At long last, we have reached our final chakra in the series, the crown (it only took me a year to write all seven chakras). Gettin’ there! Easy does it!

Four year old Rayme Lou, playing his violin, so deeply concentrating on the music that a thin line of drool descends languidly to the ground. Teenaged Will, walking around the house in a head-phoned trance, listening to his latest musical find. The neighbor bent over her flowers, transfixed. Me watching, with utter satisfaction and a weird bit of awe, as my little guy GULPS water on a hot day. Voices, so many voices, raised in unison at a Taylor Swift concert, people sobbing all over the place (Oh, wait. That’s me. Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me. In my house, watching Disney+).

The crown is a big one. What characterizes this glorious chakra? In a word: Transcendence.

What does it mean to transcend time and space, to truly be a part of something, to know God?

As we go about our biz, there comes a time where we start to search for our purpose, or the deeper meaning of our lives. The crown chakra helps us find answers. The crown is the highest point in the body, and it bridges our physical selves with our spiritual selves. When we connect to the crown, we can expand our understanding of All.

The Sahasrara Chakra

Sahasrara means “thousands” in Sanskrit. It gets its name from the lotus flower with a thousand petals. Each petal represents a different aspect of our being, such as emotions, thoughts, and actions. We are so many things at once; we are multi-faceted gems. The crown helps us integrate all that we are. The complete opening of all the petals brings a beautiful balance of the body, mind, and spirit. 

Archetypes

The Guru

Gurus are people who know who they are. They know they are “spiritual beings having a human experience.” Gurus feel the Divine Force at the very core of their being, and use it as their compass. They flow through life going deeper and deeper. (But don’t FOLLOW the guru, BE the guru – the guru for yourself – Krishna Das says: “Don’t wait for a guru. Your life is your guru”).

The Egoist

Someone living in Ego believes that it is their effort alone that carries them through life. They think they are separate from the greater whole and that their personal striving controls where they go in life. An ego can’t connect.

Taylor: Connected

I was never a big Taylor Swift fan; I knew some of her radio songs and liked her vibe (she’s got that red lip, classic thing that I like), plus I got an album of hers at the library (and then spilled coffee on it, so force-owned it). But then my friend Jen was raving about her, and The Concert, and Jen is always spot-on (spot ON, girl), so one night at home I turn on the Eras Tour Movie and Oh. My.

I loved it. This woman on the stage was clearly experiencing transcendence, and she was taking thousands of people with her, including me, over the TV screen. It translates. Dare I say magical? Palpable joy.

Mid-Life Crisis? Yes, thanks.

Babies are connected to the Divine, but as they “come down to earth”, they may start to “forget” this union. Is this why toddlers are menaces to society? We’ll never know.

It’s not until mid-life that many people will start to look around, trying to to re-connect. We’ve had our kids or not had kids, and we have settled down a little, or decided that settling down is not for us. The careers are established, or perhaps we are seeking a new career with greater meaning. We are often moving into a new phase of life. It’s actually very exciting.

The opening of the crown chakra coincides with a time in our lives when we may have to “go through” some things, though. Maybe we are getting divorced, facing an illness, caring for or losing our parents. Perhaps we had a baby reeaaallly late and are tired (me). A lot of people experience these challenges as a “midlife crisis”. We might need to Eat, Pray, and Love. Opening the crown chakra will helps us release who we were for for who we want to be.

These tough times bring us spiritual insights and a sense of what we are capable of, and also what our higher purpose might be.

No need to renounce Taylor Swift, now. C’mon. Obsessed.

Ok, ok….Opening the crown chakra doesn’t mean we need to relinquish all material concerns and get rid of our creature comforts, come on now. Let’s not get crazy. Buy the sequins. I beg you. Being silly and enjoying life is very important!

Is it scary?

Opening the crown feels vulnerable, perhaps? Being open feels risky if we have been hurt, and we have all been hurt. But I actually think we will be OK. In opening this center, we become immune to other people’s “shit”; their baggage. We can help those around us who are struggling without sapping our own energy. We can be there, and then shake it off, without any bad blood (I’m so sorry) and go home.

When we open our crown, we find personal sovereignty. We are the master of ourselves.

The Crown Chakra:

The crown chakra is about BIG THINGS! The following psychological and behavioral characteristics go with the glorious crown (commence communing):

• Consciousness
• Mental clarity
• Empathy, compassion
• Awareness of higher consciousness, wisdom, of what is sacred
• Connection with the limitless and also with the Earth
• Realization, liberation from limiting patterns
• Communion with higher states of consciousness
• Sense of purpose
• Peace, acceptance
• Ecstasy, bliss
• Presence
• Spiritual awakening

Crown Chakra Imbalance

When the Crown chakra has an imbalance, it might look like:

• Disconnection from spirit
• Cynicism regarding what is sacred
• Living in your head, being disconnected from your body and earthly matters
• Obsessive attachment to all things spiritual
• Closed-mindedness

An imbalance in the crown chakra leads to spiritual distress. The imbalance could go either way: too much woo-woo spirituality or none at all. You might feel lousy and not know why. Symptoms of a blockage in the seventh chakra might be (and we ALL feel disconnected sometimes, you are not alone):

• Isolation and loneliness; inability to connect with others
• Lack of direction and purpose
• Inability to set or maintain goals
• Depression
• Indecisiveness, confusion
• Feeling disconnected spiritually

Physical symptoms of a blocked crown chakra are:

• Neurological disorders
• Nerve pain
• Thyroid and pineal gland disorders
• Migraines/headaches
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Insomnia/fatigue
• Depression

What does an open crown chakra look like?

When the crown chakra opens, we become much more positive about life. We put our troubles into perspective and can see them in a spiritual context. We feel gratitude and acceptance for whatever we have happening. Our ego loosens it’s grip and we let go of judgement and limitations. We feel compassion and a oneness with life – we see that things may look black and white, or split, but that truly all of life is undivided and whole.

The crown chakra is also about the transcendence of our limitations. This means we can relax into what IS, or we can finally GO FOR IT, make that change. It is where the paradox becomes norm, where seemingly opposites are one. Where both things are true. We are given the awareness of something bigger than ourselves; the connection we all share.

When we live with an open crown, we can accept the hardships that have come our way and see that rough times are actually in service to our spirit and our growth. We start to love our kookie selves just as we are. This acceptance of self gives us the audacity to look for better – to carve out a better life, to pursue our path, to not settle. We know that we are not alone, but that we are guided, loved and protected, always. We know we are divine. Simply divine.

As we are immersed in the energy of the crown chakra, we feel a state of blissful union with All That Is, of spiritual joy. This chakra allows access to clarity, enlightened wisdom, universal consciousness. It is the infinite, bro.

Accessing the crown chakra

Opening the crown is a solo mission. It is private. Think of monasteries, sanctuaries, ashrams, church services and retreats. These places all provide that solitude to connect with God, Spirit, The Universe. But paradoxically, the crown is also about connection. Connection to the people in our lives, every day. Connecting at church, at work, at yoga – embracing the larger community.

You can find Spirit at home, too. Designate a room or a corner of a room as a space for quiet, peaceful reflection…you might like to place an alter here with meaningful objects, candles, incense – things that speak to you. I like to have a special ceramic bowl that a friend made for me on my alter, and I place scraps of paper in it on which I have written questions, gratitude, or reflections. I write it, place it in the bowl with a wish and a prayer, and then let the Universe take over.

Open that crown!

• purposeful solitude
• silence
• deep reflection
• fasting
• prayer
• vigils
• join a church or community that aligns
• time in nature
• ground in the body (touch the earth, deep breathing, yin yoga)
• open your awareness to a higher power
• read spiritually uplifting books
• direct your awareness inward for a moment every day; connect

Affirmations for the crown chakra

• I honor and protect my divine spirit
• I look within, where I am safe, loved, and protected
• My spirit is eternal
• I am connected to all that is
• Goodness and joy are mine
• I honor my spirit
• I am open to new ideas
• I am guided by a higher power
• God is always with me
• I love the mystery of life
• Information I need comes to me
• I am tuned in
• I know who I am
• I need not be defined
• Limitation is an illusion
• God lives within me

Yoga Poses for the Crown Chakra

• Headstand (only if you can, don’t hurt yourself)
• Plow pose
• Shoulder Stand
• Tree pose
• Lotus pose
• Cow face pose
• Camel pose
• Reclined bound angle pose
• Rabbit pose
• Corpse pose (Savasana)

So Long, London (I mean Chakras).

The chakras are such an elegant paradigm. They are an incredible tool for figuring ourselves out – what we like, what we need, who we are. Where we might have sticky spots. Check in with your body/mind/spirit the next time you find yourself going into a familiar (unwanted) distraction or coping mechanism. Take a moment to ask what is really going on. Where do I feel this in my body? Are the thoughts I am having true? What do I really need? Where can I open?

Special thanks to Jen W. for making me a Swiftie and being such “believing eyes” for my blog