The Gift of The Third Eye

The "third eye" has been the brunt of jokes, skepticism, and in many circles, taught that it is apart of a sinful life. I remember the first time I heard this phrase. I was filled with wonder and joy. The struggles that ensued attempting to make sense of this new found knowledge with my, then, Christian faith, at times proved to be too much. Even in my early twenties, trying to determine the truth was an all out internal war. I eventually made the choice to ignore this knowledge and follow the path everyone else wanted for me. To keep a very long story short, the results were devastating. By walking away from my personal truth, I walked away from peace, abundance, creativity and emotional balance. I ended up in a tail spin that obliterated my soul.

I've witnessed this same process in others for nearly two decades and the results are always the same: walking a path of hating life, praying for it to be over or saying, "Enough is enough! There has to be more out there!" I've been in both places multiple times. All these encounters, all the times I wavered, led to discovering, and re-discovering the awe inspiring truth of the third eye, thereby leading me to my true inner-self again. We see the concept of the third eye in several religions across the globe, but it's heaviest influence is in religions where the chakras are an integrated part of their belief system. Ajna, when balanced and in harmony with the rest of the chakras, is the gateway to spiritual enlightenment. The duality of connection to spirit and the inner-self lends a power to the third eye chakra that only exists in this energy center.

The association of "seeing ghosts" when the third eye is open is a common reference I hear and is usually dripping with sarcasm and disdain. The almost hatred I see towards the concept of a third eye saddens me. While yes, for some people an open third eye brings with it actual site into another plane, it's not about "seeing ghosts." Inspiration and creativity take flight from this energy center, motivating us to use the unique gifts we are all blessed with whether that involves clairvoyance or running a marathon. Our intuition, wisdom, and insight are also housed here. This is the spirit side of the chakra.

The knowledge of the inner-self side of this chakra comes from it's influence on reality versus perception, self-awareness, and emotional balance. Our thoughts and emotions that take shape in other energy centers travel to the third eye chakra, bringing them to a higher plane of understanding. This intimate knowledge of self lends to wisdom, manifestation of desires, and an overall balanced view of life. Without the inner-self, the spirit element of the chakra suffers because there is a lack of trust towards self. For this reason, imbalances of the other chakras leads to a lack of harmony, never allowing us to reach our full potential. It is the circular movement of energy that we discussed in "You and Your Chakras" at work on a very high level.

The consequences from an unhealthy third eye chakra has the potential to reek havoc on a person's life. Anxiety, depression, and paranoia are common when the third eye is closed, as is cynicism and mistrust. It is important to note that this type of anxiety and depression are from a lack of connection with your inner-self rather than that which is caused by an imbalance of chemicals or hormones. Always seek a medical opinion if you are on medication or feel like this is something you need help with.

Other signs of imbalances are:

• Creativity and inspiration are fleeting or non-existent

• You ignore your intuition or feel that you have none

• You thrive on logic or emotion; there is no gray

• Your opinions have to fluidity/find it difficult to be open minded

• Inability to see the "big picture" because finite details consume you

• Little focus or decisiveness yet you have an unrealistic attachment to outcomes

• Daydreaming takes place of productive thinking to avoid reality

• Perceived as a dreamer in a negative way

• Attachment to "special powers" (clairvoyance, psychic, etc.) define who you are

• Come of as arrogant and egotistical

• You react to emotions/get upset easily

• Addiction to external things (shopping, sex, food, etc.)

• Feeling like your soul is missing something

• Have trivial or superficial relationships

• Very little trust in people/avoid social interactions

• You are stubborn to the point of negatively impacting your relationships/life

When working to bring balance back to the third eye chakra, the first step is harmonizing all the chakras that come before it. Without working to gain balance in these other areas, your third eye will continue to be affected. Start from the ground up, so to speak. Once you have achieved as much balance as possible in these other areas, begin work on Ajna. Daily meditations, Yoga Nidra, and affirmations are all important steps that can be made to healing this chakra. Opening yourself up to new knowledge and ways of thinking have the deepest impact on this chakra, though. Sometimes it takes stepping out of your comfort zone and looking at things from a different perspective to really get the energy flowing again. What areas of your life are you rigid on? How do other people look at similar situations? Utilize the compassion and love that comes from the heart chakra to aid you in this journey.

Paying attention to your emotions, reactions, and the thoughts in your mind can also aid in healing this chakra. Letting go of past things that no longer serve you. Allow yourself to really be in the moment and feel what your inner-self is saying. Take a chance on your intuition. Do you have a feeling about something? Go with it. Things that excited you as a kid? Do them again. See if the same spark still exists. Learn who you are, trust in who you are, and never let it go because you are enough and you are never too much.