“Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said
it. Believe nothing just because a
belief is generally held. Believe
nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine
origin. Believe nothing just
because someone else believes it.
Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true”, Buddha
We have numerous thoughts running through our heads over the
course of a day. Many of these
unconscious thoughts are either based on beliefs that have been passed to us
from outside sources (family, friends, media, etc.), or they are thoughts that
are driven by fear. One of the
major hurdles of working with the third eye chakra is sorting through these
thoughts, pictures and images we’ve created in our heads and figuring out . . .
. which of these things do I truly believe based on my experience and which of
these things are there because someone else has put them there?
This brings us to the basic right for the third eye chakra – The
Right to See. It’s not
talking about physically seeing things, but about having the right to perceive,
to seek and to find our truth based on our own personal experiences. Everything about our lives and our
reality starts with our perception.
When we wake up thinking we’re going to have “one of those days,” what
happens? We usually DO have one of
those days. What about those
mornings we wake up feeling on top of the world? “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are” Anais Nin. So, this right is about seeing
ourselves as we really are – knowing
that the beliefs, ideals and ideas we have are truly our own. We can only discover this through our
own experiences and seeing what works or what doesn’t work for us.
The demon for Ajna chakra that prevents us from this right
to see is illusion. In the last
post I talked about Ajna being about creating a vision. So what’s the difference between a
vision and an illusion? “Both are
pictures held in the mind, and both shape our behaviour. But vision leads us forward and
illusion holds us back. A vision
is a possibility, a goal to inspire us . . . An illusion tends to be . . .
something we believe is real and unchangeable” Anodea Judith. My interpretation is that a vision is
something we have created to guide us to where we want to go. An illusion is a belief or a picture
that is just there. We don’t really know how it got there or where it came from, but it has been with us for so long
that we just assume it is true without questioning it. With a vision we are shaping our
picture of how we want things to be.
With illusions we are basing the image on how we think things should be and not looking at how they
actually are. With visions we are
active creators, but with illusions we are passive, and give our power away by putting
our belief in something that we haven’t tested out for ourselves.
When working with Ajna, we definitely have our work cut out
for us! I find as I move up the
chakra system it becomes harder and harder for me to maintain my focus. By the time I get to the third eye, I
feel like my thoughts are scattered all over the place. I have so many thoughts and so many
layers to sort through. I always
mean to sit down and just take some time to envision where I want to go and
what picture I want to hold in my mind of what I want my life to be like, but I
never seem to get around to it. I
definitely have some things I need to work on in this center and I’m assuming
that I’m not the only one that has this “problem.” I’m hoping my time at a retreat next month will “force” me
to sort through some of these issues and help me to finally start to create MY
picture and vision : )
To work with images and pictures and to find focus with the
third eye chakra (I think I’m hearing a suggestion that I need to follow!),
let’s take a look at working with mandalas. “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word which means circle or
completion. Because of the
circular structure, when looking at a mandala, our gaze is naturally drawn to the
center, or inner world. There are
a few different ways we can use mandalas.
- Find a mandala that you are drawn to (or one specific to the third eye if you want to work with this center). There are many that you can find on the internet (click here to see a good mandala site I came across). Start coloring. Allow the colors you pick and the process you use to color them be intuitive. Don’t think about it too much. You may find that thoughts drop away as you continue to color and you naturally fall into a meditative state.
- Draw your own mandala. Draw a circle (and again intuitively decide what size) and start drawing. You could set an intention for your mandala or just see what picture develops. It could be a geometric pattern that has symmetrical balance, or it could simply be a drawing within a circle. Choose colors and symbols intuitively or based on your intention. Carl Jung described the process of making mandalas as "a representation of the unconscious self." So, the image you're creating will be a snapshot of yourself at the time you are creating the mandala.
- Meditate on a mandala. You could use one that you are drawn to or one that you colored or drew. Begin by focusing on the center or the still point of the mandala. Eventually, you may find your gaze and attention starting to wander, so bring your awareness to the outside layers of the picture. What feelings, thoughts or ideas come up as you do this? Finally, when you feel it’s time, close your eyes and try to recreate the mandala in your mind. Try to make it vivid with as much detail as you can. Work through this process a few times and notice anything that makes it way up to your awareness.
Discover your inner sight, develop your vision and share
your wonderful picture with the world,
Roxanne
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