Uncertainty

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

Chakra 3 – Solar Plexus   

Location:   Between naval and base of sternum. 

Influence: Stomach, upper intestines, liver, gallbladder, kidney, pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, middle spine, and solar plexus.

Associative Color:  Yellow 

Central focus:   Personal power, individuation, initiation,  trust, courage, self-esteem, ego identity,  responsibility, judgement, entitlement, control, shame, rejection. 

 “Power is not a thing  but a way.”

Anodea Judith

 In the first chakra we meet our relationship with power through the group, the second through inner personal relationships whereas here in the third chakra we are confronted with our ability to own our power outright. 

This power center determines how we stand on our own, take responsibility for ourselves and acquire a personal code of honor.  Here is where we step out of the tribe and ask ourselves ,“Who am I?”

To Individuate is to awaken and evolve from our instinctual impulses of the tribal mind to the conscious responses of the intuitive mind (the ability to have individual thought).

Our impulse to break free from the tribe is driven by will , yet tempered by our levels of self-esteem and courage. Without a healthy sense of personal value we doubt our ability to become independent, therefore allowing the tribe’s influences to control and shame our choices. 

If we over identify or use anger as a form of rejection of the group  we will use judgement and entitlement as our illusion of power.

 Whether we seek to empower ourselves or not, life will meet us with  challenges that require us to choose beyond the tribal law. These tests initiate us toward autonomy and wholeness;  choosing to ignore these opportunities leaves us fragmented and unsatisfied. 

 Some may never fully awaken this chakra at all, spending their lives following the path of least resistance, giving their power to others, being defined by others’ expectations, and unwilling to take responsibility for their actions.

 Our third chakra is also where we sense our first psychic experience through the “gut instinct”. Hence the statement “I have a gut feeling about something.” 

 Both psychism and intuition represent the capacity to sense something beyond normal perceptions yet each registers in the body differently.  A psychic experience is rooted in our instinctual nature (solar plexus-3rd chakra)  whereas intuition is rooted in the nature of the soul (heart -4th chakra).

The third chakra is the last energy center before the ascent above the waist into the heart: a progression to individuality which leads us to universality. In the fourth we discover what it means to love beyond the personality of the ego and live with an open heart.