Knowing others is wisdom, Knowing the self is enlightenment. ~ Lao Tzu
This quote underlines the fact that moving beyond materialistic identity to connect with the whole universe, is something that the ultimate reality of life is.
The most quoted affirmation of Crown Chakra “I am one with the universal consciousness” highlights the question, are you connected to the eternal?
In this Guide of Crown Chakra, I’ll let you know the basics of crown chakra which eventually help you to feel the energy radiated through it. Also, symptoms of the imbalanced crown chakra mentioned in this article will guide you on how to get it to balance.
Crown Chakra or Sahasrara: Thousand Petaled Lotus
The crown chakra is the 7th chakra, situated at the top of the “chakra ladder” starting from the base of the spine with Muladhara, that grounds us with the Earth and progresses upward to the crown of the head, which connects us with the divine source of creation.
In step-ladder pattern, the lower chakras store and direct psychological and mental tendencies towards the sixth or Ajna chakra, which eventually opens up at the crown chakra.
The Crown Chakra, also known as Sahasrara in Sanskrit, means “thousand-petaled” blooming at the top of the head. It symbolically depicted as a lotus flower viz the energy center within our body responsible for thought, awareness, wisdom, and our connection to the divine also referred to Shunnya, Niralambapuri.
The central theme of the seventh chakra is tied to the greatest level of consciousness within the reach of a person.
A healthy crown chakra brings the feeling of deep inner peace and harmony, which transcends all dualism. It can lead to the experience of eternal happiness and can establish contact with the reality that is beyond rational thinking.
Sahasrara depicts the focus of control and activity of fundamental consciousness of a being, according to the extent it is aroused and energized.
Characteristics of Crown Chakra
Crown chakra is the meeting point between finite (ego) and infinite (soul), and where death and eternal life meet.
Sahasrara chakra manifests the following characteristics when lies in a balanced state,
1) “Be — don’t try to become” which means giving up Illusion of Possession.
The materialistic illusion that one possesses puts one under pressure as you fear to lose them. What you own today is transient and may belong to somebody else tomorrow. So, detach yourself from the bondage.
2) “It’s not about you”, so Don’t take things personally
You can control your behavior but not that of others as it’s a product of their upbringing, experiences, and thinking. Hence, if they hurt you learn not to take it too personally.
3) Release Illusion of Dependency
Drop the idea of becoming someone, because you are already a masterpiece. You cannot be improved. You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it. External stimulus can bring us joy as well as pain, but the Experience of Soul gives you true happiness.
4) Drop your Discontentment
“Truth is not something outside to be discovered, it is something inside to be realized.”
Release this discontentment to find that you always attract with an attitude of contentment.
5) Have Faith in yourself
Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.
6) Trust Yourself, your instincts
Trust yourself because, in your Self, the Almighty resides. So, remove dependency from all external sources and through patience, faith, fearlessness and do your karma.
Crown Chakra in Detail
Let’s explore the crown chakra with some basic information about it.
1. Location of 7th viz Crown Chakra
If you know the place of Ajna Chakra, It can help you in knowing the location of the crown chakra.
- Place your wrist at the Ajna chakra, in between the eyebrows.
- Extend fingers upwards towards the center of the head.
- The place where the finger reaches on the head is called crown of the head.
7th chakra is located several inches above the crown of the head. It symbolizes like a crown, radiating energy upwards. The crown chakra, also known as the thousand-petal lotus of light, references the light of enlightenment.
Anatomically, The Crown chakra is associated with the pituitary & pineal glands and linked with the hypothalamus in the brain, which regulates hormone secretion in the body. Sahasrara position made it closely associated with the brain and the whole nervous system.
In Sahasrara, Ida and Pingala channels, which already have met at Ajna chakra, connects with the Sushumna channel. When both Nadi channels are fully open and all chakras are balanced, the energy flowing from the Muladhara chakra to the Sahasrara connects us to our highest self.
2. Crown Chakra Color Significance
Violet is the color of the crown chakra. Violet color represents our connection with the energy of heaven that promotes the feelings of being connected with all. The energy frequency of this color brings mind thoughts and feelings to spirituality, oneness, and meditation.
Positive aspects of violet color frequency:
- An appreciation for all life
- Self-sacrificing
- Idealism
- An ability to see the right path for the benefit of the higher self
Negative aspects of violet color frequency:
- No concern for others happiness & well-being
- Feelings of superiority & egoism
- Lack of contact with reality viz being materialistic
3. Symbol of Crown Chakra
The symbol of thousand petal crown chakra embraces an attitude of gratitude, tuned into the highest form of consciousness and the divine. Its symbol depicted as a lotus flower with a thousand leaves, which represents infinity.
The symbol of the Crown chakra is composed of:
- A circle: It represents the full moon, a symbolization of openness, an awakening of the conscious mind.
- Thousand Petals: It symbolizes the development of a person’s consciousness. Represent the connection to the divine. Our unity with prosperity and eternity of the integral connections.
4. The Energy Frequency & Seed Mantra
The energy of this chakra allows experiencing mystical oneness with everyone and everything in nature. Violet is the color of spirituality with the shortest wavelength and the highest vibration of the colors of the visible spectrum of light.
- Seed sound: Ah
- Frequency: 480 Hz
- Seed mantra: OM (To be hummed silently)
5. Element Associated with Crown Chakra
Element: Light
- On a Physical aspect (anatomically), crown chakra relates to the cerebral cortex, the skull, and the brain.
- On the Mental aspect, people with balanced violet color frequency are open-minded, curious, and deep thinkers.
- Emotionally, crown chakra manifests deep grief and sadness, suffering within the joy of living with an acceptance of the journey of life.
- On a spiritual level, it indicates a person to give without the need for acknowledgment.
Balanced Crown Chakra
When this Chakra is in a balanced state, one has a sense of connection to the world that brings unlimited energy, and a sense of peace, love, wholeness, and gratitude.
Balanced Feeling: Connected, Knowledge, Guided, Spirituality.
Karmic Lesson: Eliminate earthly attachments, and ego, so that you know you are being led by something higher than yourself for a divine purpose.
When this chakra is in balance, we feel connected to our Higher selves. It makes us aware that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We recognize that divine intelligence has some control over our lives, and the hand we are dealt at birth. We can surrender to circumstances that are out of our control, while simultaneously making the best of them.
Imbalanced Crown Chakra Symptoms & Its Causes
Reasons for Crown Chakra Imbalances and Blockages
- A Spiritual Awakening
- Limited Beliefs
- Being Abused or Persecuted For One’s Spiritual Beliefs/Feeling
Common symptoms include,
- Apathy
- Lack of care and compassion towards others
- Excessive egotism
- Insomnia
- Nightmares
- Boredom with life
- Narrow-mindedness
- Existential depression
- Spiritual disconnection
- Rigid and limiting self-identity
- Greed and materialism
- Lack of purpose and direction
- Mental confusion
See also: Imbalanced Heart Chakra Symptoms and Its Causes
1. Overactive Crown Chakra
Common symptoms include;
- When Sahasrara Chakra is overactive one has trouble with grounding itself and making it difficult for others to take one seriously.
- One may possess a “God Complex” and consider himself better than others around.
- One usually intellectualize things too much and is addicted to spirituality while ignoring your bodily needs.
- One may feel disconnected from the physical world and have problems relating to people.
- One has negative beliefs about money.
2. Underactive Crown Chakra
Common symptoms include;
- When Sahasrara Chakra is under-active one feels a lack of purpose in life and that everything is meaningless.
- One assumes unloved and blames circumstances.
- One lack of balance in life and face difficulties in coordinating with life.
- One finds it difficult to grasp new ideas, lack the desire to explore inner self, and have an excessive fear of death.
How to Get Your Crown Chakra Balanced?
The Crown chakra is a doorway that leads into other dimensions, but one has to focus on them to the exclusion of everything else. ~ Frederick Lenz
As the goal of yoga practices is samadhi or the superconscious union of the ego with the divine self, the crown chakra is the point at which the soul dissolves ego-consciousness, clearing, opening, and harmonizing our bodies and energy fields.
Following practices can help to make it in a balanced state.
1. Stop blaming destiny- Awaken the greatness within
When one not achieve success in undertakings, he finds it convenient to blame other people, situations and even God that stop the unconditional flow of divine blessings. Stop believing your thoughts that create suffering.
Instead of blaming, one should focus on support and encouragement one got from the whole Universe is being whomever you are now, alive and experiencing. As “It’s easy to blame others for your situation. It’s much more productive to search your past and find what caused your faults.
2. Live in an attitude of Gratitude as we know, “A rich life comes from giving.”
Through His Divine Grace we can breathe, smell, taste, hear and experience all that we do. Every single moment of our life is a Bhiksha from His Kindness. So, pay your gratitude to existence for this divine gift of life, and all the support systems that keep you nurtured and taken care of, right from the birth that your parents gave you, their unconditional love and care and so on.
3. Hum or chant the sound “OM” & Meditate
Meditation is the tie between the crown chakra and spirituality. Silence comes with meditation is best for crown chakra activation because it does not distract one from spiritual practice. The sound of Om and deep, tonal sounds can also be healing music for Sahasrara. So commit yourself to your spiritual practice, with always open to guidance.
4. Wear violet!!
Wearing and surrounding yourself with the color violet is a wonderfully simple way to stimulate your crown chakra.
Yoga Poses to Balance The Crown Chakra
Knowing what asana is and then practicing these energetic expressions helps us to direct energy from one part to other parts in the gross and subtle body both.
Practicing following yoga poses redirects energy to the crown chakra or distribute energy among other organs (if lies in excessive amount) to get head region energy balanced.
- The Corpse pose (Shavasana): It calms and balances the crown chakra & challenges to be connected with the ground, to be still in the present moment.
- Rabbit Pose (Shashankasana): it feeds the nervous system with fresh blood and oxygen and aids in digestion and metabolism.
- Lotus or Half Lotus pose (Ardha Padmasana): Sitting crown chakra yoga poses are the gateway to higher consciousness. helps to connect with the wisdom and inner knowing.
- Half headstand/Dolphin pose (Ardha Sirsasana): It increases the straightness of the spine, toning and stretching the back, nape, and legs.
- The Headstand (Salamba Sirhasana): It nourishes the crown chakra by drawing blood to the head which carries prana (energy) to the 7th spiritual center.
Crown Chakra Stones
Use crystals as energetic ways that will help to balance crown chakra energy. Try meditating or carrying crystals such as;
- Selenite
- Danburite
- Charoite
- Labradorite
- Amethyst
- Nuummite
