The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power
Americans love power. It is our god. Well, ok, money and power. The American Dream is based on a certain level of self-sufficiency and freedom. Empowerment and the liberation of the spirit have been characteristics of many of the original and often iconoclastic immigrants to North America, some of whom emigrated because of spiritual and political oppression. The founding fathers understood that within a context of a certain degree of social cooperation, the American spirit required a high degree of personal freedom. In yogic terms, we desire a high degree of third chakra activation.
Not that Americans are the only people who desire personal freedom, most of the world does. It is just that in modern times, the United States was unique from its inception in endeavoring to codify and insure a degree of personal and political freedom. This transpired at a time when most of the world was ruled by monarchies and warrior elites.
Perhaps you recall the adage, “Power breeds corruption.” We can easily see this in dictatorships and in other organizations where a high level of institutional power is concentrated in the hands of only a few, e.g., solely owned corporations, military organizations, insulated bureaucracies, etc. It is once again becoming obvious to many that the way we have organized our form of representative democracy is highly prone to corruption. This is nothing new, but at a time in history where it is becoming critical that we achieve personal and social enlightenment, it might be advantageous to look at ways to evolve our style of governing and doing business.
The Ego and the Third Chakra
The ego as a defensive protection against a hostile world draws on the energies of the first three chakras in its formation. In the unenlightened individual, the ego serves as a “Maginot Line” of virtually impenetrable defense against external threat. In this function it uses the powerful energies of pain, fear, anger and manipulation to achieve its goal. On an animal level this is so important for survival that it is hard wired into the brain stem and spine as the “fight or flight” reaction.
Our ego type is set within the first few years of life. Our early life traumas meet the various styles of coping mechanisms that we are exposed to at this time. We absorb the karmic energies of both our initial painful experiences and the style of the protective mechanisms of those around us. Inevitably we over correct, over protect, and thus self-limiting dysfunction is born. Both our perceptions of and actions in the world are based on this core imprinting. Very little that is truly new is ever permitted to penetrate our consciousness very deeply. The reason being that the new and unknown, though exciting, can be seen by the subconscious, by the limbic system, as a threat to our personal status quo. Our very perceptions are altered by our experience, karmic imprints, and defensive reactions.
An example by way of another axiom: there are always three sides to any story: my side, your side, and the truth. We consciously and subconsciously edit every experience right down to our basic perceptions, especially if there is a potential for conflict inherent in the situation. On some deep level, every conflict is perceived as a potential threat to survival. We edit our reality by sheer will and our habits of mental / perceptual filtering. In this sense we create and recreate our reality moment by moment. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.
Part 2: Characteristics of the animal and the enlightened third chakra
The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
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