The attainment of higher states of consciousness may be a clear path, but is a path where complexity has planted its minefield of issues to be encountered and overcome. Issues such as Control/Acceptance, Fear/Faith, Obsession/Moderation are ever present and ready to test your attentiveness and sincerity. Likewise the pull of desire to lower states of being is never far away, with issues from lower levels of consciousness such as desire for control over a group limiting one’s ability to love unconditionally, or obsession with an activity relating to an individual that limits one’s ability to contribute or participate in a social context.
Balancing the energies within each chakra is the key to progressing through the levels of awareness for the mind/body/spirit complex and attaining the associated states of consciousness. Similarly, one may follow other paths, such as the 6 paramitas of Buddhism or the 10 commandments of the Judeo tradition, for example. However, Consciousness is a part of the light and the states of consciousness can be expressed in terms of the Chakra energy centres with their relationships. In this, all energy centres exist, but are active and unblocked in proportion to the balance one obtains in the corresponding aspects of their existence.
Root – To achieve a balanced position in the Root Chakra, one must move beyond the concerns of material goods to enhance one’s ability to survive. Less material possessions is definitely more in the spiritual maturity stakes, as it allows one to go beyond such concerns and progress to higher levels of awareness. Is it not sufficient to be able to support and sustain one’s self and dependents? Indeed, with a mediocrity of material needs, the effort to provide and sustain that provision is reduced. As a foundation for your spiritual growth and development, it is important that less variability over ones material survival needs be achieved and the associated stress be reduced or eliminated. For how can one seek to advance with a weight of worry and concern over their very survival cast as a yoke around one’s neck, tethered as it were to the survival concerns? Debt, living beyond one’s means, a high maintenance lifestyle demanding an ever greater cash flow that creates marital confrontations, sexual disfunction and family breakdown, all keep one’s attention focused on the basic survival issues of life.
Sacral – To balance the Sacral Chakra, one must move beyond concerns over individual relationships. Worries of the perceptions of others, criticism of the others, participating in gossip, the fear of being the focus of gossip, all go to maintaining an unbalanced position in the energies of the sacral chakra. Where we can see ourselves and others as unique expressions, or foci, of the universal Creator or Intelligent Infinity, can we not come to accept ourselves and others as they are? Each being on its own path through the Creation, seeking to balance its own energies and perceptions, confused by their own ignorance of the nature of their reality, afflicted by its own imbalances, fears, obsessions and desires. With this awareness, cultivating compassion for both ourselves and others is possible and will rapidly move one to a position of balancing the energies of the Sacral Chakra. But alone, an intellectual compassion for others is not enough as we exist in the physical world and must understand also that our experiences inform beliefs and are themselves an expression of ourselves. If we have a store house of compassion and tolerance, then surely we must bring forth such into the physical world through our actions and statements. We are complex beings of Mind, Body and Spirit and therefore our development and attainments must be expressed through each of the realms of the Mind, Body and Spirit. To do so, it becomes imperative to see others in their true nature as aspects of the creation, filled with the Consciousness of the Creator, unique elements of Intelligent Infinity as you yourself are. Are you not therefore one with those others you encounter? Should you not afford to others the courtesies, assistance and support you yourself would desire? Indeed, the Golden Rule is the path to follow through balancing the relationships with others.
“Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.”
In this, we can clearly see the importance of being charitable, tolerant and compassionate. Where others can be viewed not as separate entities but as aspects of ourselves. Where our own desires for love, companionship, assistance, respect, privacy, security, property rights and liberty are the very same desires for the other-selves we encounter or observe because they are also on the same path as ourselves. By and large, the balancing of our sacral energies is attained through the humility we express with respect to others, not because of some ill-informed perception of inferiority, but through a deep respect for the connection that exists within this expression of reality we experience and that ultimately we are each Śūnyatā, or void for any separate existence.
Solar Plexus – To balance the Solar Plexus Chakra, one must discover their relationship to the society of which they are apart and be able to express themselves within that social context. To contribute to the extent one can for the greater good of the whole, while honoring the contribution of other-selves is key to attainment of a balancing of the energies of the Solar Plexus Chakra. The combinations and permutations of social groupings is extensive, but it is well to head the words of the one who said:
“whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might”
For the contribution you make in your social groups is the expression and measure of your attainment of a balanced and flowing Solar Plexus energy centre.
That is not to say you should become the doormat for organisations and leaders of organisations which you find objectionable, but rather, it is important to discover how you may achieve fulfillment through contributing to the society and social groups you are a part of and which operate in harmony with your own existence. Mutually supportive is the key concept, be it a recreational scuba diving club, investment group, sports team, religious group, charity organisation or business enterprise. Where you’re contribution supports, encourages and progresses the group, while sustaining and fulfilling your own sense of being and the well-being of society as a whole.
Heart – To balance the Heart Chakra, one must learn to sense and express unconditional love for the Creation and all sentient beings that exist within it. Unconditional love is that kind of love that exists between a caring parent and their child, or for those without children, between respectful child and their caring and supporting mother. It is the kind of love that exists without condition of any kind, but simply because the other exists. Of course, the saying:
“Familiarity breeds contempt”
is very true for the individual unaware of the other-self relationship. Hence, unconditional love is a capacity felt most easily by the innocent and within the purest of relationships. Where self-respect is deficient and emotional stress exists through issues of fear, control and financial weakness for example, it is very unlikely an emotional continuum of unconditional love can be maintained. There may be flashes of extraordinary compassion and self-sacrifice, but it is a sustained sense of unconditional love that is the key to unlock the energies of the Heart Chakra.
That is not to say that one must sacrifice themselves to the depravations of their enemies out of a sense of a commitment to practicing unconditional love for all other-selves, such an act is unbalanced as it does not reflect any self-worth, or unconditional love for the self you are closest to, yourself. Instead, unconditional love allows others to be with whom you are not in accord, without judgment or bias, while maintaining that exquisite sense of love for those whom you are, including yourself. Neither does unconditional love express itself through seeking to control and change the beliefs of others where your assistance or intervention is unrequested, but allows them to experience this reality we share as they see fit, while informing them of your willingness to assist should they desire it and remaining ready to assist whenever requested.
Through breaking one’s emotional attachments to issues, places and things, seeing every other-self as if they are your own child or mother, for indeed they may well have been sometime within the plurality of your existences, one is able to open one’s Heart to unconditional Love and progress beyond the mundane, conditioned existence of your prior experience.
Throat – To activate and balance the energies of the Throat Chakra, one must communicate the truth of their reality to those who seek to understand it. From the confidence attained through the open hearted love and acceptance of oneself and other-selves, the ability to utilise these energies is almost immediate. For with unconditional love and acceptance of oneself and other-selves, a direct insight into the true nature of reality being Śūnyatā is gained and all fear is lost as your meta-physical authority as a sovereign being integrating the aspects of Mind/Body/Spirit asserts itself.
However, the Tao Te Ching maxim that:
“Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak.”
Should automatically manifests itself within one who has attained this state of consciousness. While our unconditional love may seek to lead all beings beyond the grips of their ignorance, the respect for the freewill of other-selves will contain the desire. Rather, such outlets for communication are found that will ensure one’s audience has expressed their desire for what one has to say, without inflicting oneself on the other-selves that would otherwise object. Be that a Shifu giving a Dharma talk within a temple, a Priest lecturing from a pulpit, an Imam giving instruction in a Mosque, a Guru providing a discourse in a forest, or an enlightened master speaking in parables so that only the elect may understand, there is the respect for others not willing or ready to hear what is being communicated. So, if you have ever wondered why you have not seen so many enlightened beings running around telling everyone over the TV about the nature of reality or why those that do don’t seem so enlightened, you may have found your answer.
Brow – To activate and balance the energies of the Brow Chakra is beyond my ability to say. When one has found Wisdom, it is certainly not a balanced expression of wisdom to waste time on other-selves who are unprepared? When one sees Śūnyatā everywhere how may such a one utilise their awareness.
“Do not cast pearls to swine”
Would such a one intervene for the benefit of other-selves and if so, under what circumstances? With what would they occupy their time? The answers are beyond the ability for one without perfect wisdom to guess at, but acting in harmony with the Creation, learning the skills of a co-Creator in envisioning your own reality is what I suppose.
Crown – The Crown Chakra expresses the totality of one’s being and is not an energy centre that can be conceived of as being balanced through its own Mind/Body/Spirit correspondences. Instead, it exists as a reflection of the degree of energy flow through the preceding chakra centres. With optimal balance of the 6 lower chakras, such an entity is a Co-Creator operating as an individuated part of the Intelligent Infinity with freewill and constrained only by their ability to use the light of creation.
“Svaha”
Within the realisation of perfection, all is well, as it always has been.
