Living Mystery School Teachings for Older Souls
Based upon
The Michael Teachings
And
Ancient Andean Wisdom Traditions
Hosted by
Terri Claire Benning
Heart Chakra Balance
Attune Your Heart Chakra While You Read
Anahata ~ Heart Chakra
Anahata, the heart chakra, is the fourth chakra in the seven chakras energy system.
The heart chakra is located directly in the center of your chest. It is the direct connection between the three lower chakras relating to the physical world and the three upper chakras relating to the spiritual realms. The Sanskrit name anahata translates to “unhurt," unstuck, immaculate, unspoiled.
An affirmation we can associate with the heart chakra is, “I embody love.”
The heart chakra is considered one of the most important chakras. It is at the very center of our being. Therefore, it is the bridge between spirituality, the physical world, thought and emotions. It is convention to link empathy, unconditional love, and calmness to the heart chakra, all very important traits to embody.
When we have balance in the heart chakra, we feel peace, emotional openness, joy, and forgiveness. We feel accepting, generous and connected with ourselves and those around us. The heart chakra’s element is air. And, when our heart chakra is healthy, we feel that love, like air, is all around us in abundance!
Imbalances of the Heart Chakra
There are many different symptoms that might manifest when the heart chakra is blocked or overactive. As always, if you feel physical pain or discomfort or need mental health support, please consult a medical professional in your area. Especially with chest pains, when in doubt, be safe! But, here are some symptoms you might experience:
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Difficulty trusting others
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Feelings of loneliness or shyness
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Lack of empathy
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Blood pressure or circulation problems
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Inability to forgive
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Toxic and codependent relationships and friendships
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Insomnia
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Harsh, critical judgments of yourself and others
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Social anxiety and desire for isolation
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Inability to feel love
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Irritability and jealousy
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Struggling to receive or give love freely
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Fear of being alone
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Heavy feeling within the chest
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Dwelling on toxic or angry thoughts
The Heart Chakra & Related Endrocrine System Gland
The thymus is located above the heart and produces lymphocytes, which form a vital part of the body’s immune response. This quality relates the thymus to the healing properties of the Heart Chakra. The healing promoted by this Chakra links it to the thymus.
Possible Physical Areas Affected by an Out of Balance Chakra:
Cancer, High Blood Pressure, Heart Problems, Thymus, Blood, Circulatory System, Involuntary Muscles. Issues are – Love.
The Heart Chakra is associated with the Circulatory System and Thymus Gland. It is the centre of Compassion, Love, Group Consciousness and Spirituality.
The Heart Chakra governs the heart, lungs, blood and circulation.
As the Heart Chakra is about Love, kindness and affection when it is open, you are compassionate and friendly, you work at harmonious relationships.
When your Heart Chakra is under-active, you are cold and distant. If this Chakra is over-active, you are suffocating people with your Love and your Love probably has quite selfish reasons.
How to Balance the Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is all about connection and empathy. So, hugs are a great place to start to connect to others! If you don’t have anyone to hug, try hugging a pet or yourself. For instance, volunteering and forgiving someone are also great ways to practice empathy. Complimenting a stranger, paying it forward, and forgiving others who might upset you by imagining what might be going on in their lives currently are also wonderful ways to open the heart.
What Affirmations Help Balance the Heart Chakra?
Here’s a list of affirmations you can use daily to help heal and open up your heart chakra:
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“I love myself and others unconditionally.”
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“I am fully open to receiving and giving love.”
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“Joy and love always flows freely to me.”
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“I am kind to myself and others.”
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“I love without attachment.”
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“It is easy to forgive myself and others.”
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“I am worthy of love.”
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“I accept myself and others as we are.”
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“All fear I once held on to is now released.”
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“I am open to respectful and loving relationships.”
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“I have the strength to always follow my heart.”
What Else Can I Do to Heal the Heart Chakra?
A very effective heart chakra healing technique is to practice gratitude and be thankful. So, list all the things you love about your life and be grateful for them by simply saying “thank you.” Allow yourself to feel love for these things, yourself, and everyone else around you.
It is important when working on the heart chakra to allow yourself to feel, give, and receive love. And, one of the most important steps you can make towards this is to make it a priority to practice self-love. Once we learn to love ourselves, it is easier to release any old, toxic behavior and send more love and trust out to others. Therefore, we must learn show compassion to ourselves so we can easily show it to others.
Bridging the Upper and Lower Chakras
Green is the color of life; naturally calming, healing, and supportive. Green combines equal parts of yellow and blue, which means that in its range of hues, it can also contribute to the balance of the solar plexus and the throat chakra.
Through the solar plexus, we gain a full sense of our identity and abilities. Green helps us find a way to shine our true selves into the world in service to others and to draw in love. The throat chakra allows us to communicate our calling and our desires clearly and compassionately, informed by a healthy heart chakra that infuses kindness into our words.
While this is an important bridge that the heart chakra and green healing builds, the heart as a central node of the chakra system provides an even greater connection. It guides the energy of our lower chakras into the upper chakras that draw us closer to the divine.
When we fully understand our human needs and fortify our earthly roots in the lower chakras, we can then shift our focus to exploring spiritual questions from our soul. In order to embody this in the world, we depend on what chakra is green. The heart chakra gives us the space to meld these two aspects of our existence together.
Heart Chakra Element: Air
The fourth chakra is related to the element of air. As such, its energy is associated to the breath and its movements, as well as the idea of spaciousness and connection with all things.
Heart Chakra Color: Green
Even though most of us think about the pink color when thinking about the heart, this chakra is traditionally associated with the color green. The auric color of an active fourth chakra can also be seen as a pink or smoky pink, hence our popular representation of love as a pink heart.
Crystals and Their Meanings for the Heart Chakra
All chakra crystals and gemstones possess their own properties, so it is important to do your homework. Remember, every stone has its own vibrational energy frequency (and frequency is important), so find the one that best aligns with the frequency of the heart chakra.
Here is a brief list of recommended common healing gems and stones for heart chakra healing. Listed is the name, color, type of stone, and crystal meaning/purpose of each:
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Rose quartz — Pink — Semi-precious — Used to open and heal. The seemingly universal rose quartz meaning calls it the stone of the heart. It’s good for aiding sleep and alleviating the physical ills associated with heart chakra imbalance. It’s also used to calm emotions, dispel negativity, and promote peace.
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Jade — Green to white — Semi-precious — Used to balance. Jade promotes emotional and physical healing of the heart’s ills.
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Green calcite — Semi-precious — Used to balance and stimulate. Recommended to absorb negativity and boost your physical immunity, calcite is used to promote healing and transformation.
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Green tourmaline — Semi-precious — Used to open and stimulate. Considered a stone of rejuvenation, tourmaline promotes emotional stability and healing.
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Green aventurine — Semi-precious — Used to activate. A stone of vitality aventurine increases focus and soothes emotions.
Herbs and Essential Oils for the Heart Chakra
Your body’s energy centers react to all kinds of things, both internally and externally. Trauma, lifestyle choices, and the energy you come in contact with can all disrupt their natural function. Fortunately, this means that there are tools you can use to correct problems that arise in the chakra system.
The heart chakra, Anahata, sits in the middle of the chest. It governs our ability to give and receive love, exhibit self-compassion, and express these feelings in a healthy way.
When it isn’t functioning optimally, we may feel cut off from love, unable to love ourselves, or exhibiting risky behaviors in the pursuit of love and validation. There are several herbs and essential oils that can help open and restore the heart chakra, and multiple ways to use them.
Here are some of the best herbs and essential oils for opening, restoring, and balancing the heart chakra:
1. BASIL
Ocimum species (especially O. basilicum, O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora, and O. tenuiflorum) are wonderful culinary herbs for the heart chakra. Their lush, green color and sweet flavor lend well to opening and clearing this energy center.
In some magical systems, basil is known for attracting love and abundance. It’s also said that, “where basil grows, no evil goes!”
Blend sweet basil with pine nuts (or your favorite nuts or seeds) and high quality olive oil for a delicious pesto, or add the whole leaves to salads. Make noodle dishes with Thai basil. You can also drink holy basil (tulsi) as tea.
2. BERGAMOT
Citrus bergamia is a citrus fruit whose peels are distilled into a fragrant oil. This is one of the flavorings of Earl Grey tea, which can be consumed to help Anahata. It’s said to help release trauma, reduce stress, soothe, and refresh.
As a citrus oil, bergamot contains a compound called bergapten, which can cause toxic reactions when used topically on skin that’s exposed to sunlight.
For best results, dilute bergamot oil, keep anointed areas covered, use sunscreen, and avoid the sun for 48 hours after application. You can also find some oils that have had the bergapten removed.
You may also wear it in a diffuser necklace, or blend bergamot oil with other heart oils, dilute, and use for massage or anointing the heart area.
3. CAYENNE
Capsicum annuum might seem like an odd choice for a list full of aphrodisiac fruits and flowers, and lush, green herbs, but the best herbs for Anahata also includes those that physically benefit the cardiovascular system.
Cayenne helps improve circulation by triggering a thermogenic response in the body. This means that it causes blood vessels to expand to regulate the body’s temperature, improving blood flow.
Cayenne is also a key ingredient in many people’s comfort foods, and its intense, spicy flavor can trigger a rush of endorphins. To use it, consume your favorite heart-healthy, spicy dishes.
4. HAWTHORN
Crataegus monogyna is a tree species that produces a red fruit, called haws or hawthorn berries. These fruits are used in syrups, jellies, and teas, and have been credited with toninc the heart and improving its ability to pump efficiently.
Consume the haws raw, or use them to make your own jams, jellies, syrup, or wine. The leaves are also edible when very young, as are the flower petals, and good in salads.
5. JASMINE
Jasminum species are sweet, floral, and known for their dreamlike, relaxing, aphrodisiac properties. The essential oil is wonderful for making anointing oils or bath products, and is delightful when incorporated into tea.
You can use this plant to aid Anahata either by anointing the heart area with the dilute essential oil, or by drinking beverages flavored with jasmine flowers. You may wish to grow a jasmine plant, too, so you can be greeted by its aroma every day while it’s in bloom.
6. LAVENDER
Lavandula augustifolia is a wonderful oil for peace, harmony, and gentle love. Some consider it a universal oil for the entire energy body. It’s also purported to be gentle enough for topical use without a carrier, but those with sensitive skin should always, always properly dilute oils before use.
Place a few drops of lavender oil in a diffuser (avoid diffusers if you live with pets or young children), wear it in an aromatherapy necklace, or use it to create an anointing or massage oil for the heart area. You can also drink lavender in tea.
7. MARJORAM
Origanum majorana is a relative of oregano, albeit lighter and sweeter in flavor. Its lush green color and sweet, delicate flavor make it a suitable herb for healing the heart chakra.
To the ancient Greeks and Romans, it was also a symbol of happiness. Wreaths of the herb were used to crown newlywed couples to bring them love and joy.
You can use it similarly to oregano, but, because of its less spicy undertone and lighter taste, it’s also suitable for teas.
8. NEROLI
Citrus x aurantia is, like bergamot, a citrus fruit whose peel yields a fragrant essential oil. It’s said to act as an aphrodisiac, relieve depression, and enhance mood.
Some sources claim that it’s not phototoxic, while others say differently. To be on the safe side, treat it like bergamot oil — dilute it well, and avoid putting it anywhere that will be exposed to sunlight.
9. PARSLEY
Petroselinum crispum is, like cayenne, an herb that directly benefits the physical heart. Its lush green color also ties it to the heart chakra. In some magical traditions, it’s used for purification, happiness, and communing with the beloved dead.
Parsley is also chock-full of heart-healthy minerals, like potassium. To use it, add it to soups or salads — especially ones full of lush, green vegetables.
10. ROSE
Rosa species are like the rose quartz of the herb and oil world. Some sources claim that these flowers yield the essential oil with the highest vibration possible. Their oil and dried petals are often found in magical workings for self-love and love-drawing, too.
According to some grimoires, roses are versatile enough to stand in for any other flower in magic. To help the heart chakra, anoint the heart center with diluted rose essential oil (either rose otto, or rose absolute). You can also consume the petals in tea or other beverages, or as a garnish for salads.
If you choose to use the essential oil, be sure that it’s authentic — rose is a popular fragrance, and genuine rose extracts are expensive, so it’s often faked. For best results, make your own anointing oil by diluting genuine rose oil in a neutral carrier, like jojoba or sunflower seed.
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