Heart Healing is The Gateway
I remember back in the late 90’s and early 00’s when I began my ascent into all things metaphysical, one of the most popular phrases used was mind, body, spirit- this holistic trifecta was only outdistanced by the overused yogic phrase Namaste.
Currently in spiritual and social justice communities when speaking and/or writing about healing within a holistic framework this trifecta has evolved to include the term: mind, body-HEART, and spirit. This hyphenated evolution of the holistic trifecta is a clear indicator of the central role our physical heart/Heart chakra is playing in humanity’s evolution.
As an intuitive trauma healer/spiritual alchemist and boneshaker who uses crystals and gemstones as part of my healing basket - it was vital for me to find the connections and correlations across these disciplines that would: 1) stand up under scrutiny and 2) make crystal healing more accessible- bringing this obscure modality from margin to center.
Referencing an 8 chakra system (that includes the navel chakra) the 5th chakra is the heart chakra whose number and function correspond with Yoruba Goddess Oshun. Oshun is the goddess of love and the rivers, aka the sweetwater. She rules tradition, blood ties, and extended family ties. She is the personification of emotions and femininity and the owner of honey, brass, gold, precious stones, cowrie, money, and honesty.
Located right below the Heart chakra is the Solar Plexus chakra-our Will Center- where all of our trauma from this life and for those of you who believe in reincarnation-previous lives is stored. It is also the receptacle that holds historical trauma and various oppressions- gender, race, etc.
When the heart has been besieged with traumatic events (cyclical and/or compound trauma), the recipient succumbs to what we know as, “a broken heart” and the Heart chakra, becomes too heavy to hold itself up or work as it should and it then slumps down into the Solar Plexus chakra. This phenomenon of your chakra “hitting bottom” reminds me of the Cheyenne proverb:
“A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors or how strong its weapons”.
So how does this Indigenous proverb reflect our lived reality as women in today’s world?
I believe that women, and especially womxn of color-are and have been experiencing and living with complex trauma (vicarious/intersectional/systemic/historical) for generations. Some- though not all of those traumas are a result of low wages, high stress/hostile work environment, negative/distorted stereotypes in media, suffering/resisting intimate partner violence, residing in a community that is a food swamp/desert, inadequate medical care, and unacknowledged/unhealed intergenerational trauma.
These conditions produce deeply rooted emotional/mental health issues resulting in low self-esteem, depression, and PTSD that perpetuate lifestyle choices that aren’t in our highest good. In addition, the situation is exacerbated if there are physical health issues to contend with: obesity, high blood pressure, addiction, and fibroids are the most common. These are clear indicators that throughout time-the hearts of womxn have been stomped on and dragged to the ground and left to wither and die. This is an all too familiar scenario for many of us whose heart has been the battlefield and garbage can for other people’s unhealed/unresolved issues and trauma.
Although, the goal in life is to achieve balance in all the chakras for overall health and vitality-I began this exploration starting with the Heart chakra because of its illustrious positioning and influence in the chakra pantheon. The Heart chakra is the bridge between the higher and lower chakras connecting and influencing the entire chakra energy system-in other words the Heart Chakra is the gatekeeper of our physical and spiritual temple. A healthy heart/heart chakra governs our ability to love ourselves, and have a competent sense of worth and high esteem while encouraging respect and reverence for others that support right human relations. A healthy physical heart/Heart chakra also assists and supports one in dealing with life challenges building resiliency and the capacity for creative transgression in times of adversity.
INDIGENOUS FEMINIST WRITINGS
Trask, Haunani Kay. From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii. Monroe Maine:
Common Courage Press, 1993.
Allen, Paula Gunn. The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions. Boston:
Beacon Press, 1986.
