With the rise in popularity of essential oils, as well as the increased attention to the ancient healing modality of working with our chakras, we thought it would be a great time to focus on some of our most popular products, our Chakra Essence Sprays and Perfume Rollers, and tell you more about what is in them and why. Many traditional healing practices talk of the chakras, energy centers that are a part of our etheric/energy bodies that can influence all things in our life, from our health to our emotions. According to tradition, when these energy centers are out of balance, either too open or too closed off, we can experience imbalances in our life. Each chakra governs different aspects of our beings, and thus when not in alignment with each other, those aspects of our life will be off. By learning more about the associations of each individual chakra, we can discern if there are things in our own life that may point to that particular chakra being mis-aligned, and thus can work on correcting the imbalances by actively seeking herbs, essential oils, and other healing practices that activate that particular chakra. Last month we covered the 6th chakra, the Third Eye, so this month is all about the seventh chakra:
THE CROWN CHAKRA
The crown chakra, called Sahasrara in Sanskrit, means ‘‘one thousand’ and is often thought to represent the 1000 petaled lotus flower. It may also speak to the 1000 different things that are going on in one's mind, the 1000 different thoughts you have at any given moment, and the 1000 different possibilities that exist before you. The crown chakra is directly related with your thought processes as well as with your sense of your higher spiritual self, that which is connected to all that is beyond your physical being. It is concerned with your intuitive knowing, your connection to one's spirituality, your integration with the whole, your Highest self, wisdom, wholeness, oneness, surrender to All That Is, cosmic energy, transmutation of energy into matter, or matter into energy, and governs the pituitary gland, pineal gland, nervous system, and the brain. (3) Those with open crown chakras often have a deeper sense of their connection with the Divine (in any of it's forms or manifestations) and are often those with prophetic dreams and the ability to sense divine purpose or will. The crown chakra is the entry point into the body for the Divine and it is through an open chakra that the energy of the universe can pour in to you, and through which you can send energy back out in to the ethers.
"The thousand-petaled chakra embraces an attitude of gratitude for one's life. When we realize that everything is interconnected and that we are a part of the larger scheme of life, we begin to live with gratitude, faith and trust, rather than filled with fear and anxiety. We are guided by the Higher Power and we feel Divinity from within and from without. The challenge of this chakra is to liberate the Spirit - open to the Divine - and at the same time stay firmly rooted deep in the ground." (3) Through meditation, self-reflection, and self-examination the crown chakra can be opened and activated. The main words associated with the crown chakra are "I Know" or "I Understand". When the crown chakra is in balance a person will be more open to the Divine, have a deeper access to the unconscious and subconscious, have a more integrated view of life and our mortality, and also our immortality. When the crown chakra is deficient a person may have a lack of joy and creativity, experience difficulty in making decisions, be uncommunicative, lack a sense of higher purpose in life, not feel creative, may not feel connected to others or even to themselves, be 'lost' spiritually, fumbling in the dark When the crown chakra has excessive energy there are two ways in which this may manifest. Firstly, a person may have a constant sense of frustration, be psychotic or schizophrenic, experience manic depression, get frequent migraine headaches, be destructive, and have a sexual expression that ranges from too passionate to distant. Secondly we may see people who are 'overly' spiritual, are overly concerned with spiritual matters and not with any worldly matters, which they may deem to be beneath them or somehow lesser, be demonstrating Spiritual Bypassing, may make others feel as though they are unworthy or less than them because they are not as 'spiritual' as they are. In our Crown of Connection chakra spray and roller, we chose specific gems and essential oils that have been associated with their ability to balance and harmonize the incredibly important crown chakra so that you are better able to access the connection you have to your higher self.
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR THE CROWN CHAKRA
GEM ESSENCES FOR THE CROWN CHAKRA
The following gems with pictures are a part of the Crown of Connection chakra sprays. Additionally, the roller ball that is a part of the Crown of Connection Perfume Roller is made up of an actual Amethyst stone. (6) Brazilian Amethyst - transmutes energy from lower to higher vibratory rates; helps us create balance between our physical reality and our spiritual potential; promotes the lifting of perception from an overly material state; helps us bring the highest aspects of our spirituality into physical form Diamond - helps us see through illusion; harmonizes Divine and personal will; helps us activate personal will in its highest form; strengthens the ability to act in alignment with our Divine purpose Rutilated Quartz - promotes precision alignment with higher sources of energy and information; helps us develop and physically stabilize the ability to access, focus, synthesize, and express information from the spiritual realms Sapphire - helps us connect to the energetic support we need to do the work we came here to do; helps us move to a deeper level of inner work and life experience; promotes loyalty to action that serves our highest truth; strengthens commitment to Divine purpose Sapphire/Ruby - helps anchor the qualities of devotion, responsibility, and loyalty firmly into the heart; gently facilitates the integration of higher purpose into day-to-day physical reality; helps us balance spiritual responsibility with physical ability; helps us receive nurturing through the fulfillment of Divine responsibilities Scepter Amethyst - gives strength and support to follow one’s spiritual path; opens and prepares the 7th chakra to receive energy from the higher chakras; awakens our highest spiritual potential; helps us embody a higher level of spiritual authority and leadership qualities Sugalite - brings depth and a physical richness to one’s spiritual life; helps one learn to receive spiritual support easily and gracefully; helps one physically manifest a warmer, more feminine quality of spirituality Our Chakra Sprays and Perfume rollers contain all of the above essences and essential oils and are the perfect way to work with your sacral chakra. We love using them in meditation, before or during a yoga class, or at any point during the day to help keep us feeling connected to our own heart space so we can love ourselves first and foremost, and then be able to love others.
FLOWER ESSENCES FOR THE CROWN CHAKRA
Similar to the gem essences, flower essences are energetic remedies that can be used safely by anyone without fear of side effects or interactions. The following are some of our favorites to use for the Crown Chakra Angelica - perceiving and receiving help from higher worlds; sensing the soul within a larger matrix of spiritual life; attunement with spiritual beings who guide and guard Baby Blue Eyes - to counterbalance cynicism; when the soul feels estranged from the spiritual world, thus retarding its spiritual development California Poppy - fascination or glamour in spiritual experiences; overemphasis on psychic phenomena or techniques rather than true spiritual and moral development Canyon Dudleya - tendency to unbalanced or hysterical states of psychism or mediumism; overemphasis on spiritual experiences in proportion to ordinary life events Chaparral - awareness through dreams and meditation Corn - grounding spiritual energy through the body, experiencing the body as a microcosm of the Earth Cosmos - overly active mental state, need for greater clarity and integration with higher spiritual thought Forget-me-not - enhancing awareness of spiritual guidance or communication with those outside the physical world Iris - creating a chalice or inner vessel for receiving higher inspiration; active expression of the soul life through creativity Lotus - enhancing spiritual awareness; deepening meditative experience, enhancing and opening spiritual consciousness; balancing overdeveloped spirituality which is not integrated with other aspects of Self Milkweed - unbalanced spiritual practices which blot out or obliterate healthy ego structure; over-dependence on spiritual leaders or dogma Mugwort - sensitivity to threshold experiences, especially dreaming; ability to integrate psychic life with ordinary consciousness Purple Monkeyflower - profound fear of spiritual opening, often due to fear-based religious beliefs or occult ritual abuse; to develop calm and objective relationship to spiritual phenomena Rock Water - overly strict approach to spiritual life; asceticism or other forms of rigidity which deny the joy of true spiritual experience Rosemary - feeling foggy or forgetful, when spiritual consciousness cannot penetrate through body Shasta Daisy - synthesizing ideas into a meaningful whole; archetypal thinking St. John’s Wort - protection while outside the body, especially during dreams, or from overly expanded or psychic states of mind; generally indicated for all stages of spiritual opening Star Tulip - receptive awareness; contacting higher worlds of thought Yarrow - over-expansion of spiritual Self leading to acute sensitivity; need for protection; overly porous auric field (All of the above descriptions come from the Flower Essence Services online repertory)
HERBS FOR THE CROWN CHAKRA
Bacopa - Bacopa monerii is a well known Ayurvedic herb for brain function. It has long been used as a meditative aid and is helpful in improving cognitive function. Calendula - known and loved for many reasons, calendula is not only a wonderful skin and wound-healing herb, for many it can also make one's dreams more lucid and aid in the remembrance of dreams when drunk in tea close to bed time. Ginkgo - one of the most well-known herbs for cognitive function, ginkgo biloba is said to improve one's mind. Gotu kola - an important Ayurvedic brain function herb, is used to nourish the brain and help with memory issues. It is believed it is one of the foods that elephants prefer, and elephants never forget! It can be used as a tea, tincture, or eaten in salads. Holy Basil - also called Tulsi, is another excellent Ayurvedic herb for brain health. Holy basil, as the name implies, is a relative of the basil you cook with in your kitchen but is considered to be sacred in Hindu belief. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulsi; she is regarded as a great worshipper of the god Vishnu. The offering of its leaves is mandatory in ritualistic worship of Vishnu and his forms like Krishna and Vithoba. (Source) Lavender - this beloved purple plant brings along with it's scent powerful relaxation properties making it an excellent herb to aid in meditation. Lemon Balm - a favorite herb of ours in particular, lemon balm (or melissa) is restorative to the nervous system and can help one become more at ease and peace within themselves. Mugwort - the ultimate dream herb, mugwort is well known for enhancing one's dreams when used in tea. It is also often placed in dream pillow along with lavender to aid in sleep and dreams. It can also be burned as an incense to help with meditation. Peppermint - an uplifting and mentally clearing herb, peppermint can serve to brush away the cobwebs of one's mind. Rosemary - "Rosemary for remembrance" is a common phrase and one to always keep in mind when it comes to the mind. Smelling rosemary can help improve cognitive function, and burning rosemary is said to have similar clearing properties to that of sage. Sage - traditionally used as a smudge for clearing energetic space, sage can also be drunk in tea to help clear and center the body internally. Violets - these tiny unassuming purple flowers are delicate and light and ring with them a gentle cleansing action that is excellent to use when wanting to clear the body and mind for meditation. *Not all of these herbs are safe for pregnancy and breast feeding, and others may interact with medications. Please always check reliable resources for herb safety information before consuming.
FOODS FOR THE CROWN CHAKRA
Often when people talk about foods associated with the Crown chakra they talk of its association with otherworldly thoughts, ideas, and emotions, not of it's associations with this world. You will see it said that the crown chakra is not activated by foods as much as it is activated by meditative techniques such as fasting. While this may be the case to a certain extent, we are inclined to think that since the chakra exists on this plane as well as any other planes of existence, that it too will be activated by foods, just as the other chakras are. Because it is associated with the color purple, the Crown Chakra can be activated by purple foods such as acai berries, beets, black berries, eggplant, plums, purple cauliflower, purple cabbage, purple grapes, purple kale, purple rice, purple sweet potatoes, and of course, red wine. Now you may not currently cook with any of these foods, and thus may not be getting much purple in your diet, but due to it's high concentration of the antioxidant known as anthocyanins, purple foods "may help ward off heart disease by preventing clot formation. They may also help lower risk of cancer.” says Gloria Tsang, RD, editor-in-chief of HealthCastle.com Additionally, according to studies conducted by the CDC and published in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and cited across a broad swathe of health publications, "Adults who eat purple and blue plants have reduced risk for high blood pressure and better levels of HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind). They are also less likely to be overweight. The compounds the give purple foods their color mop up free radicals and soothe inflammation."
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS FOR PURPLE FOODS:
Grilled Asian Eggplant from Food & Wine
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
- Salt
- 8 Asian eggplants (2 1/2 pounds), sliced lengthwise, then cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces and scored
- Purple basil, for garnish (optional)
- In a heatproof glass bowl, combine the water and sugar and microwave at high power for 10 seconds, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the grated ginger, vinegar, sesame oil and the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and season with salt.
- Set a large steamer basket in a large saucepan, add 1/2 inch of water and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Steam the eggplant in batches cut side down, until just tender, about 4 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan. Lightly brush the eggplant all over with vegetable oil. Grill over high heat until grill marks appear, about 30 seconds per side, then transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the ginger sauce over the eggplant. Garnish with the purple basil (if using) and serve at once.
Purple Sweet Potato Doughnuts (Kuih Keria) from Notabilia
For doughnuts:- 500g sweet potatoes (peeled and steamed until fully cooked)
- 30g tapioca flour
- 60g all-purpose flour
- oil for frying
- 200g granulated sugar
- 70ml water
- Mash sweet potatoes until very fine. Add tapioca flour and all-purpose flour to the potatoes. Knead to form a soft dough. Shape dough into balls and make a hole in the center.
- Heat oil in large saucepan or wok. Deep fry the rings until they are golden.
- Drain well.
- Boil sugar and water in a wok until it bubbles and thickens. Turn off heat and drop in the rings. Toss well in the syrup and remove.
- Once the sugar crystallizes, the kuihs are ready to be served. Kuih keria is really quite simple to make. Unlike regular doughnuts, which need to be proofed twice, these kuihs can be fried straight away as they do not contain yeast. Really quite fuss free.
Purple Sweet Potato Ice cream
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 Cup plus 2 Tbsp (280 ml) Whole Milk
- 2/3 Cup (140 g) Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of salt
- A few drops of freshly squeeze lemon juice
- Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender when poked with a sharp knife. Drain the sweet potatoes and let cool to room temperature.
- Pour the milk into a blender and add the brown sugar, sweet potato pieces, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Puree until very smooth, at least 30 seconds. Add lemon juice to taste. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer, using a flexible rubber spatula.
- Allow the mixture to cool thoroughly, then freeze it in an ice cream maker.
Beet Hummus
Ingredients- 1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium-sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled, and cubed*
- 2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
- 5 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1-5 small cloves garlic (depending on how garlicky you like your hummus)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)
- Generous pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt
- Cook the beets: cut off any tops, scrub the roots clean, put them in a covered dish with about 1/4-inch of water in a 375°F oven, and cook until easily penetrated with a knife or fork. Alternatively, cover with water in a saucepan and simmer until tender, about 1/2 hour. Peel once they have cooled.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired.
- Chill and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
RESOURCES
- Chakra Tonics - Elise Collins
- Caroline Myss's Free Chakra info
- Chakra Synopsis
- Balancing the Crown Chakra from the Herbarium
- Crown Chakra Essential Oils
- Alaskan Gem Essences
- Flower Essence Society
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified practitioner.