Vulnerable Times
The recent credit crunch in the UK and the recession that it is happening all over the world has hit at all our survival instincts. In the UK, I have watched food and energy bills rise way beyond inflation and friends have stared at frightening mortgage repayments.
It’s hard to believe in the spirit of abundance and feel the joy of prosperity, when wall-to-wall news coverage highlights the fear of losing everything.
The Root Chakra
Our survival instincts are rooted in the body and if we look at the chakra map, survival issues relate to the root chakra at the base of the spine. The root chakra is our energetic link to the Earth beneath us – feeling grounded and supported.
The root chakra also charts the first developmental stage of our being, the first seven years of our lives from conception – this is a stage when we are utterly dependent on others. Our survival is dependent on others. If our needs were not met at this time, we can often feel unsupported, unloved and fearful.
When we feel tense and especially when we act out of fear, we can block the natural flow of prana or earth energy that runs through the base chakra. Fear is part of our fight or flight mechanism – our body’s survival instincts. We need to learn to trust in order to go beyond fear.
Relaxation and trust in existence are key to rebalancing the root chakra. Rigidity in our bodies, tightening of the chest, stress in the belly are all signs that we are not relaxing – let energy flow through you. Remember to breathe.
Moving Beyond Ego
Most news stories have hinted at this promise of recession for the last six months, but people have been in disbelief and when you can always borrow more money, max out another credit card, buy now-pay later, we can ive in a world of prosperous make believe, living on borrowed money and borrowed time.
For many years it seems to me that we have been stuck at an ego level. You work hard, so you deserve the big screen TV. Your friend just flew off for a luxe weekend in New York, so you book one too. You had a bad day at work, so you shell out for an expensive dinner of comfort food. You miss having a partner, so you need to buy expensive shoes although you don’t have enough money to cover rent.
Often we act as if we are owed something from society at large. It’s been a meeting of the root and solar plexus chakras. Fuelling our insecurities (root) with the ego (solar plexus). Greed is a melting pot of the insecurities of these two chakras and it can be fuelled by the vulnerability felt at the heart chakra.
This arrogance is also mirrored in the frenzied taking of natural resources from the planet and our disbelief that how we live affects the environment.
It is as if we are looking outside of ourselves through material gain, money in the bank, car in the garage, in order to fill the void of insecurity and self worth.
Is Your Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?
A friend of a friend banker type was literally gutted as he realized he only had one million in the bank. He was depressed, threatening to commit suicide because he was poor. Amongst his billionaire peers he was a pauper and he saw himself as worthless.
Another friend of mine looking at heightened mortgage payments and a dwindling bank balance was thankful that she could get up and make a cup of tea after an illness had left her in bed for two weeks.
I believe that the credit crunch and global recession is a wake-up call for us to re-evaluate what we really need. To look inside ourselves and take a moment to appreciate what we do have and then to give thanks for it.
Abundance
It is hard to believe in universal abundance, when all around you people seem to be losing theirs; but abundance is a state of mind, not money in the bank. The key to feeling abundant, is not to be attached. To go with the flow and be receptive.
As energy flows in, energy flows out. Again if we are in fear, we get stuck in meeting our survival needs and we block this energetic flow. And maybe it will be a time to live simply for a while, but there is beauty in simplicity.
Abundance theory is always a tricky one. Essentially it is about trust. And underlying that is our feelings of self worth. If we honour ourselves and trust that everything happens for a reason, we understand the give and take, the flow of energy and open up to abundance.
Root Chakra Exercise
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and squat down. Interlace your fingers in venus lock and extend both index fingers (like the church and steeple mudra!) Arms are straight out in front of you at heart level, your index fingers are pointing out to infinity. This exercise opens and clears the root chakra, opens the hips and helps you feel grounded, secure and connected. I
t helps bring you down to earth and removes fears. As you point out to infinity, go beyond the mind, go beyond fear and clear the path ahead of you.
Meditation
Sit comfortably, preferably with your back against the trunk of a beautiful old tree. Close your eyes and feel your sitting bones against the earth, your spine against the spine of the tree (imagine this if you are not doing it literally) and breathe long and deep.
Let your awareness drop to the base of the spine and then go beyond your body, sink down into the roots of the tree. With each breath, travel further down the roots of the tree. Feel the age of the tree, its support, its wisdom.
When you are ready, bring your awareness back to the base of the spine and just sit in that space for a while.
Slowly open your eyes and look above you, know that as far as the tree grows above you, it also delves equally as far into the earth. Its foundations run deep, as do yours.