Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life


Journey Through the Chakras: Third Chakra

I don't know about you, but when I started practicing SoulCollage, I knew very little about the chakras.  I stepped out into the Companions Suit blindly trusting Seena's voice on her Introduction to SoulCollage CD.  My first steps into the Chakras found me chatting with a Little Brown Bird in my Heart Chakra area.  After that, I spent a little time in each of the chakras as I discovered my Animal Companions who lived there.

Lately, though, I've found myself longing to know more about the Chakras, on a more personal level.  So I've decided to take myself on an eight-month Journey Through the Chakras.  Yes, I know there are seven chakras; when I began learning more about the First Chakra, I decided that I needed to spend an extra month on the first one.

So, this article is one in a series on  each of the seven chakras.  If you missed the previous articles,  you can catch up on  the previous chakras by going to your Members Home Page and clicking on the" Soul Treasures Back Issues" icon.

Powerful Balance

Yellow was the predominant color on my home altar last month as I focused in on the energies of the third chakra, and my Animal Companion who resides there, Butterfly.  I found myself breathing deeply and more often into my solar plexus, the area of my body between breastbone and belly button. 

In my work with Anodea Judith's book Sevenfold Journey, one word kept popping up into my consciousness: power. Many other ideas and concepts are associated with the third chakra (authority, control, will, warmth, ease, transformation, humor...), but power is the one that caught my attention this time around.

According to Anodea Judith, true power comes from harmony and balance. Light and shadow.  Male and female.  Strength and vulnerability.  Lower chakras and upper chakras. 

In a society where the word power has many negative and even scary connotations, I found it quite a paradigm shift for me to begin thinking of power in a positive, healthy, transformative way.  I even created a Spiritual Warrior card for my SoulCollage deck.  Anodea Judith describes this archetype as "one who is willing to stand their ground, to protect the sacred within, to accept challenges, and maintain power in a firm and quiet way." 

My third chakra power animal is Butterfly.  When I first realized that this tiny fragile creature was my power animal, I was a bit distressed.  I had been expecting a larger, "stronger" animal like Lion, Wolf, or Cheetah.  However, in spending time with Butterfly, I am realizing how much power and strength there is inherent in the complex transformation that she undergoes from cocoon to true flight.  I can see how her power does exist even though she is small and seemingly fragile.  True balance in action. True power at work, in nature, in the world, in my body and in my life. 

Reflection Activity of the Week: Take a few moments to breathe into the solar plexus area of your body (below your breast bone and above  your belly button).  What is this part of your body trying to tell you right now? What beliefs do you hold about the concept of power?  When in your life do you feel most and least powerful?  Is there some way to bring more balance into your life so that you can claim a bit more of your own power this week?