Guest guest Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Day One - First Chakra " If you're an alive body, no one can tell you how to experience the world. And no one can tell you what truth is, because you experience it for yourself. The body does not lie. " Stanley Keleman Element:::Earth Name:::Muladhara/Root Purpose:::Foundation Issues::: The Body, Foundation, Survival, Roots, Grounding, Nourishment, Trust, Health, Home, Family, Prosperity, Appropriate Boundaries Goals::: Stability, grounding, physical health, trust, prosperity Color:::Red Location:::Base of Spine, Coccygeal Plexus Orientation:::Self Preservation Archetype:::Earth Mother Basic Rights::: Each one of the chakras reflects a basic inalien- able right. Loss of these rights blocks the chakra. Reclaiming these rights is a necessary part of healing the chakra. Basic Right of First Chakra::: To Be Here and Have To find solidity in the first chakra, we must have an instinctual sense of our right to be here. Without the right to be here, few other rights can be reclaimed. Do we have the right to take up space? Do we have the right to establish individuality? Do we have the right to take care of ourselves? The right to be here is our right to exist--the right that is the foundation of our survival and security. Affirmations::: " It is safe for me to be here. " " The earth supports me and meets my needs. " " I love my body and trust its wisdom. " " I am immersed in abundance. " " I'm here and I'm real. " Identity::: If our rights remain intact, or if we have managed to re- claim them, then we have a good chance at embracing our seven basic chakra identities, each of which builds upon the one below in an ever expanding pattern of larger systems. The identities can be seen as metaphoric layers of clothing, as ways to cover the essential soul underneath. It is not a problem to have clothing--we need different outfits for different occasions. It is a problem if we think the clothing is who we actually are, and never remove it. When we are so immersed in these identities that we confuse them with the underlying Self, then we have gotten stuck at a particular level. We have confused the clothing for the body itself--unwilling to remove it, scared to expose the nakedness underneath. If, on the other hand, we cannot identify at all with a level, then we know we have some work to do there. The chakra identities can be positive or negative, liberating or imprisoning. They are simultaneously real and false. They are real in that they are real parts, yet they are false because they are not the whole. Identity of Chakra One::: Our first identity level is known as the physical identity, and its job is self-preservation. Here we learn to identify with the body--when my body is hungry, I am hungry, when it hurts, I hurt. The body cloaks the invisible soul, and reveals its shape and expression. When we identify with the body, we identify with the soul's expression in physical form, as well as its physical qualities of male, female, young, old, fat, thin, healthy, or sick. Physical identification is necessary for dealing with the physical world. If I do not realize that I cannot lift one hundred pounds of paper in a carton, I can seriously hurt my back. If I do not recognize when I am hungry or need to rest, I can seriously compromise my health over time. To go without this identity is to be disso- ciated from the body and disconnected from the physical world. Reclaiming the Temple of the Body The Foundation of the Temple All foundations rest upon the earth--the universal ground for all that we do. Our bodies are the earth of our spirit, the foundation, the home. To connect with the body is to connect with the earth, to be grounded in the biologi- cal reality of existence. Situated at the base of the spine, the first chakra is the foundation for the entire chakra system. It is here we build the foundation for the entire chakra system. It is here we build the foundation for the temple of the body-- the anchor for the Rainbow Bridge. Without a strong, rooted foundation, little else can be accomplished. We must have soil firm enough to provide stability, yet yielding enough to be penetrated by roots. The anchor- ing of this temple digs deep into the earth, for its Sanskrit name, muladhara, means root. The foundation contains the temple's energy by defining its scope, edges, and boundaries. It defines a place, as a basic context of all that happens to us. It gives us a ground, a home, an anchor point for our experience. The foundation largely determines the shape of the structure above, determining what it can hold, how high it can build, what kind of stresses it can withstand. Thus damage to this chakra is reflected in each and every chakra above. To build a strong foundation is to gain solidity. Solidity allows us to be firm and make boundaries. Solidity has consistency, repetition, accountability. Our bodies are the solid form of our existence; they have definable boundaries. To be solid is to face what is in front of us without flinching, to remain anchored in truth in the face of opposition, and to remain calm and secure. Survival The underlying element of consciousness that forms this foundation is the instinct to survive. This instinct is archaic, fundamental, and unavoidable and runs the base-line maintenance program of our physical existence. When satisfied, it retreats to a drone-like subroutine, allowing our consciousness to engage in other activities. When threatened, it dominates all other functions of consciousness. Where are your thoughts when you are suddenly chased by a mugger, spinning into a car accident, or facing a life-threatening illness? At these times, all available psychic energy is routed to survival and little is available for anything else. The survival instincts lie at the base of the collective unconscious, as inherited tendencies and preferences that have developed in the human psyche over the course of evolution. These instincts form the natural impulses of the body to defend itself and to connect with the environment. When these natural instincts are denied, we have a rupture between our waking consciousness and the very core of our being. We become disembodied and disconnected from our environment. By reclaiming the first chakra, we can live harmoniously with our basic survival instincts without being unconsciously ruled by them. Demons of the Chakras Each of the Chakras has what I have come to call a specific demon that interferes with its health and undermines its identity. I use the word demon not to denote some kind of evil creature, but as a way of naming the counterforce that seemingly opposes the natural activity of the chakra. The reason I say seem- ingly is that the demons arise to teach us something. A counterforce usually results in strengthening what- ever it opposes. The presence of the demon keeps the chakra from doing its job, but that challenge also forces us to bring more awareness to that job, so eventually we can do it better. When unacknowledged, the demons keep us from moving forward. They fixate our energy at a particular chakra level, short circuiting our activities and expres- sion, blocking resolution. If we acknowledge the demon and explore its reason for being there, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. To acknowledge that we have fear, for example, enables us to face that fear and understand its origins, eventually making us more confident. To acknowledge grief enables healing, and allows the heart to lighten. Demon of Chakra One::: Fear Fear arises when something threatens our survival. It prevents us from feeling secure, focused, and calm. It creates hypervigilance, which forces energy into the upper chakras. When survival is threatened, we feel afraid. Fear height- ens our awareness and floods the body with natural chemicals (such as adrenalin) to energize it for action. Fear brings our attention into the here and now to address the threat, but focuses the attention outward and upward to the chakras of perception and mental activity. We become hypervigilant, restless, anxious. We cannot settle, relax, or let down. It is as if we are jumping right out of our skins. Although fear is the demon of the first chakra, it is also a sacred adversary, a presence that has much to teach us. Fear exists as an ally of self-preservation, teaching us of our own importance and the need to take care of ourselves. Only when we acknowledge this demon as an ally can it be truly mastered. Ernest Holmes, who founded the Science of Mind philo- sophy, describes both qualities of fear and faith as having similar qualities. Fear is a belief that something awful might happen, while faith is a belief that something good will happen. Although the results are different, the causes are the same--both are beliefs that govern our behavior and influence the way we feel. If we can replace unreasonable fear with reasonable faith, then we have a natural antidote to our first chakra demon. Reclaiming Our Roots The Sanskrit name for the base chakra, muladhara, means root. This chakra roots us into our bodies, the physical world, and the earth. A plant cannot survive without roots, and neither can the psyche of a human being. Our roots represent where we come from: the earth, womb, our ancestors and family, and our personal history. We cannot simultaneously deny our past and maintain our roots. In order to create a solid foundation, we have to sort out the roots of our childhood. for better or worse, these roots nourished and sustained us in our most formative stages. Where the ground was inhospitable, we need to transplant our psyche to more fertile soil. This involves paying attention to the environments we live in and the ground we create around us. The Muladhara chakra corresponds to the element earth, which is the ground for our roots. Human life is dependent upon a supply of energy. Our roots can be seen as the way our system plugs into the larger system of the planet, which is our source, the origin of the liberating current, from which all things grow up. The elements needed for physical survival come from the earth in various forms--the food we eat, the things we touch and see, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the sounds we hear. We push against the earth in order to stand or move and we rest upon the earth (nurtured by gravity) when we choose to be still. For most of us, our roots are unconscious influences on our behavior, linked to elements from our past. To bring muladhara to consciousness is to bring awareness to our roots, to uncover the past, to examine it, to delve into it. Everything that grows above branches out into infinity, growing more complex. Going down to our roots brings us into a singularity, a simplicity, and brings us into the commonality of the collective unconscious. It brings us home to the Earth. Grounding A healthy first chakra allows a person to be energetically grounded--a concept which is critical to understanding basic aliveness and well-being. Grounding orients us in time and space, and connects us to the environment. Being grounded gives us a source of strength through connection to our body and environment. Physically this happens through the legs and feet, through which excitement is passed up into the body and excess is discharged downward into the ground. This means we can stand on our own two feet and move forward in life. Only by drawing energy up from the base can we create such a liberating current. Grounding brings consciousness into the body, and is essential for forming healthy boundaries. We feel more awake and alive when the downward current of consciousness connects with the body and meets the field of sensation, the edges and boundaries of the physical reality. When we are grounded we can be present, focused, dynamic. Our attention is concentrated in the here and now, bringing a dynamic intensity to the way we present ourselves. Our experience is direct, sensate, immediate. We are confident yet contained, connected with our own source of support. Without grounding we are unstable. We lose our center,we fly off the handle, get swept off our feet, or daydream in the fantasy world. We lose our ability to contain which is the ability to have and to hold. If we cannot contain, we cannot hold our boundaries and build up inner power; thus, we cannot mature. Boundaries allow the hermetic seal necessary for transformation. Without boundaries, natural excitement gets dissipated and diluted and becomes ineffectual. When we lose our ground, our attention wanders and we appear to be not all here. The healthy establishment of one's ground is the essential work of the first chakra, and the foundation for any further growth. Here lies the validation of our own existence and the establishment of the basic rights of the first chakra: the right to be here and the right to have what we need in order to survive. From Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith The Playground Earth The Illuminated Chakras video by Anodea Judith http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual & videoid=17031201 Forgiveness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Thank you so much... this was excellent! Lorree , " novalees " <dhyana wrote: > > Day One - First Chakra > > " If you're an alive body, no one can tell you how to > experience the world. And no one can tell you what > truth is, because you experience it for yourself. > The body does not lie. " Stanley Keleman > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Awesome. I especially liked that The Playground Earth video. Thanks Mike On Sun, Sep 20, 2009 at 9:37 PM, novalees <dhyana wrote: > > > Day One - First Chakra > > " If you're an alive body, no one can tell you how to > experience the world. And no one can tell you what > truth is, because you experience it for yourself. > The body does not lie. " Stanley Keleman > > Element:::Earth > > Name:::Muladhara/Root > > Purpose:::Foundation > > Issues::: > > The Body, Foundation, Survival, Roots, Grounding, > Nourishment, Trust, Health, Home, Family, Prosperity, > Appropriate Boundaries > > Goals::: > > Stability, grounding, physical health, trust, > prosperity > > Color:::Red > > Location:::Base of Spine, Coccygeal Plexus > > Orientation:::Self Preservation > > Archetype:::Earth Mother > > Basic Rights::: > > Each one of the chakras reflects a basic inalien- > able right. Loss of these rights blocks the chakra. > Reclaiming these rights is a necessary part of > healing the chakra. > > Basic Right of First Chakra::: > To Be Here and Have > > To find solidity in the first chakra, we must have an > instinctual sense of our right to be here. Without the > right to be here, few other rights can be reclaimed. > Do we have the right to take up space? Do we have > the right to establish individuality? Do we have the > right to take care of ourselves? > > The right to be here is our right to exist--the right that > is the foundation of our survival and security. > > Affirmations::: > > " It is safe for me to be here. " > " The earth supports me and meets my needs. " > " I love my body and trust its wisdom. " > " I am immersed in abundance. " > " I'm here and I'm real. " > > Identity::: > > If our rights remain intact, or if we have managed to re- > claim them, then we have a good chance at embracing > our seven basic chakra identities, each of which builds > upon the one below in an ever expanding pattern of > larger systems. > > The identities can be seen as metaphoric layers of > clothing, as ways to cover the essential soul underneath. > It is not a problem to have clothing--we need different > outfits for different occasions. It is a problem if we > think the clothing is who we actually are, and never > remove it. > > When we are so immersed in these identities that we > confuse them with the underlying Self, then we have > gotten stuck at a particular level. We have confused > the clothing for the body itself--unwilling to remove it, > scared to expose the nakedness underneath. If, on the > other hand, we cannot identify at all with a level, then > we know we have some work to do there. > > The chakra identities can be positive or negative, > liberating or imprisoning. They are simultaneously real > and false. They are real in that they are real parts, yet > they are false because they are not the whole. > > Identity of Chakra One::: > > Our first identity level is known as the physical identity, > and its job is self-preservation. Here we learn to identify > with the body--when my body is hungry, I am hungry, > when it hurts, I hurt. The body cloaks the invisible soul, > and reveals its shape and expression. When we identify > with the body, we identify with the soul's expression in > physical form, as well as its physical qualities of male, > female, young, old, fat, thin, healthy, or sick. > > Physical identification is necessary for dealing with the > physical world. If I do not realize that I cannot lift one > hundred pounds of paper in a carton, I can seriously > hurt my back. If I do not recognize when I am hungry or > need to rest, I can seriously compromise my health > over time. To go without this identity is to be disso- > ciated from the body and disconnected from the > physical world. > > Reclaiming the Temple of the Body > > The Foundation of the Temple > > All foundations rest upon the earth--the universal ground > for all that we do. Our bodies are the earth of our spirit, > the foundation, the home. To connect with the body is > to connect with the earth, to be grounded in the biologi- > cal reality of existence. > > Situated at the base of the spine, the first chakra is the > foundation for the entire chakra system. It is here we > build the foundation for the entire chakra system. It is > here we build the foundation for the temple of the body-- > the anchor for the Rainbow Bridge. Without a strong, > rooted foundation, little else can be accomplished. > We must have soil firm enough to provide stability, yet > yielding enough to be penetrated by roots. The anchor- > ing of this temple digs deep into the earth, for its > Sanskrit name, muladhara, means root. > > The foundation contains the temple's energy by defining > its scope, edges, and boundaries. It defines a place, > as a basic context of all that happens to us. It gives us > a ground, a home, an anchor point for our experience. > The foundation largely determines the shape of the > structure above, determining what it can hold, how high > it can build, what kind of stresses it can withstand. > Thus damage to this chakra is reflected in each and > every chakra above. > > To build a strong foundation is to gain solidity. Solidity > allows us to be firm and make boundaries. Solidity has > consistency, repetition, accountability. Our bodies are > the solid form of our existence; they have definable > boundaries. To be solid is to face what is in front of us > without flinching, to remain anchored in truth in the face > of opposition, and to remain calm and secure. > > Survival > > The underlying element of consciousness that forms > this foundation is the instinct to survive. This instinct > is archaic, fundamental, and unavoidable and runs > the base-line maintenance program of our physical > existence. When satisfied, it retreats to a drone-like > subroutine, allowing our consciousness to engage in > other activities. When threatened, it dominates all > other functions of consciousness. Where are your > thoughts when you are suddenly chased by a mugger, > spinning into a car accident, or facing a life-threatening > illness? At these times, all available psychic energy > is routed to survival and little is available for anything > else. > > The survival instincts lie at the base of the collective > unconscious, as inherited tendencies and preferences > that have developed in the human psyche over the course > of evolution. These instincts form the natural impulses > of the body to defend itself and to connect with the > environment. When these natural instincts are denied, > we have a rupture between our waking consciousness > and the very core of our being. We become disembodied > and disconnected from our environment. By reclaiming > the first chakra, we can live harmoniously with our basic > survival instincts without being unconsciously ruled by > them. > > Demons of the Chakras > > Each of the Chakras has what I have come to call a > specific demon that interferes with its health and > undermines its identity. I use the word demon not to > denote some kind of evil creature, but as a way of > naming the counterforce that seemingly opposes the > natural activity of the chakra. The reason I say seem- > ingly is that the demons arise to teach us something. > A counterforce usually results in strengthening what- > ever it opposes. The presence of the demon keeps the > chakra from doing its job, but that challenge also > forces us to bring more awareness to that job, so > eventually we can do it better. > > When unacknowledged, the demons keep us from > moving forward. They fixate our energy at a particular > chakra level, short circuiting our activities and expres- > sion, blocking resolution. If we acknowledge the demon > and explore its reason for being there, we gain a deeper > understanding of ourselves. To acknowledge that we > have fear, for example, enables us to face that fear > and understand its origins, eventually making us more > confident. To acknowledge grief enables healing, and > allows the heart to lighten. > > Demon of Chakra One::: > Fear > > Fear arises when something threatens our survival. It > prevents us from feeling secure, focused, and calm. > It creates hypervigilance, which forces energy into the > upper chakras. > > When survival is threatened, we feel afraid. Fear height- > ens our awareness and floods the body with natural > chemicals (such as adrenalin) to energize it for action. > Fear brings our attention into the here and now to > address the threat, but focuses the attention outward > and upward to the chakras of perception and mental > activity. We become hypervigilant, restless, anxious. > We cannot settle, relax, or let down. It is as if we are > jumping right out of our skins. > > Although fear is the demon of the first chakra, it is also > a sacred adversary, a presence that has much to teach > us. Fear exists as an ally of self-preservation, teaching > us of our own importance and the need to take care of > ourselves. Only when we acknowledge this demon as > an ally can it be truly mastered. > > Ernest Holmes, who founded the Science of Mind philo- > sophy, describes both qualities of fear and faith as > having similar qualities. Fear is a belief that something > awful might happen, while faith is a belief that something > good will happen. Although the results are different, > the causes are the same--both are beliefs that govern > our behavior and influence the way we feel. If we can > replace unreasonable fear with reasonable faith, then > we have a natural antidote to our first chakra demon. > > Reclaiming Our Roots > > The Sanskrit name for the base chakra, muladhara, means > root. This chakra roots us into our bodies, the physical > world, and the earth. A plant cannot survive without > roots, and neither can the psyche of a human being. > Our roots represent where we come from: the earth, > womb, our ancestors and family, and our personal > history. We cannot simultaneously deny our past > and maintain our roots. > > In order to create a solid foundation, we have to > sort out the roots of our childhood. for better or > worse, these roots nourished and sustained us in > our most formative stages. Where the ground was > inhospitable, we need to transplant our psyche to > more fertile soil. This involves paying attention > to the environments we live in and the ground we > create around us. > > The Muladhara chakra corresponds to the element > earth, which is the ground for our roots. Human > life is dependent upon a supply of energy. Our > roots can be seen as the way our system plugs > into the larger system of the planet, which is > our source, the origin of the liberating current, > from which all things grow up. The elements > needed for physical survival come from the earth > in various forms--the food we eat, the things we > touch and see, the water we drink, the air we > breathe, and the sounds we hear. We push against > the earth in order to stand or move and we rest > upon the earth (nurtured by gravity) when we choose > to be still. > > For most of us, our roots are unconscious > influences on our behavior, linked to elements > from our past. To bring muladhara to consciousness > is to bring awareness to our roots, to uncover the > past, to examine it, to delve into it. Everything > that grows above branches out into infinity, growing > more complex. Going down to our roots brings us into > a singularity, a simplicity, and brings us into the > commonality of the collective unconscious. It > brings us home to the Earth. > > Grounding > > A healthy first chakra allows a person to be > energetically grounded--a concept which is critical > to understanding basic aliveness and well-being. > Grounding orients us in time and space, and connects > us to the environment. Being grounded gives us a > source of strength through connection to our body > and environment. Physically this happens through > the legs and feet, through which excitement is > passed up into the body and excess is discharged > downward into the ground. This means we can stand > on our own two feet and move forward in life. Only > by drawing energy up from the base can we create > such a liberating current. > > Grounding brings consciousness into the body, and > is essential for forming healthy boundaries. We > feel more awake and alive when the downward current > of consciousness connects with the body and meets > the field of sensation, the edges and boundaries of > the physical reality. > > When we are grounded we can be present, focused, > dynamic. Our attention is concentrated in the here > and now, bringing a dynamic intensity to the way > we present ourselves. Our experience is direct, > sensate, immediate. We are confident yet contained, > connected with our own source of support. > > Without grounding we are unstable. We lose our > center,we fly off the handle, get swept off our > feet, or daydream in the fantasy world. We lose > our ability to contain which is the ability to have > and to hold. If we cannot contain, we cannot hold > our boundaries and build up inner power; thus, we > cannot mature. Boundaries allow the hermetic seal > necessary for transformation. Without boundaries, > natural excitement gets dissipated and diluted and > becomes ineffectual. When we lose our ground, our > attention wanders and we appear to be not all here. > > The healthy establishment of one's ground is the > essential work of the first chakra, and the > foundation for any further growth. Here lies the > validation of our own existence and the establishment > of the basic rights of the first chakra: the > right to be here and the right to have what we need > in order to survive. > > From Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith > > The Playground Earth > > > The Illuminated Chakras video by Anodea Judith > > http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual & videoid=17031201 > > Forgiveness > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 The description of the clothing to explain the chakras is the clearest and easiest to understand. Perfectly written! Hope everyone has a wonderful experience this week! Andy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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