The Sixth Chakra

The sixth chakra, or Ajna is located at the brow, right between the two physical eyes. It is symbolized by a lotus with two petals.

The animal totem of the sixth chakra is the black antelope or black panther. The musical note that resonates with this chakra is “A”. This is considered the intuition chakra and it is also referred to as the Third Eye.

It rules the sinuses, optic nerve, eyes, forehead and the frontal lobe of the brain. Its corresponding gland is the pineal gland.

The color for this chakra is a deep indigo. Foods to stimulate this chakra include Eggplant, blackberries, red cabbage.

Physically, Ajna deals with vision. Emotionally it deals with clarity on an intuitive level and mentally with visual consciousness. Spiritually it deals with compassion, empathy, foresight and psychic ability. Empaths, mediums, psychics, and intuitives usually have a very developed and open sixth chakra.

I want you to keep your eyes of reason open; in addition, I will open in you another eye, the eye of wisdom ~ Sri Yukteswar

The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland that produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep and waking up, and is also postulated to be the production site of the psychedelic dimethyltryptamine, the only known hallucinogen endogenous to the human body. The pineal gland and sixth chakra therefore rules sleep, the subconscious and dreams.

This chakra is where we see beyond the two eyes. We see people for who they truly are. We see the energy of the person beyond the physical body. We understand why people do what they do. We see their pain, their challenges, their childhood and their true motivations. Someone can tell you they love you because they truly feel love for you, or because they are trying to manipulate you. This chakra helps us discern between what people say and what they really mean.

A sixth chakra out of alignment can create physical problems with the corresponding body parts ruled by this chakra. This includes headaches, depression, confusion, vision problems, neck tension, sinus problems, difficulty making decisions, hallucination, drug dependency, trouble sleeping and mental instability.

Not trusting and developing your intuition can literally lead to delusion. If this energy is out of alignment, it can make us cold, judgmental, distrustful and unable to see the consequences of our actions.

When this chakra is well aligned it makes one feel connected to others. One can metaphorically see around corners. You will be able to see that someone is acting from past pain instead of current motivation.

Through systematic meditation one can awaken the third eye and touch the cosmic awareness… The awakening of these centers means a gradual expansion of awareness, until it reaches the cosmic awareness ~ Amit Ray

A well-aligned brow chakra makes one want to meditate, do kundalini yoga, and keep the thoughts and mind pure. When this chakra is in alignment we feel less confused by other’s behavior and less inclined to judge. We can speak to other’s higher selves and see the light in them, even when they cannot see the light or hear their inner voice themselves.

Meditation for the sixth chakra: “I see”:

1. Sit in the easy pose (on the ground, legs bent, spine straight).

2. Close eyes.

3. Roll your eyes up to the brow point, as if you are looking at something on your forehead, while your eyes are closed.

4. Rub your hands together to create heat and energy.

5. Place your hands in gyan mudra (index touching the thumbs).

6. Chant the mantra “Ohm”. Ohm helps us to get in touch with the Divine. Often this mantra is confused with “Ong”, which is the mantra for the seventh chakra and means “God on earth”.

7. Chant “Ohm” for 11 minutes.

This is an eight part series on the chakras:

The First Chakra

The Second Chakra

The Third Chakra

The Fourth Chakra

The Fifth Chakra