirit and intellect
Overall balance between upper and lower chakras
Poorly connected to either end
Take bodies for granted and avoid introspection
Middle chakras blocked, energy held in middle of body
Characteristics: Endurer structure, ego- and action-oriented extroverts, socialites, performers, middle managers, bureaucrats
Interested in outside world, politics, business, relationships, performing arts
May have no interest in inner life or spirituality
Common pattern in mainstream American culture

Outside-In Systems:

Energetically disconnected integrative middle
Aware of head and body, neither connected to other
Great chasm of emptiness in the middle, especially at heart
Highly sensitive physically with possible allergies, irritations, or chronic pains
Obsessed with body through dieting or hypochondria
Upper chakras highly developed, intelligent, creative, intuitive
Tend toward introversion
Repressed traumas or wounds to heart
Growth comes from establishing deep relationships and opening up
Can signify serious dissociations
Possible configurations: Oral structure, multiple personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, borderline personality disorders.

BALANCED SYSTEMS

Balanced Systems:

Achieving relative balance through chakras is possible without being an enlightened master
Characteristics of a balanced person:
- Well grounded and in touch with body
- Good health and vitality
- Aware of feelings without being ruled by them
- Sexually content without being driven
- Confident and purposeful (third chakra)
- Compassionate and loving heart
- Clear communication and listening skills
- Imagination, wisdom, and personal connection with spirit (upper chakras)
Achieving balance takes time, patience, dedication, and using strengths to counteract weaknesses

Assessment:

Assessing energy distribution for balance
Profound results from visualizing or moving energy
Starting work from the ground up recommended for ungrounded types

Grounding Exercises:

Establishing boundaries
Sensing blocked energy
Focusing life energy in the present moment
Techniques: body dialog, drawings of the body
Contraindicated if person cannot concentrate on exercises
Alternative methods: conversation, historical material, dreams

Working with Clients:

Following client's pattern of unfolding
Assisting and encouraging where needed
Whole self (body, soul, mind, spirit, chakras) must be kept in mind throughout the process.

KUNDALINI AWAKENING

Kundalini Awakening

A spiritual experience described as the awakening of a dormant energy at the base of the spine in Hindu mythology
Kundalini is represented as a serpent goddess, Shakti, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra
Awakening occurs when the Kundalini energy begins to rise through the body, piercing and opening the chakras
Symptoms may include twitching, intense heat, shaking, emotional instability, hallucinations, and extreme mood swings

Classical Psychology Perspective

Marlena's symptoms could be mistakenly diagnosed as a psychotic break
However, these symptoms can also indicate Kundalini awakening

Causes of Kundalini Awakening

Extended periods of meditation, yoga, fasting, stress, trauma, psychedelic drugs, or near-death experiences
Can be triggered by mundane experiences as well

Experience and Effects

Intense energy undulates in the body as it rises through the chakras
Creates a vertical connection between the chakras by opening subtle channels, particularly the central channel (sushumna)
A healing force with sometimes unpleasant effects that can last for minutes, days, months, or even years

Handling Unpleasant Kundalini Symptoms

Attend to the body: Purify and nourish it by avoiding harmful substances, practicing massage and exercise, and eating well
Reduce stress: Make time for spiritual transformation and find support
Find support: Connect with others who have had similar experiences and seek spiritual companionship
Educate yourself: Learn about Kundalini and the chakras to better understand the experience
Treat underlying psychological issues: Address unresolved emotional baggage to facilitate a smoother journey
Examine your spiritual practices: Adjust or discontinue practices that exacerbate symptoms, and consider beginning new ones if none are in use
Practice grounding: Establish a strong foundation for the Kundalini energy through grounding exercises
Practice yoga: Strengthen the body, purify subtle channels, and awaken chakras to facilitate a smooth passage of Kundalini energy

Shiva—Counterpart to Kundalini-Shakti

Kundalini is the upward current that breaks out of restricted matter and moves toward the infinite
Shiva, her counterpart, represents the source of the downward current
Destroys ignorance, attachment, and illusion to bring realization of the eternal consciousness within
The axis of manifestation developing from the point-limit (bindu), the center of the universe.

Shiva:

Archetype with both light and dark forces
Active principle: Rudra, destroyer and sealer of ignorance
Later aspects: Shiva, lord of sleep, ultimate transcendent deity, representing peace and bliss
Inactive form: corpse, symbolizing forgetfulness
Enlivened by Shakti, causes the dance of Shiva
Primal emanation of life, cosmic parents
Represents pure consciousness and form/order
Tempering force for Kundalini's chaotic energies
Symbolized as Shiva lingam (male symbol of creation)
Brings calm and order to Kundalini's wildness
Can temper the violent ravages of Kundalini

Shakti:

Dynamic feminine principle, moving toward freedom and chaos
Raw, vital energy, needs Shiva for manifestation
Causes Shiva to move into manifestation as the dance (Shiva Nataraja)
In union with Shiva: primordial emanations of life

Cosmic Principles:

Male and female, upper and lower, form and chaos, transcendence and immanence

Invoking Shiva's Energy:

Calls upon the transcendent bliss of the crown chakra
Brings down through body, invokes manifesting current
Synthesizes cosmic principles into a single dynamic essence.

Yogin:

Dwells steadfastly at the junction of emanation and resorption
Returned to primordial oneness, the universal heart.

TANTRA—MEETING AT THE HEART

Tantra: a spiritual practice that involves weaving together opposing energies (Shakti and Shiva) through all chakras, ultimately balancing them in the heart for enlightenment; not about renunciation but embracing life's experiences and expanding consciousness

Literally means "loom" or "to stretch"
Involves weaving together opposites: mortal and divine, male and female, spirit and matter, Heaven and Earth
Balancing Shakti (downward flow) and Shiva (upward flow) in heart results in ultimate balance

Tantra and Sexuality:

Sacred act embodying union of Shiva and Shakti on physical plane
Tantra seeks enlightenment through experiencing life fully, embracing senses and emotions
Transforms acts into creative evolution rather than ceasing action

Chakras:

Heart chakra is central integrating chamber
Bringing feelings to a place of wisdom and understanding at the heart
Realization comes from crown chakra, allowing us to embrace whole
Body is temple where all things come to rest and fruition; need integration for completeness

Union of Shiva and Shakti:

Two triangles symbolize their union in objective universe
Separated triangles represent dissolution: time and space cease to exist

Bringing Ourselves into the Center at the Heart:

Feeling bodies, needs, emotions, and considering effects on others
Embodying wisdom by not blindly accepting beliefs without testing with body's truth
Approaching life with compassion and love
Dwelling in a place of peace and balance

Current State of the World:

Issues centered around power and aggression
Living in shadow of potential nuclear holocaust
Exaltation of individuality and worship of hero's quest
Technology prowess
Call to return from third chakra to fourth: benefit community with individual possibilities

Returning from the Hero's Quest:

Emphasis on bringing home the fruits of individuality and power for community benefit
Limited possibilities as individuals, but unlimited potential as conscious members of larger community
Quest for enlightenment requires returning to world and becoming part of evolutionary system
Love is essential to lift us out of violence, aggression, and coldhearted individualism
Creating connection between Heaven and Earth as conscious, integrated individuals

Rainbow Bridge:

Created by each conscious, integrated individual
Essential piece emphasized at this time for healing the original fabric of wholeness.

TEMPLE FOR THE GODS

Building a Temple for the Divine:

Spirituality is the awakening of divinity in consciousness (Harish Johari)
In Norse mythology, giants built Valhalla as gods' abode but asked for payment - Frejya, goddess of love
Cannot build our temple through external means or by sacrificing love
Need to build a temple within ourselves to access full spectrum of divinity

The Divine:

More than just consciousness
Includes beauty, sound, love, energy, feeling, and form
Accessing these frequencies requires a capable temple within

Chakras as Essential Chambers:

Each chakra represents an essential chamber in the temple of the Self
Houses an aspect of the sacred and is necessary for wholeness
Cleansing, decorating, and restoring each chamber allows access to more divinity

Building a Temple Step by Step:

Build foundation and reclaim life force (develop the seven chakras)
Open to the gods
Bring forth divinity through sacred living
Enhance journey for others by guiding them on their own quests

The Rainbow Bridge as a Sacred Quest:

Crossing bridge is a journey towards self-evolution and humanity's evolution.

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Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

Contents

PREFACE TO THIS EDITION

INTRODUCTION

WHEELS THAT HEAL

THE HUMAN BIOCOMPUTER

LIBERATION AND MANIFESTATION

CHAKRA BLOCKAGE

CHARACTER ARMOR

THE SEVEN RIGHTS

THE SEVEN IDENTITIES

DEMONS OF THE CHAKRAS

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

INTERACTIVE DEVELOPMENT: THE CHAKRA SYSTEM AS A WHOLE

CHAKRA ONE

SHADES OF RED

BASIC ISSUES OF THE FIRST CHAKRA

THE DEMON OF FEAR

GROUNDING

GROWING THE LOTUS

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

ACCIDENTS, SURGERIES, ILLNESSES

Effects of Trauma

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE SCHIZOID: CREATIVE AND INTELLIGENT

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE FIRST CHAKRA

BODY DIALOG

AFFIRM THE PHYSICAL

WORK ON THE FEET

GROUNDING EXERCISE

REGRESSIVE TECHNIQUES

CHAKRA TWO

EMOTIONS

THE SHADOW

SEXUALITY

GROWING THE LOTUS. DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE SECOND CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE ORAL: THE LOVER

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE SECOND CHAKRA

THAWING THE ICE— RESTORING THE FREE FLOW OF MOVEMENT

WORKING THROUGH GUILT

EMOTIONAL WORK: RECLAIMING OUR RIGHT TO FEEL

SEXUAL HEALING—COURTING EROS

CHAKRA THREE

SHADES OF YELLOW

ENERGY AND ACTIVITY

AUTONOMY

INDIVIDUATION

EGO IDENTITY

WILL

SELF-ESTEEM

GROWING THE LOTUS. DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE THIRD CHAKRA AT A GLANCE

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE ENDURER

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE THIRD CHAKRA

OTHER GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR THIRD CHAKRA HEALING

CHAKRA FOUR

UNFOLDING THE PETALS. BASIC ISSUES OF THE FOURTH CHAKRA

SELF-REFLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

ANIMA AND ANIMUS

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

ATTACHMENT AND FREEDOM

EROS AND THANATOS

GRIEF: DEMON OF THE HEART

COMPASSION

GROWING THE LOTUS DEVELOPMENTAL FORMATION OF THE HEART CHAKRA AT A GLANCE AGE

TRAUMAS AND ABUSES

INTERNALIZED RELATIONSHIPS

TWISTED CONCEPTS OF LOVE

CHARACTER STRUCTURE THE RIGID (Achiever)

EXCESS AND DEFICIENCY

RESTORING THE LOTUS HEALING THE HEART CHAKRA