Chakra Series: Root Chakra

Every month I am guided to write a message that not only reflects my own healing journey but also appears to reflect the lives of those reading it. My personal angels have guided me to write the next seven newsletters in alignment with the seven chakras.

The first is the Root Chakra your umbilical cord to the earth and the “I AM” of your system. It guides you to receive the most nurturing existence possible. Without its energy you are groundless and unfocussed, lethargic and indifferent. This center essentially gets you out of bed in the morning and makes sure that you stay in the present moment.

Nurturing and loving yourself are issues governed by this chakra. Eating disorders, excess weight or health issues around the lower extremities are particularly indicative of root chakra imbalance. This often demonstrates issues around loving your true self, loving your path in this lifetime, and feeling safe on your chosen journey. Eating disorders and weight problems are a form of self-sabotage minimizing the root chakra vibrancy. Health issues point to unstable foundations creating a fear of survival, while self-nurturing apathy creates self-hatred.

Nurturing and loving yourself starts with acknowledging the part your parents have to play in your life. Thich Nhat Hanh says that in every birth there is a giver, a gift and a receiver. The giver is your mother and your father, the gift is your body and the receiver is you. The giver, the gift and the receiver are all one within your body. This means that your parents have given you a gift of a body enabling your spirit to manifest on earth. Within this body is an aspect of each of them, their parents before them and their parents before them. Therefore by honoring yourself you honor the lineage of people who have given you this gift. After all without your ancestors you would not exist.

The root chakra is your foundation for living and holds within it all the memories of your ancestors. We all carry memories of hurt and conflict passed down to us from our ancestors through our immediate family. As long as we ignore these ancestral memories, we cannot heal and transform our lives. As part of my own transformation I made two Medicine Wheels, one to honor my ancestors and another to honor my journey. The Medicine Wheel is a reflection of an individuals strengths and weaknesses and can be a visual guideline for personal growth.

This month as part of your own healing process build your own Ancestral Medicine Wheel and a separate Personal Journey Wheel. The Medicine Wheel is traditionally a circle split into four quarters. The western aspect of the wheel reflects strength and introspection, the south rapid growth and trust, the east illumination and wisdom, and the north purity and renewal. Begin your ancestral wheel at the new moon and place pictures of your family in the western section. This is the area of sacrifice. Be willing to let go of any pain and hurt you have inherited from your ancestors. Each week move their pictures around the circle, south for prayer, east for transformation and finally north for thanksgiving. If you do not have pictures draw a picture of write their names.

When you have finished remove the pictures and if you need to let go of more energy start again at the next new moon. You can also just build a Medicine Wheel to honor your ancestors and notice where in the wheel you place certain pictures.

The root also gives you the energy to manifest what you want in this life. The Journey Medicine Wheel is another gift of the root chakra. In a circle place pictures from magazines or words or pictures you have drawn that reflect how you want your life to look. Again notice where in the wheel you place these symbols. Again you can work with the moon cycles if you so desire. Make the wheel a positive expression of your journey and how you see your life path developing. Don’t place anything in the Wheel that your conscious mind cannot accept as part of your life. Use your intuition to tell you were in your home these wheels need to be placed. The root chakra has a place in your home. It is the place where you feel safest and most nurtured. Notice if you place your wheels in this place or another. If it is another area tune into which chakra is reflected by this room.