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Okay, onward!
Do you remember that song by the Black Eyed Peas, 'Where is the Love' (naturally this is the tune of the episode)?
I do; and 21 years later that song still applies, way more now than before I believe. It feels like majority of people have been either cut off or isolated from their hearts... and I believe Covid (and that entire propaganda fiasco) has a lot to do with it.
Allow me to formulate my thoughts on this a bit because I feel I'm onto something...
Before I do though, I have to give a little background into chakras.
As you know, (or maybe you don't because you're new which in that case, hello!) we talk about all things healing on this podcast/newsletter/whatchamacallit, and in previous episodes we've been diving into the systematized art of the traditional holistic healing system of the West, also known as Traditional Western Medicine or Greek Medicine. Traditional Western Medicine (like traditional holistic healing systems of the East such as Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda) is founded on the belief of balance and harmony. Not only within oneself physiologically, mentally, and emotionally, but also spiritually with the Universal Life Forces of Nature and the cosmos.
(Little side note here: it's insane how impactful the cosmos are in our lives; I'm currently studying the beautiful art and science of Medical Astrology and how the planets, stars, and certain points in the sky correspond to the human body and physical health. The way these planets and points were positioned in the sky at the moment of birth can provide insight into not only the root cause of health concerns, but also how to best navigate health utilizing herbs, nutrition, and lifestyle adjustments. Sound interesting? It is.)
To get to a state of balance and harmony, it's important to know what a balanced state looks like and what an unbalanced state looks like. To have some sort of standard (or system), Traditional Western Medicine begins with the study of the Seven Natural Things. These Seven Natural Things provide the basic principles of the nature of human beings.
The Seven Natural Things are:
The Four Elements - what everything in Nature is made of
The Four Humors - the primary components of the human body in reflection of the Four Elements
The Four Temperaments - the basic nature of a human being which includes physique, personality, and physiological makeup
The Organs & Similar Parts - the basic components of the human body and their function
The Four Faculties - the basic functions of the human body and their associated spirits
The Life-Giving Principles - the energies and essences that give life to humans
The Four Administering Virtues - the four secondary physical faculties of all bodily functions
So far we've made it through to the Organs & Similar parts, but today we're yet again pausing from the Seven Natural Things and going to focus on an entirely different topic: chakras, specifically the heart chakra.
What are chakras? They are a big yogic philosophy in Hindu & Buddhist traditions that correspond seven major energy centers in the astral body to different physical body parts and aspects of life. They are located along the spine, starting from the base up to the crown of the head. I am no expert in this yogic practice, and highly recommend connecting with the amazing artist, Trixie, if you want to know more about them; but I do have some insight and want to share my thoughts.
Starting from the base, the 7 main chakras are:
The Root Chakra (Muladhara): located at the base of the spine; related to the adrenal glands, it's our primal needs and basic survival instincts: sleep, food, sex, and self-preservation. In the sacred language of Hindus, Muladhara means "root support", which is fitting as energetically this chakra supports all the others
The Sacral/Generative Chakra (Swadisthana): located below the belly button in the groin; related to the sexual organs, it represents our sexuality, creativity, and pleasure. Swadisthana means "One's Own Dwelling", as this is the chakra many are most preoccupied with
The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): located in the upper abdomen between the diaphragm and belly button; related to the pancreas (and liver in my opinion), it represents our appetite and desires, personal power and self-esteem. Manipura means "place of shining jewels", as this is our energy center of fire and fire is the shiniest element of them all
The Heart Chakra (Anahata): located in the center of our chest, close to the heart; related to the thymus gland, it represents our passions, emotions, and love. Anahata means "unstruck", as in free from negative and unhealthy hindrances and experiencing love in its purest form
The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): located at the base of the throat; related to the thyroid, it represents our communication, expression, and truth. Vishuddha means "with purity", signifying purification of thoughts, words, and actions
The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): located at the center of the brain between the eyebrows; related to the pituitary gland, it represents perception, consciousness, and intuition. Ajna means "command center", correlating to its mastery over other chakras and energy channels
The Crown Chakra (Sahastrara): located slightly above the top of the head; related to the pineal gland, it represents divine consciousness, spirituality, and wisdom. Sahastrara means "thousands" or "thousand-petaled lotus", symbolizing the different aspects of our being and its balanced connection to the Higher Self
Plato, a spiritually-oriented Greek philosopher, had similar ideas and theories to this yogic philosophy, as he believed the physical body and all its parts were designed by the Ultimate Creator to house the Soul, or psyche. In his writings1, he came up with the probable theory of the Soul being divided by divineness; with the Root being the most mortal and lowest level of soul expression, the Heart being the highest part of the mortal soul and more concerned with spirit, the Throat being the boundary between the mortal soul and the psyche (immortal soul), and the Crown being the highest level of soul expression and most divine.
When these chakras are balanced, health, happiness, and love are abundant. I don't know about you, but in my immediate area I'm hardly seeing any healthy, happy, or loving people. Majority of people I encounter seem somewhat unhealthy to downright sick, unhappy with life, and brimming with hatred for this or that or everything.
Life didn't feel like this five years ago. I know everyone has some sort of stressor in life at some point or another (including me currently), that's part of our journey here, but this feels different. Like all of humanity's hearts were purposefully targeted. I'm not saying that's 100% the case, but... seems fishy and here's my conspiracy-theory rant on why.
The body parts most associated with the Heart Chakra, are the heart and thymus gland. In the last two episodes, we've talked extensively about the Four Noble Organs: the brain, heart, liver, and gonads; with the heart being the most Noble of them all as it's not only the seat of our emotions but also helps fuse blood with the breath of life itself, called pneuma, with every breath we take. The thymus gland has important rulership over our immune system and powers the immune response, producing T-blood cells to fight sickness and disease. So you essentially have the lungs, the heart, and the thymus gland all encompassed by the heart chakra.
And yet... where was Covid (including the vaccines) hurting people the most? Their lungs and hearts! Difficulty breathing and respirators? Cardiovascular disorders like heart attacks and myocarditis? Multiple infections? Coughing? Blood clots? Not to mention the seemingly psychological attack coming from all sides making people distrustful and unloving towards neighbors, friends, strangers, and loved ones. Even themselves and their own bodies!
"Down with White men!"
"Black Lives Matter!"
"Six feet apart!"
"Vaccines save lives so if you don't get it you deserve a winter of death!"
"Sorry, we don't know where you've been or what you've been doing so we don't feel comfortable with you coming home for Christmas."
"Down with the patriarchy but also men can be women so screw you for not knowing my pronouns!"
"Trump is a threat to democracy so vote Biden, jk vote Kamala (even though she wasn’t running and then started running a few months before the election), or you're a racist, brainless, bigot who doesn't believe in a woman's right to choose even though the federal government gave us back the power to choose!"
"Children should have access to sex changes just like adults!"
Okay, I'm being a tad dramatic and facetious, but this is essentially what the last four years have been like. We've gone from don't judge a person by their skin color to judging a person by their skin color. We've gone from community and open spaces, to isolation and discrimination (DEI programs anyone?). We've gone from trusting and supporting one's own immune system to "vaccines are for other people so you are mandated take them".
As a society, it feels like our hearts are blocked (and it feels like the era of Covid has a lot to do with it), but I want to see them open up again to allow pure love and compassion to flow through us all.
Of course, as the chakra system is a yogic philosophy, yoga is a great start. As are:
Understanding that every person can have differing opinions (doesn't make them less than or undeserving)
Knowing that you are closer to your neighbors than the federal government so take what they say with a grain of salt and treat your neighbor with kindness
Forgiving others (and yourself!) for past mistakes and judgments
Walking with your head up and out of your phone so you see the smiles random strangers give you (maybe even start smiling to strangers yourself)
Supporting your immune system, especially through nutrition
Focusing on your breath and breathing deeply from time to time
Understanding that while there are shitty people out there, not everyone is out to get you
Stopping the doomscrolling and spending more time outside
Music music music!
Dancing
Taking a long look at yourself (physically and mentally), seeing what you don't like, and giving those parts love anywayssssss
Treating people how you want to be treated
Love conquers all, and I'm ready for it to conquer the world so people will stop being lame and boring and cold and mean. We're bringing back the sense of adventure and silly fun that's been lost for a while. Again, I know people are dealing with serious things outside of all this (especially financially), but the point still stands: more love is needed.
So sprinkle some love dust on your life and let's get crackin' (insert meme of that salt guy)!
I love you (and thank you for reading/listening to my impromptu “conspiracy-theory” rant). <3
Tune I feel jives well with this episode:
Podcast Playlist featuring all episode tunes:
episode #12: where is the love?