Awakening the Third Eye Chakra: A Path to Expanded Consciousness

Awakening the Third Eye Chakra: A Path to Expanded Consciousness

The Third Eye chakra, also known as the Ajna chakra, is a center of intuition and higher perception. Opening this powerful energy center can lead to a profound expansion of consciousness and a deeper connection with our inner wisdom. Inspired by the teachings of Mantak Chia, a renowned Taoist master, let us explore practical techniques for awakening and nurturing the Third Eye chakra.

Understanding the Third Eye Chakra

The Third Eye chakra is located in the center of the forehead, between the eyebrows. It is associated with intuition, insight, clarity, and spiritual vision. Opening this chakra allows us to access higher realms of consciousness, receive guidance, and tap into our inner wisdom.

Mantak Chia offers a holistic approach to open and activate the Third Eye chakra. He draws upon ancient Taoist subtle body cultivation practices. He emphasizes the importance of balanced energy flow throughout the body, as well as harmonizing the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of our being.

Breathwork and Meditation

Conscious breathing and meditation play a crucial role in awakening the Third Eye chakra. Practice deep, mindful breathing, and focus your attention on the area between your eyebrows. Visualize a gentle, indigo-colored light radiating from the Third Eye, expanding and illuminating your inner vision

Inner Smile Technique

As part of the Inner Smile technique taught by Mantak Chia, one can direct loving and positive energy towards the Third Eye. Smile inwardly to activate the chakra, and visualize a warm, radiant light permeating the area. This practice helps to dissolve tension and cultivate a harmonious energetic environment for the Third Eye to awaken.

Taoist Energy Practices

Mantak Chia’s Taoist practices, such as the Microcosmic Orbit and Fusion of the Five Elements, can help balance and harmonize the flow of energy in the body. These practices involve circulating and refining energy. This allows the energy to reach the Third Eye chakra, promoting its awakening and expansion. Matthew has received private instruction in these practices with one of Mantak’s Chia’s senior instructors. Reach out to learn more.

Mindful Observation and Intuition

Cultivate a heightened sense of observation and trust in your intuition. Engage in mindfulness practices that encourage present-moment awareness. By paying attention to the subtleties of your experiences and trusting your inner guidance, you strengthen the connection with your Third Eye chakra.

Your Future Awaits…

Awakening the Third Eye chakra is a transformative journey that opens up a world of expanded perception and deep inner knowing. Following the guidance of Mantak Chia’s teachings, we can embark on a path of self-discovery. We can tap into the vast wisdom and intuition that resides within us. With patience, practice, and an open heart, we can awaken the Third Eye. Through this we can gain profound insights and experiencing a profound shift in our consciousness. Embrace the journey and allow the Third Eye to become a gateway to the realms of higher awareness and inner illumination.

4 Ways to Relieve the Lockdown Blues

4 Ways to Relieve the Lockdown Blues

“As within, so without; as without, so within” A timeless Hermetic principle that means something completely new in light of COVID-19 and forced lockdowns that keep you inside and gathering with others less. 

It’s like a big mirror constructed in front of you that won’t go away. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of your inner world reflected in your outer reality: the quality and cleanliness of your space, the frequency of your social outreach, the types of food you eat and the content you ‘consume.’ 

So when you can no longer escape the clear and obvious reminders of who you really are by leaving your home space daily for work or errands, you’ll probably experience that uncomfortable realization that you’re not who you thought you were. Evidence of your subconscious becomes splattered around your home. And the pressure to do something different increases.

Before long, all the things you’ve been trying to avoid are now staring you in the face…and you have a choice. Do you accept them as they are, or do you change them?

This has been hard, because when you spend most of your day avoiding what it means to be human, who you really are after all the masks and lies of your personality, you can get uncomfortable pretty quickly. The prospect of having to look at and change multiple ingrained habits or personality quirks that you don’t like all at once is overwhelming. 

(As an aside, sometimes we spend a whole year focusing on just one aspect of our personality in the Kabbalah Ascension program through the Modern Mystery School.)

So here are a few reminders just in case you find yourself in the middle of the second COVID-19 wave with no relief in sight:

    1. Be Gentle With Yourself: remember that your negative self-talk is just that, negative. And who needs more negativity in their life right now? Throw that negativity out and write out 5 positive things about yourself. This practice seems cheesy but I promise you there is ample scientific research to back it up. Go ahead, I bet you can’t do it in under a minute.
    2. Weekly Check-in’s: Ha! You did it in under a minute didn’t you. Reverse psychology works…now back to weekly check-in’s. Schedule weekly check-in’s with a few friends and keep your commitment. Sure, there may be days when you don’t feel like it or it’s just a bad time. Still check-in, whether that means sending a text or rescheduling, but don’t let yourself off the hook altogether here, the point is to express yourself rather than keep it all inside until it boils and explodes somewhere creating a mess. We’ve all done that, so why not try something different?
    3. Exercise: Lockdown doesn’t mean you can’t leave your house. Get up, walk around, do some push-ups…the increased blood flow will do your body good, not to mention detoxifying and rejuvenating your body. This will boost your mood, guaranteed. So just find the best way that you like to move and get your heartbeat up, OK?
    4. Breathe: Most people don’t actually breathe, so when all else fails, remember to take a deep breath into the diaphragm and even hold it for a few seconds to let that good ole’ oxygen penetrate your lungs. If you did that, congrats, you just meditated (again, reverse psychology right?)! Now just do that for 10 more breathes, deep ones. Take your time. You’ll feel better immediately after and will have more mental clarity with which to encounter what’s next. And who knows what that’ll be…it’s 2020 after all, so be prepared with a full breathe. With the election in a few days, we’re all going to need it…

 

 

Lie: If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.

Lie: If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.

Have you ever thought: If it’s meant to happen, it will happen? I hear this all the time related to the New Age movement. Do you think this is true?

One of the things I hate about these kinds of statements is how general they are. We need to be more specific to avoid confusion and empower ourselves rather than stall trying to figure out what serves our highest and best good. 

So, I can go a few different ways here in my commentary, but let’s examine how this thought has led people astray of their path and connection with the Divine.

Why ‘Meant to Happen’ is a Lie

“What’s meant to happen, will happen” implies that everything that’s happened was meant to.

So we’re saying that war, genocide, child soldiers made to kill their parents and then eat them— all these terrible things happening in the world today were MEANT to happen? What kind of sick and deranged thinking is that?

I’ve got news for you. This mess was not MEANT to happen. These atrocities are happening because we are letting them happen, but not because they were MEANT to happen.

What was MEANT to happen is God’s divine plan on Earth: Shamballah. In other words,, heaven on Earth. A worldwide community of caring, compassionate people resolving world issues, like hunger, war, disease with powerful tools based on Love, not on fear.

By cutting ourselves off from Spirit, we maintain the illusion that we are separate, powerless, victims of the current world. We increase fear when we say no to Love.

“What’s meant to happen, will happen” is based on fear of your greatness. Fear that you’re actually much bigger, smarter, and capable than the problems the world faces. Fear that you CAN make a difference with your thoughts, words, and actions. What would happen if you did? What would that mean for you and your life?

Here’s a revolutionary idea for you: you’re not separate, powerless or a victim. In fact, you have access to the most powerful force in the universe: the force of Love.

Why Love Connects Us

Honestly, it kind of feels weird to have to write about this, but there is some confusion about what Love is too which relates to this issue. 

Love is a force, not a feeling. Love is the great connecting force of the universe. It is an energy that pervades all things. It’s a tool that we use to connect ourselves with the universe and each other. 

You can love someone close or far away, and that act will impact them whether they feel it or not. The HeartMath Institute has done a lot of research on the nonlocal effects of the human heart field.

When we operate out of fear, we are not operating out of love. In a sense, they are mutually exclusive. Fear shuts off important parts of our brain that are necessary for love. One model to look at is the sympathetic versus parasympathetic nervous system. When activated, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) literally pulls blood (life force) from your brain and into your ears, arms, and legs (think flight or fight response). The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), however, does the opposite of the SNS at the same speed. When the PNS is activated, it creates a better state for your body to operate cognitively and emotionally.

Basically, we get worn down living in a world where our SNS is constantly activated, and then there’s no energy left to make a difference. By creating the conditions that calm our systems, activating the PNS through meditation and ritual tools in our lineage, we literally design how we want our energetic body to occur. We move from victim to creator. This makes available the four experiences that contribute to building closer, more productive and resonant relationships: hope, mindfulness, compassion, and playfulness.1

The Way Out of Confusion

In conclusion, there’s a way out of this mess, and it doesn’t look like trolling haters on Facebook. That’s kinda like fighting fire with fire. The way out is to learn traditional techniques for how to be fully human aka consciousness expansion tools, like those offered in the lineage of King Saloman

YOU are the key to our future. What you think and do DOES matter. And you can leverage your actions more by increasing your power over yourself through self-understanding and enlightenment. Know Thyself is the ancient mystery school axiom.

By reconnecting with our inner divinity, we will change the world—one human at a time.

1. See research by Richard Boyatzis et al presented in his e-course “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence”: https://class.coursera.org/lead-ei-001/class/index.

Meditations for Awakening

Learn to meditate!

As we walk deeper into our practice, and the light and love of the path on which we find ourselves, more is possible. We discover who we are, our place in the universe, and of what we are capable. The truth is that no one can tell us this, we have to find it for ourselves…within.

In our Meditations for Awakening Series, we explore topics related to the process of awakening. What does it mean to be awakening? What are the unique experiences that happen during a time of spiritual awakening? How can I best equip myself for the journey?

For this meditation, we will be exploring the topic of “Creating Possibilities that Matter.” Do you ever feel like your life is going nowhere fast? Revisit what you’re creating and choose something big! Come join us to see what emerges from the meditations and discussions about this topic.

Meditating helps us relax and connect with our inner spiritual gifts and talents. It also serves as a vehicle for accessing higher wisdom and direction from within. Acting on this wisdom allows us to start to work with our life force in a new way, and access all the blessings associated with our strengths and gifts.

Benefits of this class:

  • Relieve stress & tension
  • Increase control over your thoughts and concentration
  • Reduce the effects of drama in your life
  • Encourage happiness & peace of mind
  • Build self-confidence
  • Enhance energy, strength, vigour
  • Increase clarity and creativity
  • Create a state of deep relaxation & general well-being

Logistics:

Where: Incite Healing Center [6940 N Michigan Ave.]

Love offering: $5

How to register:

Please register by clicking here!

Meditations for Awakening

Learn to meditate!

As we walk deeper into our practice, and the light and love of the path on which we find ourselves, more is possible. We discover who we are, our place in the universe, and of what we are capable. The truth is that no one can tell us this, we have to find it for ourselves…within.

In our Meditations for Awakening Series, we explore topics related to the process of awakening. What does it mean to be awakening? What are the unique experiences that happen during a time of spiritual awakening? How can I best equip myself for the journey?

For this meditation, we will be exploring the topic of “Creating Possibilities that Matter.” Do you ever feel like your life is going nowhere fast? Revisit what you’re creating and choose something big! Come join us to see what emerges from the meditations and discussions about this topic.

Meditating helps us relax and connect with our inner spiritual gifts and talents. It also serves as a vehicle for accessing higher wisdom and direction from within. Acting on this wisdom allows us to start to work with our life force in a new way, and access all the blessings associated with our strengths and gifts.

Benefits of this class:

  • Relieve stress & tension
  • Increase control over your thoughts and concentration
  • Reduce the effects of drama in your life
  • Encourage happiness & peace of mind
  • Build self-confidence
  • Enhance energy, strength, vigour
  • Increase clarity and creativity
  • Create a state of deep relaxation & general well-being

Logistics:

Where: Incite Healing Center [6940 N Michigan Ave.]

Love offering: $5

How to register:

Please register by clicking here!