On Expression
“Like a mermaid in sea-weed, she dreams awake, trembling in her soft and chilly nest.”
I had a dream recently where I was unable to pronounce words.
Instead of using my voice, I moved to express myself, using my hands and body to communicate.
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In the dream, I led a movement practice from the center of the circle, where everyone could see me.
Midway through the session, four tall, cloaked figures wearing dark clothes arrived and stood in the corner.
They began talking, laughing, and disrupting the group.
I approached them to ask them to be quiet, though I could not speak. I used my hands and sent them gold light, but they would not budge.
Instead, they began leaning over me and using their force to push me.
I fell, and the circle burst open. The dark cloaks moved inward, and several of the people joined them. They took over the space.
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In the dream, I felt tight, small, and angry. I felt helpless.
I write about my dreamscape every morning. I draw from the symbols, sounds, sensations, and knowledge I've gathered from the dream authors and analysts I've studied.
The questions I sat with from this experience include:
Why did I put myself in a situation where I did not have the proper tools to execute what I desired?
How could I have addressed the darkness before it grew more significant than my force?
Could I have asked the circle members for their support?
What created a block in my sending gold light to the dark cloaks?
How could I have held myself differently (breath, posture, presentation) so that my intent was more explicit?
Dreams are messages from the subconscious.
During deep sleep (REM cycles, often when we dream), our bodies process information, sort out long-term and short-term memories, and clear our brains of intellectual waste.
“Another very important function of REM sleep is to help us process our emotional memories, helping separate our emotions from the memory of the negative (or positive) experience that triggered those emotions. ”- Excerpt From Outlive by Peter Attia, MD
For decades, I've used dream journaling to review how I engage and express myself; it's part of my ritual of pratyahara (withdrawing from the senses) to observe where I might rework, refine, or revitalize how I hold and place myself in the world.
The fifth chakra is our vehicle for expression. Located at the throat, it uses the strength of the solar plexus and the heart's compassion to vocalize our intent!
The neck is the bridge between the Earth (body) and Heaven (head); the link allows us to ascend toward higher aims for society through vision, imagination, and intuition.
Words are one of the main themes of the fifth chakra, as we develop the tenacity and discernment to create our reality through what we speak.
Incantations, such as Abracadabra, capture this essence; it means: I create as I speak.
Reiki is a form of communication; it is what I was doing with the gold light in my dream.
It is felt rather than vocalized, a very rich communication method. It does not seek validation through external references.
It draws upon its own source (Self, Soul, Spirit, Love, Divine, God) to convey its message.
The fifth chakra allows us to define our vocabulary and decide how, where, when, and with whom we express ourselves.
Your expression could be a painting, a poem, how your heel strikes the Earth while running, how your arms move as you dance, a yoga pose, a picture, or a song.
Do you speak plain? Do you organize your thoughts before you vocalize what you feel? Do you speak from your heart, or your head? How do your words align/land on others?
These are questions for the Throat Chakra, Vishuddha.
What is the Throat Chakra?
The throat chakra is where we use our discernment to speak plainly and express our feelings in language. It is the bridge between the torso and the head, symbolizing where and how we vocalize our inner world to manifest it in the physical world.
Words define our reality. We speak our worlds into existence. What we say has a great effect on our nervous system, endocrine system, and organs. A word can transform a situation if we identify what needs to be said and deliver it succinctly. How we say what we say, the delivery, timing, and tone also significantly affect the outcome of any situation.
It takes patience and practice to develop the tenacity and compassion to express our feelings. Not every thought needs to be shared. Filtering what stays in our heads versus what is said out loud for the world to receive requires a high level of discipline.
At the throat chakra, we learn to speak what is felt in the heart while balancing it with the wisdom of the mind. The heart keeps our intent pure and focused, while the mind (upper chakras) provides a good sense of judgment to deliver what must be spoken aloud.
The throat chakra is called Vishuddha in Sankrit. It means exceptionally pure and signifies the point where we explore and express our fullest capacity to speak our truth, convey our essential nature to others (emotions, ideas, images, feelings), and advocate for a higher form and value system of being.
Throat Chakra Themes
Sound: Ham
Color: Bright Blue
Balanced: Truth, Authenticity, Self-Expression
Blocked: Depressed/Stagnant, Imposter Syndrom, Words and Actions Misaligned
About the Throat Chakra
The throat chakra conveys the intent and messages of all the other chakras. You might assess how you speak (and the source of your words) based on the chakra system. If your words are related to fear, security, or belonging, this is a function of the first chakra. If you’re discussing relationships, desire, and intimacy, this is of the second charka.
When the throat chakra is balanced, we can effectively and authentically convey our ideas. Before anything was a spoken word, it was a thought or a sensation in the body. Working with the fifth chakra brings awareness to how we speak and allows a pause to reflect on what we want to say and how it will affect our audience.
The thyroid and parathyroid are the glands associated with the fifth chakra; they are the keystone (essential) to the endocrine system. The thyroid is a horseshoe-shaped gland located at the larynx and trachea. It is controlled by the pituitary (the master gland for the crown chakra) and connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
When the thyroid is not functioning correctly, it affects the entire body and its systems. Its main job is to regulate your metabolism and how your body transforms food into energy. Thus, it controls how much energy is in the cells. The hormones released when the thyroid is in good working order allow you to digest and digest. The thyroid gland also affects your mood and behavior, affecting energy levels and weight. It affects your heartbeat, brain development, and bone formation/maintenance.
The parathyroid manages the amount of calcium in the blood. Too much or too little calcium can cause nerve damage, kidney stones, and muscle problems.
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
Ways to Observe the Throat Chakra
The following are some of the guidelines I use to work with the fifth chakra.
Understanding the origin of words.
Asking questions.
Listening more than I speak when engaging with others.
Singing songs, chanting mantras.
I listen to animals howl, bark, cry, meow, and feel the sensation in my body.
Reflecting on the intent behind my words at the end of the day.
Writing poems, short essays, and daily observations.
Identifying where and when I did not speak my truth and why.
Speaking plain.
Being impeccable with my word.
Listening to what is not said.
Kriya for the Throat Chakra.
Thank you for reading! The sources for this article are noted below.
