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Sahasrara Chakra - The Crown Chakra

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​​The bija mantra is Om
​Element is the Atma

Divinity is Supreme consciousness, the Supreme Self
Symbols WHITE SHIVA LINGAM – pure consciousness
Qualities and Aspects MOKSHA - liberation
Plane SATYALOKA – plane of truth
Star SUN
Principle SAMĀDHI - union of knowledge, knower and object of knowledge
Sensation/Emotion MAHĀ ĀNANDA – Supreme Bliss
Gland PINEAL GLAND
Plexus CEREBRUM - Brain

​This thousand petaled lotus is down-turned, lustrous and whiter then the full moon, tinged with the color of the young sun. Its body has all the letters on it. Inside it is the full moon, its rays moist and cool as nectar. Inside this is the Triangle, and inside that the Great Void. This is the seat of Parama Shiva, the Brahman and Atman of all beings. He who has controlled his mind and known the subtle aspects of this chakra is not reborn. In this place is Nirvana Shakti. Inside her is the abode of Shiva, where there is neither time nor space, free from Maya, and called Nityananda.
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Sahasrara is the place of pure consciousness. During the rise of Kundalini, energy travels up the ida and pingala nadis and meets at Ajna chakra, it combines with the energy rising up through the shushumna nadi at the Sahasrara chakra. One reaches a state of non-duality, great bliss, or samadhi. It is a state of balance, equilibirium, and the experience super-consciousness where the individual transcends the ego, or sense of self.

The best way to begin to understand Sahasrara is to regularly practice deep meditation, where you let go of everything and all is peace. The more often you can attain a state of bliss the easier it becomes.

Samadhi is the pure bliss of total inactivity. Up to the sixth chakra the yogi may enter a trance in which activity or form still remains within the consciousness.

Our lifelong striving for happiness and fulfilment is achieved with the union of Shiva and Shakti. Shakti is located in the Mūlādhāra Chakra and Shiva in the Sahasrāra Chakra. Between the two exists an irresistible attraction, and we experience the distance between them as a dark zone of unclarity and ignorance. The trench that separates Shiva and Shakti (otherwise known as Purusha and Prakriti – consciousness and nature) is “not-knowing”, and the consequence of “not-knowing” are emotions full of suffering, such as loneliness, sadness, bitterness, fear, doubt, etc., that accompany us through life.

In Sahasrara Chakra the prana moves upward and reaches the highest point. Then back down to the root chakra and the base of kundalini. All feelings, emotions and desires, which are the activities of the mind, are dissolved into their primary cause. The union is achieved. The yogi is sat-chit-ananda, truth-being-bliss. He is his own real self, and as long as he stays in his physical body he retains nondual consciousness, enjoying the play of lila without becoming troubled by pleasure and pain, honors and humiliations.
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The union of Shiva and Shakti occurs when the stream of energy in the two main Nādīs, Idā and Pingalā , unite and rise through the Sushumnā Nādī. But the realisation of the Ātmā takes place only when a simultaneous awakening of the Anāhata Chakra and the Sahasrāra Chakra occurs. The inner structure of sushumna comprises of three subtler nadis, which become active when the sushumna is awakened. Inside sushumna is vajra nadi. This nadi contains chitra or chitrini nadi, and at the centre is brahma nadi, the subtlest flow. Brahma nadi is so called because the higher levels of consciousness are directly activated via this nadi. When the kundalini shakti passes through this channel, transcendental experiences take place.
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​The mind establishes itself in the pure void of Shunya, complete emptiness, pure void, and complete nothingness. But it is not devoid of everything, rather it is full of everything it is emptiness that has two complimentary states. It is Shunya (empty) because it is Purna (full).  If you fill something with things that are exact opposite or complement to each other they cancel each other out and you are left with nothing. 0+5-5=0. If you fill something with 5 positive charges and 5 equivalent negative charges, then the whole will simply be a zero, a nothing.

One state is Complete Nothingness and the other state is Absolute Nothingness. One state is without desires (no existence of existence) and the other state is with desires (existence of existence). Shunya contains everything and nothing, everything exists and is non-existent. Our world is filled with complementing aspects from electrons and anti-electrons to male and females, whatever element you consider, you will find its complementing other. So although from a partial point of view it seems something exists, from an absolute point of view nothing actually exists. That is how Shunya is not empty but completely filled (purna). Opposite natures inherently exist to maintain the state of Shunyata.  So we see that Shunya has two complementary states.

Vrittis of Sahasrara

​The energy of all Nādīs flows together in Sahasrara.

There are 50 vritti's in the human being. Samskaras are the various mental inclinations or natural tendencies to behave in a particular way that human beings experience and express. The samskaras of an individual will be expressed as a particular configuration of vrittis. On an energy level the vrittis are associated with the different chakras. When the chakras are depicted as lotuses they have a specific number of petals, which correspond to the vrittis. One vritti per petal. 

Sahasrara (seventh) chakra, contains the seeds of all the vrittis, and all their means of expression. With 50 vrittis, expressed through 10 indriyas (senses) in both an internal and external manor, there are 1000 expressions. Thus there are 1000 petals in the lotus for this chakra.
Muldhara
Highest Bliss
Inate Bliss
Heroic Bliss
Bliss of Union

Svadhisthana
Contempt
Psychic stupor
Indulgence
Lack of confidence
Thought of annihilation
Pitilessness

Manipura
Fear
Shame
Treachery
Jealousy
Dullness
Sadness
Negative passion
Desire
Attachment
Aversion
​
Anahata
Hope
Worry
Effort
Possessiveness
Vanity
Conscience
Imperfections
Egoism
Lustfulness
Deceitfulness
Defiance
​Contrition
​Vishuddha
​9 mantras:
AUM Acoustic root of creation
​Hummm: Kundalini wake-up sound​
Phat: Putting a theory into practice
Vashat: ​Expression of worldly knowledge
​Vasat: Well-being in the subtle sphere
Svadha: ​Performing noble actions, good deeds
Namah: Surrender to the Supreme
Visa: ​​Expression of disgust
Amrita: ​Expression of sweetness
7 musical notes​
Ajna
para: Ida: spiritual knowledge, elevating the lower vrittis towards spiritual enjoyments.

apara: Pingala: secular knowledge, directing the lower vrittis towards mundane enjoyments.
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http://shunyavada.com/
https://www.tantra-kundalini.com/sahasrara/
https://www.chakras.net/energy-centers/sahasrara/about-the-sahasrara-chakra
This is a really informative page about the nadis: http://themodernvedic.com/life/nadis-network-body/
exercise for sahasrara chakra: https://www.chakras.net/energy-centers/sahasrara/exercises
​

New Age Ideas

The modern, rainbow coloured chakra system comes from neo-tantra, new age religion and western occultism. It is founded in the radical new belief system that originated from the Theosophical society in 1885 to 1920. 
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New Age Symbolism:
  • 1000 petaled lotus is a metaphor for infinity
  • The element is thought
  • The function is understanding
  • Its qualities are bliss and wisdom
  • It governs the pituitary gland, cerebral cortex and central nervous system
  • Its colour is violet to white. It changes from a deep violet to a white light
  • When it is open and in alignment its appearance can look like a halo. 
  • The 7th chakra is about Spiritual connection, conscious connection with the divine source, a bridge to the cosmos
  • receive insights of inner wisdom, enables our highest potential & intuitive knowing
  • we become the embodiment of our highest self, fulfill our full potential
  • living in enlightenment, in the present moment with unity, oneness and trust
  • feel peace
  • be aware of your spiritual self
  • feel at one, connect with others 
  • You will be selflessly devoted to the well-being of others because you see them as a part of you, rather than as separate.
  • When your crown chakra is open you will be see the bigger picture.
​
When a chakra is out of alignment prana, life force cannot flow in and out, it doesn't emit or absorb as much energy. An imbalance in the crown chakra leads to spiritual distress. 

The 3 main things that block the crown chakra are
  • Secular thinking
  • Disbelief in spirituality
  • Betrayal
Atheists and agnostics have the most out of aligned crown chakra 

​Symptoms of a blockage in the seventh chakra include:
  • Isolation and loneliness; inability to connect with others
  • Lack of direction
  • Inability to set or maintain goals
  • Feeling disconnected spiritually

A visualization to open the crown chakra
Visualize a deep violet opening at the top of your head. Expand the opening till it is about a foot wide then start to spin it clockwise. Imagine drawing in golden or white light, drawing it down through the violet funnel and into your body. See it moving into your mind, down your spine and radiating out into all the parts of your body, filling every cell. See the golden white light radiate out from your body.

Ways to open the Sahasrara Chakra
  • Meditation
  • Seek out things that inspire you
  • Spend time in silence
  • Open your mind to new ideas
  • Challenge your thinking to consider the opposite
  • Spend time looking at panoramic views
  • Practice gratitude, write down things that you are grateful for
  • Write a list of why you are loveable
  • Do nice things for others 
Yoga sequence:
We first move through the lower chakras to elevate us toward the crown chakra to uncover enlightenment, self-realization, fulfillment and divine self. 

Muldahara, root chakra, red - seated circles, cat cow - bitilasana
Svadhistana, sacral chakra, orange -  wide legged seated fwd fold - Upavisttha Konasana
Manipura, solar plexus, yellow - long legged twist to the back - Bhunamanasana
Anahata, heart chakra, green - reverse plank - purvottanasana
Vishuddha, throat chakra, Blue - bridge pose - setu bandha sarvangasana
Ajna, third eye, Indigo - Down face hero with block - Vajrasana

Down face dog
Dolphin pose
Headstand
shoulderstand
​Malasana
Crowpose
​
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https://www.artzolo.com

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