The Throat Chakra

Chit chat, noise and confusion are voiced by human beings so wracked with tension they have little or no ability to communicate. The moment one’s words engage with the objective world; it becomes clear how open or closed one is to Higher Energy in the Universe. Clarity of communication immediately tells a great deal about people. If they’re tense, nervous, proud or full of themselves, their voices often sound like static on a radio. Much of human communication is not genuine communication. At best, it’s half communication or a third communication.  People often speak in indirect or ambiguous ways, making it difficult to discern their true intentions. Every word is layered with subtle and not so subtle nuances of polarity. The ability to speak simply and directly without pretense is beyond the capacity of most human beings that live behind a façade of poorly constructed images of self. They whitewash true meaning, and heartfelt communication is buried beneath the mind’s never-ending deluge of opinion.

Communication requires active listening. Most people hear about ten percent of what is being said to them. They spend the conversation preparing for what they are going to say next. There is often a lack of openness and receptivity that impedes effective communication.

When the throat chakra opens along with the mind and heart, it’s easier for us to communicate because we’ve eliminated a good portion of our emotional and mental stress. Our words find a home in the hearts of other people.

Years of conditioning and indoctrination formulate well-structured opinion and opinion dictates how we relate to other people. The mind is cluttered with rightness. It’s bolstered by ego and always ready to defend itself. We often fail to fully grasp what is being communicated to us because we are preoccupied with our own thoughts. Words are never clearly spoken. Nor are they listened to. They rarely penetrate the thick emotional barriers that exist within most people. People talk at each other, not to each other. Little of what’s said finds its way into the heart of the listener. There’s a never-ending stream of noise that fills a room with babble, chit-chat and incomprehensible sound, and people rarely get beyond their own view of the world.

When the throat chakra opens along with the mind and heart, it’s easier for us to communicate because we’ve eliminated a good portion of our emotional and mental stress. Our words find a home in the hearts of other people.

The Om sound is a primordial manifestation of spirit, a sound in silence that emanates from the source of creative energy. When one progresses in meditation practice to a state of inner awareness and allows Om to enter each of the chakras, genesis becomes a living force that manifests in present time; and Om, a high pitched, electronic sound heard in silence. To listen to Om is to place oneself at the center of creation.

The throat chakra connects the sound Om to words that communicate one’s needs and wishes to others. Each word we utter reveals how close we are to spiritual enlightenment. If we follow the Om sound back to the source of creation, it opens us to our own nothingness as well as the totality of existence. Our words begin to transmit Shakti (spiritual nourishment) and they’re a vital link to a fountainhead of compassion. When the throat and heart chakras are open, love, kindness and empathy are communicated to others. At the same time, we embrace what people teach us about ourselves. Real connection takes place, one based on respect and caring that emanates from an elevated state of being. We’re secure enough within ourselves to not let other people’s ideas and opinions throw us off balance. The chakra system must be open for our words to resonate with clarity and for us to listen to and embrace what life continuously teaches us.

Most people do not work on themselves. Most people are prisoners of chaotic minds and emotions, but words spoken by highly evolved men and women can touch the hearts of confused and unhappy human beings if there’s forgiveness, patience and compassion when communicated. Rudi used to tell me, “If you’re having a spiritual life, then make up the difference for other people. You’re not more important because you meditate. You’re less…” Other people’s tension and unhappiness should in no way deter us from simple and clear communication. If we haven’t the strength to touch another person’s heart, we must work harder on ourselves. This isn’t easy to accept. People aren’t used to taking full responsibility for themselves, but it’s an important step. One must bridge divisions and connect individuals with different ideas and points of view.

“In the beginning was the Word,” it says in the Bible: a sound in silence that creates life in all its manifestations; and every word we utter is a beginning, a genesis of thought, a possibility of rebirth…

(To be continued…)

Bronze Shiva, 10th CE Chola Empire