Choice as the Center of Personal Will: The Fifth Chakra
by Kelly Lydick
Its color is blue. It’s the fifth of the seven chakras, located at the throat, just over the adam’s apple. Its balance determines personal empowerment, appropriate communication, and empowered action. Its imbalance can provide a feeling of being suppressed and stifled, and a lack of growth can occur.
The throat chakra is unique unto the others as “…it holds information from all the chakras. Energies from the sixth and seventh chakras move down through the throat on their way to the trunk of the body; energies from the root, womb, solar plexus, and heart chakras move up through the throat on their way to the head. Within the sacred container of the throat chakra, all of this energy and information is ‘metabolized’—broken down and put back together into a form that becomes your unique expression in the world.” (Eden, 156)
Similar to the heart chakra, the throat chakra is positioned between the head and the heart. As such, its balance is dependent on balancing thought with emotion, and personal will and divine will. Sacred ancient teachings draw a parallel between the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt to the neck and throat chakra, as Pharoah in Hebrew is “the neck” (ha araf) when reversed. The ancient teaching says that the neck is the place of narrowness that severs the head from the heart. In order to be free, the neck must not be narrow—it must be open and flowing. In order to balance the head and heart, the throat chakra, too, must be balanced.
But how is balance created? “The fifth chakra resonates to the numerous emotional and mental struggles involved in learning the nature of the power of choice.” (Myss, 219) In order to execute empowered choices, there must be awareness. It’s easy to make choices from the ego—these are primarily based in immediate desires, and sometimes seek tangible goals rooted in the physical world, such as a large home, or additional vehicle. But, Spirit always has a higher plan. Choice in relation to the throat chakra involves discerning between personal will and spiritual will; sometimes the two are not congruent. Many personal challenges arise when this is the case. In order to remain balanced, thought and emotion must be given proper attention, and personal will aligned to spiritual will.
“The fifth chakra is the center of choice and consequence, of spiritual karma. Every choice we make, every thought and feeling we have, is an act of power that has biological, environmental, social, personal, and global consequences.” (Myss, 220). With awareness comes the empowerment to choose consciously, and recognize the greater impact that choices can have.
Tips to Keep the Fifth Chakra Balanced:
- Speak Your Truth. That’s not to say that harm to others is a worthwhile expense for your truth—in fact it’s just the opposite. Telling the truth in a gingerly, heart-felt and heart-centered way is usually productive conversation for both parties involved. The truth is an opportunity for growth and awareness—when used properly.
- Be clear about your desires. When you know what you want out of life, it’s much easier to become clear about how to make those goals and dreams a reality. When your personal will is aligned to action, energy will flow in a balanced way.
- Bite Your Tongue. This may seem to contradict speaking your truth, but knowing when to hold back communication is also key to keeping the fifth chakra balanced. Refrain from gossip and excessive emotional “venting.” Don’t spend time and energy on words that serve none. Keep in mind the cliché: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
- Practice self-awareness. The key to personal awareness is honesty, followed by humility. The exciting thing is that awareness begets awareness. The more you know, the greater the capacity you have to know even more.
- Take responsibility. Being responsible and accountable for your words, thoughts, and actions, inevitably creates balance because personal responsibility precedes both self-correction and empowerment.
References
Eden, Donna. (1998). Energy Medicine. London, England: Penguin Books, Ltd.
Myss, Caroline. (1996). Anatomy of the Spirit. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.
About the author:
Kelly Lydick received her M.A. in Writing and Consciousness from the New College of California, San Francisco (now at CIIS). Her writing has appeared in Guernica, Drunken Boat, Switched-on Gutenberg, Mission at Tenth, Thema, Tarpaulin Sky, and True Blue Spirit magazines, as well as on the home page of ElephantJournal.com. Her work has also been featured on NPR’s The Writers’ Block. She is the author of the experimental work, Mastering the Dream.
Kelly holds certifications as a Meditation Facilitator, Reiki Master, Crystal Reiki Master, Past Life Healer, and Gateway Dreaming™ Coach. She teaches writing and metaphysical workshops, and offers private consultations through her company Waking the Dream. In 2016, she was awarded a Juno fellowship from the world-renowned Omega Institute for achievements in healing and women’s leadership. You can learn more about her work at www.kellylydick.com.
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