This piece explores the experience of healing / balancing the third chakra and how it relates to positive rewarding feelings. The third chakra is also known as the Manipura (city of gems) in Sanskrit and the AB (OB) in Kemetic yoga, solar plexus in Western terms and lower Dan Tien in Chinese medicine. Briefly, let me describe it’s location and function. This area harnesses our personal solar power and connects us via an cosmic umbilical cord to that universal chi. When the area becomes weak or disturbed, symptoms such as depression, violence, rage, indecision and an inability to act appear within our lives. In contrast, a healthy and vibrant Solar Plexus chakra will manifest joy, warmth, action inspired by love, and a strong will power capable of breaking bad habits and establishing good ones.
My personal challenge in this area began many years ago, and was symbolically relayed to me in a dream that I’d like to share with you. In the dream, I was walking through a park, alone on a summer day.... content and at peace. There were a handful of others in the background but no one to whom I noticed until a stalky white man appeared from behind a tree walking very quickly towards me and then sent a stream of darkness towards my belly. Before I could react he was gone and I felt like something very valuable had been disabled within me. After meditation on this dream I believe that man represented the white male power system, disabling my personal power through the sending of negative energy or messages.
So, the spiritual journey to balancing has taught me much about this area and just how important it is to survival. Actually, the lower three chakras are known as our instinctual areas of survival, our “lower consciousness” to which we must master in order to raise our Kundalini into our Divine Minds. A very simple explanation of Kundalini is life force, but can be elaborated on in another discussion.
Caroline Shola Arewa, Yoruba author of “Opening To Spirit” describes all of the chakras and their attributes in beautiful easy to understand language, and further inspires us by tracing the relevance to our African ancestry. She describes this Solar Plexus chakra as a generator of personal will power that changes “followers into leaders, survivors from victims and .... the powerless into the powerful” (175, 1998) From the perspective of the macrocosm being Africans / Original Tribes people who came into conflict and contact with Imperialism and slavery many of us must still learn to transform our rage/oppression into personal radiance. I believe we have had thousands of successful leaders demonstrate this power, from Oprah Winfrey, to Malcolm X, to Steven Biko to name just a few examples.
Depression is a strong indication that our personal will power is depleted and that we need to readjust and find our strength. The process though doesn’t happen overnight, at least it hasn’t for me. And what I personally noticed was that when the energy that was blocking this area begins to break through, feelings that had been repressed began to emerge releasing painful feelings and tears. As Caroline Arewa mentions, “beneath the anger is pain, and beneath the pain is treasure” and that seems to be the blessing that transforms us into our powerful pro-active selves. Feelings of exploitation, victimization and power abuse can be transformed into useable energy that directs our lives towards our higher purpose, but the process is more than theoretical and spiritual. The alchemy involved here involves action which can seem like the last thing one wants to do when caught by the demon of despair. What I can suggest for Brothers and Sisters who are sharing this journey or wanting to begin it, it to do so one step at a time, one day at a time, one action at a time. Whether it is writing in the journal, changing your diet to more high vibrational foods, meditation, or exercise, pick just one thing and do a little of it everyday until you grow strong enough to build an entire regiment and routine structure. The light will break though the darkness and you will be set free from the feelings that have brought you down.
I personally recommend studying more about chakras from those authors that relate them to us with African imagery. For those who think that Yoga is a white man’s recreation please note the affinities within the Solar Plexus chakra of African deities and myths such as (Kemetic): RA, Hathor, (Yoruba) Shango, Ogun and (Dravidian): Kali, Lakini, Surya (Arewa, 175-78)
I smile when I think of the exercises my father used to have us do to prepare for soccer practice and recognize them now as Kundalini yoga! Funny how some things are passed down genetically through just knowing. The best exercises I have found that offer very quick results are laying on the back and doing leg raises to 90 degrees. In one set you can raise both legs at once and then alternate them. If you have a sensitive lower back place a small pillow underneath your thighs but not high enough to negate the effort of lifting, which must be done with your abdomen. When you have completed these you can criss-cross the legs and then cycle them like your riding a bike upside down. Of course certified instruction is best but I’m sure many of us have done this before either in aerobics classes or some kind of fitness training. And when there just doesn’t seem to be enough energy to physically get moving, try working with semi-precious gemstones like citrine, tigers eye, heliodor, malachite. They are often very affordable beads and can energetically work in a gentle way just by wearing or holding them.
That’s my rant for now, thanks for reading.... hotep