The 7 sacred truths

Caroline Myss and Carol Tuttle teach extensively about the chakra system and how to utilize it to reclaim your personal power.  There are 7 energy centers in the body and each controls a certain aspect of your life.  Problems in the lower 3, where most people spend their energy, are what lead to most illnesses.   Any challenge we have corresponds directly to one of these 7 chakras.  Lack of confidence, career problems, relationship troubles.

Carol Tuttle says the 7 are not just distinct, but are actually an entire system, meant to be working together.  She describes them as keys on a piano, all meant to be used together to create beautiful music. They each have a purpose, but they are meant to be working in harmony.

In this post, I am writing as much for myself as for you because I’d like to see a short summary of the facts about each chakra, as well as which illnesses stem from it.  Myss also has many questions for self-examination and I’ve included those word-for-word as she wrote them in each section as well.

If you’d like to learn more, please visit Carol Tuttle’s chakra healing website.  She offers a free 3-minute test and lots of resources there.  I like this section called “But what exactly are these 7 chakras?” You can also sign up there for a free e-mail course about chakra healing.  As Carol says, “It could change the way you look at yourself and your life.”

This post is sort of a follow-up to this one from earlier this month: The connection between disease, healing, and personal power.

1. Root chakra: lessons related to the material world

• located at base of spine
• tribal/group identity and belief patterns (family, nation, political group, team sports)
• energy connection: spinal column, rectum, legs, bones, feet, immune system
• foundation of emotional and mental health
• symbolic/perceptual connection: need for logic, order, and structure
• fears: physical survival, abandonment by the group, loss of order
• strengths: tribal/family identity, bonding, honor code; sense of safety and connection
• lesson: the only real justice is divinely ordered
• sacred truth: All is One

• “Various mental illnesses are generated out of family dysfunctions, including multiple personalities, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and destructive patterns like alcoholism.” Myss
• “Immune-related disorders, chronic pain, skeletal difficulties are energetically activated by weakness in personal tribal issues.”

Questions for Self-Examination:   What belief patterns did you inherit from your family? Which of those belief patterns that still have authority in your thinking can you acknowledge are no longer valid?  What superstitions do you have? Which have more authority over you than your own reasoning ability? Do you have a personal code of honor? What is it? Have you ever compromised your sense of honor? If so, have you taken steps to heal it? Do you have any unfinished business with your family members? If so, list the reasons that prevent you from healing your family relationships. List all the blessings that you feel came from your family.  If you are now raising a family of your own, list the qualities that you would like your children to learn from you. What tribal traditions and rituals do you continue for yourself and your family? Describe the tribal characteristics within yourself that you would like to strengthen and develop.

2. Sacral chakra: lessons related to sexuality, work, and physical desire

• located lower abdomen
• relationship/partnership (begins age 7, forming significant new relationships)
• energy connection: sex organs, large intestine, lower vertebrae, pelvis, hips, appendix, bladder
• resonates to our need for relationships with others and need to control our physical environment
• symbolic/perceptual connection: sense of personal identity and boundaries; also ethical center of the body
• fears: loss of control (rape, betrayal, impotence, financial loss, abandonment) and loss of power of physical body (inability for self care)
• strengths: self-sufficiency, fight-or-flight instinct, ability to take risks, resilience, rebellion, decision-making ability
• sacred truth: Honor One Another

• “The illnesses that originate in this energy center are activated by the fear of losing control…  Prostate or ovarian cancer, chronic pain in lower back and hips, and arthritis, as well as menopause hot flashes and depression.”
• “relationships are essentially spiritual messengers. They bring into our lives—and we into theirs—revelations about our own strengths and weaknesses.”
• “Second chakra energy is one of the primary resources we have for coping with the day-to-day events of our lives, providing creative solutions to mental, physical, and spiritual problems or issues. Blocking this energy can give rise to impotence, infertility, vaginal infections, endometriosis, and depression.”
• “Problems with menstruation, cramps, and PMS are classic indications that she is in some kind of conflict with being a woman, with her role in the tribe, and with tribal expectations of her. Most problems with bleeding and irregular periods frequently come from having too much emotional stress combined with the belief that one has no power over one’s life choices, that one’s choices are controlled by others.”
• “The quality of power in the second chakra expresses this energy in physical forms, like materialism, authority, control, ownership, sexual magnetism, sensuality, eroticism, and addiction. Every physically seductive form that power can take is energetically connected to the second chakra. And unlike the group nature of first chakra power, the second chakra has a one-on-one nature.”

Questions for Self-Examination: How do you define creativity? Do you consider yourself a creative person? Do you follow through on your creative ideas?  How often do you direct your creative energies into negative paths of expression? Do you exaggerate or embellish “facts” to support your point of view? Are you comfortable with your sexuality? If not, are you able to work toward healing your sexual imbalances? Do you use people for sexual pleasure, or have you felt used? Are you strong enough to honor your sexual boundaries? Do you keep your word? What is your personal code of honor? of ethics? Do you negotiate your ethics depending upon your circumstances? Do you have an impression of God as a force that exerts justice in your life?  Are you a controlling person? Do you engage in power plays in your relationships? Are you able to see yourself clearly in circumstances related to power and money? Does money have authority over you? Do you make compromises that violate your inner self for the sake of financial security? How often do survival fears dictate your choices? Are you strong enough to master your fears concerning finances and physical survival, or do they control you and your attitudes? What goals do you have for yourself that you have yet to pursue? What stands in the way of your acting upon those goals?

3. Personal power chakra: lessons related to the ego, personality, and self-esteem

• located in solar plexus
• personal power center, core of personality and ego (begins during puberty)
• energy connection: stomach, pancreas, adrenals, upper intestines, gallbladder, liver, middle spine
• foundation of emotional and mental health
• symbolic/perceptual connection: mediates between external and internalization of consciousness
• fears: rejection, criticism, looking foolish, failing to meet responsibilities, physical appearance, discovery of secrets
• strengths: self-esteem, self-respect, self-discipline, ability to generate action, ability to handle a crisis, courage to take risks, generosity, ethics, strength of character.
• lesson: intuitive voice as source of guidance
• sacred truth: Honor Oneself

• “The illnesses that originate here are activated by issues related to self-responsibility, self-esteem, fear of rejection, and an oversensitivity to criticism.”

Questions for Self-Examination:  Do you like yourself? If not, what don’t you like about yourself, and why? Are you actively working to change the things about yourself that you don’t like?  Are you honest? Do you sometimes misrepresent the truth? If so, why? Are you critical of others? Do you need to blame others as a way of protecting yourself? Are you able to admit it when you are wrong? Are you open to feedback from other people about yourself? Do you need the approval of others? If so, why?  Do you consider yourself strong or weak? Are you afraid of taking care of yourself? Have you ever allowed yourself to be in a relationship with a person you didn’t really love, but it seemed better than being alone? Do you respect yourself? Can you decide to make changes in your lifestyle and then stick to your commitment? Are you afraid of responsibility? Or do you feel responsible for everything and everyone? Are you continually wishing your life were different? If so, are you doing anything to change it, or have you resigned yourself to your situation?

4. Heart chakra -lessons related to love, forgiveness, compassion, and self-acceptance

Questions for Self-Examination   1.  What emotional memories do you still need to heal?   2.  What relationships in your life require healing?   3.  Do you ever use your emotional wounds to control people or situations? If so, describe them.   4.  Have you ever allowed yourself to be controlled by the wounds of another person? What are your feelings about letting that happen again? What steps are you prepared to take to prevent yourself from being controlled that way again?   5.  What fears do you have about becoming emotionally healthy?   6.  Do you associate emotional health with no longer needing an intimate relationship?   7.  What is your understanding of forgiveness?   8.  Who are the people you have yet to forgive, and what prevents you from letting go of the pain you associate with them?   9.  What have you done that needs forgiving? Which people are working to forgive you? 10.  What is your understanding of a healthy, intimate relationship? Are you willing to release the use of your wounds in order to open yourself to such a relationship?

5. Throat chakra -lessons related to will and self-expression voice thoughts/emotions; will power

The greatest act of will in which we can invest our spirits is to choose to live according to these rules:   1.  Make no judgments.   2.  Have no expectations.   3.  Give up the need to know why things happen as they do.   4.  Trust that the unscheduled events of our lives are a form of spiritual direction.   5.  Have the courage to make the choices we need to make, accept what we cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Questions for Self-Examination   1.  What is your definition of being “strong-willed”?   2.  Who are the people in your life that have control over your willpower, and why?   3.  Do you seek to control others? If so, who are they, and why do you need to control them?   4.  Are you able to express yourself honestly and openly when you need to? If not, why not?   5.  Are you able to sense when you are receiving guidance to act upon?   6.  Do you trust guidance that has no “proof” of the outcome attached to it?   7.  What fears do you have associated with Divine guidance?   8.  Do you pray for assistance with your personal plans, or are you able to say, “I will do what heaven directs me to do”?   9.  What makes you lose control of your own willpower? 10.  Do you bargain with yourself in situations in which you know you need to change but you continually postpone taking action? If so, identify those situations and your reasons for not wanting to act.

6. Intuitive chakra – inner compass  lessons related to mind, intuition, insight, and wisdom

The following instructions provide a starting point for developing the impersonal mind and achieving symbolic sight, the ability to see through illusion and grasp the energy power behind the scenes.

•  Develop a practice of introspection, and work to become conscious of what you believe and why. •  Keep an open mind, and learn to become aware when your mind is “shutting down.” •  Recognize defensiveness as an attempt to keep new insights from entering your mental field. •  Interpret all situations and relationships as having a symbolic importance, even if you cannot immediately understand what it is. •  Become open to receiving guidance and insight through your dreams. •  Work toward releasing any thoughts that promote self-pity or anger, or that blame another person for anything that has happened to you. •  Practice detachment. Make decisions based upon the wisest assessment you can in the immediate moment, rather than working to create a specific outcome. •  Refrain from all judgments—not just those rendered against people and situations, but those that concern the size or importance of tasks. Rather, remind yourself continually of the higher truth that you cannot possibly see all the facts or details of any situation, nor visualize the long-term consequences of your actions. •  Learn to recognize when you are being influenced by a fear pattern. Immediately detach from that fear by observing its influence on your mind and emotions; then make choices that weaken the influence of those fears. •  Detach from all values that support the belief that success in life means achieving certain goals. Instead, view a successful life as a process of achieving self-control and the capacity to work through the challenges life brings you. Visualize success as an energy force rather than a physical one. •  Act on your inner guidance, and give up your need for “proof” that your inner guidance is authentic. The more you ask for proof, the less likely you are to receive any. •  Keep all your attention in the present moment—refrain from living in the past or worrying about the future. Learn to trust what you cannot see far more than what you can see.

Questions for Self-Examination   1.  What beliefs do you have that cause you to interpret the actions of others in a negative way?   2.  What negative behavioral patterns continually surface in your relationships with others?   3.  What attitudes do you have that disempower you?   4.  What beliefs do you continue to accept that you know are not true?   5.  Are you judgmental? If so, what situations or relationships tend to bring out that tendency in you?   6.  Do you give yourself excuses for behaving in negative ways?   7.  Can you recall instances in which you were confronted with a more profound level of truth than you were used to hearing and found the experience intimidating?   8.  What beliefs and attitudes would you like to change in yourself? Are you willing to make a commitment to making those changes?   9.  Are you comfortable thinking about your life in impersonal terms? 10.  Are you frightened of the changes that might occur in your life, should you openly embrace a conscious lifestyle?

7. Crown chakra – top of head – connection to Source  lessons related to spirituality

Questions for Self-Examination   1.  What questions have you sought guidance with during meditation or moments of prayer?   2.  What answers to these questions would you most fear?   3.  Do you bargain with God? Do you complain to God more than you express gratitude? Do you tend to pray for specific things rather than pray in appreciation?   4.  Are you devoted to a particular spiritual path? If not, do you feel a need to find one? Have you found surrogates to be devoted to? If so, list and evaluate your relationship to them.   5.  Do you believe that your God is more authentic than the Divine in other spiritual traditions?   6.  Are you waiting for God to send you an explanation for your painful experiences? If so, list those experiences.   7.  How would your life change if God suddenly decided to answer your questions? And how would it change if the answer you received was “I have no intention of giving you insight into your questions at this point in your life”? What would you be prepared to do then?   8.  Have you started and stopped a meditation practice? If so, what are the reasons that you failed to maintain it?   9.  What spiritual truths are you aware of that you do not live by? List them. 10.  Are you afraid of a closer spiritual connection to the Divine because of the changes that it might trigger in your life?