7. The Crown Chakra

We’ve finally made it to the last of the 7 Chakras, the Crown Chakra. We have worked our way up from the base Root Chakra, to the Sacral, Solar, Heart, Throat, and Third Eye. So today, we conclude the introduction to the Chakras series by discussing the Crown Chakra.

Also known by it’s Sanskrit name “Sahasrara”, this chakra is located at the crown of the head. I like to envision a string that, when pulled, makes me stand up straight and where that string sit on the head is where my crown is. This Chakra is associated to the colors violet and white, and works with crystals that are purple, violet, or clear, or white. The sacred sound for this chakra is the classic “Om” and the musical note that it aligns to is “B”. Here at the Crown Chakra, is where we become connected on a spiritual level to the energies around us, the divine beings, the powers of the universe, or simply, a sense of your higher self. Whether you call it enlightenment, reflection, or deeper knowing, here at the Crown is where we comprehend that the powers and energies surrounding us are all interconnected.

When your Crown Chakra is aligned and healed, you feel a deep sense of understanding with the world, inner peace, joy, and closeness to your deity or your religious views…if you have any. If you do not have a specific religion, then you may feel pleasantly close to yourself in the sense that you understand where your head is at, what your place is in this world, and how you may go about your days with the knowledge you’ve gained through life experiences.

Signs that your Crown Chakra needs to be cleansed would be if lost faith, or not knowing where to turn to look for the divine. You may also feel like humanity is a mess, or your contributions aren’t helping to make this world any better. You may feel absorbed by materialism, or you may feel claustrophobic because of social norms and constructs in this world. You may lack a feeling of deeper meaning. You may also feel clumsy or awkward physically, or socially.

To cleanse your Crown chakra many violet and clear/white crystals are useful. The three I will explain to you today are Moonstone, Selenite, and Apophyllite.

Moonstone helps you become more receptive to divine guidance or callings and aids to form inspiration out of your experiences. It is also supposed to help you love yourself, accept flaws and drive towards the future with internal trust.

Selenite is a very high vibration crystal. I’m still trying to understand what that means exactly, but what I’ve gather so far is that high energy stones could knock other chakras out of balance, so it’s safe to also have a grounding crystal (like smokey quartz) in hand while you are working with high vibration crystals. Selenite brings you closer to spiritual energies and makes you more receptive to guidance and communication. It is said to expand the Crown chakra while eliminating any psychic roadblocks that may be present in the mind, emotions, or Sacred Space. You can find Selenite Wands and Scepters which aid to magnify and direct the high intensity vibrations from this crystal.

And finally, Apophyllite–like both the crystals mentioned above–helps open the crown chakra to receive higher guidance, but also helps you evolve into higher states of being. This crystal is great if you are having issues with ego-based desires.

So there you have it folks! Some basics and some details on each of the standard Chakras! I hope you were able to take something away from these readings whether it was simply that chakras exist, how they work, what order they go in, or possibly (but I hope not!)… the fact that you couldn’t possibly believe in such a thing. Whatever you took away, I know I enjoyed sharing. Thanks for listening.

6. The Third Eye Chakra

The Third Eye Chakra–also known as the Brow Chakra–is located in between the eyes just above the brow. With it’s Sanskrit name “Ajna” which means “beyond wisdom”, this chakra focuses on expanding intuition, imagination and spirituality. The Third Eye Chakra is associated with the color indigo, the musical note A, the element of light, and the Sacred sound “Aum”.

The pituitary and pineal glands located in the brain and just behind the forehead, between the eyes are linked to this chakra. The pituitary gland is considered the master gland because it sends messages to the rest of our glands and organs throughout the body. The pituitary also sends messages to the brain telling it to turn thoughts into actions. However that is when the pineal gland comes inhibiting the pituitary gland and communicating to the brain to wait a moment. Instead, the brain to told to ponder those thoughts before performing them. The pineal gland is what makes us truly human–it is the essence of consciousness which allows us to adventure into deep thought. The Third Eye harnesses this feature of the pineal gland and allows us to expand that consciousness.

When the Third Eye chakra is cleansed, one has an open and clear state of mind, external awareness, and reliable gut feelings. When cleared, the 3rd Eye chakra aids in developing the imagination, expanding consciousness, and heightening spiritual awareness. You can trust your senses when this chakra is clear which results in decreased levels of stress and worry.

If you feel that your thoughts are foggy, if you’re forgetful, or like your gut feelings are not helping dissociate fantasy from reality, then your Third Eye chakra may be out of balance.

To clear the Third Eye chakra one can use any of the following crystals (and of course can use many others, for the list is practically endless): Sodalite, Amethyst, and Azurite.

Sodalite encompasses all the healing powers that are needed for the third eye Chakra. It works to enhance cognitive ability, rational thought, truth and intuition, as well as clairvoyance.

Amethyst is a more spiritual stone which opens channels for higher consciousness and clairvoyance. This stone brings peace and happiness to the mind and is also said to bring lucid dreams, and protect one against physical or psychic harm.

Azurite, like sodalite, works to open up the mind for cognitive and intuitive thought. Meditating with sodalite in one palm and azurite in another will help you clear your mind and answer what it is you want from a specific aspect of your life. What do you want in your relationships or in a relationship to come. What do you want in the workplace, what do you want in your free time, etc. Azurite also helps open the mind to think outside the box, and keeps one detail-oriented.

Please return on Thursday to read about the final Standard Chakra: The Crown Chakra.

Day 4: Practicality

There is no reason to be intimidated by meditation. It’s not weird, it’s not different–you just think it is.

A lot of people are distracted when they go to sit to meditate because they believe they’re doing something foreign, religious, or just plain hippie.

That there are answers to the universe always to be found, and if you aren’t looking for those answers, you are doing it wrong.

But meditation is what you make it. For me yes, I will be inviting my religion to be a part of my meditation practice. That is something that I chose because I don’t quite know what I believe in, and I think allowing myself to be open minded to different possibilities would be cool. I want to see if my soul, or the universe or… whatever will become open to me if I open myself up to it.

But at the same time, I want to emphasize how meditation is not strictly a religious activity. In fact, it can be a very practical part of anyone’s day. It can help improve concentration at work, decrease stress throughout your day, and magnify mindfulness in any moment. It doesn’t have to be linked to a religion. While yes, Buddhism is the origin of meditation, it is not the only way. Breathing meditations are great examples of this, because you don’t have to believe in a religion to believe that your breath exists and moves into and out of your body.

There is a reason that beginner meditations focus on breath. It’s something very tangible that is 100% real.

So let us not be afraid to begin the journey.