“Some say sahasrara is the seat of the Soul, an eternal and dimensionless witness that stays with us throughout lifetimes. Others say it is the point through which the Divine spark of Shiva enters the body and brings intelligence. It is the master processor of all awareness— the gateway to worlds beyond and worlds within, the dimensionless circumference that encompasses all that is. However we choose to describe it, we must remember that its scope is far greater than our words can convey. It can only be experienced.” -Anodea Judith
Sahasrara, ‘the thousand-fold’, is the crown of the head and the space just above. It correlates to the pituitary gland, cerebral cortex, and central nervous system. It’s thousand petals of a lotus flower unfold gracefully, with petals turning downward to drip and pour the nectar of knowledge and awakening down into us. It is beyond space, time, and form. It is. It is all. It is divine and effulgent.
It’s purpose is for understanding. I feel, in my own heart, that the crown chakra reminds us of our own divine spark, our own Inner Wisdom, and knowing our connection to the Collective Consciousness. That these two are one in the same. It is at best, undescribable. We all have the capability to experience moments of this Oneness and Divinity. Whether it’s thru an act of service, the laughter of a baby, the kiss from a beloved, a sunrise, a sunset, the starry nights sky, or a moment of pure detachment and bliss during meditation, we all can know our self. To know thyself and to be that ‘self satisfied Self’. This is when we are more easily able to hold our inner gaze toward the positive, the Light, the Divine, and still continue to be active participants in everyday life, here in this Earthly world. We then continue giving, serving, helping, acting in compassionate and considerate ways within life, but know we also walk about in life with a deeper knowing. That knowing is that “I am”, “I am That”, and nothing from the outside world is what determines my happiness. It is the knowing of the Divine within that we rest into, that we rest in, that we rest upon. Then, we are self-realized. We understand that even our own physical death need not be feared.
But, are the above statements resonating with you? Are they scary? Are they new? Do you want to dismiss them? That’s ok, if so. And, it’s ok if not. Let me paraphrase Anodea Judith here, “Our belief systems are compromised of the various bits of meaning we have derived from our experience. If we repeatedly fail, and we tell ourselves that it means we are stupid, we eventually generate a belief in our own stupidity. These belief systems form the matrix in which all other information is funneled. If I tell you a bit of feedback, you run that piece of data against your background of knowledge and add it to your belief systems. You might say, “Oh I can never do anything right or, I can never please you.” That is a belief taken from what meaning you derive. Another person, with another belief system, may derive an entirely different meaning.
The relationship between meaning and belief is so strong that if some piece of data does not fit our inner matrix, we might say, oh I don’t believe you, and discard the information entirely.
…This is one of the traps of the mind. How do we take in new information and expand our consciousness, if we reject anything that does not fit the current in a paradigm? And if we disregard this inner matrix, how do we discern truth from fiction, or organize the vast amount of information that we receive at each moment?
The best answer to this lies in meditation, for it is a practice that allows the mind to sort through its data, discard outmoded belief systems and unnecessary information, and reset the personal matrix with an underlying unity.
…It is meditation that allows our crown chakra to open the awareness ever wider without getting overwhelmed or lost in the infinite. It helps us retain our center, which is the primary organizing matrix of the Self.”
Meditation also has physiological effects as well. Oxygen intake decreased by 16 to 18%, heart rate decrease by 25% and blood pressure was lowered, all of which are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, the controller of involuntary processes. This allows the body to enter a state of deep rest — far deeper than what it receives in sleep. This rest then allows for greater alertness and waking consciousness. -excerpt from “Wheels of Life”, by Anodea Judith. This is why I have been tokd that those who meditate end up needing less sleep.
In his book, “The Untethered Soul: the journey beyond yourself”‘, Michael A. Singer writes, “Your center of consciousness is always stronger than the energy that is pulling on it. You just have to be willing to exercise your will.** But it’s not a fight or a struggle. It’s not that you are trying to stop the energies from coming up inside. There is nothing wrong with feeling the energies of fear, jealousy, or attraction. It’s not your fault that such energies exist. All the attractions, repulsions, thoughts, and feelings don’t make any difference. They don’t make you pure or impure. They are not you. You are the one who’s watching, and that one is pure consciousness. Don’t think you’d be free of you just didn’t have these kinds of feelings. It’s not true. If you can be free even though you’re having these kinds of feelings, then you’re really free–because there will always be something.”
** (Personal side note: Here is where I said”holy shit” out loud, and I am not a person who typically cusses! Holy shit because in making the crown chakra class, I wanted to do core work! I didn’t know why until just now! Wow!)
And then, again, another ‘holy shit’ moment happened when, after making my physical yoga classes that included ‘bird of paradise’ pose, or svarga dvijasana, see it here , I looked up the meaning of the flower:
Bird if Paradise flower represents joy and freedom! Freedom! Ha!
Why did I get so excited about freedom, you ask? Because the liberating energy rising up thru the chakras free us from attachment of all things, even life itself. And, attachment is the shadow side of the crown chakra. Moksha, or liberation, then can become an action we participate in creating by practicing all that the practices of yoga have to offer.
Here is a brief article around moksha, https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-and-vedanta-a-proven-path-to-liberation
Purusha, or pure consciousness, is the “object of our quest” says Anodea Judith. So, we must partake in our own transformation in understanding and knowing that our True Self is here, now, within us, and always has been and always will be. We are the infinite. What is stopping you from acknowledging this, from embodying this, from knowing this? Perhaps it is your thoughts of misbelief that this is true. Perhaps it is the misbelief that you could be divine. Perhaps it is the information from how you were raised, or what you were told about yourself or your life, that prevents you from seeing this truth. This is when we practice. And, this is then a practice of unknowing, and unlearning what beliefs are there inside if you, rotting, withering away, and dissipating, until all that is left is the brilliance of your untarnished, brilliant, radiant, effulgent Self! Beam on! 😉
Roy Eugene Davis writes in his book “A Master Guide to Meditation & Spiritual Growth; with techniques and routines for all levels of practice”, “What more honest act could we perform than to directly acknowledge that what we have long desired to become, we already are? Knowing this, I emphasize the simplicity of Self-realization.”
Rainbow connection song: Click HERE!
As we closed our journey thru the rainbow bridge of the chakras, I sang part of this song to bring people out of savasana.
Breathe and Believe.