Speaker 1: 0:13

Welcome to Roots of the Rise. With me, sarah Hope. We've been making our way through the chakras and today we have come to the sixth chakra, also known as the third eye. If you've ever wondered about intuition, felt like you have trouble with discernment or been challenged by your ability to see the truth of things, this is the episode for you. I can't believe we're talking about the sixth chakra today. It seems like it was yesterday we started doing this whole exploration. It seems like it was yesterday we started doing this whole exploration. So just to recap first point to remember you do not need to believe in the chakras or the subtle energetic anatomy in order for today's episode to be useful. All we are doing is talking about our ability to see our lives clearly. So while I will talk about some of the subtle energetic qualities of this chakra, we're going to get through that part pretty quickly and focus more on the patterns and programs associated with perception. So don't skip today if that interests you. If you haven't been with us from the beginning, you might want to go back to episode 42, which I'll link in the show notes for overview of the entire chakra system and maybe even check out the first five chakras before you dive into this one, because they do, to a certain degree, build on each other. That said, though, if your interest is really just focused on the third eye or you don't particularly care about the system as a whole, keep listening. Lastly, please keep in mind that there is no way we can do a deep dive and cover everything in 20 minutes, so think of this as a taster versus a full course meal. If you want to go deeper, I'll include resources in the show notes. So let's get started.

Speaker 1: 1:59

The sixth chakra is called Ajna A-J-N-A in Sanskrit, meaning to perceive or to command. It's traditionally associated with the color indigo, and it's often referred to as the third eye, believed to be located at the center of the forehead. However, this common placement is a little misleading. You know more accurately, it's in the third ventricle of the brain, so it's actually deep in the center of the cranium. So we reference on the forehead because that's the most superficial aspect of it, but really it's centered in the cranium.

Speaker 1: 2:36

This chakra is often thought of as being the seat of intuition, inner vision, spiritual insight. It is our right to see. Therefore, its demon is illusion, which fixates our intention and keeps us from seeing the truth. Some also describe this as the place where we quote unquote fall from heaven, at that point where the illusion of separation from unity begins, as the center of embodied consciousness. This chakra reminds us to be careful, to be mindful of what you choose to perceive. What you focus on shapes your reality. So what you bring into awareness determines the quality and the direction of your life. Perception is not passive, it's actually an act of creation. Therefore, if you refine your vision, you refine your world.

Speaker 1: 3:29

The sixth chakra begins to come online in adolescence. So this is the time when we start to define ourselves more deliberately. So, you know, in the fourth chakra we form our social personality more or less unconsciously. We imitate what we see, we adapt to fit in, we do what earns us love and approval. But by the sixth chakra we've started to reevaluate. We've really begun to ask who am I? Who do I want to become? You know, the creative expression that was awakened in the fifth chakra supports this. And you see, this experimentation, this trying to figure out who am I, play out so clearly, especially with the teenage years. You know, one week the kid is goth, the next they're artsy, then it's sports or activism, or anime. You know if, given the space, adolescents will try on a variety of identities to see what fits. But what happens when that exploration gets shut down, when someone is told their curiosity or interest is weird or wrong or a waste of time Like? Imagine if Jane Goodall's mother had told her that observing chimpanzees and paying attention to animal behavior was a foolish pursuit. What if she'd been forced to ignore her inner compass?

Speaker 1: 4:43

There's a great book I am certain I will talk more about another time. It's called the Great Work of your Life by Stephen. It's either Stephen or Stephan, sorry, I don't know which one Stephen Cope that I highly highly recommend. It explores the four pillars of dharma, which are know who you are sound familiar. Do it full out, let go of the outcome and trust the divine. Those are, in essence, the four pillars, and he illustrates these principles using both ordinary and extraordinary lives, and Jane Goodall is among them. The book touches beautifully on what happens when the authentic exploration of self is nurtured and what can happen when it gets suppressed.

Speaker 1: 5:23

The sixth chakra is, ultimately, it's about vision. It's about being able to see clearly and trust what we see. It's also about being able to imagine what kind of future we want for ourselves and for the world for that matter. This stage of development asks who do I want to become? And that emerging identity must be anchored in something meaningful. It has to carry a sense of direction or purpose, otherwise it risks becoming hollow, performative or reactionary. Otherwise it risks becoming hollow, performative or reactionary. And that yearning for deeper meaning is what begins to pull us toward the seventh chakra, which we'll talk about next week as we finish things up.

Speaker 1: 6:02

But back to the sixth, let's talk about trauma and how it affects the center. So visual memory is deeply linked to experience, right, obviously. And since the sixth chakra is the home of perception, any trauma to the system, especially to the lower chakras, can impact the healthy development and opening of the sixth. I mean this is the inner library where we store the images associated with our experiences. If that library is filled with pain or fear or confusion, then the system may unconsciously censor or distort the memories to protect us.

Speaker 1: 6:39

If the feelings associated with something, with an image, are too uncomfortable, then the psyche has kind of two big options either repress or disassociate. Repression happens when we shut down altogether, we put blinders on, we only allow ourselves to see certain things and over the time, this numbing narrows the range of what we're able to or willing to perceive. We just stop feeling parts of reality that feel too overwhelming. Disassociation, on the other hand, is when we strip images of their meaning. Right, we still see them, but we sever the emotional connection. The picture remains, but our ability to sense it or to make sense of it is kind of fragmented. Sometimes we notice literal vision problems like blurred vision, chronic eye strain, even more serious impairments, and it can be worth asking okay, when did that begin, and what was I not willing to see at the time? What truth might have been too painful to fully acknowledge?

Speaker 1: 7:40

There's another kind of wound that often begins in childhood and that happens when a child is subtly or overtly taught that what they're perceiving isn't real. So, like dad's not drunk on the couch, he's just resting. Mom's not angry with you, she's just tired, we're a happy family, we all love each other very much. When that is said over very clear, contradictory experiences, the messages create this internal conflict. I mean, children are naturally sensitive. They perceive so much more than we give them credit for, especially when it comes to emotional undercurrents. But without the language or the data to validate what they're sensing, they begin to doubt their own perception and over time, this can cause them to completely lose trust in their intuition, to disconnect from their inner knowing and to stop asking important questions. Does this remind you a little bit of our discussion on the third chakra? Remember, the chakras are all linked, all part of the same system, so certain experiences can damage multiple levels.

Speaker 1: 8:44

That's why we also can't forget the role of shame, which distorts vision in another way. Shame turns our attention inward, with relentless self-scrutiny. A shame-based person becomes hypervigilant, constantly monitoring the behavior, their appearance, their performance, all in order to avoid judgment or rejection. Our vision becomes consumed with this self-surveillance, which leaves us little time or energy to look outward with any clarity or curiosity. And when the gaze does turn outward, it's scanning for clues. Am I doing this right? Am I safe? Do they approve? This kind of programming filters everything through a lens of insecurity and threat. So, basically, when we have any trauma that creates this distorted perception, whether it's through repression, disassociation, shame we can be profoundly limited in our ability to see clearly. So what we have to do in order to heal is reclaim our inner vision, learn to trust our intuition again and be able to like rewrite the stories we've absorbed about what's real, what's true and what's possible.

Speaker 1: 9:53

When we're balanced, when the sixth chakra is functioning well, we don't have to do any of that. We've got clear perception, we're connected to our intuition, we're able to visualize, imagine and discern meaning. There's this sense of this inner sight, this ability to navigate life with wisdom and insight. But when we're out of balance, it shows up in a number of ways. I mean we can just basically have trouble remembering things or having difficulty visualizing. We may really struggle to imagine alternatives to our current situation or even be able to consider that another way might be possible. You know, even be able to consider that another way might be possible.

Speaker 1: 10:36

One of the big signs of sixth chakra dysfunction is denial, a complete refusal or inability to see what's going on. Another is rigidity, the kind of tunnel vision that says my way or the highway, this is it. And it can also show up as delusion or obsessive thought patterns that just loop endlessly. And what's interesting and this holds true with all of the chakras you can have some aspects working really well while others are challenged. So someone might have incredible dream recall but be completely unable to visualize while they're awake. Another person might be deeply psychic, have a great intuitive connection, but be in complete denial about a relationship they're in.

Speaker 1: 11:18

People with sixth chakra challenges often miss the subtleties. Their perception might be too literal, too narrow or too clouded by emotion or belief. Another sign is someone who is completely unable to hold multiple perspectives. This is a big one right now. I mean you see it all over the place. People are so entrenched in their side that they are incapable of even considering the possibility that the other side might have a point. We shut down dialogue, invalidate nuance and fall into black and white thinking. That is a sixth chakra issue and an ability to see clearly, to perceive the whole picture, and often it's connected to the second chakra, the seat of emotions. We get so emotionally invested in something that it clouds our ability to see clearly, and then there can be the fear of seeing what's true.

Speaker 1: 12:15

Judith uses the metaphor of meditation as letting a glass of muddy water sit still long enough for the sediment to settle. A person with excessive sick chakra energy can't afford to let them unsettle because then they might see what they've been trying to avoid. So they stay in motion, they overthink, they spiritualize everything, they loop around in the upper chakras, just completely ungrounded. This is the person who's going to make a fortune with their new business idea, except they can't pay this month's rent or the one planning a wedding after a single date. There's no grounding from the lower chakras, no practicality, no structure, no rooted sense of self. The imagination is active, but without any discernment or healthy limitation, so it just kind of becomes fantasy. You'll also meet people who quote everything a psychic told them as if it's gospel truth. They might even rely on a psychic to tell them how to run their lives.

Speaker 1: 13:07

This isn't to dismiss the value of intuition. After all, that's what the psychic arts really are. It's intuition honed, cultivated and deeply developed. But without discernment we lose the ability to separate truth from projection, wisdom from wishful thinking. That's when the sixth chakra becomes dangerous, because there are people out there who will take advantage of someone hungry for clarity but unable to see clearly. Some other, more subtle symptoms of sixth chakra imbalance include things like a fear of repercussion for seeing or speaking the truth, an attachment to only seeing the good, difficulty believing in anything beyond the physical world and a fear of being wrong about what you see. You know, when this chakra is balanced, we can hold paradox, we can trust our intuition while remaining curious. We can see reality not just what we want to see and respond to it with integrity. That's the work of the sixth. So of course, you want to know how do we heal the sixth? If all of this is resonating, you're thinking, oh goodness, this is where I need to do some work. Well, here's the twist For most people, it's less about healing and more about developing.

Speaker 1: 14:19

You know, most of us weren't necessarily traumatized in the traditional sense. We were just taught not to use our intuition. We were told to prioritize logic, to ignore our inner voice, to focus on the facts. So we shut that part of ourselves down. And now, later in life, we have to learn how to bring it back online. We have to develop our awareness. You know we often lack the how to bring it back online. We have to develop our awareness. You know we often lack the stable base that's required to truly open and sustain the upper chakras. You can't build the attic before the foundation root to rise right. That's the whole point of this podcast to give you the tools so that you can develop that strong foundation while exploring the higher concepts. So before we try to activate our intuition, we need grounding practices that help us feel safe enough to see clearly.

Speaker 1: 15:06

That said, here are a few things you can try that can genuinely support the development of the sixth. So first, meditation. It's always going to be on the list. Even though meditation is technically more associated with the seventh that we'll get into next week, it's still relevant here because stillness allows our inner vision to sharpen. It lets the mind settle, like that glass of muddy water we talked about earlier, so that we can see more clearly. Another thing you can do is third eye body work, so you can actually work with the physical location. You can gently massage the area between the eyebrows using oils like frankincense, sandalwood, lavender. There's also an Ayurvedic practice called Shirodhara, where warm oil is gently streamed onto the third eye. It is very calming to the nervous system and can help open perception while softening the overstimulated mind. Thirdly, you can work on developing your intuition. This is big, you know.

Speaker 1: 16:10

I used to think intuition was kind of this thing that was only gifted to a certain few, and that's just not true. It's a skill, one that is available to all of us all of the time. So the problem is not whether or not we have it, it's whether or not we listen to it and whether or not we trust it enough to act on it. We're going to talk more about intuition on Friday, so hang in until then. And lastly, visual art. You know, if you're someone who struggles with visualization, you know if you're one of those people who says I just can't do guided meditations or I don't see anything when I close my eyes, then try creating art. This is not. You're not supposed to be creating a masterpiece. This is not about you being good at it. This is about stimulating visual thinking. So this is what I would like you all to try this week.

Speaker 1: 17:06

At some point, if you're game, take a moment to draw the chakras we've covered so far. You don't need to go back and listen to all the episodes though of course you can if you want to but just reflect on the basic programming of each chakra as you draw. I'll remind you what that is in a minute. This isn't about being perfect or artistic. It's about tuning in, connecting with your own energy and engaging your intuition. Think of it as like visual journaling.

Speaker 1: 17:34

So start with your root chakra, located at the base of your spine, your sense of safety and security, and ask yourself okay, if I were to draw that, what color would I use? What shape comes to mind? What texture? What size Is it? Jagged, soft, dense, expansive and then move up through the chakras, one at a time. So your sacral chakra, about four inches below your belly button. This is the center of your emotions, sensuality and creativity. Move up to the solar plexus, where the lower ribs meet, the sternum. This one governs your willpower, your confidence, your sense of a self. The heart chakra, right at the heart. It's all about love, compassion, connection. The throat chakra at the throat Expression. About love, compassion, connection. The throat chakra at the throat expression. Communication.

Speaker 1: 18:22

The third eye that we've been talking about, the space between your eyebrows perception, insight and the ability to truly see. The goal here again is not to create a masterpiece, nor is it to be perfectly aligned with what things are quote unquote supposed to look like. Let go of that. If your root chakra is blue to you, color it blue, don't pay attention to the traditional perception of anything. This exercise is meant to just help activate your intuitive perception, to see what's alive in you today, what's flowing, what's asking for attention. And once you've drawn them all, just look back at them. Notice the lines, the spacing the color? Are they connected, scattered, blended or blocked? You know, that kind of creative exploration can be a really powerful mirror.

Speaker 1: 19:09

Ultimately, the sixth chakra is not about psychic abilities or seeing auras or remembering your dreams. It's about perception. It's about seeing clearly within yourself and out in the world, and that clarity, just like anything else, takes attention, development and a willingness to see what's really there. That's it for today's episode on the sixth chakra and the power of perception. As always, thank you so much for being here doing this work, asking the deeper questions and continuing to grow and explore. It's not always easy to look within, but it's where everything begins If something in forget. On Wednesday and Friday I'll be sharing follow-up episodes focused specifically on illusion and intuition. Until then, know who you are, love who you've been and be willing to do the work to become who you want to be. Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist or any other qualified provider. No-transcript.