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Alchemy of Wisdom: The Third Eye Chakra

Happiness | Lifestyle

I want you to know that you don't have to do it alone. A basic principle of spiritual life is that we learn the deepest things in unknown territory. Often, it is when we feel most confused inwardly and are in the midst of our greatest difficulties that we find new opportunities.

Our WEAKNESS often reveals life’s mysteries, while our strength can serve to blind us from our greatest unknown potential.

As part of cleansing and balancing the brow chakra or Ajna, our sixth chakra, I want you to focus on your "weaknesses." See for yourself that the soft spots are exactly where you have the greatest learning potential.

Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime, within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal One."

The universe is this constant interconnected web of wholeness, and each part is important.

The Third Eye Chakra

The Sanskrit name of the brow chakra, Ajna, translates to "to perceive" or "all-knowing." Found at the brow area above the nose and between the eyes, directly behind the center of the forehead, Ajna governs our intention for intuition, our right to see, and our ability for self-reflection.

Color: Indigo or white

Element: Light

Sense: Thought

Healing Stones: Lapis, iolite, amethyst

Affirmation: “May I see and perceive clearly on every level.”

Mantra: “I am understanding.”

The Psychology of Ajna

Also known as the third eye chakra, Ajna controls our discernment and intuition, imagination and dreams, wisdom and insight, vision and color, our spiritual awareness, our perception of the truth, and our ability to see using our third eye or our clairvoyant sensibilities.

When this chakra is overactive, we experience nightmares, obsessions, delusions, and even hallucinations. Conversely, an underactive third eye chakra causes poor vision, memory, dream recall, and imagination, difficulty visualizing, difficulty seeing into the future, denial, and insensitivity.

Extremely drawn out imbalance in Ajna causes headaches and difficulty concentrating, poor memory, damaging hallucinations and delusions, and even addiction to marijuana and hallucinogens.

Healing the Third Eye Chakra

To bring balance back to the third eye or brow chakra, drawing, coloring, and creating art are great therapeutic activities. Practices such as dream work and guided visualization, as well as treatments like past life regression therapy and hypnosis, also serve to cleanse and rebalance our Ajna.

When healing your Ajna through asana, poses like Bridge, Downward Dog, Child’s, Shoulder Stand, and other standing balancing postures like Tree and Eagle are recommended.

The Realm of the Third Eye Chakra

Once we get past initiating the unknown territory of deep personal growth, it can be challenging to sustain the effort. We convince ourselves that we have to power through by ourselves, which often leaves us exhausted.

Instead of giving up, admit the weakness, see it as the door of your strength and reach out to friends or family to help you. This place of "wise silence" is the realm of the third eye chakra. It is spiritual maturity that urges us to not do it alone.

Remember that old habits can be strong. Due to layers of fear and attachment, the stuck places can be heavy and tiring. Know that they are part of your humanity: everyone has them. We can support one another by working together to lift the burden.

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