I think all these chakra blogs might be long! There is just SO much information on each one! Entire books have been written on them, so I am going to keep doing my best to give you a strong overview. May this information serve you in healing and empowering your life, as well as the planet and all of humanity. Namaste…
Manipura chakra! Meaning “lustrous gem”. YOU are the gem! As we rise up thru the rainbow ladder, we arrive now at the solar plexus/adrenal glands area of the third chakra.
Anodea Judith writes, “If we are to rise upward through all seven chakras, it is the fire of our will that propels that movement. It is through our will that we liberate ourselves from fixed patterns and create new behavior. It is our will that steers us away from that path of least resistance, that addictive behavior, or the expectations of others. It is through our will that we take actions that are difficult or challenging, moving toward something new. As we take these actions, we begin to transform, but the first step is breaking old patterns.”
The main purpose of the third chakra is transformation. Are you ready to let go? Of old behaviors that are causing dis-ease in your life? Are you ready to finally burn those old ways of thinking that are holding you back from your truest potential? Are you willing to step into your power and allow yourself to be seen in your ‘lustrous gem’ form and shine?! The very aspect of ‘holding on’ versus ‘letting go’ is a main concept associated with the third chakra. Hold on to those beliefs and core values that are uplifting. Let go of self-degradation. Hold true to your Higher Self, your True Self, and let go of that small self that might be telling you your not good enough, or worthy enough. Be your own greatest Light for your own transformation, just as much as you surrender to the divines unfolding within you and around you, so you can watch your own transforming and be in awe at your life.
As I wrote those words up above, I felt stoked! I could feel my own fire within! Fire is third chakra element! And, then, I could feel a shift, a shift in the opposite direction. I was thinking to the video challenge I did recently inside my Instagram account, you can watch them HERE.(Quinn and Max cameos to boot!). I took on a challenge that my friend Jessica Lee created. For five days in a row, I had to make an Instagram TV video. Jessica gave us the prompts, but we had to show up! And, I did. It was TERRIFYING for me. I don’t have the “ideal” video set up, lighting, camera, mics, environment, etc, but, I did it. I took action! And that’s what the third chakra is ALL about! It is our right to act! It is also our right to be an individual. It is autonomy and individuation. Manipura chakra invites us to remember that we have a great purpose in this life! Whether that purpose is being a mother, a caretaker, a partner, a healer, an accountant, a police officer, a baker, a yoga teacher, a math teacher, a psychologist, a counselor, a shaman, a human being doing their best, or ANYTHING, the third chakra supports us in taking actions towards our desires and doing so in compassionate, considerate ways for the good of all. Now we are seeing how these energy centers dance with each other, right?! Desires comes from our second chakra, and compassion from the heart chakra(that’s next week).
As I continued to think back on the video challenge, I had to honor my BIGGEST fear, which is why I began to feel deflated and embarrassed. That fear is the weight of worrying how I will be perceived. What will people think about me? How will they judge me? Read that first quote up top by Anodea Judith again. Those expectations, and my perceived judgments from others, are my arch nemesis, I am really good at self-imposing those made-up expectations of how I “should” be in life. What my persona “needs” to be in order to be accepted by others. I want everyone to like me, everyone to accept me. However, I am working on breaking that old belief that everyone will accept me. I am working on accepting myself first. Especially because I DO believe I have a purpose of service and healing to offer in this lifetime. So, I am working on not snuffing my Light out, but rather sharing it! And so, the videos! They were my first step towards bigger desires of serving more people! This is my “WHY”! It fires me up! LOL! Third chakra words! My ‘why’ highly outweighs my fears. And that is when I step into my power…
“What is power? Where do we get it? How do we use it? Why do we need it? How do we avoid its unbalanced duality of victimization and abuse, aggression and passivity, dominance and submission? Where do we find our own empowerment without diminishing that of others? How do we reclaim, with full responsibility, enthusiasm, and pride, our innate right to act, free from inhibition and shame? … To restructure the way we think about power and to channel and contain that power within our own being is the challenge of the third chakra. … What is needed to reclaim our power is to enter into an entirely new dynamic, a new definition of power that lifts us out of struggle and into transformation, out of he past and into the future, one that inspires, strengthens, and empowers individuals without diminishing others.” -Anodea Judith
And I love her further offering, “It is not power we seek so much as the overcoming of victimization — the ability to determine our own lives. For what greater responsibility than to allow the divine within the freedom of its unique unfoldment?” Aho. Amen. Sat Nam. When we remember we are the divine, then may we not prevent its unfolding; may we not prevent our self from stepping fully into our Light! May we step into our power and break free from feeling powerless. May we take action as individuals for our higher good, and that of others.
Now, the tough questions that came to me recently. What happens when we know we must take action in a way that we know will effect others in a negative way? Or that might cause others discomfort and dis-ease? What happens if we are looking back in our lives at moments when our actions caused us to feel ashamed?
Brene Brown writes, “Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough.” Deep breath in, and let out the long “ahhhhhh” sound here! “Ahhh”, like in ‘father’, is the emenating vowel sound of manipura chakra. So, let go of the old belief that you are not enough. And now, call out “Ram, Ram, Ram”!! Pronounced like ‘rum’, this is the Bij mantra, or seed sound, that pulls life energy force into the third chakra! Start those engines and let’s go! Need another affirmation, “I can”! “I will!” Or, “I honor the power within me.”
Brown also shares with us, “Grace means that all of your mistakes now serve a purpose instead of serving shame.” Forgiveness, grace, and surrender. The action of surrendering to True will, or call it divine will, is our will, for the divine works within each of us, always. This doesn’t let us off the hook, making it a free-for-all to do harm and take everything for ourselves in malicious ways. No, it means saying sorry, breaking the old patterns, trying again, and as we continually transform, acknowledging that we are trying our best! We will still fail at times, and that’s normal. But, when our intention is good/right, and our will is acting for the betterment of ourselves and others, then those mistakes do serve purpose, they serve transformation.
We all hold the power to change. We all hold the power for change. How will you allow the divine to unfold within you this week? What actions will you take in movement towards your purpose this week? And, may you do so thru embracing your unique self!
Joseph Campbell wrote, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
Breathe and Believe.