Cottonwood Creek, Crestone, Colorado
“The internal map of the chakras is a part of our core identity guiding us on this evolutionary journey.”
~ Anodea Judith from The Global Heart Awakens
The Pandemic — A Laboratory for Healing
It was my intention last year to write a series of newsletters about our energetic body. And, I actually started a bunch. Each felt like I was vomiting up every little thought that came to mind with no coherent focus. I did get as far as the Root Chakra in 2020, the First Chakra; that was it. (More about the Root Chakra here.)
The chakra system and its possibilities for self-understanding and healing have fascinated me since I first learned about these ancient wisdom teachings found in the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad. I've explored these teachings further as a student and an apprentice in terms of early childhood development during Patricia White Buffalo's intense Wheel of Awakening program in Santa Fe.
There are seven major chakras, or energy centers, located along the spine. They connect our physicality to our conscious awareness through a network of intersecting nerves at each of the energy centers. When blocked or distorted in some way, the energy that flows through the nerve plexus at each chakra can affect our health and emotions. By strengthening and balancing the energy of the chakras, our health and emotional states can improve.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that my writing could not form coherently during 2020. In hindsight, I can see that my scattered-ness was a reflection of the instability in the world around me as well as my own concerns for myself, my family, and the world. This quote expresses it all:
“The old systems and structures of our world are not working anymore, and in fact are crumbling before our eyes. Yet the new models have not been created.”
~VerDarLuz
It’s no wonder so many responded to the unknown with fear, anxiety, and depression. All are physical symptoms of an imbalanced Root Chakra, whether collectively or individually – a very unstable foundation.
The Second Chakra – Developing a Sense of Self
So the Second Chakra, also called the Sacral Chakra, is located below the navel and above the Root Chakra. It is known as the energetic center of creativity, sexuality and sensuality. It is also the seat of our emotions and is associated with the element of water.
The Second Chakra begins to develop during the first two years of life. During Second Chakra development, it's all about me. The caretaker is there to help us get our needs met, to reflect our essence, to give us space to play on our own, and ideally is a safe person to return to when our needs dictate that. When we have awareness of our needs and are comfortable with a wide range of emotions, we develop a strong sense of self -- a healthy Second Chakra.
If the young child does not get enough of their essence reflected or lacks secure attachment to the primary caretaker, then she may grow up having difficulty in receiving from others and in feeling enough.
The Third Chakra: Individuation and Autonomy
Then for the next two years, the Third Chakra, the Solar Plexus, the seat of our inner power begins to develop. This center is located above the navel and below the heart. Fire is the element associated with this energy center. The strength of the Third Chakra depends on the health of the first two chakras. If we have had healthy development of the Second Chakra in creating a strong sense of self and a grounded foundation in the First Chakra, then we can feel empowered to explore individuation from another, to develop the resources to get our needs met, and to set boundaries that are neither too rigid nor too permeable.
Unhealthy development occurs when our individuation was forced too early or our caretakers were overly impinging about our space and our needs, not giving us appropriate autonomy for our development.
The Pandemic As My Laboratory for Incomplete Lower Chakra Development
For me the pandemic became a laboratory to explore the incomplete development of my lower chakras. I had to first feel into my strong emotions over conflicting opinions around wearing masks and the vaccine. Then I had to educate myself, tune into my inner truth, and understand my needs in building a strong sense of self (second chakra development) to set the boundaries of what I would allow in my home, in interaction with others, and in the activities I chose to engage in (third chakra development). My health became a strong motivator to stay grounded in my truth and in setting my boundaries.
It wasn’t easy to do. Prior to the healing work I’ve done in the past six years involving the lower chakras, my sense of self could be quite fluid, my emotions elusive and even scary, and my boundaries tattered. The act of living my truth and stating my boundaries from a strong sense of self around my energetic resources of health, time, money, and physical energy during Covid has truly strengthened that muscle.
I’ve also come to know that as much as I enjoy the practices of meditation and chanting that activate the blissful sensations of higher chakras, if my lower chakras are still reflecting childhood wounding, I lack confidence and clarity, feel confused and unfocused, and ungrounded in my truth. The pandemic created the space and time for me, as well as for several of my clients, to strengthen our foundation.
Stay tuned for what the missing lower chakra development could look like in your life … and practices you can use that help to heal the missing development, building a stronger foundation in support of your higher chakras.
Projects, Free Class, and Workshops
With my newfound boundaries, I have used the past year to develop several exciting projects. And I’m bursting with energy from a stronger sense of self to share them!!!
It all starts with an upcoming free Zoom class “The Missing Piece to Living Life on Purpose.” Check it out here. Don’t wait long — it’s happening Thursday, May 20. Click here to learn more! Hint: The "missing piece" has to do with the lower chakras.
A workshop has been seeding itself in my awareness as a result of this passion for Chakra Healing and iRest Yoga Nidra. The title seems to want to be something like Embody Your Essence: a deeper dive into awakening to and clearing the subconscious influences stored in your body and driving your adult life!
More on this to come...
If you feel like sharing what has blossomed for you in the past 12 months, please hit reply! I would love to know!
Namaste ~
Dian