Do you sometimes feel you’re a little more “tuned in” than the rest of your crowd? Like your gut feelings – good or bad — are often spot on, your manifestations often come to fruition, and you’re comfortable and confident making quick decisions?
Whether you call it your third eye or your sixth sense, your sixth chakra (called Anja in Sanskrit), is located behind your forehead, between your eyebrows — hence its “third eye” name. Though the theory of a “third eye” isn’t based in science, it has centuries of history in spiritual and religious practices, and is perhaps a bit more mainstream than the other chakras.
Think of chakras as critical intersections between your mind and body. If the intersections are blocked, so are your mind and body.
READ MORE: Get to know your chakras: Root Chakra | Sacral Chakra | Solar Plexus Chakra | Heart Chakra | Throat Chakra
The third-eye chakra is associated with a special sort of knowledge, often called intuition – images and/or information that form a sort of “cosmic vision” beyond the physical world that you can see and feel. It may be why you choose one job over another even though the latter might be a better fit. Or why you cross the street as someone walks toward you because they make you feel ill at ease. Or why you suddenly have a “light bulb moment” that solves a seemingly insurmountable problem.
READ MORE: Getting to the root of Reiki
Bathed in a rich, regal indigo blue, the sixth chakra’s symbol consists of a circular center with two lotus petals on either side. In the center of the circle, an upside down triangle holds the Om or Aum symbol, considered the source of all creation and all time – past, present, and future – though it is beyond time itself.
Your third eye chakra is closely connected to the pineal gland, a bean-size gland at the base of your skull which produces melatonin, a hormone most insomniacs and shift workers know well. Melatonin, production of which declines with age, is a hormone that directly regulates our sleep cycles and indirectly regulates reproductive hormones. So it’s no wonder that pretty much everything seems off when our third eye chakra is blocked or “blind.”
The pineal gland controls how our bodies process light and darkness, and produces melatonin to help us sleep.
Some of the most obvious tells of a blocked third eye chakra include indecision, increased fear, lack of focus, blue moods, poor sleep and sensitivity to light.
Here are some ways to help:
- Let in the light. Because the pineal gland regulate our body’s reaction to darkness and light, make the most of a lovely day, leave your phone at home, and spend some time in the sunshine or walking among the trees.
- Embrace your dreams. People with open third eyes often experience, and learn to control, lucid dreaming – especially vivid dreams in which the dreamer realizes their dreaming without waking up. But even if that doesn’t happen to you, pay attention to what you recall from your dreams and see if there is any insight to be gained.
- Go heavy on the honey, spice and garnish. Jazz up your dishes with garlic, lemon, cilantro, star anise and ginseng. Cook your food in coconut oil or sub in honey for sugar. And try deep blue or purple foods such as blueberries, blackberries, Concord grapes, purple cabbage and eggplant.
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- Go toward the indigo in your crystal collection and dazzle your third eye with rich purple amethyst, violet-blue Lapis Lazuli, color-shifting labradorite, mystical azurite or twinkling tanzanite.
- Like the rich hues with which it is associated, the third eye chakra also responds to oils that invigorate the senses, such as lavender, peppermint, frankincense, lemon, clary sage and cypress.
READ MORE: Meet Your Heart Chakra
Now that you know the power of the third eye chakra to enhance your sense of self-worth and self-trust, and to expand your world intellectually and imaginatively, invest the time in making sure it is cared for. Don’t skimp on sleep or dismiss your dreams. Trust your gut more often and see how it goes. Buy that pretty lapis pendant and wear it with pride. You may just open up a whole new world.
Come back next Thursday to learn more about the seventh and final chakra, Sahasrara, or the crown chakra, which is associated with peace, spiritual connection and our ability to transform.
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Ready to begin your Reiki journey now? St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care offers 60-minute sessions at competitive prices for community members, clients and staff at both the Stein and Bucyrus campuses.
Find out more on our website. To schedule your appointment, or for further questions, please contact MaryBeth Johnson via email or at 414-977-5077.