The word chakra is Sanskrit, meaning “wheel” or “disk” and refers to the vortices of energy that intersect the physical body with your aura. The chakras denote a point of intersection where body and mind meet. Chakras have also been called lotuses and compared to these flowers. The beautiful lotus flowers are sacred in India and are metaphorically used to describe the opening and closing of the chakras. Keep in mind that everything is energy and our bodies are surrounded by an invisible enteric field.
The fourth chakra or “heart” chakra is located in the center of the chest, just above the breast bone. It is the bridge between your lower three chakras and your upper three chakras. Since the lower three chakras represent the physical and the upper three chakras the nonphysical, the heart chakra forms within us a link between the physical (matter) and nonphysical (spirit). This chakra acts as a bridge between self and others, allowing us to form the bonds of love and relationships. The heart chakra is the center of love.
The primary color of the heart chakra is green but is often displayed as giving off pink energy. The vibration of pink at the heart center is the blended energy of the red from our first chakra and white from our seventh chakra. There is no mixing of the green and pink colors—the colors are simply green and pink. The heart chakra is a vibration of love in alignment with goodness and gratitude.
The heart chakra is the central point of the chakra system in the human body. The heart refers to the center of things, as in “to go to the heart of the matter.” One task of the heart chakra is to integrate and balance the various aspects of our being. Thus the governing principle of this chakra is equilibrium. This chakra is about balance, an interpenetration of both spirit and matter, and a balance within us and with other people. A relationship with ourselves first and with others second, as we cannot love another person if we do not love ourselves. Loving ourselves is important if we are seeking a balanced heart chakra.
The heart chakra is the place where you hold the energy of love, friendship, and romance. The love we experience at the level of the heart chakra is distinctly different from the more sexual and passionate love of the second chakra. Sexual love is object oriented whereas love in the heart chakra is not dependent on outside stimulation, but experienced within a state of being. In a way it radiates outward, bringing love and compassion to whatever comes into our field. Love from the heart chakra is of an enduring quality, constant and eternal.
Giving and receiving love is a major function of the heart chakra. The heart chakra connects us with kindness, love, compassion, tolerance, goodness, patience, and an understanding of who we truly are. Therefore we must keep this heart center balanced so we can be friendly, compassionate, empathetic, and nurturing. To balance your heart center get to know yourself better by spending quality time with just you. Do things for yourself! You will become a better friend and partner if you have a strong sense of who you are. So often people lose the sense of who they are and what they want when in relationships with others. Therefore getting to know yourself helps you in all your relationships.
Relationships are dynamic and it is easy to get hurt when we do not have a balanced heart chakra and strong sense of who we are. Shutting down the heart chakra is a common response when we have been hurt and the pain seems unbearable. But a heart shut down from the feelings we don’t want to feel is also closed off from the love we desperately want to receive. Feelings are part of our human consciousness and the result of our desires and emotions. Our feelings are manifestations of our emotions. It is not easy to learn how to control our emotions but we must keep trying. We must be gentle with ourselves and others. We have no idea what is going on in other people’s lives and why they may talk and act as they do.
The heart chakra rules over the heart, breast, lungs, upper back, arms, and diaphragm. A heart chakra that is unbalanced or closed can become a focal point for illness. The following can be conditions of an unbalanced and distorted heart chakra.
• Problems with the heart and circulatory system, congestive heart failure
• Disorders of the lungs, including lung cancer, bronchial pneumonia, emphysema
• Breast cancer
• Carpal tunnel, shoulder and arm pain
• Tightness and pain in upper back and shoulders
• Asthma and shortness of breath
• Allergies
• Immune system deficiencies
We have all experience loss in our lives that brings up our fears. For in the absence of love, fear often appears. We are not born fluent in love but spend our life learning about it. Love’s energy is pure power. We are as attracted to love as we are intimidated by it. Loss of heart chakra energy can give rise to jealously, anger, hatred, and an inability to forgive others as well as forgiving yourself.
A healthy heart chakra lets love flow from it and into it. There is a healthy balance of energy coming into the heart and flowing out of it. To evaluate the health of your heart chakra ask yourself the following questions:
• Do I have a fear of being abandoned by family or friends? Usually this fear comes from past incidents and experiences. When this fear comes up realize that such occurrences were part of your past, and are not true of the present moment.
• Have you ever been betrayed by a love partner? If so, did this wound heal? A wound, from a betrayal often times causes our heart to close down resulting in love not flowing easily into and out of our heart chakra.
• Do I overly criticize and judge people? If you are like this, bitter energy may have accumulated between your heart and solar plexus.
• Do I surround myself with demanding people or am I overly demanding towards my friends and coworkers? Realize that this behavior is a cry for love and attention. While being demanding is uncomfortable or disconcerting, it is likely the result of learned behavior. Remember that there is plenty of love to go around.
• Have I forgiven myself or others for past mistakes or do I still harbor resentments? Love cannot flow correctly if you harbor resentments. Work on forgiving yourself for past mistakes and on releasing past hurts.
One of the best ways to open up your heart chakra is to be around animals. Animals, such as a dog or cat, love us unconditionally. If you cannot get a pet to love then take a visit to the human shelter near you or visit a friend who has a pet. Nothing will open up a closed down heart faster than unconditional love from an animal. Watch a sunset with a dog and notice your heart beginning to radiate love.
True love and happiness!
Russel Bruhn is a clairvoyant, Angel Therapy Practitioner (ATP) and an intuitive healer. He is a Reiki Master, Certified Hypnotherapist and trained in the area of Integrated Energy Therapy (IET).
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