The seventh chakra is depicted as a fully blooming, thousand-petaled lotus at the crown of the head. The roots of this lotus are connected to the Earth and its petals are stemming out from the crown and flowing back down through the chakras as a stream of divine wisdom and awareness. This chakra is about understanding our true nature and connecting it with a higher level of consciousness. Here, we begin to expand awareness, pay attention without assigning thoughts, feelings or expectations, and find deeper meaning in our experiences.
“The crown chakra can be seen as the operating system. In a computer, the operating system enables us to read a program and make use of it. It interprets the instructions of that program. In other words, it makes meaning out of them. The prime activity of the seventh chakra is to derive meaning. Meaning tells us how to orient. It tells us how to interpret something, how to react, how to organize our experience. It gives purpose to our lives by creating a larger context in which to view our own existence.”
The element of this chakra is thought and the basic rights are to know and to learn. With an orientation of self-knowledge, this is where we come to disengage from the smaller ego states and connect with a universal identity. It is important to note that in order to realize a universal identity where we let go of attachment and illusion, all the lower chakras and identities must be balanced and in place. The order of the lower chakras has a significant impact on what can be achieved in the seventh chakra. The demon of the crown chakra is attachment. Anodea Judith writes, “Attachment is our way of not trusting the wisdom of the universe while it actually tries to teach us something. We stay attached because we are defending against our suffering, rather than seeing that suffering as a teaching. Attachment says we are certain we know what is best. It does not allow the humility that opens us to something larger.” In Eastern Body, Western Mind, Anodea Judith leads the reader through a journaling practice that will help loosen our attachment to people, things and ideas. This can be an incredible healing practice because it evaluates our attachments and what beliefs we create because of them. It allows us to step back and question our reasoning and what we feel will be lost (and most importantly, gained) in letting go of such attachments.
When the seventh chakra is balanced:
- we can analyze and assimilate information
- we are intelligent
- we are aware and thoughtful
- we are spiritually connected
- we show wisdom and mastery
- we have a broad understanding of ourselves and the universe
When the sixth chakra is deficient:
- we are cynics of spiritual teachings and religion
- we have difficulty learning
- we subscribe to rigid belief systems
- we are apathetic
- we tend to be excessive in lower chakras
When the sixth chakra is excessive:
- we are overly intelligent and fail to notice anything else going on around us
- we are spiritual addicts and ultimately do not put what we learn into practice
- we tend to be confused because of too much energy in our thoughts
- we dissociate from our body
Filed under: Chakras, Meditation, Meditation Challenge!