The Throat Chakra
The Throat Chakra: The Bridge to Communication
The throat chakra – also known as the vishuddha – is the fifth chakra of the seven chakras in our chakra series – Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and, finally, the Crown. This chakra opens the gateway to external communication, expression, and creativity.
We cannot discuss the throat chakra without a comparison to the Greek god Hermes. His character personifies the traveling messenger between all deities, sending signals and expressions of harmony, disharmony, life, and death. Hermes is a trickster figure, often moving forwards and backwards with a whimsical and snake-charming personality. God of messages, Hermes has little to say for himself. Rather, he comes and goes with the transferences of soul between upper worlds and underworlds.
Similarly, the throat irrigates the vital flow of oxygen, blood, and neurotransmission between the brain, head and body. We could say the mythological Hermes is at work each time sensation, memory, compulsion and anger come to consciousness. The Hermes mythos hosts all that is the exposed and vulnerable go-between just as the throat carries vital substance across the threshold between the mind and the body.
What is the Throat Chakra?
Associated with the color deep blue, the throat chakra is the source of our deep truths. When this chakra is blocked, communication between what is truly taking place in the mind and in the parts of the body is repressed. This may lead to eruptions of mood, loss of identity, the need for mental health services and a poor spiritual, emotional, and psychological disposition.
As the vulnerability of the throat space begins to loosen, one may discover they have a tremendous amount to say without really knowing the source of the information. The “purge,” as we call it, is to access the Hermetic stream of consciousness. It is the voice that bounces back which tells what we sound like. Furthermore, it is the voice of process – the Hermetic traveler – which carries the sacred messages of our deepest truths.
What Happens When Throat Chakra is Blocked?
An open and balanced throat chakra frees up our channels of communication. When the throat is released of tension and energy flows freely, not only are we able to communicate between mind and body in the inner world but also in the outer world with relationships and vital self-expression. A balanced throat chakra supports the communication of truths in ways that find harmony and understanding with others.
Naturally, an overactive throat chakra may instead hurl information, or overcome oneself and others with maniacal intensities. When, for example, we do not transfer anger through the god Hermes, we risk the overtaking of Mars. Anger energy, as an example, can overtake the repressed or the overactive (and they are one and the same). Making one small creates counterbalance, if only in the eyes of others.
How to Open the Throat Chakra
Be mindful of the formation of words and the purpose of the throat space. Breathe into this area. Allow energy to flow upwards and downwards, transferring the vital wisdom the psyche-soma connection affords. Since all aspects and relationships occur at the threshold between them, we can recognize the throat as the great bridge across which all vital truths and harmonies must cross. May we all be impeccable with our word as we observe and connect in the slippery and poetic flow of Hermes.
Throat Chakra Meditation
Let us finish with a meditation practice for opening the throat chakra.
To learn more about our philosophy or to join a free community support group at Barn Life Recovery, never hesitate to reach out. We’re help you love life again.