3^rd Gate – Stomach Chakra: This gate represents will power. It is blocked by shame. To open it, one must accept that shameful deed(s) have happened.

Ok, this gate is about the power of will. Without fear and free from guilt, we have the ability to do stuff. We can do many things. Obviously this could pose problems for society or even ourselves with us just running around doing whatever we will. Shameful deeds will occur and we will have to deal with that. Shame is that feeling you get from doing something dishonorable or improper (dictionary definition paraphrased). What is the difference between shame and guilt? I’ll leave that with you. I see that is very similar with some minor variations. I think that shame can be caused by a feeling of guilt.

If you follow my reasoning, then this gate and the 2^nd are very much connected and if you open one, the other will be opened as well. If you don’t follow my definitions of the words, then you are left to determine your shameful events in accordance to your own definition and call them into your mind.

As a Christian, this gate can be opened just as the last one. Accept that your shameful moments happened. If you are truly remorseful, then there isn’t a need to hide those shameful actions. There are many out there who could learn from the repentance of others so that shame you feel over some actions could, in a stretch of the word, could turn into the pride in knowing that you could use them as a means to help someone make a better decision for themselves. Things happen in such a way that we can learn from them. A great way to demonstrate what you’ve learned is to teach others.

If you aren’t a Christian, then I feel that the same idea applies. You go through life constantly learning. Sharing what you’ve learned through your life, even the stuff that is shameful, you can prevent someone from falling into the same pitfall.

As a disclaimer, I do not mean for people to go around sharing their life stories to strangers or try to pour out life advice on folks that aren’t in dire need of it. I am asking that you pull those shameful moments into your memory and accept that you were apart of it. If you cannot accept your responsibility than you cannot fully be remorseful.

I guess one could say that I’m somewhat of a Spiritualist. I am not going to define that because I myself don’t even quite know what that means. What I can say is that I frequently meditate and due to this I have been exposed to the idea of lining up/opening one’s chakra gates.

I’ll leave you to research the history of Chakra as to not attack your eyes with a spiked wall of text. I think that by opening these Gates, you can allow yourself to be more in tune with the happenings of what goes on around you.

Problem with the method is the difficulty. Due to my near daily practice of meditation, I’ve become pretty aware of my inner self. At the very least, I can understand enough to learn more about myself. That being said, this was a difficult task for me just because of the sheer amount of will power and trust. I do believe that it can be done.

I am going to break down the different gates in different blogs, starting at the bottom and working upward. The point of this is to, hopefully, get some new perspectives. Here we go with the first:

1^st Gate – Root Chakra: related to Survival and Grounding. It is blocked by Fear. To open this gate, one must free one’s self of the hold fear has on them.

            To me, Root Chakra is deeply rooted in the natural instincts that are inherent of all animals, including humans. Due to the process of domestication, animals are forced to suppress, and even lose, those instincts. This gate is all about rekindling those instincts and accepting them as the reasons for our survival as a species.  Some people have created a false idea of animal instincts in humans as a way to further promote the domestication process in the human species. Our basic instincts are pure, neutral actions. It is only when we’ve attached something to them that they gain the aspects of “sinful” or “bad” in the scheme of morality. The need to eat and the need to reproduce are instinctual. Once we tag on the ideas of reproducing because it feels good, we enter into the area of corrupt action.

            Because of the constant pressure to domesticate ourselves to set ourselves apart from the animals, we’ve become afraid to let ourselves be what as we were created. This fear blocks our ability to tap into and embrace these instincts as part of our survival. Due to that, the rest of the gates are unable to be opened because you will carry an underlying fear that will prevent you from experiencing the world with new eyes.

            Breaking from this fear and resisting domestication will grant us far greater control of our animal impulses and allow us to further our journey into a better understanding of the happening around us. After releasing the hold fear has on you, the world will look to be a vastly different place and one’s view on the human race will change dramatically as well. How do you break the fear? Venture into the depths of your own self. I am a Christian and I gave up my fear with the belief that God created my instincts for a reason. If I shun them and pretend like they aren’t there, how can I truly be appreciating the life made for me? I trust that God knew what God was doing in forming us; I don’t think the process of domestication is in the plan…at least not in the way we have been going about it. What if you aren’t Christian? You can break free of the fear by taking the time to break from the domestic world. Sitting outside and losing yourself in thought are the first steps in breaking free. Let those animal instincts reemerge. Venture into your belief system and open your mind to changes.

            This is most important Gate as without it, none of the others can be opened. The challenge in this gate is being able to trust yourself and being able to push away the fear. With an open mind and open eyes, I don’t see it being a problem. Fear thrives in complexity. Keep your thoughts simple and it* will be made clear.

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