Chakra Safari for the Energy Being

Let’s take a safari, shall we?

Not of exotic animals, but exotic energies– let me guide you through the wilds of your energy body and give you a little introduction to your Chakras.

Ok, so truth be told there are actually hundreds of Chakras throughout your body– but let’s not get carried away.  The seven main Chakras that run along your spine (from tailbone to top of skull) are a great way to begin to understand your energy.  And that’s exactly why YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT YOUR CHAKRAS IN THE FIRST PLACE.  Because nobody has reminded us that we are energy beings, and nobody taught us in Kindergarten how to manage our own energies.  So I’m going to remind you who you really are and break it down for you right here:

• Everything in the universe is energy.  Yes, everything.
• We are energy beings and as such we are affected by the energies around us.
• The structure you live in, places you visit, people you interact with, objects you handle, all of these different energies can affect your energy field, positively and negatively.

Think about this for a moment.  Can you remember a time when you felt peaceful or soothed by a person or a location or an object?  I bet you can.  You couldn’t explain it but your energy responded very positively to the energy of that person/place/thing.  Conversely I bet you can remember a time when you felt a powerful need to get the fuck away from a person or a place or even a thing.  What is that about it?  It’s your energy field, reading the energy of what is around you; choosing to interact with it or get away from it.  IT IS ALL ENERGY.  And the more you can come to understand that, the more you will start to THRIVE AS AN ENERGY BEING IN AN ENERGY WORLD.

So this is where the Chakras come in.  They are a great tool to help you on the path of understanding your energy.  And for my money, that’s why we are here.  We came to this planet to understand our energy as deeply as possible and make the most of it.  Each of us have a unique energetic imprint that will never be repeated and the more intimately we know it, the more power we have to bring our unique gifts into the world.  Now there are other energies beyond the Chakras that compose our particular energy blueprint, and at some point I will write a post elucidating what those are.  But for now let’s explore the seven main energy centers in our own bodies that form the foundation of our energy field AKA the core of who we are.

As you read on and visualize your Chakras try not to think of them as little orbs inside yourself.  Rather imagine them as large spheres of light that surround a particular part of your being.  Your physical body actually exists inside the Chakras.  The same way your computer exists inside the Wi-Fi network.  The Wi-Fi isn’t in your computer, it surrounds your computer.  Your Chakras are individual energy fields that surround you and together they compose the great symphony of your complete energy body. The word Chakra itself means WHEEL or DISC in Sanskrit.  And that’s a great way to see these energies, as giant wheels of light that you orbit within.  When the wheels get stuck or stagnant, you feel it because you are inside it.  When the wheels are moving freely and vibrating strongly, you feel that freedom and power.  In addition to explaining a little about the Chakras, I will also include the elements, affirmations, colors and days of the week associated with them.  But keep in mind this is all very personal.  If the color, or the day of the week or the element doesn’t resonate with you, feel free to explore what will!  When it comes to working with the invisible world there is no one size fits all, it always comes back to what works best for you!

Also, I realize this is A SHIT TON OF INFORMATION, so feel free to read this post slowly, in doses.  Or read it all and once and then return to the individual Chakras one day at a time and let yourself marinate and explore.  It’s good to understand this information with your mind, but more importantly you need to understand it with your body and your heart.  The more you work to feel these energies the more they will work for you.  How do you work to feel these energies?  Good question.  At the end of the Sixth Chakra explanation I have included a visualization exercise to help you get started– so be on the lookout for that!

Alright enough overture here, put on your most glamorous safari gear and pull out your binoculars because here we gooooooooo.

YOUR ROOT CHAKRA– THE HOUSE OF HERE AND NOW

Element of EARTH.  Ruby Red or Brown in color.  Monday.

Your first Chakra is all about grounding. It’s about your right to be here, in your body, on this planet, at this time. There’s a misunderstanding that living a spiritual life means disconnecting from the physical. But the truth is your body is a spiritual tool to help you manifest your purpose. Personally, I find the body more valuable than the mind because the body never lies and the mind is a sneaky weasel, am I right? I want to encourage you to get grounded in your body right at the start of your week. I want you to feel your feet on the floor and remember that you grew out of this Earth the same way a tree or a mountain emerges. 

This energy center surrounds your tailbone, the base of your spine, and works its way down your legs.  This is the Chakra that establishes your grounding cord and helps you get present.  It’s also about getting your most basic needs met.  You need food, you need water, you need a safe place to sleep and wash yourself and relax.  The Root Chakra is the energy center that helps you establish these primal needs.

The first Chakra is about the refuge of your body.  What is your relationship to living inside this beautiful machine that is your temporary home?  Are you able to feel peace within it?  When things get crazy in your life (like all the time) can you return to it and find peace in the midst of a storm?  What are you doing to cultivate relationship with your body every day? Your body is a clue from your soul, about the work you came here to do and how to go about making it your reality. And life is all about your own reality. So stop listening to other voices, even some of the ones in your own head. When it comes to working with this energy center, the only voice you should concern yourself  is the soft strong voice of your beautiful body.

ROOT CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• I am grounded.
• I have a right to be here.
• It is safe for me to be in my body.

YOUR SACRAL CHAKRA– THE HOUSE OF PASSION

Element of WATER.  Orange in color.  Tuesday.

Moving right along to your Sacral Chakra, a complex energy center that radiates out from the sacred bowl of your pelvis. This is known as your second Chakra and it’s a doozy.  Frankly I could teach a whole seminar on just this Chakra but suffice to say this energy center is all about how you deal with:

• your sexuality
  
• emotional life
  
• issues with food
• creativity and art
  
• your relationship to money

It’s a lot, I know.  Are you spinning yet?  If you are, don’t panic! You’re totally not alone.  Basically this energy center involves all the juicy stuff of being alive– which is why almost everyone has some healing to do here, myself included.  The element associated with this energy center is water– because water is a symbol of emotion, and creation (think about the womb), but there’s fire here too! This energy center ignites your passion for life and can illuminate the reasons why you came to this planet in the first place.  Sacral Chakra energy is all about PASSION and PLEASURE, and seeking more of it in your life!  To me the photo above really represents the Sacral Chakra, where water and fire dance with each other and light up the sky. Ask yourself: What moves you? What makes your body sing? What gets you fired up? These are the questions your Sacral Chakra can help you answer. When you have a fire in your belly, a gut feeling, an ache in your loins or get struck by a lightening bolt of creativity this is you tuning in to your Sacral Chakra turning on.

If your Root Chakra is about your right to be here, getting yourself grounded and your survival needs met, your Sacral Chakra is about what happens next.  How are you going to make the most of your one lifetime in this body, with this one heart, in this magical world? I don’t mean how are you going to make the most money, or get the most famous– – or even what will get you remembered when you are gone. I’m talking about your deepest interests and passions. The weird and wacky things that make you tick are the residents of your Sacral Chakra; so get to know them and embrace them– they are you!  Remember the Chakras are tools to help you understand your own unique energy, so when you meet them you are always meeting yourself.

SACRAL CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• I am a sensual and creative being.
• I have tons of passion.
• It is safe for me to experience pleasure.

 

                 YOUR SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA–  THE HOUSE OF SPIRIT

Element of FIRE.  Yellow in color.  Wednesday.

Your third Chakra is the white hot sun of your self-esteem. This energy center asks: Do you know your true value? Have you been giving yourself away too cheaply? Are you ready to claim your worth? The Solar Plexus Chakra is the area of your body between your lower ribs and your upper hips, your core. Your core muscles support the spinal column, and this Chakra supports your whole energy system with its pure fire that transforms obstacles into allies and gives you the courage to manifest your dreams. It is your will center, the drill sergeant of your discipline, the supreme warrior.  Consider, do setbacks just stall you or do they stop you completely? If you have trouble finishing what you start, or moving forwards even (especially) when things don’t go your way, maybe your Solar Plexus Chakra needs a little love. Do you remember that episode of Sex and the City where Charlotte had to defend her right to quit her job and she shouted at Miranda: I choose my choice, I choose my choice! Now THAT is some Third Chakra realness right there.

The color commonly associated with this Chakra is yellow, like golden sunlight. And it’s no coincidence this Chakra is named the SOLAR plexus; think of it as the sun energy of your own system. The more you engage with this energy center the more POWERFUL you will feel. Imagine the heat of the desert at high noon, the electricity of that intense energy crackling across oceans of sand THAT is just the beginning of what this Chakra can do. You are so much more powerful than you know, and this third energy center is the gateway.  Within the Solar Plexus is your ego, your personality, your identity.  It is the house of your unique spirit, the energy that drives you forward!

Think about this way, after you’ve uncovered the passions, pleasures and purpose of your life how do you go about manifesting them?  Your Sacral Chakra doesn’t make things happen, it feels things deeply.  It’s this third Chakra that constructs the reality you want to live in.  This is the energy of waking up day after day and building your dreams brick by brick, even when you’re tired, even when it’s raining, even on the Fourth of July.  Maybe you have lots of dreams and passions but you doubt yourself.  This is the energy center that births confidence in oneself and ones purpose.  So if you’re in the midst of a self-pity party, throw everyone out and spend some quality one-on-one time with your Solar Plexus Chakra.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• I feel my power fully.
• I am worthy of the life I want.
• I choose my choice.

 

YOUR HEART CHAKRA–  THE GREAT CONNECTOR

Element of AIR.  Green in color.  Thursday.

Yes, I just posted a selfie as the photo for this Chakra because your all Heart Chakra is about looooooving yourself.  Most people assume this energy center is about love, and that is correct. But it’s not about romantic love, that would be more connected to your Sacral Chakra. The fourth Chakra is about seeing the world through love, starting with yourself. A wise sage (ie. RuPaul) once said: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” And this energy center allows for our capacity to feel  that deep universal love for our own being. When you spend any time in the temple of your heart, you will start to experience the joy, the privilege, the supreme BLESSING that it is to be you– for no other reason than THAT YOU ARE HERE!  

This energy center is unique among your other Chakras because it sits right in the middle of your Chakra system.  The lower three energy centers are about your material reality, the upper three are about spirit and source.  Your expansive heart is powerful enough to bridge this gap between the physical world and the invisible world.  This Chakra, your human heart, is able to hold all things, no matter how opposite they seem and connect them with love.  Duality doesn’t exist in this energy center, only the source of love from which all energies and obstacles originate.

The energy of your heart moves down the meridian lines of your arms and out your hands.  That’s why when someone cooks with love you can taste it, when someone paints with love you can feel it, when someone writes with love you know it.  The front of this energy center is related to how you give love, the back of your heart (your spiritual heart) is related to how you receive love.  Generally people have a knack for one and struggle with the other.  So take a moment and consider: Are you more apt at giving love or receiving love?  A truly open Heart Chakra means you are able to practice both with ease and joy.  Are you able to accept compliments and hugs and congratulations?  Or do you resist and deny.  Are you comfortable giving hugs and telling people you love them? Or do you shrink?  Above all contemplate this: Where is the LOVE in your life?  And ideally it starts with yourself.

Your heart center also contains a powerful secret. It holds the blueprint to why you are here. The more you feel into this dimension of your being, the more your heart will start to illuminate the path of your soul’s true purpose. Within your heart are the unique gifts that ONLY YOU can manifest in this world and the world needs your gifts badly. Take some time today to ask your heart what those gifts are. The more you can feel love for yourself, the more you will start to trust your rare brand of genius.  Your heart Chakra is associated with the color green and the element of air and therefore deeply connected to nature. Spending time outside can help you engage with this energy center more fully. When you come to see yourself as a natural creation, like a tree or a mountain, you can start to have reverence and wonder for yourself. You can start to feel your interconnectedness to the great web of life. The wisdom of the heart Chakra is that we are all one family that emanated from one pure source. The separation we feel is an illusion. When you see through your heart, everyone is your mirror and everyone is worthy of love and respect.

HEART CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• I AM LOVE.
• I give and receive love fearlessly.
• I allow the abundance of the universe to pour into my heart.

 

YOUR THROAT CHAKRA– THE HOUSE OF EXPRESSION

Element of SOUND.  Blue in color.  Friday.

The Throat Chakra is the cool blue energy center of your own expression. Do you feel free to speak your mind, speak your truth, speak up for yourself? If not you may have an under-active Fifth Chakra. The theme of this energy center is about claiming your voice! You have a right to be heard, your point of view is valid and it’s vital it be shared– now, RIGHT NOW. We are living in a time when our world is starving for fresh voices, new stories need to be told. If you have been holding your story back, stop it! Because we are all missing out! Your Throat Chakra wants to help you restore agency in your life.  How?   By sharing the story of your own unique journey and doing so with vulnerability and authenticity. No matter how uncomfortable or exposed you feel. The more transparent you can be about your life experience, the more you can share the deepest truth of your human struggles– the more people will be able to relate to you. The more heard and seen you will feel.

The Throat Chakra is not who you pretend to be when you’re around your family, or who you try to be at the workplace. The Throat Chakra is not about your carefully crafted Instagram or your picture perfect Pinterest. Your Throat Chakra is about real communication, expressing the truth that always comes from the heart– even when it’s messy or ugly or scary. The question this Chakra asks is: Can you speak the truth with love? Are you ready to give voice to those things longing to move through you?  This Chakra is directly connected to your Sacral Chakra (the house of your creativity and passion).  I bet there’s a book, or a screenplay, or a painting or a song just waiting to be freed from within you. So what are you waiting for?  Let this energy center help you EXPRESS YOURSELF before your REPRESS YOURSELF. And the fact is the more you give yourself permission to express yourself without judgment, the better you will feel!

This energy center also carries a gift. The gift is called Clairaudience. This means being able to hear messages from the invisible world. When this Chakra is turned on, you will be able to write and speak and hear things you didn’t know you knew. Speak up and speak out today, and you’ll be surprised at what comes through!  We have lots of voices in our heads, that doesn’t make us crazy– it makes us human.  The voices that speak negatively and confirm our doubts are not the real voices– stop giving them your attention.  Instead start to acknowledge and honor the quieter voices inside yourself that speak to your magnificent abilities and your infinite potential.  You are psychic, you are gifted, you are ready to let the world hear your heart’s true song– right now.  You don’t need more training, you don’t need more time– all you need is to take a deep breath and leap forwards.  Your future self is ready to catch you and the world is waiting for your gorgeous and unique offerings.

THROAT CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• It is safe to express myself.
• I have a right to be heard.
• I always tell the truth with love.

 

YOUR THIRD EYE CHAKRA– THE HOUSE OF TIME AND SPACE

Element of LIGHT and DARK.  Purple in color.  Saturday.

The Sixth Chakra is your gateway to the mystical. If you were to see this world through the eyes of spirit you would be looking out your third eye. This is the energy center where your intuition resides. So much of life cannot be seen with our two eyes. That is why we have a third eye, so we can perceive the true nature of this reality. You use this energy center all the time and probably didn’t know it. When you shift into the world of your dreams, practice visualization, meditate, or enter into any altered state you are engaging with your third eye.

People generally assume the third eye is the place where your eyebrows meet, but I experience my third eye in the back of my skull. And again I want to encourage you to think of all your Chakras as energy fields that surround your body, not little orbs inside yourself. Tapping into this Chakra establishes relationship with your inner visionary. We all have the ability to see into the future, to imagine a better world, to dream an enormous dream. Your Sixth Chakra isn’t bound by space and time and therefore it can see things your mind can’t entirely comprehend. That’s why you might already be realizing you see visions but don’t know what to make of them. The gift of psychic seeing is called Clairvoyance and it is connected to the third eye (it’s also connected to your Heart Charka as well– seeing the truth with love). Your mind may not be able to help you make sense of these images, but your heart can! Don’t think into your grand visions, feel into them.

The Third Eye sees inside, working with it you can learn how to see more deeply into yourself. If you’re struggling to gain clarity in some realm of your life, reach inward to this energy center and see what light it can shed. This Sixth Chakra is commonly associated with the color Indigo or Purple, and it’s related to visualization and seeing energy here’s… so here’s an exercise to help you actively turn on this energy center.

CHAKRA ACTIVATION EXERCISE:  To get started imagine a purple ball of light in the center of your skull, about the size of an orange. As you inhale, this ball of light expands, growing larger than your head and glowing more brightly– maybe even burning white hot. As you exhale, it contracts and dims and cools.

Try this for a few minutes a day and see what happens to your intuitive powers!  This simple visualization exercise can be applied to any of your Chakras.  Pick a color, visualize this ball of light in the center of your Chakra and as you inhale allow it to expand to the outer boundaries of that energy field, glowing brighter, gathering intensity.  As you exhale, let it contract back to it’s innermost point, dimming and cooling.  Doing this even just three minutes a day can make a huge difference– try it and let me know what happens.  Seriously, try it.  What do you have to lose?  Three minutes?  Worst case scenario, nothing changes.  Best case scenario, your whole life changes!

THIRD EYE CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• My spiritual vision is clear.
• It is safe for me to see the truth.
• I have complete trust in my intuition.

 

YOUR CROWN CHAKRA– THE HOUSE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Element of ENERGY/CONSCIOUSNESS.  Violet, White or Gold in color.  Sunday.

Your Seventh Chakra is your Crown Chakra and it has one function: To connect you with source energy. However you know it, by whatever name you call it, this energy center is your direct channel to the highest power of the universe. You can call it Jesus, Mohammed, the Universe, Big Mama Ocean or Great Grandfather Fire.  You can worship the moon, the desert, a giant redwood tree, it truly doesn’t matter what you worship so long as you begin to connect with the source of all that is.  This Chakra reminds us there are forces bigger than just our life and we can connect with them whenever we desire. There are many colors associated with this energy center, from Violet to Gold to Silver to White to even Rainbow. When you gaze out over the ocean, when you take in a sunset, when you bear witness to the miracles of the animal kingdom you are experiencing your Crown Chakra come alive!

I have come to discover the quickest way to activate this energy center, is to move into gratitude. Whenever you start to feel thankful for something, this Chakra lights up like a Christmas tree. Gratitude is a gateway. By appreciating what is already around you, you start to step through a portal into all that is possible. On Sundays I engage with this Chakra by trying to see the universe in everyone and everything and by trying to be grateful for WHATEVER presents itself. The gift an open Crown Chakra gives is the soulful reminder that we are all connected. We are all drops from the divine ocean! Separation is an illusion, even though we have physical bodies that keep us as individuals– the truth is we are exquisitely united at all times through universal consciousness: THIS IS THE BASIC LEVEL OF CONECTION.  We are all energy and we are linked.  Your Crown Chakra is the gateway into the Great Mystery, the Void, the endless ocean our timeless existence.  When you can rest in the energy of this Chakra you are living a life of TRUST, FAITH and GRATITUDE.

Opening up your Crown Chakra also makes you available to divine wisdom.  The gift of this energy center is called Clairsentience, psychic feeling or sensing– essentially being able to feel others emotions, thoughts or energy is connected to this gift.  This energy center can also connect you to other realms (angelic, ascended masters, etc.) and other dimensions.  When you allow yourself to connect to other energies BEYOND your intellectual understanding, you will be amazed at what you KNOW.  It’s not uncommon for human beings to download huge amounts of information all at once from other sources; so if you’re ready to receive ancient wisdom start to tap into your Crown Chakra, especially before bed– dream time is the perfect time to receive divine wisdom.  In this way we come to understand that we are grounded not just into the heart center of this planet, we are cosmically anchored to the highest power of the universe.  We are the bridge between worlds.  That’s one of the most special things about being a human being, we are the meeting place between Earth and Sky– only through us can Earth touch Heaven, and only in us can Heaven connect to Earth.  So remember that the next time you’re feeling down on yourself!!!

CROWN CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS:

• I am connected to the divine.
• It is safe for me to let go.
• I am open to the abundance of the universe.

 

So here we are, at the end of our Chakra Safari.  Use this guide as a trusty map to your own inner landscape and refer to it regularly.  the more you begin to explore your Chakras, the more they will reveal themselves to you.  And remember, every energy center you engage with is you. This is just another way to meet yourself and that’s why you’re here: to know yourself intimately and thoroughly.  Know thyself and to thine own self be true.  We have to stop being so concerned with other people’s opinions of ourselves as our prime motivator in life.  The more you can engage and honor your deeper self, the more independent and empowered you will feel.  As always, I am here for you to answer any questions, concerns or to help you move into these deeper realms of yourself.

xoxox, Brandon