The
Chakras:
A Practical Guide to Personal Growth
An Email Course From Beyond the Rainbow
Revised and Expanded
This is
a sample lesson from the email course on the chakras. Each of
the other seven chakras is covered in much the same way. In
addition, the course contains an introduction, information on
how an imbalance in one chakra affects the others, suggestions
for appropriate breathing while meditating, meditations for
balancing all of the chakras at once, and more. At the conclusion
of the class you will be given instructions and suggestions
for writing an evaluation of your own chakra imbalances and
for making a plan to re-balance them. I will evaluate what you
send me, and make additional suggestions.
Sample Lesson:
The Third Chakra: Will Power
1. I frequently
suffer from digestive disorders: upset stomach, ulcers, etc.
2. I've tried many ways to improve my life, but none of them
have worked.
3. I don't like other people telling me what to do.
4. The things I feel I should do aren't really the things I
want to do.
5. I find it difficult to ask for a raise or promotion at my
job; if my work is good enough I shouldn't have to ask.
6. If someone gives me a compliment I a) act modest, b) say,
"Oh, it was nothing, c) wish they hadn't mentioned it.
7. I have no sense of my purpose in being alive.
8. To be successful in this world you have to be dishonest and
manipulative.
9. Powerful people are usually disliked.
10. Money and spirituality are incompatible.
WHAT THE
STATEMENTS SAY
Statement
1 refers to the correspondence between the third chakra and
the digestive system. As this system assimilates and digests
physical energy, so the third chakra assimilates and digests
psychic/spiritual energy. A third chakra blockage is often expressed
physically.
Statements
2-4 demonstrate what happens when we reject our personal power.
We feel that we can't change our lives; we resist the power
plays of others; we find that it's easier to operate from a
sense of obligation (the power of other people's ideas) than
to do what we want to do.
Statements
5 and 6 point toward confusion between egomania and healthy
self-esteem.
Statement
7 demonstrates that when we're uncomfortable with the idea that
we have individual selves worth nurturing it's difficult to
imagine a purpose for that self.
Statements
8-10 provide more sophisticated arguments against the use of
power. If success means dishonesty and manipulation, if powerful
people are disliked, and money and spirituality are incompatible,
we're better off being powerless.
THE WRONG USE OF WILL
The first
chakra represents personal oneness; its challenge is that of
being in harmony with physical existence and our own physical
bodies. The second chakra expresses, through the energy of personal
desire, both the movement away from oneness towards individuality,
and the desire to regain oneness through the experience of others.
The third
chakra adds the energy of thought to those of body and emotion
to shape our desires into personal power and will.
If we are
uneasy about expressing our desires and our sexuality, we are
even more reluctant to exercise power.
There's
ample evidence in the external world that power can be abused.
The names of Hitler and Mussolini come to mind; more recently,
we have the examples of Watergate, the behavior of the CEOs
of certain huge corporations, and we may have heard about the
ways in which some religious and spiritual leaders have abused
their power.
Countless
examples closer to home, such as the tyranny of our parents,
bosses, lovers and mates, and coercive "friends,"
may convince us that power is a drug like any other. Once tasted,
it becomes an addiction.
Where Nice People Get Stuck
I feel
safe in saying that you who are reading this are trying to live
your life according to spiritual principles you've chosen. I'm
that kind of person, too, and because of that, third chakra
energies continue to challenge me.
It becomes
clear why we get stuck if we substitute the word "ego"
for "power."
Some popular
synonyms for ego are selfishness, self-centeredness, and believing
that one is more important than others. We feel that people
who operate on the level of ego aren't attuned to spirituality.
We believe that they are interested only in what they can get,
not in the common good. We suspect that they don't see themselves
as part of the One.
We don't
like them, and we wouldn't want to be like them. We may believe
that we have to be as unlike them as possible. It's important,
we say, to think of other people first, to not be too proud
of our accomplishments, or in extreme cases, not to think too
much about ourselves at all.
It is true
that people who think only of themselves, who abuse power, who
are coercive with others, and who have little care for the common
good do have unbalanced third chakra energyÑbut so do
people who resist the use of personal power.
Power Failure
In order
to regain conscious direction of third-chakra energy, we need
to establish a new understanding of what power means. In itself
power, like desire, is neither good nor bad. It's simply a neutral
energy, available to be used.
The sun
is a literal image of power in our world. Without it, we would
be cold, hungry, and depressed. We know that the sun doesn't
abuse its powers. It shines on rich and poor alike, and gives
its energy to both flowers and weeds.
Our power
is capable of the same radiance. Yet, just as we need to respect
the energy of the sun and be responsible in our enjoyment of
it, so, if we want to avoid the traps which the use of power
seems to set, we need to understand more about some of its expressions.
MONEY
Louise
Hay once wrote that in her experience most people would rather
talk about sex than about money.
Her remark
indicates what an emotional subject money is for us. It so often
gets tangled up with our beliefs about our self-worth, our deservability,
and our guilt.
We may
think that we aren't good enough at what we do to earn a living
wage. We may feel that money is somehow dirty, something with
which a spiritual person should have no traffic. We may believe
that money, like power, is addictive.
We no longer
live in a society in which goods are bartered. We forget that
that money, like power, is only a form of energy and that the
exchange of money for goods or services, is an energy exchange.
In researching
and discovering your beliefs about money, it is especially valuable
to trace their history. How did your parents feel about money?
Were there arguments? An atmosphere of anxiety when bill payments
were due? Did you get a weekly allowance? Did you work for it?
Did you get your allowance taken away if you didn't do a good
job?
These questions
should get you started.
I mentioned
above that money issues get entangled with those of self-esteem,
and self-esteem is another major issue in third-chakra imbalance.
TIGHTROPE WALKING
go and
power don't necessarily have the same meaning; neither do ego
and self-esteem. This is another area of confusion. Working
with third chakra energies is truly a balancing act.
(Please
note: the issue of self-esteem is intertwined with that of self-love,
an area related to fourth-chakra energies, and will be discussed
further in the next lesson.)
Take the
statement: "If someone gives me a compliment I a) act modest,
b) say, 'Oh, it was nothing,' c) wish they hadn't mentioned
it." In the past, when people praised something I'd written
my tendency was usually a). I had modesty down. I didn't say
"It was nothing" because that would demean the intelligence
of the praiser, and I didn't wish they hadn't mentioned it;
I was thrilled.
Nonetheless,
my modesty was excessive, and I wanted to shed it. Here's where
the balancing act comes in.
I could
have gone to the other extreme and said, "Oh, did you like
it? Yes, this is one of the best pieces I've ever written, and
I'm so proud of myself; I really think I'm a fabulous writer.
Would you like to read a dozen more I've written?" That's
ego run amok.
Instead,
I will say (or write, since a lot of this correspondence goes
on by email) some variant of the following: "Thank you
so much for taking the trouble to write to me. Your remarks
inspire me to keep on writing." This both acknowledges
the compliment and returns it.
Many of
the people who write to me aren't only communicating to tell
me I'm a skillful writer; they thank me for making a difference
in their lives. They might say, "The most recent newsletter
addressed exactly the issue I've been working on," or "I
was feeling depressed today, but now I feel much more hopeful."
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO USE THEIR GIFTS WISELY
Imagine
for a moment that we (and all of life) are the children of a
loving energy which desires only that we realize our full potential.
Other life
forms know this. A crystal shines joyfully; a beautiful flower
has no ego concerns. When we humans realize that our gifts originate
not within our personal beings, but from an inexhaustible source,
when we know that our purpose in expressing them isn't ego gratification,
but the manifestation of our soul's purpose, we can be as free
in our expression as any other creature.
We are
truly blessed when we allow full expression of our gifts in
the spirit of sharing, as each point on a crystal cluster increases
the cluster's radiance.
POWER STONES
Smoothing the Way: Amber
When we're
loving and taking good care of ourselves, we tend not to get
overwhelmed by anger and stress. These emotions (and any negative
emotion), serve the valuable function of telling us we're blocking
our self-esteem and creative powers. Clearing up these emotions
is often a necessary first step to wholeness.
Depression
is a profound state of disconnection from well-being. When we're
depressed, we usually have trouble creating anything but more
depression. On the other hand, even a small increase in cheerfulness
can open the way to more positive emotions. Amber is very helpful
for depression. It's not actually a crystal, but is fossilized
tree resin or sap. Sap, the life-giving element that flows through
a tree, is a wonderful metaphor for spiritual, creative energy.
Holding a piece of amber while meditating and visualizing golden,
cheering, enlightening energy flowing through your being is
a powerful way to release depression.
The Process of Realization: Citrine
In choosing
the crystals for the Beyond the Rainbow chakra kit, we thought
for some time about selecting a stone for each chakra that would
be most broadly useful to those who used it. Our crystal for
the third chakra is citrine.
This crystal
is most directly connected with helping us to channel creative
energy into the realization of our dreams. One of its principal
roles is to assist us in processing our beliefs and habits so
that we can release those that do not serve us.
For example,
a belief such as, "Money slips right out of my hands"
or "People who are prosperous aren't good people"
will send out vibrational messages that we don't expect to receive
abundance or maintain a state of prosperity. Instead, we will
receive matches to what we are transmitting. We may find ourselves
always getting unexpected bills. We may always see evidence
that people who have money aren't good instead of learning about
people who use their money generously.
Citrine
also helps to balance our expression of personal power. Although
gold is a color for the third chakra, it is also an alternate
color for the seventh (crown) chakra, which relates to our sense
of interconnectedness with All That Is. Working with citrine
can help to achieve balance between these chakras, and, hence,
between the personal expression of power and the sense that
one's actions affect all living beings.
From Thought to Physical Reality: Pyrite
Another
stone that helps us create possibility is pyrite. Pyrite, like
calcite and fluorite, is a distinctly geometrically shaped stone.
Fluorite is usually either cubical or an octahedron (double
pyramid), while calcite is a three-dimensional parallelogram
(aka rhomboid).
Generally,
the geometrical crystals are believed to have a relationship
to the mind. Calcite, described below, helps us to integrate
new ideas and beliefs into physical reality. Fluorite helps
to refine and focus these ideas.
Pyrite
clusters have precise cubes scattered randomly on its surface.
These geological qualities also indicate its most valuable properties.
By combining precision and randomness pyrite helps us to blend
our creative and intuitive abilities with the powers of logic
and reason. The kinds of ideas we get with pyrite are both imaginative
and possible to realize in a practical way.
Because
pyrite is a bright, shiny crystal, it has often in the past
been mistaken by inexperienced prospectors for gold; thus, it
is often nicknamed, "fool's gold." Although its glitter
deceived many prospectors, the more experienced miners knew
that where pyrite was found a little more searching could yield
gold. In similar fashion, those who work with pyrite find it
can lead them to treasure.
Changing Reality Perspectives: Golden Calcite
Golden
calcite plays a complementary role to citrine. Once you've used
citrine to help release limiting beliefs that prevent the flow
of creating energy, you are ready to integrate new energies
and beliefs. You may also be ready to integrate the ideas pyrite
has helped you discover, into your practical reality, i.e.,
daily life, relationships, and business. The crystal that most
easily accomplishes this transition is golden calcite.
Like all
calcites, it helps us to view our situations from a different
plane of reality. Generally, it's difficult to imagine how to
integrate new realities from the perspective of what is. For
example, you may have a new idea for increasing your income,
but you find yourself thinking of what hasn't worked in the
past.
Instead,
meditate with a golden calcite. (I find that a sphere is especially
nice for this.) Ask your inner being (a word for the nonphysical
part of yourself that is connected to infinite intelligence)
how to allow this new possibility into physical reality. Since
your inner being shares none of the limitations you may feel
about change, it canÑif you are receptiveÑhelp
to make your view of reality become more flexible and adaptable.
Timing: Tiger's Eye
So far,
I've described amber for helping to clear out negative emotions,
citrine for processing and releasing limiting beliefs and fostering
self-esteem, pyrite for creating new possibilities, and golden
calcite for integrating these possibilities into physical reality.
Two more crystals remain to complete the process: tiger's eye
and rutilated quartz.
In thinking
about the characteristics of tiger's eye, I always imagine the
behavior of a stalking cats. If you are yourself owned by feline
companions, you will be familiar with their pattern of absolute
stillness, a slow, delicate approach, and the speed-of light
pounce. I'm not suggesting you follow this precise pattern in
pursuing the manifesting of your goals. The key is timing.
Cats are
patient beings. Because they aren't burdened with feelings of
inadequacy ("I've got to accomplish this so I can feel
good about myself") or looking good to others, they can
take the time to analyze a situation and choose the best moment
to leap. With the help of tiger's eye, one who has self-confidence,
has chosen an appropriate goal, and has, through the gift of
imagination brought it close to creation, finds that, with appropriate
timing, the realization of one's dreams is almost effortless.
A particularly
nice way to partner with tiger's eye is to hold it and move
it back and forth. In so doing you may come to appreciate this
crystal's message: that the physical plane has been designed
as a playground where our spirits can materialize our dreams
easily and joyfully as a cat changes the appearance of its eyes.
Pounce Power: Rutilated Quartz
Rutilated
quartz, a clear or smoky crystal shot through with small golden
needles of the mineral rutile, blends the personal power of
the third chakra with the infinite spiritual energy of the seventh.
(Clear quartz is connected to the seventh chakra, and because
smoky quartz is the lightest of the dark stones, and because
its energy is so light, is also connected to this chakra.)
Rutile
adds a high-energy dimension, making this an excellent stone
to program for your goals for faster manifestation. It is especially
effective for those who want, through the realization of their
personal dreams, to make a difference in the world. The crown-third
chakra connection helps one to consciously focus on the spiritual
implications of their goals. This connection can be deepened
by placing rutilated quartz at the crown chakra.
ESSENCES
Larch (Bach Flower Remedy)
Like Holly
(for self-love) Larch, which relates to self-esteem, is one
of the more generally applicable of the Bach Flower Remedies.
Although this relates primarily to the third chakra, it's also
connected to the fourth, in that self-esteem and self-love are
linked.
Self-esteem
relates to capabilities, i.e., what you feel you can do, what
level of risk and challenge you can take on, how much confidence
you have in your ability to surmount obstacles. It is a quality
in which most people are lacking.
To some
extent, this lack stems from the unique nature of human infancy
and childhood. We are born relatively helpless and take a relatively
long time to learn how to protect ourselves. Our parents, as
guardians of our safety, feel that they must warn us against
danger, constantly telling what not to do, where not to go.
Thus, many of us may get the impression that anything our parents
hasn't told us is safe, is dangerous, an impression which may
persist into adulthood.
This feeling
(and resultant cautious behavior) may be aggravated when parents,
while consciously believing that they're protecting their children
try to keep them from living more adventurous lives than they
have done (and straying too far from the family fold). Such
a parent may say, "I'm only thinking of your own good,
and you'll never make any money as an artist" or "she's
a very nice girl, but too different from you."
Classic
Larch types are the people who sayãwithout resentment
or jealousyã"I can't do that." They may use
excuses, such as "I'm not well enough," or "It's
because I'm a woman," but they genuinely believe that those
who can are superior to them. This is rarely the case.
Milder
cases of Larch are much more common. I often have clients say
that they've been working on their self-esteem levels, but that
there's lots of room for improvement.
Larch can
also be given as an adjunct to other flower essences. For example,
people who need the courage to stand up for themselves (Centaury)
find that a dose of self-esteem strengthens their resolve.
Gentian (Bach Flower Remedy)
People
who are highly practical and reasonable are also highly unlikely
to trust without supporting facts or to have undocumented faith.
Among the
most valuable components in successful creation is the ability
to have faith, to believe that something that's not presently
in physical existence can be created. When we don't believe
this, we are usually discouraged from taking bold action. Taking
Gentian allows us to encounter difficulty without becoming discouraged,
to keep going on, strengthened by the faith that we are supported
by our trust in the possibility of miracles.
Gorse (Bach Flower Remedy)
Gorse is
most easily described as an advanced case of Gentian. In this
condition discouragement has been replaced by despair. One will
keep on trying, but without any hope at all that there will
be even the slightest improvement.
The Gorse
remedy helps to lift the dark cloud of hopelessness, and allow
one to regard life and the future with new optimism.
Sunflower (FES)
Sunflower
is in many ways the floral equivalent of citrine. Like the stone,
it helps to balance ego energies, allowing those who have dimmed
their light with feelings of low self-esteem to experience appreciation
of themselves, and helping those who mask low self-esteem with
egotism to experience a balanced self-appreciation.
Sunflower
is particularly helpful in healing one's relationship with one's
father. Those who experienced their fathers as overbearing and
dominating may have learned to fear the aggressive aspects of
self, and thus hide their own light. Sunflower teaches us how
to use our light to heal ourselves and others.
Walnut (Bach Flower Remedy)
This is
another essence for moving forward. It is particularly helpful
when we have well-meaning family members and friends who warn
us against making change. Often their fears are contagious,
especially if we have any degree of ambivalence about our plans.
Walnut
helps us to continue to move forward. In spiritual terms it
can be seen as a bridge between the place we are coming from
and our ultimate destination.
Beaver (Wild Earth Animal Essences)
Beaver,
the builder, constructs its home so that there are many exits.
This medicine can help us to build our dreams so that they have
a sound foundation and at the same time are flexible in design,
so that we can revise our plans to incorporate new possibilities.
Buffalo (Wild Earth Animal Essences)
This animal
is the traditional Native American symbol for abundance. Every
bit of this animal is used by the tribe, which reminds us to
overlook no opportunities or means of increasing our abundance.
Buffalo, being also a symbol of Spirit, reminds us to be grateful
for what we have right now.
Rabbit (Wild Earth Animal Essences)
Rabbit,
in traditional Native American interpretation, is called the
fear caller, a creature whose fears draw forth the very predators
it fears. We can also see this as an example of the power of
focused thought. When we choose what we think, through affirmations
and awareness, we can draw anything towards us. Thus, Rabbit
medicine teaches us to choose wisely.
IN SUMMARY
Keywords for the Third Chakra
POWER
ABUNDANCE
MONEY
PROSPERITY
FOCUS
WILL
DIRECTION
SELF-ESTEEM
EGO
Location:
From the navel area to the solar plexus.
Element:
Fire
Colors:
Yellow
The Purpose of this Chakra:
* To develop
and focus our energy.
* To shape our desires into personal power and will.
* To develop self-esteem.
* To have an impact on the outside world.
* To live a life which is abundant in all ways.
ASSIGNMENTS/SUGGESTIONS
Assignments
Take out
the list of beliefs you compiled for the assignment in the Introduction.
See which of them apply to the third chakra. Also see what you
checked off on the beliefs list at the beginning of this chapter.
Bear in mind that any negative remarks about money, power, and
self-esteem relate to the first chakra.
1. Choose
one area you can work on. I suggest the easiest rather than
the most difficult. For example, if you checked off, "
I find it difficult to ask for a raise or promotion at my job,"
make a small beginning. See who else you've avoided asking for
help. Make a list. Ask for the easiest thing; then move on to
more difficult requests. Make a list of the people you do trust.
If you're feeling stuck in love, make some small change to your
schedule. Once you've integrated that change, make another.
2. Whatever your choice of areas to work on, see which crystals
and essences could help you. Take them/work with them.
3. Pay attention to thoughts you have which are second chakra-related:
if you feel lonely, needy, aren't experiencing pleasure, hate
menstruation, worry about being able to have children, or worry
about having too many, find it difficult to be nurturing to
the children you have, etc. Remind yourself that nurturing yourself
is the most powerful way to release these issues.
Suggestions
1. How
well do you treat your money? Is it crumpled in pockets, scattered
around your house? Develop tidy money habits.
2. Notice when and how you give up your power. For example,
do you let incorrect bank statements go by because it's too
much trouble to get them corrected? If you have seniority at
your job, and someone else asks for the vacation time you want,
do you let them have it?
3. If there's a creative activity you've never quite gotten
around to because you think you'd be no good at it, sign up
for a course.
4. Be gracious about accepting compliments. Compliment someone
else (sincerely) at least once a day.
5. Exercise your power with regard to issues you care about:
write a letter to your congressperson, do volunteer work for
a cause you believe in. Make a difference in the world.
MEDITATION
FOR THE THIRD CHAKRA
This meditation
will involve using the crystals you chose for your first-chakra
meditation and a crystal you choose related to the third chakra.
The instructions for placement of first chakra stones is repeated
below.
1. Take
four grounding stones (preferably the same kind) Put one each
where your legs join the torso, and one each just below your
feet. Place a quartz crystal against your head and a rhodochrosite
midway between the navel and breastbone.
2. Hold a quartz crystal point in the hand of your choice. Place
your hand directly above the groin, holding the crystal point
down, and slowly guide the crystal over your body until you
reach the top of your head. As you do so slowly inhale.
3. Reverse the procedure, this time exhaling.
4. Do this a few times; then, as you inhale feel earth energy
rising from the soles of your feet, up through your body to
your head. As you exhale, feel your own energy returning to
the earth.
5. After you've done this for a few minutes imagine a warm,
golden energy flowing through you. Visualize yourself as the
sun, sharing your energy and warmth with all of life.
6. After the first time you do this meditation you may also
want to visualize one of the problems you've written down which
relate to the third chakra and visualize that situation changing
into something you'd prefer.
This is
also a good meditation to do when you're anticipating or planning
a situation in which you will need to assert yourself, before
embarking on a new creative project, or whenever you feel the
need to boost your self-esteem.
Even if
you aren't doing the lessons in order, I suggest going on to
the related third-chakra section on the solar plexus.
TO REGISTER
To register
you may either use the the shopping cart below, call us at 888-480-3529,
or send a check or money order made out to Constance Sohodski,
and sent to: Beyond the Rainbow, PO Box 110, Ruby, NY 12475.
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/crystal/thirdchakra.html
