Seventh Chakra – Sahasrara (Thousandfold Lotus)

Location:

Crown of the head / cerebral cortex

Colour:

Violet or White

Element:

Thought, consciousness

Overview:

The Seventh Chakra often referred to as the Tenth Gate, sits at the crown of the head. It’s the most difficult of the chakras to understand intellectually because it transcends the intellect in many ways.

It deals with consciousness. So we could think of that in three ways. Firstly it is our consciousness that perceives and interprets the World around us. Indeed it is also our consciousness that animates the lower six chakras. The difference at the seventh chakra however is that you start to question consciousness. Who or what is doing the seeing, hearing, or thinking? Where is the seat of our consciousness? These are the sorts of questions and awareness that arise automatically in meditation.

Secondly the Seventh Chakra also oversees the subconscious, in particular our belief system. A lot of this is formed during our early years. If you had to keep quiet at home, you might come to believe that the world runs better if you keep your head down. If you grew up with trauma, you may believe the World to be a fearful place. Whilst these things may serve us at the time, they are not necessarily true and can very often limit our lives considerably. Understanding and clearing your belief system is fundamental to balancing this chakra.

Thirdly, the Crown Chakra is concerned with Consciousness – our connection to something bigger than us. Openness is key to exploring this fully – letting quiet introspection in meditation be your guide. And also remaining neutral to any insights you may gain – there may always be a deeper layer to uncover.

Understanding the 7th chakra needs to be experienced and not grasped intellectually.

When this chakra is balanced we seek out deep questions and spiritual teachings, have an open mind and transcend the ego. An unbalanced 7th Chakra can manifest as narrow religious belief systems, spiritual fanaticism, excess earthly attachments, intellectual bullying, feeling like there is no meaning or order to the Universe, and disconnection from spirit or body. In order to have a balanced 7th Chakra, you must be anchored in the lower 6 chakras first. When this chakra is in excess, you will be, “lost in the clouds,”  and ungrounded. When it is deficient, you will be attached to worldly things, ie too caught up with the lower chakras.

The real challenge of this chakra is to balance both worlds, spiritual and physical, and not escape either one. To be in the world but not of it.

Body Associations:

Brain, nervous system

Key Words:

Understanding, enlightenment, acceptance, bliss; one-ness, beliefs, consciousness, subconscious, thoughts

Issues:

Belief systems, divinity, union, transcendence, attachment, religious extremism

Physical issues:

Migraines, coma, brain tumours, amnesia, cognitive delusions, symptoms without physical cause, insomnia

Balanced characteristics:

Ability to perceive, analyse and assimilate information; intelligent, thoughtful and aware; open-minded, able to question; spiritually connected; wisdom and mastery, broad understanding; saintliness; bliss

Deficient characteristics:

Spiritual cynicism; learning difficulties; rigid belief systems, close-minded; apathy; excess in the lower chakras eg greed, materialism, domination of others (attempting to stop new ideas); clumsiness and difficulties with balance

Excess characteristics:

Over-intellectualisation; spiritual addiction; confusion; dissociation from the body; not grounded; God-complex

Possible addictions:

Religion, spiritual practices

Essential Oils:

Frankincense, sandalwood, anise, basil, benzoin, cedarwood, jasmine, myrrh

Gemstones:

Amethyst, obsidian, sodalite, sugilite, opalite, quartz, white topaz

Healing Practices:

Meditation and more meditation! Gong baths, deep relaxation. Re-establish physical & emotional connections (excess) or a spiritual connection (deficient). Learning & study. Spiritual discipline (40 day practice). Mindfulness. Eating “pure” foods, especially foods that are “high-vibration” foods and have absorbed a lot of sunshine. Detox, drink plenty of water. Avoid processed foods. Being outside & in nature. Charity and community work. Reiki or energy work. Chanting and prayer. Letting go of ego-driven behaviour. Sunlight.

Yoga Postures:

Corpse pose, ego eradicator, celibate pose, Shakti pose, spinal flex, inversions (downward facing dog, shoulder stand, legs up, standing forward folds), pranayama where the breath is held out.

Bij Mantra:

Ong

Meditation:

Interlace your fingers and take your hands overhead, palms down. Slightly round your arms to create a halo over the top of your head. Rest the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Close your eyes lightly and breathe slowly & gently. Be aware of the crown of your head and space between that and your arms. Hold for 3 – 5 minutes, then lower your arms and continue to focus on the crown and the space just above it. Continue as desired.