third chakra

What is this life flowing in our bodies like fire? What is it? Life is like a hot iron. Ready to pour. Choose the mold and life will burn it.

– Mahabharata

TRANSFORMATION

If we are to rise upward through all seven chakras, it is the fire of our will that propels the movement. It is through our will that we liberate ourselves from fixed patterns and create new behavior. It is our will that steers us away from the path of least resistance, that addictive habit, or the expectation of others. It is through our will that we take actions that are difficult or challenging, moving toward something new. As we take these actions, we begin to transform, bu the first step is breaking old patterns.

Excess weight in general can be a third chakra malfunction, because it says the body is not properly metabolizing its solid matter (food) into energy.

Third chakra is yang and active. When afraid or feeling powerless, we withdraw, and become passive and yin.

The energy in our bodies is dependent on our ability to connect, to merge, to nourish ourselves from what surrounds us. It is dependent on our comfort with power, with our basic self-confidence. This chakra is also related to self-esteem, which brings strength to our will. When our will is effective, our self-esteem is enhanced. Then, we can better direct our lives toward that which we love, that which ignites us, challenges us, renews us.

POWER

Coming from Unity and Wholeness (NOT separation, fighting, dominating.) The true strength of any group or organism depends on its solidarity and its ability to combine and coordinate its inner forces.

With an absence of power within, we may constantly seek stimulation, excitement and activity, afraid to slow down, to feel the emptiness inside.

Power is dependent on energy, just as survival is dependent on matter, and sexuality on movement.

To have power, we need to be conscious.

We must understand the relationships between things.

WILL

Will is consciously controlled change.

Requires we give up seeing ourselves as the victim and relize that lasting change can only come from our own efforts. If we blame others, our only hope for improvement comes from hoping others will change – something we cannot control. When we take back responsibility, the changes come under the jurisdiction of our will. Then we can truly heal from victimizing circumstances.

Are we trying to please? Are we scared of the consequences? Are we out of touch with ourselves?

True will requires deep communication with the self, trust in your own volition, and the willingness to take risks and accept responsibility for those risks. If we dare to go against the grain by exercising our true will, then we risk criticism, ridicule, even abandonment. It’s scary stuff, especially if our family environment was heavily invested in the submissive paradigm. It is through daring to use our will that a stronger sense of self is born, and through that strength the will is further developed. Like a muscle, we cannot strengthen our will without exercising it.

SELF-ESTEEM

When our self-esteem is high, we are confident, assertive, proactive, disciplined, and basically excited about life.

Shame is the anithesis of self-esteem. It collapses the middle section of the body, depriving it of energy. Self-esteem comes from trial and error as we reach out, take risks, succeed and fail, and in doing so, gain a realistic sense of our own abilities.