The base chakra is located at the base of the spine. Its element is the earth and this chakra represents one's connection to the earth. This is the centre of one's groundedness, one's human-ness. The physical body parts associated with the base chakra are the low back, the legs, feet and intestines.
The colour associated with the base chakra is red. Red is the colour of the life force. If you feel tired, wear a red sweater or anything red and you will feel energized. When one resists the life force or in other words has difficulty going with the flow of life the result is often anger. Anger is also symbolized by the colour red, for example, "I saw red when........."
If we think of the base chakra as the base of a tree it is easy to understand why the base chakra is associated with our connection to the earth, our very survival. When we feel safe and secure the energy in our base chakra will flow freely.
The security I refer to may be emotional, physical, financial, mental or spiritual. If you are feeling insecure in any or all of these areas of life it is quite likely that your base chakra will be blocked.
It is in this energy centre that the battle of scarcity versus abundance is waged. If you are fearful and anxious about providing the basic necessities for this human experience called life, working with the base chakra will enable you to transform this fear and anxiety into a confidence and a knowing that your needs will be met.
There are many emotional issues you may experience that impact on the base chakra. If these emotional issues are worked through and healed it is possible to avoid the physical manifestation of, for example, low back pain; leg, knee or foot injuries; constipation or diareah.
If the emotional issues have not been worked through and you are currently experiencing the manifestation of these physical ailments, it is possible by working with the base chakra to find the emotional source of the physical ailment, experience emotional healing and thus eliminate the need for the physical injury or illness.
The following are a few examples of emotional issues associated with the base chakra........
FEAR OF ABANDONMENT/ENGULFMENT:
Perhaps as a child you experienced abandonment. Perhaps your care-givers simply were not there for you. Or perhaps they were there but you didn't feel that they were there for you in the way you needed them to be there for you.
This feeling of abandonment was extremely frightening. Yet somehow you learned to cope and yes, you did survive.
However you have noticed that in adult relationships you fear that the relationship will not last. You fear that your partner will leave you.
Sometimes your fear of abandonment is so great that you will end the relationship yourself to avoid the possibility of being left by another. Sometimes your fear of abandonment is so great that you will not allow yourself to enter into a relationship.
Instead you will be a "loner", always on the outside looking in. You don't enjoy this role but it feels safer somehow than risking further abandonment.
Fear of abandonment results in a blocked base chakra and these emotional wounds, if left undetected and untreated, will manifest in physical pain and suffering. Perhaps you will injure your knee rather than go forward in a relationship or perhaps you will suffer from extreme lower back pain.
FEAR OF ENGULFMENT: Fear of Engulfment is the opposite side of the coin called Fear of Abandonment. Fear of engulfment and fear of abandonment often are demonstrated in an individual who seems to say to his partner, "Come here. No, I don't want you here. Go away, leave me alone. No, don't go, I need you. Come here. No, I don't want you here" and on and on in a painful, repetitive cycle until the emotional wounds of fear of abandonment/engulfment are recognized, honoured and transformed.
CONTROL ISSUES: There is a subtle distinction between the terms "in control of myself" and being "self-controlled".
An individual who is self-controlled is one who knows who he is; one who presents who he is comfortably in any situation. This individual does not have to think about trying to control himself or others. He simply is self-controlled.
An individual who feels "in control of self" is generally one who feels the need to be in control. The very fact that this individual feels a need to be in control is demonstrating to himself, whether he is aware of it or not, that he is not in control of self. One does not feel a need to be something that one knows he is. Just as an honest person does not need to try to be honest, a self-controlled individual does not need to try to be in control of self.
One who feels a need to be in control of self is probably one who, when presented with serious life challenges, easily loses control of self. This loss of control may manifest in one of many emotional ways, for example, tears, sadness, depression, rigidity, outward anger, addiction, rage or violence just to name a few.
Generally a person who is self-controlled lives with the awareness that he has no control over another's actions, thoughts, being. Further, a self-controlled person has no desire to control another.
On the other hand, a persn who feels a need to be in control of himself will probably also feel a need to control the thoughts, actions of others who play a role in his life experience. This individual will attempt to control people, situations, events, his world . Why? Because he feels out of control himself. He thinks that if he can control everyone and everything around him he will feel in control of himself. Of course, this is a futile exercise with an impossible goal.
By working with the base chakra and further addressing these control issues in psychospiritual therapy an individual can discover what early events in his life created these control issues originally. With this new awareness these control issues can be successfully worked through. Trying to control self can be transformed into self-control.
Meditation is one wonderful tool to use to bring unconscious control issues into one's consciousness in order that these issues can be recognized, honoured and dealt with in a safe environment.
INSECURITY ISSUES: Insecurity is another issue associated with the base chakra. There are many forms in which insecurity may manifest in an individual's life experience.
The insecurity may be physical or financial, for example. However all insecurity is an emotional experience with a solid foundation in fear.
The outward manifestations of insecurity may be physical or financial however by focusing attention on the base chakra in meditation and by working with the base chakra in psychospiritual therapy in order to further address these fears which are probably rooted in childhood, one can discover that the yearned for security can be provided to the self by the self.
FEARFULNESS: Fearfulness is another issue associated with the base chakra. Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear is a useful emotion; one that will alert us to real danger and one that will prompt us to take action in order to guarantee personal safety.
However fearfulness as an emotional issue with the power to block the base chakra is something entirely different. An individual experiencing fearfulness is one who is often or possibly always fearful.
Fear is the opposite of love.
It is possible through meditation to recognize, honour and own one's fearfulness. It is possible through psychospiritual therapy to work through these issues of fearfulness and to discover the light of love within.
By discovering this light and shining the light of love on those events in your life experience that triggered the emotion of fear it is possible to transform this powerful emotion called fear into a more powerful emotion called love.
POWERLESSNESS: Powerlessness is another emotional issue associated with the base chakra. Powerlessness is fearfulness in the extreme.
The majority of us experience a feeling of powerlessness in early childhood in relation to our parents, teachers, other authority figures. This subtle sense of powerlessness is natural given that as small children we are dependent upon others to care for our basic needs.
When these needs are met in childhood we develop trust in others.
By learning to trust significant others we are encouraged to learn to trust in ourselves and as we grow older we mature and begin to experience our own power.
When our needs are not met by those upon whom we are dependent in childhood this feeling of powerlessness grows as we do and some of us take this sense of powerlessness into adulthood.
An individual who has had this negative type of experience in childhood lacks self-trust. He feels he is inadequate, yes, powerless to act in his own best interest and the best interest of others. This person remains dependent on others to meet his needs yet will often continue to choose to have others in his life who are unable or unwilling to meet the individual's needs.
A person who experiences powerlessness is often a victim of the whims and choices of others.
This is an unhappy person who feels there is nothing he can do to change his life situation. In an extreme situation an individual can be paralyzed by these feelings of powerlessness.
Focusing on the base chakra in meditation may assist an individual in recognizing and honouring these feelings of powerlessness. Again another cross-roads in life is reached.
Should this individual find the faith in himself, even though it be as tiny as a mustard seed, to make a conscious choice in seeking psychospiritual therapy, he will in this process find the courage to seek out, discover and honour his own choices.
Through transformational counselling and daily meditation an individual can change from one who feels powerless to one who is empowered.
FEAR OF CHANGE: Fear of change is another emotional issue associated with the base chakra.
We truly live in a world that is constantly changing. An individual who hangs on to the belief system that "I've always done it this way and this is the way I am going to continue" or "I've always felt this way and this is the way I will always feel" is an individual who is emotionally stuck; an individual who has a fear of change.
By focusing on the base chakra in meditation an individual can acknowledge this fear of change, honour it and own it. Should this individual choose to transform this fear of change into a loving, open, secure sense of self he would find himself on a path of personal growth. He would also find that he is capable of being a participant in the adventure of life one that is satisfying and rewarding.
In quick summary some of the emotional issues of the base chakra include fear of abandonment/engulfment; control issues; feelings of insecurity; fearfulness and in the extreme, powerlessness and a fear of change.
Meditation allows one to get in touch with the inner self; the place where all these issues are sourced. Through meditation an individual is able to shine the light on these dark, shadowy parts of oneself. This, in turn, offers the opportunity to acknowledge, honour and own these shadowy parts of the self.
Once owned, an individual is aware that he has choice.
He can choose to live his life repressing/expressing these shadow parts of himself OR through psychospiritual therapy he can choose to work through these issues and experience the transformational process leading to a more peaceful, fulfilling life experience.
The base chakra is associated with one's sense of safety, security, survival. It is located at the base of the spine, our connection to the earth.
The base chakra can be likened to the roots of a tree. If the roots are unhealthy the tree will not flourish and bear nourishing, healthy fruit.
Likewise if one's base chakra is emotionally blocked one will manifest an unhappy, unhealthy life experience ruled by fear.
