Part 1 of the Crown Chakra guide can be found here.
The lotus flower of the crown chakra blooms upward to reach the intangible Universe and liberate the spirit. However, it needs the stability of roots that are firmly grounded in the tangible Earth. It is the stem that connects them, the bridge between the Self and the Universe. A healthy crown chakra requires a healthy lotus stem, a strong balance between the connection with the abstract and the groundedness of manifestation and identity.
Attachment is the main challenge of the crown chakra. Attachment focuses our energy outside ourselves rather than allowing us to channel it productively. Letting go of attachment should not mean abandoning responsibilities. Rather, it is relinquishing fixation on control and the desire for specific results. Some healthy attachment is necessary for the structure and stability of the lower chakras, such as attachment to our loved ones, our goals, commitments and belief systems. However, a balance must be achieved in order to allow expansion into the crown by letting go of that which prevents us from moving forward. Letting go requires a willingness to embrace change or face challenges that may be uncomfortable, painful or completely at odds with what we have known, believed or experienced previously. Avoidance is also a common form of attachment in its fixation on “not” having something, usually a negative experience. Often, when we face what we would rather avoid, we learn from the experience and grow.
Excessiveness in the seventh chakra prevents any energy from descending to manifestation. For these people, having too much information can lead to feeling overwhelmed, especially if they still do not know what to do. This can cause headaches, dizziness, restlessness, anxiety and confusion. Sometimes there is often a fixation on the intellectual mind where it is safe, at the cost of neglecting the body, the heart or connections to those around them. Similarly, some people avoid the structure and responsibilities of the lower chakras through the escape of spiritual addiction. At the extreme, energy that exists only in the mind without the focus or grounding of physical reality can emerge as psychosis, manifesting as voices, hallucinations or delusional beliefs.
The energy of a deficient crown chakra is blocked from reaching the very top of the system, halting expansion and growth. People with this issue are often closed to new information even if they already have strong beliefs. They may refuse to explore anything that may contradict with what they believe is the only true way. They may even see it as a threat. Even if they express the desire to learn, they may have trouble processing or retaining the information, often due to profound skepticism or attachment to current beliefs. Sometimes this also materializes as a belief in their own limitations.
Balancing the Crown Chakra
Practicing nonattachment primes the mind to expand into greater awareness. Cultivating mindfulness also allows us to live conscientiously and fully experience the richness of every moment, no matter how small or large. Often, simply paying attention gives us the information and the tools we need to move forward. Mindfulness is not an active exercise. It is simply being in a state of non-judgmental observation.
These are just the first steps to balance the crown. The primary tool to fully open the final chakra is meditation. It helps the mind filter out the insignificant concerns of life and gain the calm and clarity required to reach a deeper state of understanding. The final goal is to become fully cognizant of how the existence of the Self within the Universe relates to everything. This is to become “one.” It takes profound inner awareness. It takes awareness of the consciousness governing your every emotion, thought, decision and action. To be aware of this consciousness is to acknowledge the divinity within. What does it mean to be a sentient, thinking, feeling entity? What does it mean to be a part of a whole? What is your purpose? How can you use the divinity within your Self to manifest transformation in the Universe without?
When we can let go of attachment, we are able to surrender fully to the experiences of life. We can trust the Universe. We can trust that we will learn and grow from our experiences no matter what happens. We understand and truly know ourselves and our place within the greater whole. We can embrace the divinity within and without.
Credits and Resources:
Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith
7wisdoms.org by Shai Tubali
Chakras.info by Lizzy Martin
My Other Chakra Guides: