I'm passing on a message that came from a fellow student of the International Institute of Hand Analysis that we had been jointly attending when a serious auto accident happened to me in August of 2000. Her name is Elizabeth Davis and we have become close friends. I have great admiration for what she is accomplishing to help us understand ourselves more clearly. We are always learning and our hands tell us a never-ending story about ourselves.

August 31, 2003 Topic: The Seventh Chakra or "Crown Chakra" Tapping Into the Divine Mind

The last six issues covered chakras one through six. If you'd like copies of the previous issues, please reply at the bottom of this email. Thanks.

n Sanskrit, chakra means "wheel." The chakras are wheels of energy. The physical body has seven chakras. If any of these energy zones are out of balance, you are likely to experience challenges related to the afflicted chakra.

This month, we will delve into chakra seven, which is located at the top of your head. The seventh chakra, or "crown chakra" is considered the entry point between our physical body and the heavens.

The seventh chakra sits at the top of your head, allowing universal energy to flow in and feed the following bodily systems: muscular system, skeletal system, and skin (your largest organ). The center of the seventh chakra is our mind, the realm of thought, inspiration and understanding. Whereas the 6th chakra or third eye "sees," the seventh chakra represents the part of the mind that thinks.

The element associated with the seventh chakra is thought. A famous Western philosophy states, "I think, therefore I am." This simple sentence is a fun one to challenge, for it assumes that our thoughts give proof of our existence and our unique identities. Who we are includes thought, but is not comprised solely of thought. However, if we are identified with our thoughts, they do indeed become how we experience ourselves.

For example, imagine a negative voice in your head, relentlessly shouting out the following thoughts: "You're worthless," "you'll never measure up," "you're not good enough," and so on. If this type of "thinking" has been going on for many years, chances are you suffer from low self-esteem and possibly, depression. This type of thinking is a negation of your essential self, the self beyond the thoughts - your soul. You have "identified" yourself with the negative thoughts - believing they are true statements about who you are.

Thus, there are two types of thought: 1) automatic thought - these are the thoughts of your subconscious - the negative background thoughts, dreams thoughts, habitual thoughts (which usually lead to habitual behavior..); and 2) conscious thought - these thoughts are thoughts you choose to have. You might use conscious thought to solve a crossword puzzle, sort out the pro's and con's of a new opportunity, make a goal list for your ideal life, or notice your negative thoughts and change them. Ultimately, through conscious thought, you might choose to not think at all and rather, observe the present moment - your breath, the clouds in the sky, the rocks under your boots, or the clock ticking on the bedside table.

Conscious thought is the ability to choose our thoughts as well as to observe our thoughts without judgment or evaluation. This type of awareness is sometimes referred to as "enlightenment" or "divine mind."

The challenge presented by the seventh chakra is the ability to develop our divine mind and lessen our identification with our automatic, often negative, thinking. The simple phrase, "Be here now," gives us a huge clue as to how to we might embrace this challenge.

To "be here now" means to bring our awareness into the present moment and out of wherever it was meandering. For example, last week I went for a walk that turned into a 10-mile hike. I had gone a certain distance and decided to do the whole loop, rather than turn back. The challenge set in when I realized my feet were blistered, I had no water and soon it would be dark. My mind darted from one thought to the next, impeding my ability to walk without pain. Then I had an inspiration - a gift from the seventh chakra: what if I kept my mind focused on only one positive thought? What might be the result?

I remembered a sales tape I'd listened to some time ago by the well-known speaker, Brian Tracy. On that tape, he said the single most powerful thing one can think is: "I like myself." He also reported that saying "I like myself" over and over can have remarkable results. So, I figured, what the hell? Might work.

Thus I trudged onward, repeating silently over and over, "I like myself, I like myself, I like myself." Initially, I felt a bit ridiculous and then I noticed I thought the mantra was self-centered.Nonetheless, I kept my commitment and kept repeating the affirmation.

The results were immediately apparent. Instead of staring at the ground, I kept my focus 50 feet in front of me. My breathing slowed, giving me pause to study the rock cliffs and pale blue sky. I came across some wild raspberries that my two dogs and I ate with relish. Staring at the carpet of evergreens on the horizon, I thought, "Nature loves her self and she never questions her existence - why would we question ours? The world, the universe is a living, breathing presence of continual knowing. It simply IS."

An hour and a half later, I had completed my loop and was back at the campsite, tired but triumphant.

My hiking episode helped me to understand, viscerally, the difference between automatic thinking ("oh, my feet hurt," "will I ever get back?," "will it rain on me?") and conscious thinking, the awakening of the divine mind, which is NOW and always NOW. For it is in "the now" that we are open to the energy of the universe. In the now, our seventh chakra is open to divine inspiration, support, guidance and ideas

When the seventh chakra is closed, due to incessant, negative, repetitive thinking, we are likely to feel our inspiration dry up and our bodies shut down. Having a "closed mind" stops the flow of divine mind ("the now"), affecting our body's ability to support itself with ease.

This restriction may appear as dis-eases of the muscular system, skeletal system and/or skin because these systems are fed from the energy entering at the top of skull, at the seventh chakra.

When the energy conduction is interrupted with automatic thinking, these systems do not receive the energy they need to provide the entire body with strength (muscle), structural support (bone) and environmental protection (skin).

Some other crown chakra qualities:

The seventh chakra's corresponding musical note is "B" and its color is violet.

(Previously discussed chakra colors: root chakra= red; sex chakra = orange; solar plexus chakra = yellow; heart chakra = green, throat chakra = blue, third eye chakra = indigo.)

Violet, or purple, is a color thought to represent royalty, spirituality and wealth. In a way, when we open to divine mind consciousness and step away from automatic thinking, we are opening to our own inner royalty, spirituality and wealth.

The personal mandate for the crown chakra is "to know." "To know" encompasses the ability not only to ascertain the facts, but to have a deeper understanding of one's self. This type of knowing is not the same as blind belief. One way to describe this type of knowing is the search for self-knowledge - the rewards of self-knowledge may include compassion, forgiveness and an awareness of one's life purpose.

The seventh chakra ultimately represents our connection to the divine. For some, this divine energy is God, for others it is nature or simply "being a good person" and doing unto others what you would have done to you.

A great resource on the energy of the seventh chakra is a book called "The Power of Now," by Eckhart Tolle. It is one of the best books on the lessons of the seventh chakra and the nature of spirituality that I have come across. The tape version is even better - for Eckhart reads his own words, bringing the listener into a deep experience of the present moment.

ON YOUR HAND: SEVENTH CHAKRA On your hand, the seventh chakra is tip of your thumb. Take a look at your thumb. Ideally, the thumb is divided into three tidy zones, with the division lines clearly marked.

Which zone is larger? The tip of your thumb is the zone of will. The middle zone of your thumb is the zone of discernment, planning and logic. The bottom zone is the zone of self-expression - the throat chakra. When these zones are balanced, you are able to speak your authentic message and truth, make plans for your dream, and use your will to carry out your dream.

If the tip of your thumb is larger than middle zone of your thumb, you probably don't spend a lot of time planning or thinking things through. You simply take action - ready, aim, fire.

If the middle zone is larger than the tip of your thumb, you are likely to spend a lot of time planning and ruminating, but less time doing.

The challenge presented by the zone of will (the tip of your thumb), is to align your personal will with divine will. One way to think of this is deciding to live your life purpose, rather than avoiding it.

Each of us, when pressed, can usually come up with a secret/or not-so-secret passion we wish to fulfill. I consider these passions our divine inheritance.

Another way to think of it is this way - if you're given a special talent and you don't use it, what happens to the talent? It dries up or goes into hiding. Often, our personal will works at cross purposes with what we claim we want for our lives. Why? Usually because we have an imagined fear of greater pain if we do expose who we really are, rather than if we stay hidden. By staying hidden, and giving into the constant, childish cravings of our personal will (read: ego), we ensure that no one can harm our true self. Einstein got hate mail on aregular basis. If he had allowed this negativity to stop him, our understanding of physics would be sorely diminished. What's more important? Your life purpose or being at odds with the thoughts of others?

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU: Starting today, stop and take in the present moment. If your mind is racing, you can surrender your thoughts to a higher power or focus on your breath. Notice the sensations within your body. If you are challenged by a situation in your life, go within your body awareness and ask your inner guidance what you need to know right now. I never cease to be amazed at how wise and accurate my inner guidance proves to be.

You may want to keep a journal of the questions you ask your inner guidance and the answers you receive. Notice if the answers play out as accurate. Your notes will give you affirmation and encouragement in trusting yourself and the power of the now to create balance in your life. At first you may doubt what you hear, but with practice, you will likely find that your inner guidance is the true source of your power, wisdom and divinity.

SEVENTH CHAKRA INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS
7th Crown Chakra = Tip of Thumb (Understanding/channeling THOUGHT) Muscular system, skeletal system, skin

The Serenity Prayer succinctly sums up the wisdom of this chakra: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

• Do you currently have or have you had any physical problems in the crown chakra areas listed above? List your age at the time of the ailments, the actual condition, treatment if any and current status. Even minor issues are relevant. What is your connection to God/Higher Power/Great Spirit/the Divine? What is your Life Purpose? What is not clear about your Life Purpose? Are you aware that in any situation you always have three choices: to accept it, change it or leave it? Do you agree or disagree? Explain. What are the challenging situations in your life currently? List them. What choice would you make for each situation – accept it , change it, or leave it? Do you trust life? What can you do to trust life more? Do you know what your values are? List them.
• What can you do to serve the planet?

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DOES YOUR LIFE REFLECT YOUR VALUES AND DEEPEST DESIRES? As you may or may not be aware, I work with many clients as a life coach. My clients include successful professionals in television, film, advertising/marketing, graphic design, interior design, public service/non-profit, finance, mentoring, and healing as well as stay-at-home parents, homemakers, and retirees.

If you'd like to experience the coaching process, a one-hour complimentary coaching session is available. Coaching sessions are conducted by phone.

f you'd like to schedule a session, please call (719) 658-0208 or (877) 783-3494 toll free or email me at info@handanalyst.com

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Copyright 2003 Elizabeth Edson Davis, all rights reserved.
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"We respect our diversity. In the openness of our spirits, we move forward seeking the truth about ourselves." -------Spiritual Sisters Newsletter------- www.spiritualsisters.com

Love and Peace from the Messenger......Dixie