We made it friends! This is the final post in The Chakra Series, all about the crown. Today’s theme is divinity. If you are just joining us in this series, check out our first article which talks about the chakras here!
The crown chakra, also called “sahasrara,” is located at the top of the head. It’s actually just above the top of the head. Sahasrara means “thousand petaled.” It’s associated color is violet or white and it’s mantra is OM. I’m sure you’re wondering why the third eye and the crown chakras have the same mantra right? While they are spelled the same, each mantra is pronounced a little differently. Fun fact: I actually did not know this fact until recently! I always assumed it was the same mantra too. You learn something new everyday! The OM mantra for the third eye can be pronounced “AUM” or “OM” while the crown is OM or AH (like you are exhaling a sigh of relief).
To be fair, you can say them however you please. The mantra is important but it’s also the intention that you set behind it. So if you set your intention before meditation to cleanse and balance the third eye and say OM, it’s going to have the same effect. Same thing with the crown. It’s not a big debate or anything, I just thought it was an interesting bit of information!
Sahasrara is our connection to the divine, whomever that is to you. My version of divine and the ones that I speak to most whether I am praying, meditating, doing a tarot spread or performing reiki is God, the Universe and Higher Consciousness. I’ve always believed in God and have been some form of religious throughout my life but the Universe and Higher Consciousness are things I’ve picked up along my spiritual journey. The crown chakra will connect you to whatever form of divine that you prescribe to!
In addition to our connection with the divine, the crown chakra also controls our awareness, thought and wisdom. Having a balanced sahasrara does not indeed bring about intellectual enhancements (bummer, I know) but more simple forms of joy, serenity, deep peace and connection with others. When it’s blocked we can feel loneliness, attachment to material items and headaches. On a physical level, the crown is associated with the central nervous system and cerebral cortex.
We may feel like our guides have abandoned us which makes us angry. It’s important to note that your guides will never abandon you, you just aren’t listening! I’m not going to get too religious here but God will never leave you, nor will whatever deity you prescribe to. The same goes for your spiritual guides. They are always by your side whether you know who they are or not.
We give and receive energy from the crown chakra. This is where the tangible (your body and ego) meet the intangible (the universe and soul). It’s for this reason why when Alexis and I do reiki sessions, we always open our clients energies through the crown chakra first and then move to the root. It helps get things moving!
One of the best ways to balance the crown is to work on reducing the clutter in your life. This includes clutter in your home, on your social media and clutter in your mind. I personally think there is almost no better feeling of pride than when I walk into my perfectly cleaned kitchen or look in my organized closet. It wasn’t always that way though, I promise you. I HATE doing laundry. I would rather do literally anything else in my house than laundry. I actually have 2 laundry baskets, one for clean and dirty clothes, because I would wash my clothes and never put them away. We get tons of hand me down clothes from my sister-in-law and let me tell you when I say a lot, I mean a LOT. When my son was younger he had much more than he does now and it would be a mountain on his rocking chair. I have anxiety even thinking about it now.
All those clothes laying around drove my husband crazy though so I started making a conscious effort to be better about folding them right away and not only did it help our relationship but I inadvertently helped my crown chakra in the process! Folding laundry helped give me the motivation to go through the rest of my house and start removing the things that we no longer used or just plain didn’t need. It was such an enlightening process for me but it also made me realize how much I was holding onto.
We plan on having another baby but why did I need 7 totes of newborn clothes? Why was I keeping all of my son’s infant toys when someone else’s baby could benefit from them? I figured out that I was keeping them because I was afraid of letting go. Deep down I was worried that when the time came for another baby maybe I wouldn’t have enough money to get him new or gently used toys. I was afraid to let someone else’s child use the toys that my son had cherished. But you know what? God and the Universe always provide; I just needed to hear the message.
I encourage you to take a walkthrough of your house to see what no longer serves you. Maybe you have some toys you can give to someone in need. Do you really need those jeans from high school that you no longer fit in? Do you really need 75 versions of the same pots and pans? Probably not! It was hard at first but knowing that someone else is getting joy from the things we gave away brings me so much joy.
Clutter doesn’t just have to be things you no longer use. Do you have a junk drawer or a black hole that all your mail goes into? Clean that ‘ish up, girl! Yes, it’s annoying but you’ll feel so accomplished afterwards. Clutter also isn’t just the things in your home. Take a social media break to clear yourself from the clutter in other people’s lives. Before you have a panic attack, think about it. Do you truly care about what Shelly from junior high had for dinner last night? What purpose is that serving you? I can tell you it’s most certainly not for your higher good! The people who truly matter to you will stay in touch through good old fashioned phone calls and texts if they want to. Take a social media break to help clear the clutter of constant judgements and comparisons. I did and it really helped my self esteem! I only currently use social media for the business and the occasional stalking of old friends (don’t act shocked, you know you do it too!).
Where else can you clear clutter? From your mind of course! This is more difficult because if you’ve ever tried meditation before, you know how hard it is to shut your mind off even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Meditating in nature is a great way to balance the crown chakra. Surrounding yourself in nature allows you to see how small you are this world and really see the bigger picture. It’s also a great way to ground yourself!
There are some major topics that we have talked about throughout this series that I want you to take with you now that we are at the end. They are: grounding yourself, letting go, being unapologetically and authentically yourself. These are the overlapping themes of the chakras. Sure you are going to feel silly or like a fraud sometimes but get to the heart of it and figure out why you feel like that. If you take anything away from this series I want it to be those 3 things and I promise if you work on them you’ll be well on your way to getting your chakras in alignment and living a happier, more fulfilled life. Also, get a reiki session!
Read on below to learn the traditional ways to heal and balance your sahasrara. If you have stuck with us from the beginning, I want to thank you deeply for joining in and I truly hope you learned something. I had such a fun time writing this and I learned a few things about myself as well! Let us know in the comments what you are doing to balance your crown chakra and what your favorite article was!
Until next time,
Michelle
Additional Ways To Balance The Crown Chakra
Energy Work: Qigong, yoga, reiki, massage, acupuncture, acupressure
Color Therapy: Incorporate violets and whites into your daily routine
Crystals: Selenite, danburite, charoite, amethyst, labradorite, nuummite
Essential Oils: Holy basil, lotus, lavender
Yoga Poses: Half lotus, Ardha Padmasana
Affirmations:
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- I have the ability to receive divine wisdom
- I am a receiver of cosmic energy
- I am connected to divine consciousness
- I have a sense of well-being
- I embrace my life with passion
- I have open mindedness and faith in the universe
- I am receptive to divine wisdom
- I am a clear receiver