Meditation
Crown Chakra Meditation For Mental Health
These days, many people face mental health challenges. In a world where so many demands are placed upon our time and energy, there never seems to be enough time for relaxation and proper self-care. One way to improve one’s mental health and gain greater clarity is to regularly do some energy work focusing on the crown chakra.
The chakras are a system of energy centers that regulate our physical health, mental acuity, and emotional well-being. Chakra (cakra in ancient Sanskrit) means ‘wheel’ and it is essentially a ‘spinning disk’ or vortex of energy. The chakras represent the flow of life force or pranic energy through the mind-body.
There are seven primary or major chakras in the subtle or light body, spanning from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. Each chakra has its own frequency, symbolism, color, and function. For optimal health and well-being, the chakras should be kept activated, open, balanced and aligned.
The seventh chakra at the crown of the head, also known as sahasrara padma, is the highest of the primary chakras. It is depicted as a 1000-petal lotus flower and represented by the color violet. This chakra is the energy center of our spiritual connection to the divine, from which all the other chakras emanate. The crown chakra is where we connect to God, Goddess, Source, Spirit, the Divine. It is also my experience that it is at the crown where we engage with our guardian angels and spirit guides.
Reawaken Your Psychic Ability
Many of us are born with the ability to perceive the unseen, sense the future and communicate with spirit. Childhood conditioning and trauma, religious and cultural influences in how we were raised, and various circumstances and life experiences can suppress our psychic gifts, often because we were told it is silly, inapproriate, or even ‘evil.’
If you can relate to this, then you need to know that your psychic talent is never lost or destroyed. You can reconnect with your natural gifts by engaging in various spiritual and metaphysical practices that will reawaken and develop your psychic abilities.
I started this process myself years ago by experimenting with various forms of meditation. Meditation teaches one to achieve altered states of consciousness, to become more aware of perceptions and energies that we otherwise do not notice in our normal waking state.
I also started keeping a ‘psychic journal.’ I wrote down my dreams every morning, as well as any unusual thoughts and feelings I had about a person or situation. Using these notes as reference, I would later check the relevanc and accuracy of my perceptions and premonitions.
Studying various divination methods also helped me a lot. For example, Astrology helped me to better understand the ancient metaphysical concept of “as above, so below,” and how it affects our daily lives. Astrology references universal consciousness and divine design, and the direct affect it has on us. It gave me greater insight into why people born under certain zodiac signs behave the way they do, and how each planet affects us, especially when it retrogrades, or moves into a new sign. It also explains why people get more emotional when the Moon is full, or why communication breaks down when Mercury is in retrograde.
How To Ground Your Energy
‘Grounding’ is a common term you are likely to encounter early in your spiritual awakening journey. If you are interested in energy work of any kind, grounding is a key technique to help you stay energetically balanced and enhance your metaphysical practice.
Essentially grounding is a type of meditation that is quick and very intentional. Through grounding we connect our own energy field or light body with the energy of the Earth. This balances our chakras by clearing out those energies that are no longer serve us. Connecting to the Earth’s energy in this way releases negative patterns, thoughts, emotions, and habits, to achieve a clearer, elevated state of consciousness.
To become more grounded, try this visualization exercise. Start by closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing. If you are used to meditation this will be very familiar, if not that is okay! Just be present with your breath and pay attention to your breathing as you inhale and exhale.
Count to three as you draw in your breath, and again as you exhale. Gradually slow the rhythm of your breathing down and just be present with the experience of the air moving in through your nose and into your chest. Feel your physical body around you as you breathe.
I like to focus on my heart chakra while I do this, but it is not necessary. I just find that as I breathe in and out, I like to feel the swell of air in my chest, as if is ‘hugging my heart.’
Reflections
Sitting on the porch. Rocking. Yes, rocking in my willow rocking chair, surrounded by the smell of petrichor – that delightful odor the earth gifts us with when fresh rain is coming down after a long, dry spell. The aroma of the freshly hung chile ristras greets me in the Santa Fe, New Mexico tradition at this time of year, when the growing season is done and the picking of the season’s ripe offerings has begun. Richness abounds with the aromas of the petrichor and the strung pods of red chile blending in the softness of the evening breeze.
The automatic flood light and the blue laser lights have come on, as they do every day at dusk, to illuminate the waterfall in the garden, although it’s still a bit early for them to shine their brightest. Not quite dark enough yet, but soon it will be. I just fed my precious four-legged fur daughter her dinner. Now that my day is done and another week has gone by, I am contemplating whether or not I have done well this week.
Yes, I believe so! I have learned so much and have grasped many new concepts. I also renewed my awareness of some familiar concepts that were in need of repetition, so I could complete some hard earned lessons. And I found resolution to some newer viewpoints on old issues. Whew! I feel I’ve been turned wrong side out in just one week, only to realize it is the other way around. I was wrong-side-out before. Now I’m right-side-in, or more so at least.
I look up from my musings to see the lights. It is dark now and they’re shining brightly against the dark night sky. The lasers look like blue fireflies as they pinpoint their magical presence. The synchronicity feels deeply significant. At the end of another week, after much breaking down of old thought patterns, I see the flood light and laser lights reflecting the realization that I am different now than last week, or at any time before.
Let Spirituality Be Your Guiding Light
In a fast-paced world where superficial, materialistic pursuits tend to dominate our lives, the search for deeper meaning and purpose has become even more significant for many people. Spirituality has always been a guiding light in this quest.
Spirituality offers solace, clarity, and a profound connection to something greater than ourselves. It is inherently personal and subjective, and not limited to religious affiliations, formal belief systems, or cultural traditions.
To be spiritual is to have a deep awareness of the higher self, as well as a heightened connection to God, Goddess, Source, Spirit, the Divine, the Universe.
Our preferred spiritual practice does not have to be some form of dogmatic religion, which tends to involve organized rituals, ceremony, and fixed doctrines. Instead, it can also be an individual exploration of higher consciousness that seeks a direct and personal experience of the sacred and divine.
Spiritual awareness is also not confined to merely a few isolated moments of contemplation, but instead a holistic, consistent state of mind, or way of being in the world, that permeates every aspect of our life.
By integrating spiritual principles and practices into our daily life, we infuse our everyday choices and actions with intention and authenticity, leading to a more balanced, fulfilling, and purposeful existence.
The Fire Season Of Love And Joy
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are Five Elements, namely Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are each associated with the seasons, certain emotional states, and specific organs in the physical body. I am personally fascinated with how accurate these correlations can be.
In the summer season, for example, the element of fire rules. The four organs associated with the fire element is the heart, small intestines, pericardium (or heart protector) and San Jiao, or the ‘triple energizer,’ which is the hollow space inside the trunk of the body.
In TCM, the solid organs each has its counterpart in a ‘hollow organ (Fu).’ The heart, for example, is a solid organ, and the small intestine its hollow counterpart. San Jiao is a body cavity that is able to influence the functioning of other organs and our overall health through the free movement of Qi, the fundamental life force energy.
The fire element represents expansion of energy expanding with heightened activity and excitement. It is further associated with love, joy, harmony, but also disharmony. In extreme cases, too much fiery excitement can cause insomnia, restlessness, and even manic behavior.
A good example of how the joy of the fire season manifests in our everyday life is the fact that summer is the peaktime of the year for weddings. This time of the year our hearts are most open, seeking to be filled with joy. We seem to radiate more light and love in the summer, just like the warm sunshine.
Using The Mandala In Your Spiritual Practice
Years ago, I taught a class on sacred geometry. My favorite section of the class was related to using mandalas as a tool for the inward journey and I would like to share this practice with you.
When using a mandala as a form of meditation you begin by creating a large circle. I have always found it easier to start with a graph based on concentric circles, but others start with just a circle and their imagination or intuition. Start at the outer edge of the circle to begin your session and work your way around the outer edge. Gradually work your way to the center of the mandala – this represents the inward journey.
We start by creating patterns and designs on the outside of the circle. This is the largest part of the circle and represents the universe. Understanding the expansiveness of the universe we can feel very small and insignificant, so it is important to move inward to find our grounding within the cosmos.
As we move inward in our mandala we contemplate our planet, then our country or large group of people we identify with the most. For many people this can be a religious tradition. We then move to contemplating our acquaintances, family, and friends.
Towards the center many mandala meditators will create four sides, or a square that leads to the center of his or her mandala. These four sides represent the four cardinal points, South, West, North, and East.