Vitamins & Minerals for the Soul

The word Chakra (or as it is spelled in Sanskrit – Çakra – with the c pronounced as ch) means spinning wheel of energy, and originally referred to a chariot wheel. Later it became associated with the term “wheel of light,” which is the modern usage of the word. The seven chakras were first described nearly 2600 years ago, in the ancient sacred texts. Most of the current Western knowledge of the chakra colours comes from an English translation of Sanskrit texts from the 10th and 16th centuries.

We are all made up of 7 different chakras running up and down our spine, constantly spinning. Interestingly, the frequency or vibrancy of these chakras correspond to the frequency of the 7 colours of the rainbow. When measured, a red coloured light vibrates slow and warm – exactly like our bottom root chakra up to violet’s frequency with a cool and fast vibration – just like our top crown chakra. It’s quite fascinating. You may have heard about chakras if you take yoga, thai chi, reiki, nia, or if you’ve been to an alternative health practitioner. These chakras centers are connected to major organs and glands on a physical level but also to our emotional, mental and spiritual levels representing the whole person. If we have disturbances on any of these levels, a chakra’s vitality will show an imbalance of over activity or under activity. If a Chakra becomes blocked, physical illness can follow.

I believe illness has 4 stages we speak to us through our Chakra centers. We first get a spiritual lesson which moves us into an emotional state. Following is the mindset around the lesson. If we hold onto negativity with this lesson, we physically manifest illness. Let me explain using an example of my recurring strep throat that I experienced in the past.

I became a statistic. 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual abuse and I'm one of those three. I didn’t speak about it for years. I never told anyone when it happened for fear of not being believed or from the fear of not wanting to get the boys into trouble. To avoid conflict, I kept quiet about my experiences. Having those fears and concerns of voicing is what I call the 1st stage of illness. They were negative thoughts and feelings. Over time, my throat chakra would have been spinning slowly as my voice wasn’t being used and I wasn’t expressing true emotions. This represents the 2nd stage of illness. Now, as an adult, I wanted to begin speaking in front of an audience about detoxing thoughts. I’d forgiven my abusers and thought I was free and clear of any trouble. Nevertheless, although my thoughts had changed, I still had some work to do to completely clear this issue. My business coach kept working with me to unleash my real story to an audience. I was terrified with this idea. I was worried about judgment, blame and authenticity. Would people believe me? Could I get through telling the story without breaking down emotionally during my talk? Was I really an abuse survivor? I didn’t want to be labeled as that and it was hard for me to accept the fact that this really was a big part of my story that molded me into who I am today. With all these thoughts and fears arising I started experiencing a constant sore throat. I entered the 3rd stage of illness. I suffered with laryngitis many times, losing my voice completely for weeks. Then one summer, I had strep throat 4 times! This is the 4th stage of illness. Physical manifestation. This was crazy! Here I was helping other people detox their thoughts and I had strep throat for the 4th time. I needed to face the truth. This was part of my picture and I needed to display the painting for the world to see. I needed to share my experiences; how I overcame so much negative emotion and found forgiveness. I needed to believe in myself and the advice I’d given to others. After that “awareness” I began telling people why it was so important for me to detox my thoughts and how I’d done the work, gone through the process, felt enormous amounts of emotion and had emerged as a cleaner person with less toxic thoughts. That was years ago now and I haven’t had another bout of strep throat since! I can only imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t heard what my body was telling me. Would I have experienced even worse illness in my throat? Would my heart begin having trouble since I was holding onto such emotion? So much more could have developed. I’m very lucky I was open and aware and only suffered minor throat issues to wake me up. Hopefully, this example explains the four different stages of health when dealing with a negative thought.

When we can become aware first and change those negative thoughts and feelings before they transpire into an imbalance in the body, we’re taking care of our health on all levels.

The Chakra system, meaning “wheel of energy” really is an incredible creation. It’s what ties the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual elements together to make us the unique, magnificent creation we are in the world. It’s absolutely amazing that each chakra center has the same frequency as a colour of the rainbow. Let’s understand how they each represent an integral part of our make-up.

Our 7 chakras can be divided into a Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual category for easier understanding.

Physical Chakras – Red Root and Orange Sacral

These bottom two chakras are connected to our physical wellbeing. The first chakra is the Root Chakra, vibrating at the same frequency as the colour red. The second chakra or Sacral Chakra is located above the Red Root, which vibrates as the same frequency as the colour orange.

The Red Root is all about our “roots” – just like a tree. It connects us to our root family. It’s the foundation in our lives and the structure. It helps us keep our feet on the ground and bring our dreams into reality. It connects us to our physical health, our immune system, and our blood, spinal column, bones and teeth. If we were having trouble in one of these areas, we may experience immune dysfunctions, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia or Arthritis. We can also encounter blood disorders, vitamin and mineral deficiency, and head injuries from having our “head in the clouds”. The Red Root is a part of our physical energy center as it’s a focus on action and passion.

The Orange Sacral is also part of the physical centers but it’s more concerned with the physical act of being playful. It reminds us to be present in the moment and enjoy all that life has to offer. As adults we sometimes forget to play. This energy center helps us to remember that play is an important part of our lives. In visual relation to a tree, it’s the bottom of the trunk – the part that we can wrap our arms around and hug. Our Orange Sacral connects us to our femininity or masculinity. It’s connected to our sexual reproduction. If it’s out of balance, we may experience infertility, a lack of a sex drive, ovarian cysts, and hormone imbalances for example. That’s a good reason to play, remain active, and keep the Orange Sacral Chakra happy.

Mental Chakra – Yellow Solar Plexus

The 3rd chakra is related to our mental wellbeing. It’s called the Solar Plexus chakra and it’s the same frequency as the colour yellow. This chakra is concerned with our concentration, memory, confidence, self-esteem, and having a positive outlook on life. As it visually relates to the tree, think of this representing the trunk of the tree where the branches begin to grow. The Yellow Solar Plexus Chakra connects us to our digestive system, liver, pancreas, kidneys, gall bladder, and colon. When we try to be in control of life and forget to surrender and release to our internal guidance system (that gut feeling) we can experience problems in these areas. In addition, if we’re using our mental self too much by becoming a workaholic, stressing about work, or issues causing a lot of mental energy, we can throw this chakra out of balance and create problems for ourselves. When healthy, we are confident, self-assured, quick to think, and we remember to always see the glass as half full instead of half empty.

Emotional Chakras – Green Heart and Blue Throat

The 4th and 5th chakras are connected to our emotional well being. The 4th chakra is the center of all. There are three chakras below and three chakras above. This chakra has the same frequency as the colour green. The Green Heart chakra is the balance of giving and receiving love. It’s about balance in life on all levels. The heart chakra is the branches of the tree reaching out to give love as well as receiving the love that the universe has to offer. The Green Heart Chakra is a loving frequency, helping us to find forgiveness, compassion, and kindness in not only others but in ourselves as well. It lets us know that we are love and we are loved. Unfortunately, when we’ve been hurt, lost trust or have low self-worth, this Green Heart Chakra will suffer. This can lead to problems with our heart, lungs, and breasts. With three chakras above and below this Green Heart Chakra, it’s very important to keep it healthy as it’s the center. In my past experience, most people with issues in the other six chakras usually have a core problem in the Green Heart Chakra.

The 5th chakra is the Blue Throat chakra representing how well we voice our thoughts, feelings, and authenticity. It’s also the colour and chakra related to having a restful sleep, calming stress, anxiety, and experiencing harmony in life. This chakra finds our peace and order, gets us organized, and represents loyalty. All too often, if we’re not being authentic with ourselves or others, we will experience throat problems. Being authentic, means honouring our beliefs and values in every situation. Have you ever compromised your beliefs and values or made excuses for them in order to please someone else? If you don’t honour yourself and voice your truth, you may experience a sore throat, strep throat, laryngitis or tonsillitis, for example. Your throat chakra wants you to express yourself with love. When we live in authenticity, we honour ourselves and others with love.

Spiritual Chakras – Indigo Brow Chakra and Violet Crown Chakra

Our 6th chakra, the Indigo Brow chakra, has also been called “The Third Eye” chakra as it’s our way of seeing into the spiritual realm. This is the chakra that connects us to our intuitive gifts, such as that sense of knowing, the ability to see or hear the other side, and the connection with our spiritual support system. It’s also connected to our creative gifts, such as painting, song writing, poetry or story telling. In our example of the tree, this Brow Chakra represents the leaves on the trees. The leaves reach up towards the sun, sprouting from the nutrients that run through the trunk from the roots.

Imagine if the roots and trunk couldn’t provide the nutrients to the leaves? The leaves wouldn’t sprout and grow. When this chakra is blocked, it causes headaches, migraines, plugged ears and sinuses, vertigo, and blurred vision. When healthy, we are guided to our next step, and the words to express and feel our spiritual support system are with us at all times.

Our 7th chakra, with its beautiful violet colour, represents our connection to a higher Divine source. Regardless of what you choose to call this source, this chakra, when open, allows us to connect to ultimate love, compassion, and kindness. It’s our crown chakra on the top of our head allowing for all of the wisdom from source to pour into our being and guide us on our mission in life. It is the fruit of our tree. The life that feeds us, nourishes us, and gives the seeds to start a new tree or life.

Failing to utilize this chakra will result in physical pain, struggle, a lack of direction, and constant negativity. When healthy, we see the beauty in every situation and understand our life purpose.

Imagine how much healthier and happier you’d be if you caught those imbalances in the 1st or 2nd stage of illness. How would you feel if you could permanently release your fear of failure, your negative inner dialogue, your need for recognition, your need to please others constantly, your addictions, and your hidden denials? Think of the freedom your heart, mind and soul will ultimately feel.

Learning more about the Chakras and using colour as the vitamins and minerals for your soul will truly help you in healing, growing and detoxing your thoughts so you can live a happier healthier life.

Have yourself a colourful day!

Angela