IN A NUTSHELL
The ājñā chakra is located at the point between the eyebrows. It is locked by ego and seriousness and made to flower through innocence, simplicity and shedding the ego.
The third eye or ājñā is the key to experiencing a whole different realm. When this chakra opens, the being moves into a new level of awareness and other faculties become available to experience.
In the diagram overleaf, the woman is shown with an awakened ājñā chakra. The ego, at the bottom of the picture, is depicted as a burned-out forest. Characterizing the experience of the ego is seriousness, perfectionism, self-consciousness, fear of making decisions, etc. The ego is dead, as is the forest that portrays it.
The woman has moved beyond the confines of the ego, and has available the fluidity of Existence, portrayed as a lush forest and a mountain stream. The stream represents the flow of Existence, not available for the ego to experience. The ego is really the mind, or mind chatter, the flow of negativity and complaint. Only when we drop the ego can we know the fullness and fluidity of Existence.
This flow of Existence is only available when we learn to follow the heart instead of the mind. The heart is the path of creativity and allows us to drop dependence on the mind. Being creative brings us an experience of our individuality and our unique contributions as well as what it means to be in the flow. When we are blocked in ego, we see ourselves as a solid entity and are unable to flow with Existence.
Surrender is an important part of the process of moving beyond ego. The Master's intervention is a blessing which we can experience through trust and through opening the space for Him to enter.
The other keys to opening the ājñā are awareness and meditation. Laughter and dance are powerful meditations that take us out of seriousness to the experience of 'no-mind'. Again, as with the maṇipuraka chakra, seeing life as a drama rather than being involved in it, allows us to become less serious about life.
As we take the mind less seriously, we begin to be caught up in the creative spontaneous flow of life. As we stop resisting what is, this experience will simply emerge and overtake us. Then joy and spontaneity will be our natural experience and we will have emerged into a totally different and fulfilling experience of life.
A MAN PRAYED VERY HARD IN A TEMPLE ONE DAY, 'OH LORD! PLEASE GIVE ME 1000 RUPEES FOR 15 DAYS. I AM VERY DESPERATE TO RECEIVE IT. I WILL RETURN THE MONEY TO YOU ON THE 16TH DAY FROM TODAY WHEN I GET MY FIRST PAYCHECK.'
THE TEMPLE PRIEST WAS LISTENING TO HIS PRAYERS. HE FELT VERY SORRY TO SEE THE MAN IN THAT STATE. HE HAD WITH HIM 500 RUPEES. HE PUT IT IN AN ENVELOPE AND GAVE IT TO THE MAN SAYING THAT GOD HAD ASKED HIM TO GIVE HIM THE MONEY.
THE MAN WAS OVERJOYED. HE TOOK THE ENVELOPE HOME AND OPENED IT. HE COUNTED THE
MONEY AND SAW THAT THERE WAS ONLY 500 RUPEES AND NOT 1000 RUPEES.
THE NEXT DAY HE WENT TO THE TEMPLE AND PRAYED TO GOD, 'OH GOD! NEXT TIME, PLEASE DON'T SEND THE MONEY THROUGH THE PRIEST; SEND IT DIRECTLY. THE PRIEST TOOK HALF OF IT!'
.......................... Sahasrāra Chakra (Crown Chakra)
The s*ahasrāra chakra* is located at the crown of the head. It shrinks through discontentment and taking life for granted, and flowers through overflowing gratitude and contentment.