Perspicacious (Photo credit: cosmorochester)

Are you intuitive? Can you visualize easily? Do you have a highly developed imagination? Or are you more inclined to be rational, have difficulty with inner vision and imagination?

These are all indications of how your third eye or brow chakra is functioning. It is the energy center responsible for the kind of intuition that comes through a kind of “inner vision”. So if your brow chakra is well developed, you may have found yourself envisioning the winner of the Super Bowl, or perhaps seeing in your mind’s eye the team who was celebrating, or perhaps even a scoreboard with the winning score on it!

Brow Chakra Properties

The brow chakra is the domain of physical sight, mystical awareness, intelligence, insight, and of wisdom.

Psychologically the brow houses judgment, intelligence, and sense of reality, rationality and wisdom.

The brow harmonizes these forces, and so has a lot to do with personality and the self one brings to the world.

Physical Location and Sphere of Influence
The brow chakra is located in the space between and a bit above the eyes.
This center is the last place where the three major energy channels—the right, left and middle (Ida, Pingala and Sushumna) come together. The right and left channels terminate here while the central channel continues on to the Crown Chakra, the energy center of higher awareness.

 The Brow center does not open more than 50% until the age of 30-40.

Physically the Brow Chakra governs the Pineal Gland; Brain; Neurological System; Pituitary; Eyes, Ears, Nose and the base of the skull.

The brow center can be thought of as command central for the five senses and the conscious and subconscious mind.  It also is the regulator of the other chakras and their energy channels.

Balance and the Brow Chakra
Physical signs of malfunction in the sixth chakra Are: headaches; poor visual perception; nightmares; hallucinations; dizziness; confusion; poor memory; insomnia; acute sinusitis

 Deficient Energy in this chakra leads to a lack of discipline and inner vision, poor memory, fear of success and an inability to understand subtle signals. The result of being unable to sense subtle signs is demonstrated through an unrealistic appraisal of situations and setting standards or expectations too high or too low.

Other signs of a malfunctioning brow center are poor intuition, excessive focus on rational thought, difficulty visualizing or imagining and poor dream recall.

Excessive Energy in the sixth chakra manifests as difficulty tuning into or trusting intuition. In addition there may be rigidity, self righteousness, and authoritarianism, arrogance, being overly intellectual or excessively rational.  An easy way to remember these types of imbalances is to think in terms of a heavy reliance on the head and no heart.

Reliance on the intellect without the balance of heart energy is generally a consequence of drawing too much energy upward from the lower chakras which damages the third eye. This chakra needs the balance, support and stability of the lower chakra energies. Without such support there can be obsessive fantasies, delusions, hallucinations, with dreams, images or memory split off from one’s conscious experience.

Health and Balance in the Brow Chakra

A healthy brow chakra encourages health of the lower chakras.

 When this chakra is in balance your worldview is one that is open and accepting without critical judgment—present moment awareness of the world within the framework of the five senses is then free to move beyond this level of consciousness into the realm of intuition and psychic experience

As mentioned previously, the left and right channels merge here—they are bound to present time, but the central channel extends beyond into the timeless where past, present and future are all available for learning, identifying patterns and planning.

A healthy flow of energy through the brow chakra allows you to focus your mind as needed while also allowing for disciplined imagination, the ability to accurately access intuition with healthy detachment from the material.

Tomorrow: a video meditiaton for balancing brow chakra energies 

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Powerful thoughts for the way forward through 2012 and beyond…

Río en Mérida, River in Mérida (Photo credit: Fresh Pasta)

A river runs through you….

Human beings are made up of multiple interactive energy systems
These energies interpenetrate and surround the body
Human energy field is a template for development and function of mind and body
Western research is demonstrating the truth of ancient teaching regarding energy

Physical health, thought and emotion all reflect condition of personal energy field
Abundant, free flowing, coherent energy is the foundation of mind-body health
We are managing energy all the time … unconsciously
Energy quality, quantity and coherence is influenced by awareness and intention

How you care for and direct your energy determines the quality of your life
We are continually bringing energy into our bodies
We pattern it through our thoughts, beliefs, and habitual mental and emotional ‘postures’

 Conscious energy management:

 Improves vitality
Facilitates healing
Enlivens the mind
Revives the spirit
Reduces stress
Eases anxiety
Alleviates depression

 Energy is your personal power. When you allow others to control you, when you attempt to control them, when you cannot forgive, or when you focus more on the needs of others and sacrifice your own, you are giving your power away.

 “Where attention goes, energy flows.”

Unresolved issues from the past bind energy that could be flowing through your life! Fear of the future dissipates energy that could be filling you with joy! Bringing your energy into the present allows you to create the life you love to live.

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When our Throat Chakra energy is impaired we may not honestly articulate our truth, or do so in a half hearted way. There may also be a tendency to put up a brave front and not speak about inner hurt, pain or turmoil.  Obviously this stymies communication, but it also weakens our capacity to stand for ourselves and our ideals in order that dreams may be realized.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the tendency to talk too much thereby draining vital energy. Negative habits such as gossiping are a sign of this … actually obsessive behavior of any kind can be a sign of the inability to assimilate energy and communicate in healthy ways.

An open and balanced throat chakra allows for free expression of yourself and your beliefs; your creativity flows; your emotions are communicated freely without fear of others’ opinions.

Benefits of Balanced Throat Chakra Energy
Working with the throat chakra can help to transcend fear and transmute the lower emotions to unconditional joy. This energy center also has a lot to do with the ability to hold an awareness of both the subtle & the material worlds.

Stimulating the throat chakra can help increase the richness and tone of your voice. It can endow you with skill in language, the ability to write, as well as with the capacity to understand messages in dreams and to be an effective teacher. Jupiter is the planet that rules this chakra and in India Jupiter represents the Spiritual Teacher. Meditating on this chakra can bring deep insight into the past, present and future along with the capacity to communicate that wisdom.

Assessing Your Throat Chakra Energy
Do you think what you have to say is important? (too little=deficient energy, too much = excess energy)
What is your experience re: sense of timing? (are you in the right place at the right time? feel out of sync?)
How’s your sense of rhythm? (think about music, walking, dancing, moving in general)
Have you been chastised or put down for your expression of ideas, feelings or actions?
Do you carry tension in your jaw, neck or shoulders?
Are frequent sore throats or hoarseness an issue?
Do you feel no one listens to or loves you?

Techniques for Balance
Be aware of when you want to say “No” instead of reflexively saying “Yes”
Discover your inner truth (as you feel it today–it changes over time) ; practice speaking it
Notice when you talk too much or too little- balancing the throat chakra will shift this
Use sound, color and tone to balance this chakra (see Energy Aerobics for this approach to chakras)
Guided Chakra Meditations includes 10 minute meditations for each chakra

Chanting is a wonderful way to meditate and develop all the chakras, but in particular the throat as this is its home base!  The sound for the throat chakra is ee. The syllable for the throat is HAM. Also any singing that you do can help bring openness and balance to the throat.

To sample two minutes of a meditation for the throat chakra listen to the audio below:

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“The fifth chakra is the center of choice and consequence, of spiritual karma.  Every choice we make, every thought and feeling we have, is an act of power that has biological, environmental, social, personal and global consequences.  We are everywhere our thoughts are and thus our personal responsibility includes our energy contributions. Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss,

Have ever wondered why teenagers are so compelled to be in contact with their peers on an almost constant basis? You are watching the development of the throat chakra in action! Whenever there is active development of a chakra’s energy within a person we see activity related to that chakra in the outer world. Teens are developing their throat chakra so they are very drawn to the expression of the issues regulated by this energy center. In particular they are interested in finding their voice, and exerting their will!   As we know from our own experience as well as from observation, discernment regarding these issues is typically not present! Those are a function of the sixth chakra which has not developed yet (it is next in line). So what we see at this stage is a constant flow of interaction —it is simply an itch that must be scratched!

The throat chakra is most often thought about in terms of communication, but it is so much more than that in actuality. It has to do with a sense of rhythm and timing, feeling that we have a choice as well as awareness and attunement to where that choice   originates, higher level creativity, self expression and listening.

All the chakras continue to develop throughout our lifetime– if we do not resist— with specific times when they are ‘ripe’ for growth from a higher level than the previous time. The throat center is up for more development in midlife as we seek to find a new or lost voice that is more deeply grounded in who we have become through our life experience. In midlife the spiritual imperative or task of this chakra, aligning our will with a higher will comes into view. The creative impulse of this chakra has to do with bringing through manifestations that carry the vibration of the Divine and integrating them with our humanity.

Sphere of influence of the Throat Chakra
The Throat Chakra is located in the front of the neck in the same area as the Adam’s Apple and the Pharyngeal Nerve Plexus.

Physically this chakra governs the Thyroid, Parathyroid, Trachea, Esophagus, Hypothalamus, Neck, Mouth, and Jaw. Physical problems in this energy center can manifest as trouble with any of those related structures, as well as with an inability to release or express, a block in the creative flow, or in stiffness of the neck and shoulders.

The main functions of the throat chakra are: communication, maturation of will, power of choice, metabolism, growth, and the regulation of calcium

The element of the throat chakra is akasha which means ether or limitless space or sky. Every chakra contains this element, but in combination with the other elements that are embodied within them. The throat chakra is pure ether and thus it is more clearly linked to pure consciousness.

The sense related to the throat chakra is hearing. Opening your throat chakra means not only hearing others and developing empathy; it also involves listening to yourself through attuning to your heart in silence. In doing so, you realize that silence can hold a great deal of information, wisdom and guidance. On the other hand commands to be silent can contribute to blockages in the throat.

 Tomorrow: Identifying Blocks and Balancing Your Throat Chakra

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Affirmations are a common technique used to try to create change.  Before using them however, there are some things to consider in order for your efforts to be successful.

Words and language can be powerful. If we look more deeply though, we find that it is actually the feelings that are evoked by words that hold the power… that and the intent behind the words. For instance, have you ever had a conversation with someone who professes one thing verbally, but you feel another in your heart or gut?  This is a good example that demonstrates that it is not the words themselves that hold so much power as it is the motives and inner intention of the person speaking.

In addition to that matter there is also the issue that words can have unintended effects based on the association or interpretation we make. Words may also inadvertently trigger difficult memories and unresolved issues –we may or may not be aware of the full extent or effect of this in any given conversation. So there are several things to consider when looking to words, language and affirmations as vehicles for change.  Self awareness, honesty and a willingness to receive information from your inner being is the key to being able to use language effectively for your own health and healing, as well as for that of our relationships.

Points to remember when using affirmations:
Affirmations can be effective when words are used as a first step to create feeling
The resonance of emotion is necessary to register within your system to create change
A common block in the use of affirmations is unconscious belief
Unconscious beliefs trump conscious intent every time
Remain open to receive information that needs to be released so you may be successful

 If you are not aware of it, beware of it!
What is held in the unconscious hurts you far more than what is in your awareness.

Using Affirmations
Take a few minutes before you get out of bed in the morning to let your intention and desire settle deep within you. Use an index card and carry the affirmation(s) with you, keep it handy and repeat throughout the day. Even better schedule a couple 10 minute meditations throughout the day: relax, breathe, let go of stressful thoughts and feelings and “install” your new emotion (energy in motion).

Examples of Heartfelt Affirmations

1. I deserve love because I AM.
2. Resting in my heart with a quiet mind allows me to know all I need to know.
3. I choose today to receive the higher energies of Love to heal and strengthen me.
4. I forgive myself for mistakes. True forgiveness opens the way to health, healing and freedom.
5. My heart registers pain as well as love and happiness. I choose to release pain making more room for love and happiness.
6. Developing the energy of my heart helps to deepen my awareness and experience of life in a remarkable way. I relax and remain open to the possibilities.

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It is the year of the dragon…a symbol of courage and strength in Chinese mythology. Perhaps there is some universal archetypal energy afoot that can help us all develop more of those qualities in this new year!

Jungian Psychology, Mythology, classic fairy tales and myths from many cultures all suggest that w e are each on a hero/ine’s journey in our lives. These sources all speak of human drama, dilemmas and long journeys in search of truth, ‘treasure’, and freedom. They also speak quite clearly of the challenges along the way.  Our lives may seem less adventuresome in contrast with these stories and legends. On closer inspection though, aren’t our lives filled with drama, intense emotion, seemingly impossible tests and spine tingling cliff hangers as we hang out in the ‘not knowing zone’?  It does seem that just living life requires enormous courage!

Unusual or astounding situations aside, it seems that life can and often does require a great deal from us. One of the greatest myths about facing our challenges, in my opinion, is that we should have all we need to cope immediately, or that there is something wrong with us if we cannot rise to challenging circumstances with grit and grace NOW! A more accurate and compassionate view is that we have raw potential within and it is life’s difficulties that trigger the development of strength, courage, patience—or any other quality that we may have in short supply!

What images come to mind when you think of courage? Strength? Patience? Other virtues?

 Do you find images of real or fictional heroes and heroines tumbling into mind?

If you do, use them to imagine having those same qualities rather than to berate yourself for being lacking.

 Can you remember times in your own life when you’ve found an inner strength or drive that perhaps you never knew you had?

Use that memory to start a flow of positive energy and piggy back the new desired quality on it.

Your brain does not know the difference between real and imagined. Envisioning helps to build what you desire

Focusing on the development of positive qualities not only works to benefit mind-body-energetic health, it also combats stress! 

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