Guest guest Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Day Six - Sixth Chakra " We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are. " Anais Nin Element:::Light Name:::Ajna/To Perceive and Command Purpose:::Pattern recognition Issues::: Image, Intuition, Imagination, Visualization, Insight, Dreams, Visions Goals::: Psychic perception, accurate interpretation, imagination, clear seeing Color:::Indigo Location:::Forehead, brow, carotid plexus, third eye Orientation:::Self-reflection Basic Right::: To See This right is damaged when we are told that what we perceive is not real, when things are deliberately hidden or denied (such as parental drinking), or when the breadth of our vision is discounted. When children see things that are beyond the scope of their understanding, or when angry or frightening scenes occur frequently, children diminish their own ability to see. This may affect both physical vision and subtler psychic perceptions. Affirmations::: " I see all things in clarity. " " I am open to the wisdom within " " I can manifest my vision. " Identity::: In the sixth chakra, we expand into our archetypal identity, transforming the individual I into something transpersonal. Our personal story is now seen as an event in a larger story. If we suffered from poor mothering because our mothers were not supported, we carry a piece of the archetypal story of the degradation of the Mother Goddess—the loss of the archetypal Mother. The power that our mothers lacked was the same power that has been stripped from women over millennia, stripped from the archetype itself. Those who suffered from distant fathers carry a piece of the larger story of industrial revolution, of disempowered men removed from their families, and the distant Father-God archetype. We enlarge our understanding of Self as we find our own life themes reflected in fairy tales, mythology, movies, and news stories. We experience self-reflection in the larger system. We realize we are players in a much larger drama, riding the waves of the cultural tide's ebb and flow. As we mature at this level, we consciously embrace the evolution of the archetypal symbols that speak to us. If we take on a crusade for the preservation of the ancient forests, we are doing more than just saving trees—we contribute to a larger archetypal cause. Demon::: Illusion Illusion wrests our consciousness from open-minded perception, fixing it upon a frozen image. An illusion is a static image, displaced in the stream of time, and is for that reason unreal. The illusion I hold of how something should be is usually an image of what it currently is not. My attachment to it pulls me out of present time, where I might see realistically. My fixation on my body ten pounds thinner fails to appreciate my body the way it is now. My illusion of how a relationship should be makes me criticize all the places my relationship falls short of that image, and I fail to see the meaning these issues might have for me. Illusions are held in place by an investment of psychic energy. When we fixate on an image, everything becomes food for its embellishment. If we think someone dislikes us, we take the slightest disharmony as proof. A hypochondriac takes the slightest ache as proof of illness. When we invest in an illusion, it ties up our energy and perpetuates the attachment. The more we are attached, of course, the more energy we need to invest, and it is here that we run into the danger of obsession. Since illusion does not feed back the energy we invest, it does not bring satisfaction or completion and, like an addiction, continues to lure us into its false promises. When illusion is fed by a sixth chakra excess, it becomes obsession or delusion. Obsessions fix an unusual amount of energy on a particular issue; delusion assembles elaborate illusions around a central theme. Removed from the grounded connection of the first chakra, the upper chakras spin wildly, like an engine with the clutch disengaged—lots of activity with no forward movement. The more we invest in an illusion, the harder it is to let go of it. Sealed in, we are trapped into repetitive cycles that keep us from true understanding. Seeing Our Way Through Opening the Third Eye As we enter the brow chakra, we look back at the steps behind us with new vision. Adding indigo to our ever expanding bridge we now have enough colors to see that we are, indeed, building a rainbow. Once we see what the pattern is becoming, we can intuit the steps necessary to complete it. Our sight gives us guidance. We can see where we have been, where we are now, and predict where we are going. This consciousness lets us know what to do, which explains why the sense of sight is classically related to the third chakra, even though the sixth chakra is about seeing. Without vision our actions are mere impulses, but with vision they become creative acts of will in the service of transformation. The element of this chakra is light, a higher and faster vibration than that of sound in the chakra below. Through light, we are blessed with the ability to see, to take in from a distance the shape and form of things around us. This miraculous act of seeing is the basic function of this chakra, but this implies far more than seeing with our physical eyes. Physical perception tells us that something exists, but only the inner sight can tell us what it is. While our physical eyes are the organs of outer perception, the sixth chakra relates to the mystical third eye--the organ of inner perception. The third eye witnesses the internal screen where memory and fantasy, images and archetypes, intuition and imagination intertwine on endless display. By watching the contents on this screen, we create meaning and bring it to consciousness. The purpose of the sixth chakra is to see the way, and bring the light of consciousness to all that exists within and around us. The final outcome of working through the sixth chakra--with its archetypes and images, dreams and fantasies, symbols and illusions--is the emergence of a personal vision. As we see more and more of ourselves, we see more deeply into people and situations around us. As we expand our internal picture into a larger, more comprehensive worldview, we inevitably begin to create a vision. This vision can address world problems and how they might be changed for the better, or it may only address something within our own lives. It may be as large as a vision to create a new society, or as focused as one about relating to our spouse differently. It is not the size or scope of the vision that is important, but the ability to see a new way of being. Ascending to the sixth chakra opens us to transcendent realms beyond ordinary awareness. This expansion can radically shift our perspective of daily situations and bring profound insight and vision. It can also elevate our understanding to broader levels, allowing us to embrace a much larger system of being than we have ever encountered. In expansion of consciousness, chakra six takes us to a beautiful world of colors and symbols, dreams and fantasy, archetypes and images. The possibilities expand through imagination which stimulates creativity. Our new vista gives us increased understanding, as we not only perceive the patterns around us, but also perceive our own place and purpose in them. Chakra six prepares us for the final passage on the Rainbow Bridge. With its focus on archetypes, it lays the groundwork for understanding the intricate dance of divinity and consciousness that we shall encounter in the next chakra. Pattern Recognition " The eyes are the gateways to the soul.' William Shakespeare We see the way by learning to recognize patterns. Patterns reveal the identity of a thing--what it is, what it is for, how to relate to it. Too often, we look at some- thing only until we recognize the pattern and then we stop. We see someone coming toward us from across the street. We look at the hair, the body, the walk, trying to distinguish the pattern until we see who it is. We say, " Oh, that's Kevin, " at which point we often stop taking in new information. Opening the third eye allows us to continue to look; we see beyond and perceive ever deeper patterns and meaning. Pattern recognition is like playing a game of connect the dots. At first we see only a jumble of dots and numbers on the page. But as we make connections between the dots, an image forms. Even before all the dots are connected, we can guess the image because we recognize it. At a critical point in the assembling of information, the incomplete pattern reveals the whole. While each of our chakras brings us information, it is the task of chakra six to assemble that information into meaningful patterns. This self-reflection leads to self-knowledge and wholeness. Pattern recognition requires the ability to see simultaneously into past, present, and future. When your friend launches into an all-too-familiar tirade about how he hates his job, you can predict what he is likely to say next because you have heard it all before. As a result, you may stop listening to him, and might not even notice if he says something new. We take from the past and project it onto the future. Recognition can shut off the possibility of new information, or it can spare us an experience we would rather avoid. Our interpretation of the pattern will decide which we choose. If I find myself in a relation- ship that reveals a dynamic I have been in before, I do not need to continue the whole relationship to find out what is likely to happen. I can choose to remove myself from the distant or deceitful lover as soon as the pattern becomes clear. Once we recognize a pattern, we can intuit what it will become and guide our actions accordingly. This is the beginning of wisdom. In the recognition of patterns, we find our way to insight. Insight is the ability to see within, the " aha " of recog- nizing a pattern, seeing where it relates to the larger picture, seeing what it means. It is within the self that the information from our experiences has been gathering and is stored in our memory. It is only by seeing within that we can cross reference that information and recognize meaningful patterns. Each time we recognize a pattern, we move toward wholeness. This wholeness has an identity, which gives it both meaning and purpose. Opening the third eye allows us to see the big picture, transcend our ego-centricity, and find the deeper meaning inherent in all things. As inner sight develops, illusions are shattered, dreams are integrated, clarity begins, and consciousness extends yet another step beyond what was available through the lower five chakras alone. We now access the broad vision that enables us to see our way toward completion. Archetypes " Psychologically...the archetype as an image of instinct is a spiritual goal toward which the whole nature of man strives. " C.G. Jung As bits of information assemble and begin to reveal the identity of the whole, we enter the world of archetypes. If we see a cat when connecting the dots, we recognize it because we have seen cats before. It may be a black cat or a tiger, a skinny kitten or a tailless manx, but all fall into the same archetypal category of cat. The archetype is a composite of images and experiences that are grouped together by a common theme. Archetypes are like morphogenetic fields which shape our understanding. Like the strange attractors of chaos theory, they cannot be seen directly, but are apparent in the events of our lives. Someone who is chronically driven to self-sacrificing benevolence may be overly influenced by the positive aspects of the Great Mother archetype. Someone who lives in fear of being devoured by women may be suffering from the negative side of this archetype, the Terrible Mother. Archetypes can be symbolically represented by what is called the archetypal image. When an archetypal image is not fully integrated into the ego, then we are subject to illusion. For example, the Hero archetype represents the quest to achieve something extraordinary. William's drive toward success was a partial reflection of the Hero's quest, but his ego was so fused with an image of conformity that it negated the possibility of anything extraordinary. As a result, his success had a feeling of emptiness and left his soul thirsting for deeper meaning. Sorting out this difference allowed William to access the deeper archetypal energy of the Hero in a conscious way and orient his life toward more soul-fulfilling achievements. Each of the chakras can be correlated to an archetype... (listed). In addition, each chakra has the archetypal energy of its associated element (earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, and thought). The chakra system itself is a still larger archetypal pattern, similar to Jung's archetype of wholeness, the Self. Jung saw the totality of the Self as the central archetype of order in the psyche, the formative principle of individuation. Individuation itself is also an archetypal process, and though it differs from person to person, there are common elements that comprise the archetypal pattern. The process of individuation mirrors the unfolding of the chakras, where we reclaim the shadow, establish our autonomy, integrate our anima and animus, express our individuality, recognize our archetypal influences, and integrate all these elements into a greater wholeness. To recognize an archetypal energy is to recognize its pattern and meaning, and then guide ourselves accordingly. To recognize the pattern of individuation (or chakra unfolding) as it occurs in our lives, allows us to see where we are, where we are heading, and what we need to do to get there. Thus insight directs action. In the sixth chakra we move into our archetypal identity. This identity is gained through the recognition of images and symbols that appear in our lives through dreams, imagination, art, relationships, or situations. Recognizing the archetypal significance of these symbols brings us into a larger spiritual framework. We enter a broader context of understanding, and a deeper recognition of who we are and what our purpose is. This is the essential work of developing our archetypal identity. (more in the book...don't want to overload you... Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith Third Eye Vision Music of Aeoliah/The Inner Chamber...and others http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM_EZm0C31U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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