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Transcript:
Welcome to today’s video on the 4th Chakra!
Have you ever felt betrayed by someone you trusted? Do you find yourself in relationships where you feel you have to be on guard and never let others get too close to you?
The truth is that we’ve ALL been there. But staying stuck in feelings of distrust or grief from disappointments can lead to blocked energy in the fourth chakra. It can also result in chronic physical problems with the lungs and heart.
The fourth chakra is also called the Heart Chakra. The spiritual truth associated with the fourth chakra is, “I am LOVE and I am LOVED.”
The color that supports us to balance our 4th chakra is GREEN. When we wear green, it reminds us to love and honor ourselves.
When we have an open and balanced heart chakra, we feel compassion for ourselves and for others. The heart is the portal to the divine. When the energy of the 4th chakra is flowing freely we experience peace, joy, and love.
If we have a closed fourth chakra, we often feel that we have to work to earn love from others. That can come from old thought patterns that tell us that we have to constantly be striving to earn God’s love.
Another feeling that can be associated with a closed fourth chakra is DISTRUST of others. We’ve all had at least one relationship where we’ve felt betrayed by someone close to us. It may have been a significant other or a business associate.
Shortly after I finished naturopathic medical school, I was offered a room in a large medical office. I was just starting my practice so I couldn’t afford much for rent. The doctor showed me a very nice room at a great price. He also talked about referrals he planned to send me through his practice. I was really excited as I moved into that office and prepared for big things to come my way!
Well, after a couple of months there, I hadn’t received referrals. Then the office manager came to me and told me they were moving me to a different office. I didn’t feel like I could say anything about it because I was paying such low rent. They moved me into a closet-sized room. I felt disappointed and betrayed.
I can remember driving to work and feeling pain in my chest as though my heart were actually breaking. When we’ve experienced these things, we tend to guard and protect our hearts because it’s difficult to trust others again. We put up walls in relationships.
The location of the heart chakra, as you would guess, is the center of the chest. Corresponding body parts are the heart, lungs, breast, and circulatory system.
Another big contributor to having a closed fourth chakra is unresolved grief. It may be the loss of a loved one that we haven’t allowed ourselves to grieve. Also, the death of expectations we have about life or other people causes us to grieve for what might have been.
It’s almost as though that grief lodges in your chest. That’s dense energy.
Possible associated physical conditions could include heart disease and lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis.
A middle-aged woman came in for her initial visit. Alice was experiencing recurring bouts of bronchitis and had been through treatment several times. Knowing that lung conditions can be associated with grief, I asked her if she had recently lost someone. She immediately broke down crying, and then shared with me that she had lost her mother about two years previously.
She was still carrying that grief. Over time and through counseling with me, she was able to feel and release her grief and as a result she was able to respond to treatment much better.
Now it’s time for our “Children of the Chakras” exercise. Invite your child of the fourth chakra out of the shadows and into the ligh
Observe these feelings without judgment. These emotions of distrust or grief or anger are not “bad.” They’re simply a natural part of who we are as human beings. We allow ourselves to feel the emotions so we can then release them from the heart.
Embrace your child’s fear of being hurt by others with grace and love. This brings that hidden or shadow part of you into the oneness and light of God.
An important part of releasing these emotions is taking the step to forgive those who we feel have wronged us.
Forgiveness is for ourselves. We forgive because it frees US from the burden of resentment or bitterness we’re carrying in our hearts.
Now here are some tips and tools for self-nurturing:
Have you tried the use of essential oils yet? Let me know in the comments section. Some essential oils that are good for helping balance the energy of the fourth chakra are rose, sandalwood, and gardenia.
I’ve heard it said that, “The longest journey we will ever make is from our head (with our thoughts of fear) to our heart (with feelings of peace and love).
One good way to recapture the innocence that we associate with having an open heart chakra is to observe or play with children or even pets. We don’t worry about what their motivations are for playing with us. They’re simply open to the joy of having fun.
Another way to recall that childlike joy and love may be to look at childhood pictures. That’s me with my sister Renee (I’m the passenger). When I look at this picture it brings me back to a simpler time in my life when love and laughter flowed easily from my heart.
Now for some positive affirmations. You might try these with the mirror exercise we talked about in the last lesson. “I love and trust myself and others. I continue to evolve into Divine love. I allow myself to grieve losses or unfulfilled expectations I have experienced.”
I’ll see you next time when we’ll talk about the fifth chakra and why being willing to speak up for yourself is so important for your emotional AND physical health!