Throat Chakra- vishuddha
Communication and Expression
Located in the center of the throat, it connects the feelings in your heart center with the thoughts in your brow chakra, allowing you to express your emotions and thoughts. Being the first of the spiritual chakras, the fifth chakra is the portal through which you bring spirit into the physical realm, where you connect with your true essence. Allows purity in expressing how you feel and what you want, and releasing any tendency to bury your truth. This chakras main task is communication. Here yo give voice to your unique expression of spirit— your creativity. The fifth chakra is the place where creativity manifests. This is where you have to really listen carefully so you can hear the beat that will lead you to your true calling. The governing principle of this chakra is resonance. Resonance means that vibrations of similar frequency are joined with each other in rhythm. The element associated with the throat chakra is ether or sound, which is produced by the rhythmic vibration of molecules of air. You give off a vibration that is the culmination of the activity that has occurred in all the previous four chakras. In other words, you experience the inner workers on those four chakras simply as an overall quality of vibration. When you meet someone you register this person as a vibration. The higher the vibration, the more harmonious that person is.
This chakra is vital because it helps you tune into the vibe of the world. Spending more time in meditation raises your vibration. Your vibration emulates out into the world. The throat chakra is also the place where you can access that quiet, wise inner voice that will guide you in any situation—assuming, of course, that you listen to it!
Biggest Obstacle
Problems can develop in your throat chakra between the ages of about seven and twelve when you learn symbolic thinking and develop communication skills. Trouble happens at any age when you’re not allowed to express your true feelings— the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a clear and functioning fifth chakra. Before you can resonate with others, you need to resonate within your self, which means living your truth. Truth is the underlying energy that powers the fifth chakra. And this includes being true to yourself in how you live and what you take in on a daily basis. As a society, we are constantly being bombarded with every possible message.
Healthy Chakra
Living your truth is the key to the health of the fifth chakra. Speaking your truth means expressing who you are— your feelings, thoughts, and beliefs—through speaking, writing, singing or other artistic creations. If your fifth chakra is in balance, creativity flows, and communication rocks. You are living with integrity according to your dreams and visions, loving who you are, and appreciating the self, listening to your inner guidance, and observing your interactions with the world to see if you are resonating with higher Source. When this chakra is healthy, you take responsibility for expressing how you feel and what you want in life. You deliver messages clearly and respect those who receive them. You speak from your heart and don’t lie. People trust you because you back up your words with positive action.
Archetypes
Negative: Silent Child, who feels safest when silent and has a hard time expressing anger or frustration. The silent child blocks scary or painful feelings. If you are a silent child, you might feel that no one loves you or that they might leave you. That’s the problem with swallowing your shame and guilt; it also swallows your potential for vitality and joy in life.
Positive: The Broadcaster, who expresses her feelings and her desires in life by speaking out. Broadcasters can also deliver their message nonverbally through art, music, and dance. Broadcasters know how important and powerful the spoken word is and that gossip and verbal criticism are not from the Higher Self. They deliver their messages clearly, respect the recipients, and follow their words up with the right action. Broadcasters don’t lie, and they speak from the heart, so you know you can trust them.
Spiritual Aspects
The fifth chakra is all about purity in how you express your feelings and desires, and about the ability to speak your truth instead of burying it. The deity of the throat chakra is Panchavaktra Shiva, who has to give heads representing the five senses and the corresponding give elements: smell/earth, taste/water, sight/fire, touch/air, sound/space. Shiva plays the damaru, a drum that makes fourteen different sounds that are said to enforce the Sanskrit language. The drum produces overtones that create the primal sound of Aum. The seed sound for the chakra is Ham, When it is pronounced correctly, repetition of the Bijou makes your voice sound sweet because of the cerebrospinal fluid that is released into the throat. Astrologically, the fifth chakra is associated with the planets Jupiter and Mercury. Jupiter is known as the guru in Sanskrit, the dispeller of darkness, while Mercury is the planet of communication.
Chakra Blockage:
When you ignore or hide your feelings, and when you feel like you can’t express yourself, you are preventing your energy from flowing freely in this chakra, and ultimately it will shut down. You may also have other difficulties with communication in this chakra, such as stuttering or fear of speaking. To check your throat chakra, honestly answer these questions:
- Are you unable to ask for what you need?
- Are you always self-editing what you say?
- Do you frequently bite your tongue and fail to speak your mind?
- Are you unable to act on inner guidance?
- Do you have a weak sense of timing and rhythm?
- Are you chronically hoarse?
- Are you honest with yourself?
- Do you have a chronic sore throat?
- Do you often experience pain in your neck, cervical vertebrae, or shoulders?
- Do you talk too much or too loudly or stutter, or are you reluctant to speak?
- Are you tone deaf?
- Are you overly shy?
If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, chances are your fifth chakra could use a tune-up!
Clearing Blockages:
To get more in tune with your true self that wants to be heard, journal. Your notes can safely hold all your thoughts, feelings and insights—a powerful way to begin expressing your truth. Once you truth yourself to be honest in your notes, you will begin to trust that you can be honest in the world. Fruits are one of the best foods to support your throat chakra. Since the chakra is magnificent blue, you can introduce blue stones into your practice. The rewards of balancing this energy centre are more powerful communication, greater creativity, and ease and flow to life.