THE CROWN OR SAHASRARA CHAKRA
The seventh chakra is also called the crown chakra or Sahasrara in Sanskrit which can be translated as “Thousand petals”. It is located at the top of your head.
The crown chakra is the gateway to god’s consciousness. Source of infinite wisdom, connection to the spiritual realm, and attunement with the Universe, the seventh chakra “communique” with the outside world through the Third eye.
The crown chakra is associated with the following psychological and behavioral characteristics:
· Consciousness
· Awareness of higher consciousness, wisdom, of the sacred
· Connection with the formless, the limitless
· Realization, liberation from limiting patterns
· Communion with higher states of consciousness
· Ecstasy, bliss
· Presence
Function: Connection to the divine.
Basic right: To Know
Basic need: Oneness with the divine
Related Organs: The Pituitary, the pineal and the hypothalamus glands. The hypothalamus and pituitary glands work in pair to regulate the endocrine system. The Crown chakra is also linked to the central nervous system (CNS—brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system consists of sensory neurons that carry sensory input from receptors to the CNS, and motor neurons that transmit motor output from the CNS to muscles and glands.
Color: White or mauve
Sound: Om (AAAAAOUOUOUMMM)
Musical note: B
Frequency: 480 Hz
Element: All
Energy: Transcendence
Animal: Enlightened Being (Hindu), Birds — especially owls and white ones, Butterfly.
This chakra links mankind to spirituality and the universe. It gives us access to higher states of consciousness as we open to what is beyond our personal preoccupations and visions. The function of the Crown chakra is driven by consciousness. Sahasrara is associated with the transcendence of our limitations. It is where the paradox becomes norm, where seemingly opposites are one. The quality of awareness that comes with the Crown chakra is universal, transcendent.
As we are immersed in the energy of the crown chakra, we feel a state of blissful union with all that is, of spiritual ecstasy. This chakra allows access to the upmost clarity and enlightened wisdom.
Some describe this chakra as the gateway to the cosmic self or the divine self, to universal consciousness. It’s linked to the infinite, the universal.
CrownChakra Symbol
The Crown chakra symbol is depicted as a violet-colored 1,000-petaled lotus flower. The lotus flower is commonly associated with:
· purity
· renewal
· beauty
Considering the Crown chakra is itself the energy center of renewal and transcendence, the lotus flower is symbolically appropriate.
Some illustrations of the Crown chakra symbol will include an “Om” image seated in the lotus’ center. Within Hinduism, the “Om” is symbolic of the Absolute — all that was, is, and will be — or Brahman. According to ancient tradition, to understand the incomprehensible is impossible for the human mind, therefore, representing the absolute in a single symbol makes things slightly easier.
Crown Chakra Mantra
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Om / Aum
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I am divine.
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I accept all that comes into my day with trust and selflessness.
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I am selfless.
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I honor all others.
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Life will bring me many wonders today.
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Today will bring me a new enthusiasm.
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My Crown chakra projects inspiration.
Symptoms when the Crown chakra is in balance
When the seventh chakra is fully open and vibrating, you will be whole again. You will know what it means to live in a state of grace.
Your meditations will sometimes transport you into contemplative states in which the boundary between yourself and others will disappear. You will come face to face with the Creator, God, or the Divine in high states of satori, samadhi, and enlightenment.
You may experience and possibly even perform miracles such as healing yourself and others. Your faith will be inviolable.
The Kundalini serpent—a metaphor for pure consciousness and life force energy—will be uncoiled and released flowing freely up from the earth, through all seven of your chakras, out from your Crown, up to the heavens, and back down again at a high mystical rate of vibration.
You will operate in the world from a context of unconditional love and compassion for all sentient beings. You will be beyond desire, wanting, and karma. You will be free.
Symptoms when the Crown Chakra is out of balance
When the seventh chakra is blocked or closed, you will be very much caught in the endless cycle of birth and death, subject to the laws of karma.
You may long to return home to God, but direct mystical experiences mostly elude you. You are still trying to make them happen and have not learned to surrender to allow them to happen.
Intellectually, you may understand that the lower cannot command the higher, but you repeatedly fall back upon what you know how to do.
Your ego regularly gets the front seat in your consciousness and your higher self-recedes into the background. You should work hard at reconfirming your faith, and it sometimes fails you completely. Regardless of your level of achievement and success in the world (power, position, wealth, sex), you are still prone to periods of spiritual darkness and fear of death. This compels you to try and get more of what you already have, even though you already have enough.
Symptoms of excessive energy in the Root chakra:
You live in your head, disconnected from your body and earthly matters. You are obsessively attachment to spiritual matters. You have difficulty falling asleep and/or experience Insomnia. Your life seems dull and uninteresting.
Symptoms of deficient energy in the Root chakra:
You are spiritually disconnected, constantly criticizing what is sacred. You are closed-minded. You are in a state of indifference, you suppress emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. You display a lack of care and compassion towards others (egotistic). You are narrow-mindedness/dogmatism. You display Rigidity and limited self-identity. You experience lack of purpose and direction. You suffer from existential depression and loneliness. You feel alienation from others. You may display greed and materialism. you have frequent headaches/migraines.
You are still quite capable of operating selfishly and perhaps even violently toward your fellow man, even (or perhaps especially) those closest to you, including friends and family. You may be the envy of your peers because of your worldly success, but inside you still often feel like a fraud or a fake. You ask yourself repeatedly, “Is this all there is?”
TOOLS TO UNBLOCK AND BALANCE THE CROWN SAHASRARA CHAKRA
Gems & mineral: Amethyst, scapolite, purple fluorite, auralite 23, super 7, stichtite, charoite, lepidolite, sugilite, selenite.
Herbs: Gotu kola, lavender, pink lotus, St. John’s wort.
Essential oil: Gotu kola, lavender, pink lotus, palo santo,spikenard, frangipani.
Below are some of the healing activities you can perform to heal and activate the Sahasrara Chakra:
- Connect to your inner self through yoga, meditation and contemplation.
- Repeat a mantra or affirmation that resonates with the Crown chakra. The best mantra for the Crown chakra is “Om” (AAAAUUUUMMMM).
- Turn off the TV, radio and computer so that you may be open to hearing the universe around you.
- Take nature walks or mountain hikes to reconnect.
- Use recommended essential oils to promote the healing and openness of your chakras.
- Keep a dream journal to write down your dreams and imaginations.
- Wear the colors associated with the chakra (white and violet).
- Carry a gemstone that resonates with you. Violet or clear gemstones like quartz crystal, diamond, and
amethyst are recommended for the Crown chakra.
- Meditate frequently.
- Energy Work. Any type of energy healing is a good way to improve the health of your Crown chakra. Examples include Qigong, Falun gong, Reiki, Yoga, Acupuncture, Acupressure, or Massage.
- Educate yourself. Open your Crown chakra by expanding your mind and stepping out of dead and limiting perspectives. Read books, watch videos, and listen to podcasts on a range of topics to do with self-growth. Identify any areas of ignorance or prejudice
that you might possess (this takes the courage to be honest with yourself) and deepen your education in these areas. The wise philosopher Socrates once said, “the more I learn, the less I realize I know.” In other words, the more you educate yourself, the more humility you develop about life and open-mindedness you have towards yourself and other people.
- “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Simplify your surroundings. You don’t need to be a minimalist, but you can aim to reduce the clutter in your life. An excess of belongings and mess has been proven to create mental and emotional distress. Go through your house and create three piles of belongings: those you want to keep, those you wish to donate, and those you want to throw away. By cleaning and simplifying your surroundings, you’re also creating the same kind of purification within. This process of cleaning your external environment energetically frees up space within your mind and significantly contributes to your Crown chakra healing.
- Commit yourself to your own spiritual practice. No one can build a strong connection to Spirit but you. One of the simplest ways of creating your own spiritual practice is by designating a small corner (or even room) of your house to your daily spiritual practice. Spiritual practice is as diverse as human beings. Your spiritual practice will be utterly unique to you. For example, it might include
meditating, practicing yoga or qigong, praying, doing rituals, reading and studying sacred books, singing, drawing tarot cards, volunteering, creating art, watching nature, practicing visualization or self-hypnosis … there are endless combinations! Just ensure that you do what feels authentic to you. There is no need to copy anyone. Create a daily ritual that nourishes your Soul.
- Practice the power of prayer. Prayer doesn’t have to be religious. You can pray to whatever or whomever you believe in, whether that be your Spirit Guides, Ancestors, God/Goddess, Universe, Life, Spirit, or Soul. Prayer is very simple but also extremely beneficial. The gratitude we feel when we give thanks (which is just one function of prayer) has been scientifically proven to have
numerous health benefits. Prayer also creates an energetic bridge between you and your Crown chakra. The more you pray, the more your Crown chakra is opened to the Eternal. Prayer can be perceived as the key that opens the door to higher consciousness.
- Be open to guidance. Look for synchronicity, signs, communication from Spirit. Guidance is happening all around you all the time, but you just need to be open to it. Cynicism severs the connection between your mind, body, soul, and surroundings. Give the benefit of the doubt. Question your preconceived notions and be courageous enough to actively seek and pay attention to help when it comes. Guidance can happen through dreams, strange coincidences, daydreams, repetitive numbers or symbols, and intuitive gut feelings… Help is provided in a subtle and nuanced fashion to help you strengthen your mindful awareness. Take each day as an opportunity to look out for the help that the Universe is sharing with you.
Yoga (Asana) Poses
The best exercise for awakening and balancing this chakra is meditation, so try ending your practice with a mindful breathing contemplation. If you’re in the mood for something a little stronger, you may also enjoy Sirsasana (headstand) (Figure 1), or if it’s deep relaxation you’re after, then opt for an extended Savasana (corpse pose) (Figure 2).
Sirsasana (headstand)
Savasana (corpse pose)
First Exercise to balance your Crown chakra
Stop believing your thoughts.
“I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that.” — Byron Katie.
At first glance, the title above (“stop believing your thoughts”) might appear strange and confusing. “What?” you might think, “But I am my thoughts!” Here lies a fundamental error in understanding. How can we be our thoughts if we don’t control them? You can discover this reality for yourself: Sit somewhere quiet and turn your attention inwards. Start to notice all the thoughts that blast through your brain. Did you deliberately create these thoughts? Did you scheme, plan, or create any one of them intentionally?
Upon observation, you will realize that you don’t, in fact, create any of your thoughts. They just arise spontaneously from the vast abyss of your mind.
Therefore, how can you be your thoughts? Furthermore, what is it that is observing these thoughts? The force that witnesses these thoughts (and forgets that it is the observer) is your fundamental Essence.
The Meditation (mentioned above) is a powerful way to begin witnessing your thoughts and detaching from them. Another way to create a sense of spacious peace inside yourself is to disbelieve your thoughts. This method is called self-inquiry and involves asking of yourself the question “is that true?” Enlightened teacher Byron Katie has a clear and straightforward process of challenging and disbelieving thoughts that create suffering.
Second Exercise to balance your Crown chakra
1. Seat down comfortably, back straight, eyes closes and breathe deeply a few times through the nose. Let go and relax.
2. Concentrate on the Sahasrara for a minute and then visualize it surrounded by the color mauve of an absolute purity. Keep this visualization for three minutes. Then, take a deep breath through the nose while imagining that energy is penetrating this chakra and breath out while imagining that all the impurities of this chakra are getting out. Repeat this entire process as may time as you feel it’s necessary.
3. Once you feel that you have completed the cleaning process chant the mantra “AUM” seven times.
End the process by offering great gratitude toward the crown chakra.
EXPLORE THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
Root Chakra
Foundation of stability and security; connects us to the physical world.
Heart Chakra
Nurtures love, compassion, harmony, and emotional balance; connects us to unconditional love and healing.
Sacral Chakra
Emotional center. Enhances intuition, perception, and inner guidance; brings clarity and heightened senses.
Throat Chakra
Communication, self-expression, truth, creativity, and the ability to speak and listen with authenticity.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Empowers personal power, confidence, willpower, and manifestation; ignites inner strength and transformation.
Third Eye Chakra
Intuition, perception, inner wisdom, spiritual awareness, and the ability to see beyond the physical.
Crown Chakra
Divine connection, higher consciousness, spiritual enlightenment, unity, and transcendence of the self.