Throat 001 - Introduction

VISHUDDHA,

It's located in the throat and is blue in the Western chakra system. The Hindus originally described it as a whitish circular shape made up of sixteen purple and smoky grey petals. The grey comes from its association with the elephant Airavata, lord of all herbivorous animals.

Within this circular shape is a blue triangle with a white circle. The circle references a full moon, and the moon can symbolise the invisible ether or etheric energy, itself connected to dreaming. Therefore, the throat chakra is also associated with dream yoga or dreaming in general.

The major association of the throat chakra is with speech, communication, and creative expression. When the throat chakra is clear and open, we are able to let things go, especially our own past choices or good or ill, and express our views in a healthy way. We learn our lessons and move on; there's no dwelling on the past, present, or future anxieties, and we've gained wisdom from life experiences.

Our speech flows freely, we live in a state of healthy detachment, and this detachment makes it easier to experience powerful spirit dreams. The 'ether' associated with the throat chakra is akin to our astral body, and at night it's believed that this etheric body leaves the body to dream.

On the other hand, when the throat chakra is blocked, the opposite is true. Our personal expression is limited, and we are wracked with guilt and shame over the past, fear the future, and find it difficult to live in the present moment.