Journal: Wednes Day. Sunrise 5:59 am EST. Albany, NY 52° F. Sunset: 7:46 pm EST. Manipura. मणिपूर. Solar Plexus Chakra.
Centering thought: “My life energy organizes life effortlessly.” || Mantra: Om Lakini Namah. “I activate my power.”
Today, we were asked to ponder the ways in which we would like to create change in our lives. By Because this is true power is: the ability to wish for change, create change, and flow with change. Deepak asks us to place our intention on the change we wish to see in our worlds/selves. If we feel we don’t deserve power, and hand off our responsibility to others, this is how we build up blocks to this energy. Think about your life and what you can do about it. Notice these these desires for change without judging them. We all have limiting beliefs. When you are confronted with a limit, ponder it, meditate with it, and ask the Universe to help you tap into the flow of your inner strength and watch the limit change and yourself transform.
By connecting to our natural expression of strength, we become power-full, instead of having power-over. The flow of this energy is derived from the infinite power of the cosmos . . . when in balance and used harmoniously, actions and reactions benefit everyone and everything. This is how we activate our third chakra, Manipura.
Last week, we experienced ourselves through the seven primary energy centers of consciousness. This week, we will clear, open, and activate each of our seven chakras, transforming old constrictive patterns into expansive, powerful, and joyful expressions of our true selves.
Yesterday, I wrote about the Sacral Chakra, its energy of happiness, desire, and sacred sexuality. Monday, I wrote about the Root Chakra, and its energy of protection, and its links to childhood abuse, anxiety, and fear. Today, I will be discussing and delving into the realms of ego, self-esteem, and aggressive authoritarian parenting.
As we activate the chakras, the energy begins to flow freely in its natural state. The movement is not random or blind—it is intelligent and purposeful. It not only clears away the obsolete habits and conditioning in our lives . . . it also structures new patterns of thought and behavior that reflect our infinite potentiality.
The force of the Manipura in our Solar Plexus allows us to be co-creators of our reality here on Earth not only with each other, but with the Earth itself. The ability to create our reality based on our desires for a common purpose: for the betterment of society, for our biosphere, for our planet, and universe is Manipura in its pure and whole state. Granted, we also have the choice to be arrogantly selfish instead of healthily selfish by become domineering, suppressing the needs and wants of others.
The world is in our hands. Our very actions or inactions reflect the level of suffering that surrounds us (even if it is imperceptible). When we see litter on the ground, do we pick it up and recycle it…or leave it for someone else to clean up. Here you can see humanity’s hypocrisy.
So many complain about the world, yet do nothing to actually impact a difference. There are so many bleeding hearts out there, yet there are also so many cold hearts as well. Society has to change as a whole by us changing as individuals. It all has to start somewhere.
Ego isn’t all that bad. It comes in handy, it allows us to function in our conscious world. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes says that, “ego is initially born into us as potential, and is shaped, developed, and filled up with ideas, values, and duties by the world around us: our parents, our teachers, our culture. And this is as it should be, for it becomes our escort, our armour, and our scout in the outer world. However, if the wildish nature is not allowed to emanate upward through the ego, giving it colour, juice, and instinctive responsiveness, then although the culture may approve of what has been fashioned in this ego, the soul does not, cannot, will not approve such incompleteness of its work. Like all other lonely or hungry things, ego loves the light. It sees light, and the possibility of being close to the soul, and it creeps up to it and steals one of its essential camouflages. Ego cannot help itself. It is what it is; attracted to the light. But a mundane function of the ego is that it exists so that we can learn the world. To learn how to gain things, how to work, how to differentiate good from not so good. When to move, when to stay put, how to love with other people. It helps us learn the mechanics and machinations of culture, holding a job, holding a baby, taking care of the body, taking care of business…all the things of the outer life.”
However, if we allow greed to cloud our judgement, you can see and understand how our minds find ways to defend manipulation, coercion, torture, genocide, and corruption. By allowing someone’s power to become more “important” than others, by allowing someone’s ideology to permeate peaceful free thinking communities, and to be systematically destroyed, converted, and enslaved; harmony is lost. Life is imbalanced, and our energy is stolen, or allowed to be.
“Oprah said today that, “true power comes from compassion, commitment, vision, strength, and of course, love. Each of us has this power within ourselves.” We all do. We all possess these things, even the bitterest heart can be warmed. Conversely however, we all possess the power to dominate, destroy, and inflict pain and suffering. Even the kindest of hearts can be pushed towards ego-centrism and revenge.
Strength of will, strength of Manipura, allows us to stay in balance with ourselves and others.
However, how is it then that we allow our power, our vital energy to be taken? To be stolen? Where does it all begin? How do we allow our wills to be broken? Our value within ourselves to be reduced, to be shamed, and to be self deprecating? There is a saying that everyone has a breaking point and weakness. Yet there is also a saying that there is a light inside of us always, and we can reclaim our power, if we only muster the courage to reach out and take it back.
“All the powers in the universe are already ours.” —Swami Vivekananda
It takes time to outgrow patterns of behaviour, and especially patterns where victimization, self deprecation, jealousy, and negative self talk dictate how we perceive and interact with the world. We have a fundamental right to create the life we wish to live. We have a fundamental right to live peacefully, creatively, and in harmony with each other. We have a right to be playful and spontaneous. We have a right to a healthy Self-Esteem!
No one deserves to be bullied or pushed around. No one deserves to have their voice, their soul, their wants and needs be ignored or abused. No one deserves to be subservient, and no one deserves an authoritarian government, or parents. People deserve to have an opinion, even if it is an unintelligent or ignorant one because with time, understanding, and learning, anyone’s opinions can change for the better. People deserve warmth, emotional and physical nourishment. People deserve care and unconditional love to be given and received. We have a fundamental right to explore and act independently, so they we can really learn how to set our own limits and personal standards. A society wherein abuse, systematic conditioning, and exploitation is the norm is not a society to be lived in; and a society where citizens cannot come together for a common good and transform their world for the better is a sad one indeed.
By embracing these fundamental rights, we awaken our inner power, wildish spirit, and voices, and embrace our creativity. To do so takes great courage, and we should all applaud our efforts at transformation and coming into our own in our own good and healthy time.
All of our chakras affect each other. When one is happy and healthy, the others begin to harmonize. When one is unbalanced however, it affects them, and can cause dis-ease, and even illness. The solar plexus chakra, is especially important because it provides us with the foundation to express our individuality and inner strength. It is the home of our deep well of courage and is where we can set healthy personal boundaries.
Sabrina Reber writes that Manipura is, “developed between the ages of 18 months to 4 years old. It is here where our sympathetic nervous system is vitalized and our metabolism and digestive processes occur. When our solar plexus is balanced we allow our balanced emotions (sacral) to create a positive life experience fully empowered (solar plexus) to create the life of our dreams (root). We are powerful, full of life, supportive and hold all life with a loving embrace.”
When our Manipura is balanced, our “Divine Will Manifests in Physical Reality, we have Self-control, we are Able to Meet Challenges, and be Responsible. We possess Transformative, Personal Power, and have a Healthy Self Esteem, and a Warm Personality. We become Playful and Spontaneous, and Humorous. We become A Leader not a Follower, and are Able to Speak our Truth and Set Boundaries.”
When Manipura is blocked, we feel helpless, ashamed, belittled, and feel that our opinion has no meaning. We associate obedience and success with love, we may act aggressive, or even fearful or overly shy and passive around others who are easily manipulated due to a low self-esteem and as a result are incapable or find it incredibly difficult to create social ties with others. This then creates quite a paradox of personality and patterns of behaviour including: attention on power and recognition, domineering behaviour, anger, arrogance, rage, the need to always be right, an inability to slow down, workaholicism and an overly competitive nature. This of course then creates an addiction to either sedatives OR stimulants” depending on the individual.
All of this is caused by traumas to the solar plexus, Authoritarianism, especially authoritarian parenting where there were excessive and unrealistic responsibilities thrust upon you as a child, and even being a victim of domineering or manipulative relationships, shaming, physical and/or emotional abuse.”
When our Manipura is imbalanced for extended periods of time, it often will build up and create an energy blockage that physically manifest as bodily symptoms such as: “Digestive Disorders, Ulcers, Blood Sugar Problems, Chronic Fatigue, Hypertension, Liver Problems, Gall Bladder Problems.” Sabrina states that “when this chakra is distorted, the ego is in control. We literally push the divine out by creating blocks within our system keeping our deeper self energies and highest source of wisdom and knowledge from guiding us. Our egoic, human personality takes over and thinks it’s the boss leading to all sorts of distortions greatly affecting everything in our path.”
When we really stop and sit down and look at this information, the data not only speaks for itself, but you can really understand how people become who and why they are. It doesn’t make it any easier to stomach, but it does open room for compassion and to grow empathy for our species. Life can be sad, and difficult, and actions have effects. There is incredible truth here. Sabrina explains it further in this very poetic example of psychoanalysis:
“Because all of our chakras work together if one is out of balance it will affect the others. If our root and sacral are out of balance then our solar plexus will also be affected creating aggressive behaviors. The need to dominate and control others (solar plexus), greed and war become the norm when we are not grounded and connected to the Earth (root) and we have denied our powerful sexual energies and emotions (sacral). Energy never dies; it is in a constant state of movement. This distorted excess energy moves through our system putting the solar plexus in overdrive. Peace becomes impossible and an insatiable desire to control others surfaces. Tremendous imbalance occurs between the aggressors and those who have depleted solar plexus energies. People become enslaved in a system dominated by masculine aggressive energies unable to tap into their own innate power creating a viscous cycle of disempowerment and control. That’s why our planet reflects chaos, turmoil, illness and separation because our lower chakras are either blocked or overactive keeping us from moving divine energy up into our heart chakra activating the truth of our being.”
Many of us use our power incorrectly. We are either powerless and don’t believe in ourselves or we use our power to dominate and control others. Oftentimes, we give our power away to families, friends, churches, governments, and doctors because we don’t want to accept responsibility for ourselves and make the changes necessary to transcend everything holding us back from reaching our highest soul’s potential. We falsely believe it is easier to allow others to figure everything out for us, telling us what to do, rather than relying on our own abilities and intuitive wisdom from our inner being. Giving our power away or desiring to control others is detrimental to our solar plexus chakra.
Many people blocked in this chakra have bought into the belief that they are separate from God and are helpless victims of their circumstances. They block energy from flowing freely keeping them from aligning with their divine self, the true source of their power. They don’t realize they are the creators of their reality and have the power to choose at anytime to make different choices to create a better life for themselves. This creates anger and frustration blocking divine energy from moving up into the fourth chakra, the Heart Chakra.
What are some tips to help balance your Manipura?
Physical: Eat yellow fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Anise Seed, Bamboo Shoots, Bananas, Chamomile, Corn, Dairy, Cheese, Yogurt, Evening Primrose Flowers, Garbanzo beans, Golden Apples, GoldeRaisins, Honey, Lemongrass, Lemons, Pears, Pineapple, Yams, Yellow Marigold Flowers, Yellow Peppers, Yellow Summer Squash, Yellow Zucchini all have Manipura energy in their colour. Take a colonic! Sunbathe! The yoga postures of The Bow or the Pike Pose are very helpful to open, clear, and energize your third chakra.
Mental: Watch some of your favourite movies, especially those that inspire you to reclaim your power. Try, “Fried Green Tomatoes.” Read “Your Power to Create You” by Glenn E. Kakely and/or Chapter 9 Homing: Returning to OneSelf in “Women Who Run With the Wolves.”
Emotional: Dare to be yourself, dare to make decisions and face challenges. Ask yourself what kind of life do you want to live? Create it! If you’re angry, punch a pillow, take a bat to a mattress, go running, paint, yell, scream, sing, let it out! Let out your frustrations in a healthy way. If you’re meek, get angry. And do the before mentioned tips. Reclaim your power, and refuse to let go. Stand up for yourself. If you’re in an abusive relationship. Leave right now. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Sexual/Spiritual: There’s no polite way to put this: masturbate! Rip off the burqa, hijab, or habit! Burn your bra! Cut your leash! Free yourself! Meditate upon an yellow mandala, talk with your inner guides about what has happened, and what lessons are to be learned to change your patterns of behaviour. Ask for help, but then act!
Environmental: Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils of Juniper, Vetiver, and Geranium are especially effective. Surround yourself with yellow. Colour therapy works! Wear a orange tee shirt, sweater or dress. Put up a picture or orange painting. Change your sheets. Change your phone cover or background. Create a space where you can feel your unique personality shines through.
Again, by embracing these, we awaken our inner visionaries, and embrace our power and strength. To do so takes great courage, and we should all applaud our efforts at transformation and coming into our own in our own good and healthy time.
Namaste
Om Lakini Namah. I activate my power. Om Lakini Namah. I am strong. Om Lakini Namah. I dare to be myself.
REFERENCES
- Sabrina Reber “RAISE YOUR VIBRATION”, HOW TO RAISE YOUR VIBRATION Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/How-to-Raise-Your-Vibration/204840666199710?ref=tn_tnm
Creative Commons Photography courtesy of Hadi Fooladi, rbbaird, Jesus Solana, Ferruccio Zanone, Nattu, Patrick Bouquet, Evan Leeson, and Marchnwe.
Healey Institute for Healers 