Vol. 8 No. 4 November 2022  

"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life… Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
--Rachel Carson, environmentalist and author of Silent Spring (1962), from her work The Sense of Wonder (1965)

May we each take time this holiday season to appreciate those with whom we currently share this short-lived, precious earthly journey through time and space.

 

How people identify themselves can offer information about which chakra has captured their attention. Each of the seven commonly-recognized chakras relates to a different area of a person’s life. What people emphasize in themselves demonstrates where their attention is focused.

The first chakra—aka the root chakra—governs the relationship we have to our bodies and the planet. Some people identify with their health (i.e., a cancer survivor or a health enthusiast), some identify with a particular part of the world (i.e., a Hoosier or a European), and some identify with their relationship to the earth (i.e., a gardener or a naturalist). These sorts of identifiers indicate that those who claim them are focused on their first chakras.

The second chakra, or sacral chakra, provides information about our emotional wellbeing, as well as our relationships with others. Here, we may see people identifying with particular emotional wounds (i.e., an adult child of an alcoholic or an incest survivor), or emotional dispositions (i.e., being a happy person), or familial roles (i.e., father, sister, or second-born son), or friendship circles and cliques (i.e., a Girl Scout). Those who claim that family is the most important thing in their lives—or who identify in the ways listed—are working from the second chakras.

The third chakra, or solar plexus, provides the pathway that allows us to create our dreams this lifetime. We may think of the third as providing systems and organization to our lives. People who identify with their work (i.e., “I’m an engineer”) or an accomplishment (i.e., “I’m a PhD”), or a project (i.e., “I’m developing a method to track and forecast weather patterns”) are identified with their third chakras, as are people who are working toward an aspiration (i.e., “one day, I will sail around the world”).

The fourth chakra, the heart space, relates to our passions and self-worth. A healthy sense of self-worth allows us to pursue our passions. If we identify with what we are passionate about (i.e., being a foodie, a movie-lover, or a traveler), then we are identified with our passions. Note that our passions may reside in the identities that are primarily housed in a different chakra. For instance, we may be passionate about our hometown (first chakra) or relationships (second chakra). The passion we bring forward is a feature of the fourth chakra.

The fifth chakra in the throat area governs communication, broadly construed. We identify with our fifth chakras when we claim that some expression demonstrates who we are. For instance, “You will know who I am through the art I create.” Wordsmiths, poets, artists, and orators identify closely with their fifth chakras.

The sixth chakra—known for offering us a sixth sense—allows us to see the world through our distinct lens. Those who identify with their views, visions, concepts, and insights (i.e., academics, psychologists, psychics, and trend forecasters) identify with the sixth chakra.

The seventh chakra, the crown, connects us to source, which provides us with our truth. People who seek truth, justice, goodness, and divinity are identified with the seventh chakra. Those who identify as whistle blowers and spiritual seekers identify with the seventh chakra.

No one chakra contains the totality of one’s identity. Some spiritualists teach that the heart space is “the seat of the soul.” It is not true. Our souls are who we are; soulfulness appears in all aspects of ourselves, including our physical, mental, emotional, as well as spiritual aspects. Spiritual literature is rife with holdovers from religious traditions that pit the spirit against the body, and the will against the emotions. A healthy, balanced life includes clarity, definition, and expression in each of the chakras. At any given time, one’s attention is likely to be concentrated in a particular area of one’s life. We develop each capacity discreetly through time. However, the fact that we are focused on one area at one time does not mean that we do not value the development of the other areas as well. We can have points of identification throughout the chakra system, and throughout the phases of our lives. Identifying in many ways simply allows our many facets to shine. Which chakras are calling to you?