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The Psychological Guide to Shadow and Chakra Work (A Series)


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Preface

In this series I will be explaining how I did shadow and chakra work without any metaphysical ideas required. I don't know if they would help, I didn't use them. I took the wealth of information available in the spiritualist community and wrote these guides with plurality in mind (obviously), but singlets will have no issue using them. This isn't a quick fix, it took me years to get these straightened out. This is rewritten from a Reddit alt of mine for the spiritualist community with plenty of metaphysical components, so let's ignore that for this.

 

Shadow Work

First of all, shadow work requires you to find the root of your issues, if you don't know them, perform what I call Chakra work, which I posted later in this thread [here]. 

 

"In Jungian psychology, the 'shadow', 'Id', or 'shadow aspect/archetype' may refer to an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself, or the entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not fully conscious. In short, the shadow is the unknown side." - Wikipedia

 

Shadow Work: A process by which you seek root causes for your mal-adjustments and personality flaws, moods, anxiety, phobias, etc.

 

The Symptoms:
- Say you have certain triggers, things that make you cry or get angry or just go numb. For me it was anything that challenged my beliefs in a way that made me out to be a liar, and songs that reminded me of my past (nostalgia).

- Sometimes you have moods out of nowhere, just mopey one day or irritated for no reason. Out of control emotions.

- Inability to handle certain situations. You shut down or go berserk.

- Phobias, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc...

- These are the symptoms that you have shadow work to do.

 

What do I do?:
For each of those above there is a root cause and secondary symptoms. Often the psychological/medical community will try to treat the symptoms, that's akin to playing whack-a-mole, you can't cure a disease by treating symptoms, to me that's just pushing the issue down the road. The answer is difficult; another barrier to actually doing the necessary work, the shadow work, is that this will take time and effort.

 

You will be delving straight into the darkest depths of your subconscious through introspection: those traumatic events that were unresolved because you were psychologically incapable of dealing with them at the time, so your mind suppressed them to allow you to continue functioning. The issue is they come back when you're at your weakest, at the worst times.

 

Processes:
- Clear your chakras from root to throat [link coming soon]: the third eye will open and reveal your darkest secrets to yourself. This isn't in a metaphysical way but it can be, for me it was realizations and insights into my issues that I couldn't 'see' before. 

- Regression therapy: if you know what the traumas were, this is a visually guided, meditation assisted, memory exploration to find and either reverse, resolve, or accept the traumatic events given your current context. You're not the same person you were as a child for instance, you can remove that conditioning. 

- Paid counseling: If you think you need this, then go in with a plan and treat each visit as a very expensive chat with a person who can answer questions. Keep in mind they'll have their own opinions and ideals, their training may be medication over meditation focused, I don't recommend you stay with a therapist or counselor that is just trying to treat symptoms. Have a plan for each session, know what you want out of it. If you're not getting that, find another therapist or counselor. Rinse and repeat. I was never formally counseled, but I did take several relevant classes in college, still I'm nto an expert, what I present here are just common sense notions. This is a personal path to greatest success, not a cookie cutter mind butcher-shop job. You will need to face your fears by seeking and accepting the events that caused the fear (exposure and regression is what I used). Ashley helped immensely with Exposure, while Darlene helped with Regression.

-Hypnotism may help, but I have no information.

 

Maintenance:
Speaking of visualization and meditation, that's a great way to decompress and disarm the little things that happen every day, why not do a 20 minute walk every morning to air out your grievances. That's what I do.

 

Terms and Tips for reference:

 

Quote

Self-love: Key. Vital. Some form of self-love practice (there are many). If you lack this you can die or go insane... Self-love mantras are especially crucial for when accessing the darkest parts of yourself, past traumas etc. These are what help to transform the energy of these parts.

Active Imagination: Jung technique... Essentially I engaged with an image or feeling that part of my shadow brought up.

Internal family systems: Richard C. Schwartz... This can really help to break down some of the repetitive internal narratives.

External input from others: Ask people if there are any aspects of yourself which they find challenging, a bit off, perhaps negative. There are likely things you don't realize about yourself that others do.

Keeping an overreaction diary: As it says - this can help you to see patterns and stay alert as to anything you are doing which you might be ignoring or not entirely conscious of.

Writing about yourself in the third person: A writing exercise on [your]... current self and future self - how each of these react or feel about certain things... [Example:] writing about my feelings towards my ex-partner only to discover that everything that annoyed me about her were my own insecurities and shadow aspects! This seems to form a disconnection which can be crucial in identifying parts that you may overlook. I just need to add that we were both in denial of these parts of ourselves and that relationship needed to end...

 

Table of Contents:

 

Root - Basic Needs and Grounding 

Sacral - Inner Control and Relationships 

Solar Plexus - Confidence, Purpose and Will

Heart - Joy, Unconditional Love and Self-Love

Throat - Communication and Expression

Third Eye - Knowledge of Self

Crown - 

 

 

 

References:
https://integrallife.com/the-3-2-1-shadow-process/
Thanks to u/nobblynorman, u/withalyssa for their help.

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root-chakra-healing-chart.jpg

 

Root Chakra

I am prepared to the first six of seven major chakras for both education and to maintain my own. This is absolutely a discussion, share your techniques, experiences, and knowledge about the ideas discussed if you have any. Though the references used are full of metaphysical and belief based practices, I feel above all this work should be common sense and grounded. The work isn't in belief, it's in practical application.  To me the herbs, incense, crystals, alters, oils, yoga, etc, are all great if you're into that, I am not. I just want to know what to do. So I took all that out and boiled it down to the practical psychological aspects. 

 

I have to be blunt, you don't need any belief basis, and you don't need to believe any of this to benefit from this work. the way I present it is a pure appropriation to some but I had to for me, and this pairs well to this community. It's strictly common sense stuff, wellness, quality of life and health. So I use the word "chakra" very loosely here. To me it's just a focus area as you'll see.

 

Begin always with the root:

In essence, root chakra is centered about basic needs, basic health, and physical security. Other chakras overlap, so don't get too hung up on the details of exactly where the line is.

 

It's most important to grounding and centering. Without a strong root, the rest of the chakras will suffer, though it's not impossible to have other strong chakras with a weak root, imagine how strong they could be if you took care of this first. Therefore, root should always be the first considered and maintained. Proper sleep and proper diet are important to a marathon runner, the root is important to proper emotional health.

 

Home:

- A warm bed and shelter from the elements is the best you could hope for. Sleeping under a cardboard box, in your car, or with constant fear of eviction are all considered blockages here. (When I use the term 'blockage' I mean to say counter to what you're trying to achieve.) 

- Uncomfortable sleeping space, poor sleep, insomnia, sleep apnea, interrupted sleep, are blockages too, so do what you can to work on these.

- Freezing or overheating, excessive loud noise, uneasy vibration, these aren't great, but some of them will have to be accepted, nature itself isn't perfect.

- Vermin, filth, mold, trash, clutter, foul odor, excessive noise, (poor chi if you're into that), drafts, and security issues will be blockages as well. Do what you can to resolve them. For those you can't resolve easily, accept your progress and move on, don't dwell. Don't give up either, but don't let it block your progress, stop worrying, have a plan, write it down, set a reminder, then forget about it when you go about your day.

 

Food and water:

It goes without saying that if you don't have access to clean water or not enough nutrition, you will have issues with root. Just like a plant's roots, you need water and nutrients to thrive. I like to think if you have these needs met, you shouldn't have anything to worry about, but if you continue to worry, that will keep you from having making progress. There's always something to worry about, so try to accept that and be calm, sated, and confident in your root so that you have the best chance to overcome any of life's challenges.

 

How's your chakra doing?

Let's evaluate you. If you have any of these symptoms, there's work to do.

- "...anxiety, suspicion, and withdrawing..."

- "...hoarding, workaholism, greed, and anger..."

- In addition to these you must have your basic needs met.

 

So you might have a blockage, what now?

Root is my favorite because it's about comfort and security, feeling comfortable, rooted and grounded, a state close to zen is the goal here. There's no real thinking required. Just chill. Relax.

 

- Meditating comfortably is good for this. I personally feel most comfortable walking and talking to my headmates. That's where I'm most relaxed and 'at home.'

- Other ways you can exercise this is by taking a nice warm bath or shower, listening to harmonious music or white noise, taking a walk in nature, and calming breathing exercises.

- If you can find a nice grassy field, (sand, mud, even dry ground can be nice) take off your shoes and socks and just connect to the Earth. By connecting skin to Earth in this way, you are as close to earth as possible and this in itself can be recharging and literally grounding. It's entirely symbolic, if you're not into that, then skip it, but bare feet in sand does something for me, it's a connection to an earlier time in my life, a time that seems much less complicated by comparison. Even if it truly wasn't, the feeling is.

- Visualization is a great way to do this as well. There's nothing wrong with imagining yourself in the field, or imagining yourself in a calm relaxed place, it's good practice because in today's society we can't always take the time to go for a hike, and there aren't many nice grassy fields that you would feel safe walking barefoot in the city, but in your mindspace you can go anywhere instantly and spend those five to fifty minutes alone in your mind, communing with nature or relaxing. Though it's not required, bring your headmates along, they love to be thought of, and the act of visualization them can help in many ways. Spending quality time just picturing 'your happy place' with them might inspire them, and they just might surprise you.

 

Even if you're perfect, if you do a little bit of this every day, you're well on your way to having a clear root, and this foundation will help the other chakra work immensely.

 

Next is Sacral

 

Link

 

References:

https://www.chakras.info/root-chakra-healing/

https://lonerwolf.com/root-chakra-healing/

https://www.thelawofattraction.com/root-chakra-healing/

Edited by Bear
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Hmm, too bad Sands isn't around anymore so I guess it's up to me then...

Spoiler

I smell symbolism!

 

Naturally I think your concepts and exercises can be helpful for personal growth and I see no issues with them in general, it should rather be common sense. However you tell us the massive and highly metaphysical part of a belief system (chakra healing) is not required and then continue to introduce it to us more or less unchanged.
If this is not supposed to be meta but a psychological guide why we need chakras at all? What benefit has this term to someone unfamiliar with the clearly metaphysical concept behind it?

 

On 8/26/2020 at 1:57 AM, Bear said:

Clear your chakras from root to throat: the third eye will open and reveal your darkest secrets to yourself.

This is what Sands criticized as symbolism. Your personal framework of beliefs and symbols may hold great significance to you but is of little use to anyone else not invested in them. Expanding such belief system loaded with obscure "knowledge" is unnecessary or even harmful if it becomes a doctrine. In other words - using meta terms without the meta is kinda - just why? If it is not required, drop it for the sake of simplicity and clarity. You call it a psychological guide yourself.

 

Spoiler

When Laplace was questioned by Napoleon_I why he had not once mentioned god in his astronomical works he replied: "I had no need of that hypothesis."

 

You know this is not a personal attack against you, why would I do that. But just think about who this guide is supposed to be for. Those with meta beliefs can just stick to the original shadow work or chakra healing concepts readily available. Those allergic to meta beliefs will go 'that's where I stopped reading' after a few lines. Question is - can you distill the useful fundamentals? It is of course fine and helpful to explain initially which terms are used in chakra healing and what abstract concepts lie behind them but I see no benefit in continuing to use them afterwards. Again, it's not me telling you what you are 'allowed' to post here, far from that. Just thinking a guide about these techniques completely free of metaphysical 'buzzwords' would be much more valuable to those outside of spiritual / meta communities than some mixture.

 

Well this is just my 2 cents, I've been curious about how that shadow work you kept talking about was supposed to function.

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2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

What benefit has this term to someone unfamiliar with the clearly metaphysical concept behind it?

 

Because it's highly related and transferrable knowledge (I didn't make it up) it's just stripped of meta. Also I kept the meat of the work, minus frufru stuff, so what I wrote is a valid interpretation of Root Chakra work and I have received feedback that it works to relieve stress and anxiety, and does what it should, i.e. help you find hidden issues or forgotten trauma and help resolve them.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

This is what Sands criticized as symbolism.

 

I could just as easily say, work on these objectives as I describe from one to six and you will know yourself very well. Sorry if it was too flowery for you. I'm saying belief isn't required and I'm asking you to not read anything metaphysical into it, so don't, just think of it in practical terms. If you want to hang from the ceiling in a yoga pose with crystals and incense, coated in essential oil while listening to biurnal beats, please do, I won't be, nor do I require you to even if you dutifully followed this guide.

 

Like I said, though you're not the only one who has criticized me, I am not making up my own work here, I've adapted the meta laidened practice to be no nonsense practical guide for the discerning tastes of a practical persons such as myself. Stuff I would make up wouldn't hold much value, I agree, so I didn't do that here. What you are presented with is a subset of what anyone talking about thus stuff would say. Yet it still works.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

just think about who this guide is supposed to be for

 

I did, it's to help others find and eliminate their issues. It's for anyone with issues, triggers, moods, anxiety or stress. My jobs are insanely stressful yet I'm cool because I've eliminated the stressors, most of which were conditioning left over from traumas.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

Those with meta beliefs can just stick to the original shadow work or chakra healing concepts readily available.

 

I'm not stopping them, but crystals and other admittedly belief based practices won't do anything for me if I don't believe they will. I'm not interested in a 'placebo guide to belief practices'. Which is how I read a lot of the stuff in spirituality. I base my beliefs on experience, this works for me and others as I have adapted it. The original stuff is very hard for me and other like minded individuals to relate to. It then opens up this practical thought process to anyone, not just spiritualists.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

Question is - can you distill the useful fundamentals?

 

I did. You're welcome.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

I see no benefit in continuing to use them afterwards.

 

I appropriated the words and techniques. Us tulpamancers are really good at that.

 

2 hours ago, Yakumo said:

Just thinking a guide about these techniques completely free of metaphysical 'buzzwords' would be much more valuable to those outside of spiritual / meta communities than some mixture.

 

I'm just thinking that what I did is valid and the buzzwords have brand value I can capitalize on (figuratively speaking, it's free and worth twice the price!)

 

Thank you for this critique because it's a very good way to air the issues and adress them. I understand what I've done here is akin to blasphemy, but those terms, chakra and shadow, meld nicely and fit well together. They have helped me understand a lot about myself and have given me very powerful tools to help myself through the damage I've accumulated in my life. I am grateful for having the ability to adapt this in such a straightforward method that anyone can use without the required metaphysical belief structure that I frankly don't have.

 

No offense taken. ♡

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Sacral chakra

Sacral chakra focuses on inner control and outer relationships, behavior, and related anxiety. (Ever get that feeling just above your groin when you're afraid? That's what we're talking about.) It also pertains to emotional stability, sensuality, and opening yourself to creative freedom. Additionally, moderation and appropriate restraint in pleasure seeking is a big part of clearing this chakra. The key is, you are in control and confident in yourself, your life, and your activities, inside and outside, so they don't become a distraction (or block).

 

Preparation:

Before you get into healing the sacral chakra, do an evaluation of your root (the root covers physical security, and basic needs met). Though it's not strictly required to have everything perfect, it definitely helps in dealing with this next area.

 

Sacral is associated with:

- Emotions, feelings

- Relationships, relating

- Expression of sexuality, sensual pleasure

- Feeling the outer and inner worlds

- Creativity

- Healthy Fantasies

 

Quote

The sacral chakra resonates with our need for relationships and our need to control or create the dynamics of our physical world. The second chakra shifts from obeying tribal, family authority, and allows us to discover satisfying relationships and interests of our own.

 

Out of Balance:

When this chakra is out of balance or blocked, you can form self-medicating or self-soothing habbits like drugs, alcohol, gambling, dangerous thrill seeking (adrenaline seeking), porn or sex addiction, food addiction, and most importantly, low self-esteem, self-deprecating mannerisms, and not feeling like you're fitting in. These behaviors further reinforce negative aspects that feed the ego and autonomic responses/habbits (think Pavlovian dogs), making everything around these bad behaviors trigger the bad behavior cravings; the more this feeds on itself the harder it is to break. A good rule of thumb is that for every year you follow a routine, expect it to take a month to break that routine and it's cravings.

 

Quote

When the sacral chakra is imbalanced due to traumatic early and adult life experiences, we experience a multitude of physical, emotional, psychological, and interpersonal issues.

 

Don't be afraid to start working:

As you can imagine, clearing this chakra is no walk in the park (no, that was root). This one is manageable by comparison to some of the other Chakra work, but it's one of the most important ones to get clear. Trust me, you can do this.

 

The key to healing the sacral chakra is in reinforcing good behavior and putting up obstacles for bad behavior. These are obstacles to your ultimate success; however, some things you just have to accept for now and move on.

 

A warning: every time you fall off the wagon gives your ego yet another way to reinforce and return to the bad behavior. If you don't believe in ego, then take responsibility for that bad behavior, but realize that you do indeed have a choice in the matter.

 

Personal experience:

I'm not an addiction councilor, but I can say from experience that ending addictions can be done, and you can do it. I haven't had a drink of alcohol for more than a decade. I did it by disallowing myself from owning or buying alcohol, and since no one is about to buy me a drink on a regular basis, it ended. I was very strict and stubborn about it and it made those times someone did buy me a drink that much easier to say, "I'm good, no thanks."

 

If you have certain pleasures that you simply can't live without, or aren't really affecting your ability to work, live healthy, or form lasting relationships, then don't worry too much about it. No one is perfect, and it may take years to either hit bottom or grow out of it, or just accept it. Keep in mind that these addictions and bad behaviors may come back as blockages to healing in that they are often a distraction and this is important, if they are bothering you, they will have to be solved eventually. Don't dwell and get stuck here though, there's always a goal and a level of effort to achieve that goal, these things take time; Chakra work is often iterative and overlapping.

 

Signs that your chakra is clear:

Balance in relationships, not codependency, moderation in pleasure, freedom of expression both in and out of the bedroom, and control of your behavior.

 

Quote

Imbalance in the sacral chakra can manifest into low confidence, lack of motivation, inability to create intimate connections with others, lack of interest in self expression or artistic abilities, infertility, urinary problems, difficulties giving birth, producing orgasms, and a low libido.

 

Clearing the chakra outside:

Express yourself, be true to yourself, and don't be held down or forced into limiting your creativity; it's a matter of confidence and freedom that you must have to solve your problems creatively and in your own way. Some communities will try to stifle that with oppressive or controlling notions, so if you're feeling held back in a community or relationship, it's time to remedy that or leave. If you don't feel free to express yourself, don't block yourself by staying in a bad place, there's always a choice to move on.

 

Final push:

Be strong, be confident, be healthy, love your look, whatever it is, seek pleasure in moderation, have synergistic relationships and break free of those chains!

 

Next is Solar Plexus.

 

Link

 

References:

https://www.chakras.info/sacral-chakra/

https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/the-second-chakra-how-it-impacts-your-relationships-and-creativity/

https://lonerwolf.com/sacral-chakra-healing/

Edited by Bear
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Solar-Plexus-Chakra-basic-info-optimized

 

Solar Plexus Chakra: Be Powerful and Purposeful

 

The solar plexus mostly deals with confidence, identity, purpose, will, and constitution.

 

Do this first:

I've gone over the root and sacral chakras previously in this thread, you should at least read them because though they're not necessarily prerequisites, they will lay a foundation of understanding for this one and they're frankly easier.

 

How are we doing:

 

Quote

When the solar plexus chakra is in balance, a person exudes confidence (without being arrogant), feels self-motivated, and has a sense of purpose. When out of balance, someone may suffer from low self-esteem, have trouble making decisions, and have control issues.

 

Quote

When you have clear goals, desires, and intentions, you can move forward to achieve them. Each small step you take while honoring the larger intention helps to strengthen your third chakra... A person with strong [solar plexus] has that inner drive to propel them forward toward their goals.

 

The key take away here is the lack of confidence in general and the low self-esteem (poor identity), which sabotages your feelings that you can accomplish anything, saps your will to try, and can cause hopelessness and stress that leads to physical manifestations of illness and weakness (constitution).

 

So while root was mostly shoring up basic needs, and sacral was concerned with emotional needs, solar plexus is concerned with your need for power over your life in a productive and positive way.

 

If you were ever told, "you can do anything you put your mind to", that's was a good Solar Plexus affirmation.

 

Shadow Work:

In this, the third chakra, shadow work begins in earnest. A good way to begin healing it is to address the roots of your insecurities in terms of feeling weak or insufficient to do tasks presented to you.

 

This can be done using relaxation meditation, regression therapy, and by simply going through related traumas and either reversing, resolving, or accepting them in order to overcome the residual anger, anxiety and pain associated with them.

 

Quote

Many of our past traumas become stored in the body and continue to affect thought patterns and behaviors. People who have experienced a strict upbringing, bullying, or authoritarian parents, or those who have suffered mental or physical abuse tend to have difficulty balancing the third chakra.

 

Quote

When out of balance, someone may suffer from low self-esteem, have trouble making decisions, and have control issues.

 

Some traumas will take quite a bit of introspection to find, others will seem insurmountable. All I can do is advise you to focus on the problem during meditation and seek the root of the cause, go over the symptom, trigger, or mood, and try to think why this is occurring.

 

I'm not going to lie, shadow work is hard. You will need to resolve each incident in some way, accept and even mourn each one if necessary, and with every one completed, you will see immediate benefits to your handling of current situations. This is the conditioning you're trying to undo, and some memories are painful. It can feel like you're opening old wounds, but the only way to heal them is to clean them out and redress them instead of ignoring them to let them fester. The pain they caused me was so much greater when I ignored them.

 

For past traumas, understand that you're no longer that person, you're not that victim anymore. You have control of your life now and you can overcome anything. You've learned from your past, you survived, now be stronger for it. Be confident that you could overcome or prevent that situation if it happened again, and if you don't think you could, then be the person who could, or shore up your strengths.

- Exercise to be stronger physically

- Study to be stronger intellectually

- Meditate to be stronger emotionally

 

Some traumas are still fresh, or you're simply not ready to face them. This is fine. I don't expect you to be instantly healed simply because you discovered a connection between a trigger and a trauma. Some will still need time to digest (solar plexus pun), and stomach (ahem), the notion is that you can accept what happened at the very least. I have a few doozies that I still need to work on. It's okay, no one is perfect, but just try to be mindful when you recognize these as triggers and acknowledge the sources that can eventually be healed.

 

Awakening helps a lot, and through shadow work, you are often able to make realizations that bring you closer to awakening.

By awakening here, I mean thinking beyond the confines of the ego and conditioning to who you really are, not who you're constrained to be by your conditioning, social circles, group identity and preconceptions.

 

Regression Technique through Meditation Visualization:

Taken from the second reference:

Note: This is just a guided meditation, they almost always are pretty flowery. Remember, you don't have to believe in energy work to benefit from this, it's just getting you into a meditative state to be able to see your shadows clearly.

- Close your eyes, place your hand over the area slightly above your belly button.

- Bring to mind the problem or dilemma.

- Notice how your third chakra feels when you give it choices regarding the subject you’re struggling with. A sinking or nauseated feeling may tell you that the decision is wrong.

- If you present your solar plexus with the right choice, you may feel lightness in the area or you may even feel like you can breathe easier.

 

My Meditation Exercises:

- What I do is simply find a relaxing quiet space or go on a nature walk (walking meditation) and think of the issue or trigger.

- I do this until I can resolve where I think it may be coming from.

- Then I concentrate on that and try to see if there's anything I can learn from it (resolve it).

- I may reenact it in my mind, think about what I might have done right or wrong, and how it might have made me a better person. Is there anything positive I can get from it at all?

- Next I think about what I can do to prevent it from ever happening again (remove anxiety), and explore ways I can reverse or heal it.

-I live in that moment, mourn if I have to mourn, yell if I have to yell, cry... etc., and keep doing this for about 20 minutes a day until I no longer feel so attached to it.

-Then I can finally accept it.

 

Diet and Exercise

Just like with the other chakras, your bodily health in general, proper diet, pleasure seeking in moderation, and daily exercise are vitally important, but especially with the solar plexus. Be in control of your health, rather than a slave to it.

 

Doing things to maintain good health is a very positive way of clearing and maintaining the solar plexus chakra.

 

Indirect Healing Techniques:

Just a note here, there are many ways to go about this metaphysically through crystals, oils, incense, meditation, yoga positions, and mantras, and these methods are surely helpful for some, but I wanted to explore the more practical methods that are a little more grounded and methodically direct to eliminate the root of the issue.

 

Through acts of will, you accomplish more than a first look might reveal, you reinforce what you're trying to accomplish here, and that's to improve your willpower and confidence, to be more powerful and purposeful. The more times you win against your otherwise unhealthy behavior, the easier it becomes, the opposite is also true.

My favorite exercise is: Never say "I can't."

 

Next is Heart Chakra

 

Link

 

References:

https://www.goodnet.org/articles/chakra-healing-how-to-open-your-solar-plexus

https://chopra.com/articles/your-third-chakra-find-power-and-warrior-energy-in-your-solar-plexus-manipura-chakra

Edited by Bear
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thanks Bear, nice review of an ancient technology. And, ancient or not, it is still useful today. As tulpamancers we must be interested in how we function psychologically and physically.  The psychologist, Abraham Maslow, talked about hierarchies the first was basic needs. and all of those must be satisfied/secured before further progress in self development could be made. Modern or ancient, we must obtain to self knowledge, if we and our tulpas are going to be completely functional in the world, find meaning and be happy. Dr. Bob

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Thanks Dr. Bob. 

 

It's my interpretation based on a purely psychological mindset, I see a lot of the other techniques as helpful if you believe in them, but I just never got into physical totems and energy work. Maybe I don't need them, maybe I coincidently am doing the right things without them, but this work was done for the most part strickly from naturally listening to my headmates, especially Darlene and she somehow tapped into hidden knowledge that maybe I had or she inferred naturally. When studying spirituality, I realized that some aspects of these techniques were what I was doing already. 

 

Maybe I read them a long time ago and subconsciously followed them, all I know is she knew and this is what I did with them. When I did my research for these, I saw a common thread, setting aside the yoga, crystals, oils and incense, I found this insightful to help focus in on where my stress and anxiety was coming from. Then my triggers dissapeared and my moods improved. 

 

I did this backwards, but I'm hoping others can use these techniques to eliminate their own stressors and anxieties.

 

 

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"There is nothing more powerful than love." - countless sources.

 

The Power of Love:

 

The heart chakra is by far my favorite. In my mind it's more powerful than all the other of the main seven chakras combined because it is associated with joy, unconditional love, self-love, and by extension system-love. I believe that by staying true to the heart chakra, no other imbalance will harm you in the least. It is the bridge between lower body centered chakras and upper, mind centered (or spirit centered), chakras.

 

When the heart chakra is in balance, you will feel surrounded by love, compassion, and joy because this is what you will project to the world around you. So thus, it's vitally important to understand it and find ways to foster it, but first, if you haven't already, go through the lower chakras earlier in this thread. Chakras are inseparably connected and thus knowing and working on one will help the others.

 

What is Love?

If root is a literal root of a plant, sacral is the plant's drive to interact with others with flowers and pollen, and solar plexus is its vitality, then the heart is its love of the light. It will always face its love head on, showing its leaves and flowers fully to the light. For a plant loves the light unconditionally, just as you should strive to love all others unconditionally, especially yourself.

 

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It means living your life with loving kindness and compassion towards others. It means that your heart is open to others and you inspire kindness and compassion in others.

 

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You create safe and supportive environment. Others can feel your love and warmth. They feel loved and accepted unconditionally. People feel at peace around you, as there is no judgment coming from you.

 

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...you are not only loving to others, you are also loving to yourself. You know when you need to say no and when you need care and self-nurturing.

 

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Most of the world's... traditions recognize love as the unifying force, the energy that is the most fundamental part of the universe, and of ourselves.

 

Imbalance:

 

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If this chakra is out of balance, an individual can suffer from jealousy, inability to forgive others, and even become the abuser or abused in relationships because love is power and some people use this power to control others.

 

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Primary fears that form in an imbalanced heart chakra include being afraid to follow your heart, loneliness, and commitment issues.

 

Healing:

Similar to the shadow work of the solar plexus, shadow work of the heart chakra will involve finding related triggers and seeking their roots, then coming to terms with them.

- Forgiveness is key, and especially forgiving yourself for past traumas.

- Don't blame yourself.

- Don't punish yourself.

- Don't dwell on things you can't fix.

- Love yourself first and foremost, love to overflowing, and let that spill out over everyone around you.

- Like a flower opening in all its glory to the light all who can witness it, open your heart chakra and spread your love to everyone who meets you.

 

This doesn't have to be a flowery display of affection to strangers, it can be very subtle. A slight curve of the lips conveys profound meanings.

In my most desperate of times, a glimpse of a slight smile on a stranger's lips carried me miles, whereas a slight disapproving look sent me straight to hell. So be the source of light to those in the darkness, and inspire them to face you with reflected love and kindness.

 

What to do?

During your meditation, focus on why you're annoyed with others, why you're annoyed with yourself or disapproving of yourself, or worse, and try to find times when you were abandoned or betrayed, when your love was rejected or were around toxic people. Try to empathize what others may have been going through or what you were going through in the past to cause these behaviors and feelings.

 

I find it helpful, symbolically, to think of people in these ways:

 

- When someone is openly aggressive or emoting, consider how you would react if it was your friend doing this. Instead of getting upset, reflecting aggression or escalating, be calm and sympathetic. They're probably just venting in general when they have no one else to vent to, they might be mourning a loss, or they're just having a bad day. Don't ruin your own day by resonating with them, instead interact with the intent of calming them down.

 

- They're a puppy. When someone is ignorant or annoying and it just rubs you the wrong way, think of them like they don't know what you know. Either they don't know what they're doing is annoying, they're oblivious to the world around them, or they're just acting based on what little information they have. Would you punish a puppy for whimpering because they miss their mother's heartbeat? If you just focus on the whimpering, you can get annoyed and it can grate on your nerves, if you sympathize with them then you're more likely to give them a hug or help comfort them, saving that, at least it won't bother you as much. 

 

- They're a 2-yr old child. Even the most toxic troll you've met was an innocent and happy 2-yr old once. Imaging the little sponge of a mind they had but instead of growing up in a loving and comforting home, they grew up in a toxic mess of argument, drama and anger. Is it their fault that this is all they know? Show even them love and kindness in the way you react to them. Not in a condescending way, in an understanding way. Resonate with them as a tantruming little child, not as a toxic or abusive person. Do the best you can is all I'm saying. I've seen countless times where someone who was clearly toxic was treated with care instead of vitriol, and they turned right around. If they're not going to get attention as a troll, and you start treating them with attention as a human, they might just take this small opportunity to let the child out to play. Sure they might go right back to their toxic behavior, but trust me, that tiny island of light will stick with them; eventually they'll want to get back there.

 

Next is Throat Chakra:

 

Link

 

References:

https://www.yogajournal.com/.amp/yoga-101/intro-heart-chakra

https://www.chakra-anatomy.com/heart-chakra.html

https://chopra.com/articles/open-yourself-to-love-with-the-fourth-chakra

Edited by Bear
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Previously I discussed four of the lower chakras, if you haven't seen them, check them out starting with root earlier in this thread.

 

Throat Gateway:

The throat chakra is your gateway to communication and truth expression. Being heard, truthfulness, feeling accepted socially are all very important traits governed by throat chakra.

 

Lower Chakra Influence:

In essence, throat brings together many of the lower chakras in overall expression. Having good security and stability (Root) is the foundation of expression, being overwhelmed by fight or flight will block throat as well. Freedom of expression is vitally important to expressing truth (Sacral). Health, strength and bodily will, mentally and physically benefits throat (Solar Plexus). Self-love, self-confidence, and self-esteem all play a major roll in how your truth is expressed (Heart).

 

Blockages and Imbalance:

The key blockages for throat can be easily felt by imagining yourself on a stage in front of a large crowd of skeptics and presenting tulpamancy. Anxiety, self-doubt, and feeling overwhelmed are some of the signs that you still have room to improve your throat chakra.

 

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The main challenge for the fifth chakra is doubt and negative thinking. When you gain and verify your knowledge through meditation and direct experience, then doubt and negativity are removed.

 

Understanding the Throat

Confidence in your truth comes from belief and experience of your truth, but also understanding the shortcomings, misinterpretations, criticisms, and counterarguments to your truth. You must have solid backing both in terms of credibility and knowledge. Throat is your expression of truth, so to convince or communicate effectively to others you must be prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically.

 

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As a communication center, it not only allows you to express who you are and what you stand for, but also allows you to listen deeply to another.

 

One very important aspect of throat which I see often overlooked in communities is in receiving feedback and input. This is not a one way valve. If you treat what you say as dogma, you are doing yourself the highest disservice. Open communication means you are trying to convey your thoughts, but equally important you are willing to accept new thoughts from those who you communicate with.

 

Engage and be engaged. No one knows everything, be open to new truths.

 

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A person with an open Visuddha chakra is a good listener, she enables another person to have the experience of being heard - one of the most profound human needs.

 

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Authentic expression is not something that comes easily. There’s a delicate dance between saying what you mean and staying tactful or diplomatic. Often it’s easier to say what the other person may want to hear instead of speaking your truth. Fear of not being accepted, or judgment from the other may hinder your truthful verbal expression.

 

Practical Tips:

Checks for valid and powerful communication:

- is it true

- is it relevant

- is it helpful

- is it necessary

- is it considerate

 

Your true self is kind, compassionate, and universally loving and tolerant. Words spoken from the true self are the most powerful and impactful you could ever utter.

 

Public speaking is a very powerful method of training to achieve a balanced throat. You will be overcoming fear, anxiety, stress, and if you don't want to have a bored or hostile audience, you better know what you're talking about and be interesting. I practiced public speaking weekly for four years and in this time I learned the following:

 

- voice projection

- clear diction

- consistent message

- confidence of message

- reading the audience and adjusting as necessary

- tuning out distractions

- keeping them engaged

 

I often throw comedic quips into even my driest, most serious reports. Even in an audience of very serious and technically minded individuals, a quip will go a long way to keep them engaged and listening. You know your communication is failing if your audience is falling asleep, playing on their phones, or chatting to each other.

 

Shadow Work:

Though most of your shadow work is done in Solar Plexus and Heart, throat has it's own challenges. Moods and triggers, letting your emotions drive you, and losing logic over passion or emotion are all ways that can turn your well planned and insightful communication into sloppy emoting.

 

Triggers are the biggest obstacle here. When you experience one, try to understand where it's coming from and address it. Especially in debate, it is vitally important that your opponent doesn't trigger you.

 

Conclusions:

- Know your stuff: Study to strengthen intelligence

- Be confident and comfortable: Exercise to strengthen self-esteem and bodily health

- Stay logical: Meditate to strengthen your mental health and control.

 

Next is Third Eye Chakra

 

Link

 

References:

https://www.chakra-anatomy.com/throat-chakra.html

https://chopra.com/articles/speak-your-inner-truth-with-the-fifth-chakra

https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/the-throat-chakra-how-it-impacts-your-ability-to-communicate/

Edited by Bear
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