Ladies, do you ever find yourself trying on the same necklaces and never really wearing them?  It seems like they’re either too dressy, too dated, the wrong color or the wrong length to go with your neckline.  When did wearing jewelry become so complicated?   Perhaps your problem isn’t your collection of jewelry; it may be that your style has changed over the years.  As women mature they become more self-aware, which often means they drop the pretenses of youth.  Instead of merely “decorating” oneself with a shimmery accessory, jewelry becomes a new means of substantive self-expression.  Could this explain the sudden popularity of Tibetan and Buddhist jewelry?

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This month we explore the 7^th and last of the seven energy systems, the crown chakra.  The Sanskrit name is Sahasrara which translates to “thousand fold.”  It is often seen as a lotus flower with a thousand petals symbolizing the opening of spiritual awakening.

This chakra is located on the top of the head at the crown and its associated color is violet transitioning to white, symbolizing the blending of the seven chakras.  Its associated element is thought and fire and the musical note is B.  The crown chakra’s function is the assimilation of wisdom, divine enlightenment, and the integration of our spiritual self with our physical body.

The crown chakra governs our faith and belief system and is a portal to our intuitive resources which ultimately controls our thoughts and actions.  It is the pathway to a higher state of consciousness and as it becomes more developed, we move beyond being controlled by our ego and into “consciousness” itself.

As the connection to our spiritual essence grows, life becomes more peaceful and harmonious.  Daily challenges and worries easily fall away and the direction we seek to life’s deeper questions and problems is attainable.  People with an open crown chakra experience unconditional love, freely passing that on to others.  Life is fulfilling and joyful with a keen sense of clarity, meaning and connection to all life.   The power of faith in this chakra drives your thoughts and actions turning dreams into reality and your intuitive resources ensure that the decisions you make will keep you safe.

Have you ever experienced a day when nothing seems to go your way?  The smallest things leave you feeling frustrated?  Feel off-balance or ungrounded?  Can’t make a decision when you need to?  These are signs that your crown chakra energy is imbalanced.

An overactive 7^th chakra is often characterized by being overly intellectual.  The inability to think for your-self and relying on others to give you direction becomes a dominant pattern.  Often there is spiritual skepticism and a focus on material things to define satisfaction in life.  Difficulty concentrating, depression, migraine headaches and apathy are also signs of imbalance.

To balance your 7^th chakra, climb a mountain! Find a quiet space to go within and reflect being mindful of the present moment. Set the intention to be aware of what is beyond you – to your consciousness.

Do less!  Simplify your day.  Take that a step further and try doing less for an entire week, then an entire month.  Use that time to meditate, pray and just spending time being in the moment.

Visit places that offer a sense of calm, whether it is a park, the beach, or the mountains.  Practice working with your connection to something special in your surroundings. Being one with nature, one with self, one with the universe will create open and balanced energy.

Wear violet or place purple accents in your room or office as a reminder.  If you use essential oils, breathe in rose, cinnamon, jasmine or sandalwood.   The gemstones associated with the crown chakra are amethyst, alexandrite,  quartz crystal, diamond and selenite.  The foods that energize your crown chakra are concord grapes, eggplant, plums, purple broccoli and blackberries.

The development and direction of chakra growth is upward, from the basic needs of survival (first chakra) to the development of our self (second), connection with others (fourth) and self-discovery (fifth chakra) to our connection with the divine (seventh).  The spiritual connection and force of faith we develop through the crown chakra works in tandem with the seven chakras only conversely, beginning with the 7^th chakra and working downward.  It melds with the intuitive powers of the 6^th chakra, stimulates our innate sense of will in the 5^th, and blends with the heart chakra connecting us to our emotions.  The force of faith then personalizes our emotions in the 3^rd chakra and clarifies those responses into actions in the second.  All of the combined energies are ultimately grounded in the first chakra; creating a synthesis of living spiritually and being in the moment – the essence of life.