Heart Chakra - Center of Love
CHAKRA 4 -
HEART CHAKRA
LOCATION: Heart
PURPOSE: Love
ELEMENT: Air
IDENTITY: Social
COLOR: Green
The heart chakra is located in your chest. Most are in agreement it is more in the center of your chest than where your heart actually resides. The heart chakra is the central part of the chakra system and is the center of love. It is at this fourth chakra you start embracing the bigger picture. This is where you start understanding your smaller part in the bigger picture and the reverberations of your actions. Love radiates through all things. At the heart chakra, you start to gain the realization that love experienced at this level is felt within as a state of being as opposed to the more sexual love of the sacral chakra. Heart chakra love is enduring and never changing.
With the heart chakra being the central part of the chakra system, it connects the upper and lower chakras and serves to integrate earthly and spiritual matters. When this chakra is operating properly, the two realms are integrated effortlessly and brings harmony. This fourth chakra allows you to see beauty in all aspects of life and helps you approach life in a state of open acceptance
You can begin to open and heal your heart chakra by practicing regular self-care. Taking care of yourself and focusing on your own needs is not selfish. It is an imperative step towards honoring and loving yourself. We cannot properly love others without first loving ourselves. This selfcare will look differently for everyone. For some it will be taking luxurious salt bath or getting a pedicure while for others it will be sitting in silence reading a book. Do what you consider a treat and an honoring of yourself.
Working through your emotions is imperative. Do not suppress how you feel. Being open and honest with yourself and those around you will allow you to work through emotions rather than bottling them up. Letting your emotions out can mean writing them in a journal, having a heart to heart with a friend or even screaming into a pillow. Repressing your emotions is detrimental to heart chakra health.
Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. Gratitude is a direct balm on our heart and stops the negative mind chatter. Stop for a moment and just express gratitude outload are silently for even small things. Turning your faucet on and having fresh water, your refrigerator or even your washing machine are all things worthy of gratitude.
The true demon of the heart chakra is grief. Grief keeps you in the past and keeps you from moving forward. Grief itself is a healthy and natural emotion. It is meant to be felt and moved through. Some events are so filled with grief you never can completely move through all the grief associated with the event, but we must learn to move through it as it reappears. Feeling grief allows you to heal. Repressed grief shuts your heart down and does not allow you to experience the little joys surrounding you.
The color associated with the heart chakra is green so think green when it comes to heart chakra healing foods. Some vegetables to include are spinach, zucchini, Brussel sprouts, green beans, peas, kale asparagus. If you prefer fruits over vegetables. There are plenty green ones to choose from. You can add green apples, limes, avocados, kiwi and cucumber. Yes, in the world of science a cucumber is technically a fruit. Experiment with ways to work these choices into your diet.
For the crystal lovers, think pink, green and throw in some dalmatian. The go-to stone for healing and self-love is rose quartz. Ruby fuchsite with its blend of a deep pinkish-red from the ruby and medium green from the fuchsite is perfect for helping clear up any heart blockages. This stone is especially affective if you have been hurt by a love interest. Ruby zoisite is an excellent activator of the body’s own healing properties. If you have experienced especially hurtful behaviors such as being cheated on or gas-lighted, dalmatian jasper is a good choice. Named after the dalmatian dog because of its black spots, this stone can help bring healing by breaking down your protective walls and helping you connect again when you feel you are ready. The rich deep green stripes of malachite will not disappoint. This stone has powerful capabilities that help dissolve heartache and promote abundance and growth.