Chakra: Root located at the base of the spine
Sanskrit Word: Muladhara
Color: Red
Sound: Lam (L-UH-M)
Gemstone: Red jasper or ruby
Release Technique: Family Constellations
Creation Tool: Ancestral Altar
Mantras: I am grounded. I am safe. I am secure.
Feminine archetype: The Maiden
Just as the roots of a plant serve as the foundation that nurtures the stem and the leaves and allows it to grow, so too does our root chakra serve as the groundwork for our Rebirth Journey. In order to truly bloom into our new life, it’s important to examine where we have come from and honor the journey that has taken us thus far.
As you will learn in the blog posts ahead, we often repeat family patterns unknowingly and subconsciously until we recognize what we are doing and decide to make a change. Torie Feldman of Sacred Ancestry puts it this way, “When they say, ‘It runs in the family,’ you say, ‘And this is where it runs out.’” That’s why we will begin our journey by examining family patterns that we want to break, while also tapping into the tremendous support that is available from our ancestors, living or not.
The process we will be using to release unhealthy family patterns is a healing modality known as family constellations. Created by a former Jesuit priest named Bert Hellinger, this process facilitates changes in the fifth dimension that are often not accessible in the third dimension where we live out our daily lives. While family constellations can take different forms, I will be explaining one of the most common approaches in the next blog post.
It’s possible that family constellations are not available to you at the moment, but I truly believe that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. If what you learn in this journey intrigues you, then some way, somehow, you are likely to find a facilitator who can help you tap into the immense power of this process.
Once we have covered the release technique for this month, we will go over the creative process that we will be using to bring in what we desire. This process will involve tapping into ancestral support, which is readily available to everyone at any time. Whether you realize it or not, all of those who came before you stand ready to assist you in another dimension. But as with everything in our life, we have to be aware that the support is there in order to access it.
Our root chakra, located at the base of the spine is where we will begin energetically. As you can see in the chart above, each chakra is represented by a Sanskrit word, a symbol known as a yantra, a color and a sound. Let’s dive deeper into each of these properties to more fully understand the root chakra.
Let’s start by looking at the meaning of the Sanskrit word for the root chakra: muladhara. The first part of the word, mula, means root or beginnings. The second part of the word, dhara, means foundation. This is the chakra that supports your life force and so we begin there.
The yantra, or ancient geometrical symbol for the root chakra, is a red lotus flower with four petals that represent both the four directions (east, west, north and south) and the four elements (earth, fire, air and water). Inside the lotus flower, you will see a square embedded with deep symbolic meaning. Take a closer look and you will see an upside-down triangle, symbolizing shakti feminine energy. Inside the triangle is a symbol for the masculine energy, shiva, and kundalini energy, which has the power to rise up through the body and open each of the other chakras.
You can connect with the energy of the root chakra by gazing at the symbol while breathing deeply in meditation. You also might try closing your eyes and visualizing the color red while chanting the LAM sound a few times. As you travel through this part of the journey, I encourage you to wear red often, especially when you are carrying out the processes I will be describing. Also consider getting a red jasper crystal or a ruby gemstone. Both of these elements associated with the root chakra will help you release any blocks that may be preventing the chakra from spinning freely and emitting its most vibrant color.
Recall that the lower chakras energetically support those that are above it. We begin at the root so we can ensure that it will energetically fuel those chakras we will be examining in the months ahead. The chakra system is intuitive. No one has actually been able to see the chakras nor tangibly measure their velocity. But you will often know that healing has occurred by the way you feel physically.
I can use myself as an example. For some time now, I have been feeling pain right at the base of the spine where the root chakra is located. Because the chakra is associated with the maiden archetype, I knew that I needed to look to my family patterns for clues to the origin of that pain. My own journey has taken me through several family constellations, and along the way, it has become clear that I cannot be healthy in my body, mind or spirit unless I address this foundational element of my being.
While our families of origin can be the source of our pain – both physical and emotional – they also can be the source of our healing. No matter what spiritual tradition you follow, you are likely to find a teaching on eternal life woven into it. A nearly universal belief is that our physical bodies die, but our spiritual selves live on in another dimension through our souls. This month you will learn why so many wisdom teachers have spoken about the support of the ancestors, and you will also learn how to create an ancestral altar.
If you are interested in learning even more about the chakra system, I recommend the book, Chakra Rituals: Awakening the Wild Woman Within by Cristi Christensen. She has created a seven-week program with step-by-step instructions on activating each chakra through yoga poses, mudras, writing prompts and more. These rituals can serve as a companion that will allow you to go even deeper into the chakras that guide the Rebirth Journey.
We will end our discussion of the root chakra with Christensen’s Grounding Cord Meditation, which she describes as “an active visualization that will give you the necessary stability and support to root down, release and rise up.” It is a great way to kick off Month One and the principles of releasing what does serve not us while calling in what is in our highest good.
Grounding Cord Meditation
Bring your attention to your root chakra at the base of the pelvis.
Visualize the trunk of your favorite tree growing down from the base of your spine.
Breathe deeply in and out as you feel yourself held and grounded into the support of the Earth.
With each exhalation release what no longer serves you. Send it down the tree trunk and into the Earth.
With each inhalation, imagine drinking in the exact nourishment your body needs today.
Sit with this visualization for 5 to 10 slow deep breaths, feeling yourself embraced and supported by the Earth.
Sacred Circle Retreats 