Manifesting Through the Chakras

So often on this blog I have focused on the upward path of the chakras – the movement towards spiritual awakening. But the downward path is just as important – that of working towards goals in our lives and birthing new aspects of it. While this is often called manifesting, I actually prefer the more recently popular term ‘co-creation’, because it better captures the interactive and interdependent nature of how we experience our lives. As we work to manifest something new, we will naturally encounter delays and obstacles (hello 2020!) These can stop us in our tracks, or open the doorway to adaptation and adjustment in a way that births something unexpected, but not necessarily lesser, than what we originally planned. This is co-creating with the universe, and it’s what we are all doing all the time – co-creating reality with others, all of humanity really, and whatever divine force you feel is also present within us.

I have chafed over the years at some manifesting/LOA teachings that emphasize personal will and work as the exclusive driver to what we can manifest. In this way of thinking, when things don’t go as planned, an individual is often left feeling self-blame and shame, or that they somehow failed to think positively enough, visualize strongly enough, or work hard enough, or that they self-sabotaged from some counter energy they had not yet healed. While of course our own energy, and any emotional patterning that doesn’t serve us, can hold us back, it’s simplistic to dismiss all external factors as reflections of internal blocks. It denies the complexity of world events such as COVID19, wildfires, and economic collapses, as well as denying the reality of social structural constraints such as racism, sexism, and other biases. We are not manifesting in a vacuum. And manifesting is not only for ourselves either – we are in a moment in history where we have an opportunity to co-create a different world. We are all feeling this, and perhaps what you feel called to manifest right now is one thread in a larger tapestry of change.

The chakras provide a great framework for working towards a goal, and for relating to setbacks as opportunities to both heal and regroup/ adjust. Manifesting, or co-creation, can be viewed through the downward pathway of the chakras as the process of birthing energies we want more of in our lives (crown) through something tangible we create in the world (root.) Each of the chakra functions play a role, and looking at our goal through this lens can help us identify what we’re good at, what we need help with, and what healing or adaptations our setbacks might be calling upon us to make.

Just like the upward path of awakening is not simply linear – we don’t march one by one through lessons of each chakra – so it is with the downward path and co-creation. I’ll present the chakras in linear order, one by one, from crown to root, but really this is just a framework. You will work iteratively with the themes of each chakra as you manifest, and some goals may involve some chakras a lot and others not at all. Similarly, the listing of Blocks/Calls to Heal associated with each chakra is just a framework to help you assess – most blocks don’t lie neatly in one chakra, we are much more complex than that! But working with the chakra listed first will almost always be a helpful starting point. There are so many ways to work with each chakra, so that’s beyond the scope of this post, but you can of course start with some of the other posts here, and my book, as well as any other chakra methods you find helpful.

I could easily make this a multi-post series, as this is often complex work (and I do work with this in client sessions and teach it in more detail in classes) but my hope is the framework below can provide a useful starting point for you.

Crown Chakra

Setup – Vibration: The energy, vibration, or state of being you are seeking to create more of in your life. This is what you are actually trying to manifest – or a truer way of saying it might be this is what you are actually seeking to bring forth more of in your life, through the process of manifesting in your external world. For example, abundance, security, joy, purpose, love, connection, ease or vitality. These are your True North – your vision (third eye) or the specifics may change as you move through the process of manifesting, but you use these crown energies to assess the adaptations you make as the process unfolds.

Practice: Identify at least three for yourself, and give them each a color. Try to feel/see balls of light representing these energies as these colors above your head, and dissolve them into your crown chakra.

Crown Blocks/Calls to Heal: Doubt, uncertainty, disconnection from sense of purpose, feeling of no spiritual support (‘the universe is against me’), or that occult forces are obstructing you.

Third Eye

Setup – Vision: Your actual vision of what you want to create. For example, a new job, business, non-profit, book, course, product/service offering, home, or relationship  (or it might be more abstract – a mind state, state of health, or new belief system – but in this case you still need to get specific in this vision step.) Flesh out your vision as fully as you can at this point, and carefully assess whether it actually aligns with what you identified in the crown section. Remember this is an iterative process though – go back to crown and refine if you need to. The details may clarify or change as you implement various steps or trials.

Practice: Flesh out your vision in as much detail as you can – create 1-3 mental visuals representing your end goal, perhaps tied to each of the vibrations/states you selected for the crown setup. Bring these visuals to mind in front of your third eye, with a line of white light connecting your third eye to each. Try to feel/see each one as you visualize. Imagine them each coming fully into your third eye and the vibration spreading throughout your body. If you like vision boarding, you can also create an external vision board to support this step.

Third Eye Blocks/Calls to Heal: Lack of clarity, difficulty deciding on vision (may present as too many ideas), fear of ‘being wrong’, lack of trust in self to see clearly (seeking outside counsel on every detail.)

Throat Chakra

Setup – Communication. A concise, clear description of what you are creating, tied to the first two steps. If you like, you can use the ‘as if’ format many manifesting approaches advise, wording it as if it is already fully present now. For example, ‘my energy healing business is financially prosperous, helping many, and fulfilling to me’ or ‘My home is nurturing, close to nature, bright, and affordable’. If you are creating a business you may also want to create ‘elevator’ speeches – versions of this that inspire others to support you (financially or otherwise) or become your customer or client.

Practice: Say your main statements often to yourself – and practice feeling them as true, in every part of your body and subtle body. For the elevator speech versions, practice saying them to others, and emanating out your own contagious enthusiasm and belief as you do so.

Throat Blocks/Calls to Heal: Wanting to hide, remain inconspicuous, or keep parts of yourself secret, fear of others’ reactions, fear of persecution for speaking your truth or desires, fear that speaking it makes it too ‘real’, difficulty expressing self or finding words (bringing the inside out)

Heart Chakra

Setup – Support: The people and resources you need to attract as part of your manifesting process. This varies depending on where you are in your process – for a business it initially might be investors, money, a mentor, or partner, but eventually becomes clients/customers, employees/contractors, and supportive systems. For a health goal it might initially be the practitioner who can properly diagnose your issue, and then becomes the healers and modalities who support your healing, along with the resources to compensate them. Throughout, the support of family and friends is usually essential, so this step is not always about attracting new people into your life – it may also be about getting those already in your life on board (or letting go of those who can’t or won’t support you.) This can be spiritual support too (linked more to the back of the heart chakra) – are you in need of spiritual guidance or protection? Identify what you need.

Practice: Practice receiving! Often the hardest thing for us to do. Once you have identified what you need, imagine you are receiving it every day, and that it is pouring into your heart chakra. You might visualize beings of light representing the actual ‘people’ you are attracting, or a new location, website, or even money. See it pouring in and try to release any feelings of discomfort with receiving in this way. You can visualize spiritual support pouring in the back.

Heart Blocks/Calls to Heal: Feeling unworthy or undeserving, self-criticism and self-judgement, fear of others’ criticism and judgement, jealousy and comparison, imposter syndrome (“I’m a fake” – other chakras can also be the primary holder of this, but I find working with the heart is always helpful), resistance to asking for or receiving help.

Navel Chakra

Setup – Plan: Your plan of action – the actual steps and timelines for what you need to do. Depending on what you are manifesting you may have several versions of this – a long term plan that’s higher level, and then a shorter term one of your next tasks. These will evolve over time, as you move forward, but initially it’s important to at least have a long term ‘map’ and the next three specific tasks that you want to accomplish along with a target timeline. It’s easy to get stuck here, and if you do, it’s always best to DO SOMETHING. Take some action, because then based on how it goes, you get FEEDBACK (from actual people or the universe in general) as to what your challenges are – then you can revise (see Sacral), release blocks, heal, and regroup. Often there is a lot of circling between these bottom three chakra steps of Plan-Adapt-Act. In practice they are closely entwined, although for the initial setup, they are more distinct.

Practice: Write it down! Write down both your long term steps (which might be more general) and your specific action steps in the immediate future, and determine a target timeline. Speak it to others whom you trust to support you.

Navel Blocks/Calls to Heal: Lack of confidence, difficulty committing, procrastination, paralyzing perfectionism, mental fogginess/fuzziness, time management challenges, fear of owning your power and what that might bring (fears of persecution, betrayal, targeting, scapegoating – generally multi-chakra issues, but healing your relationship to your own power through navel work is a good starting point)

Sacral Chakra

Setup –  Adapt: This is both your inspiration energy, and your ability to stay fluid and adaptable when setbacks arise and you need to adjust. While the navel and root are about structure and specifics, this chakra is about flow. As I mentioned in the navel section, these lower three chakras are where the real ‘work’ is, and we cycle through them in many variations and iterations as we move through the process of actually ‘birthing’ something new in our lives. When obstacles arise or disappointments occur, our navel provides the will and plan to move forward, but our sacral energy provides the inspiration to continue and the fluidity to adjust. In this process we use the crown energies we established as our guide – adjustments that stay true to this are fine, and may reverberate through all the other levels, modifying our vision, communications, support needed, and plan.

Practice: Initially focus on your inspiration – this is probably closely tied to the crown chakra energies you identified, but is more the ‘why’ than the ‘what’. Why do you want this change? What inspires you to birth it? In the iterative phase, this changes – instead focus on letting go of your original plan, and adjust and adapt based on what you have learned from your setbacks or obstacles.

Sacral Blocks/Calls to Heal: Rigidity, hopelessness, patterns of giving up/discouragement, joylessness, stagnation/stuckness, cycles of shame/self-blame, feminine conditioning that says you can’t have what you want.

Root Chakra

Setup –  Action: Execute the tasks you identified as your immediate ones. Take action. This is the birthing process. Unless you actually take action, you can’t get feedback to refine from. There is risk involved in this, and issues of safety and risk are paramount when working with this chakra, as are issues of gain/loss and resources. Embodying resilience is key – the ability to act even when there is fear or uncertainty, and receive whatever outcomes arises as a key to wisdom, rather than a reflection of who you are.

Practice: Do the first/next tasks on your list!

Root Blocks/Calls to Heal: Risk aversion, feeling of overwhelm, safety/security concerns, poverty attachments/vows or other money or resource issues, lack of support from family/friends (and ancestral patterns, also linked to more than one chakra, but this is a good place to start on your own.)

REPEAT.

I hope this is a helpful framework for you and I welcome questions. If you are a woman looking to work on any of the chakra blocks/calls to heal listed here, I invite you to join my next round of the Chakra Empowerment for Women webinar, beginning next week.

Be Well.