The crown chakra

The highest point in the subtle energy body, the crown chakra corresponds to unity, consciousness, and the emergence of self-knowledge. From the sixth chakra’s development of clear seeing and intuition, the seventh chakra elevates the energy higher to a place of spiritual understanding and receiving of guidance through universal wisdom.

The crown chakra sits at the top of the rainbow body and develops throughout our life as we continue the ongoing journey towards enlightenment. This energy centre only opens and find balance when there is enough of a sustaining “charge” from the chakras below to meet it. Since spiritual connection is the insight provided, characteristics from a deficient and excessive chakra become very obvious. Someone who has a deficient energy centre will be spiritually skeptical; unwilling to be flexible in their beliefs. Whereas someone with excessive energy will be ruled by spiritual addiction; always prioritizing their spiritual practice, neglecting physical responsibilities and unable to ground the ideas or insights they receive.

crown chakra symbol

sahasrara

The sanskrit name for the crown chakra, sahasrara, means “thousand petaled” and it is represented by the colour violet. It is located at the top of the head and represents our connection to the divine, to the universe and unity consciousness. There is no element for the crown chakra–it is connected to transcendence. The crown chakra is your connection to becoming one with the universe and aligns you with your higher self.

development of the seventh chakra

“Suffering may force a new perspective and perception about what is reality. It can weaken the ego through repeated frustration, just enough to allow a giving up or surrendering, which opens the person to the possibility of transcending his or her previous belief systems and levels of consciousness.”
– charles whitfield

Age: Throughout life (adolescence, adulthood +)
Includes: Opening up to universal wisdom, connection with the higher self and new perspective through universal consciousness
Theme: Learning to eliminate the ego and material attachments

In the Western world, we’ve been conditioned to believe that spirit is separate from matter–a worldview heavily influenced by modern science (scientific method must be measurable). This makes it difficult to recognize that spirituality is actually fundamental for our wellbeing. We are taught to overlook how interconnected body and spirit really is and so, (without its recognition) we miss out on the opportunity to discover deeper fulfillment that comes from embracing our true spiritual nature.

Our biggest struggles come from removing spiritual meaning from our lives; it’s what leaves us feeling lost and without purpose. During childhood, caregivers play a crucial role in laying the foundation for the seventh chakra. As they nurture the development of the lower chakras, they also encourage the journey for self-knowledge as children are given the freedom to question and explore. Their example of how to organize new thoughts and information shapes the child’s approach to learning–encouraging them to be a lifelong student. Through encouraging a simulated mind, children can learn how to cultivate a healthy cognitive structure, develop a sense of curiosity and wonder about the mysteries of existence.

Ideally, for the opening of the crown chakra beliefs should remain flexible, allowing room for growth and evolution. The sixth chakra prompts us to question, “Who am I in the greater scheme of things?” while the seventh invites us to ponder, “What does it all mean?” Instead of the growth being focused on self-awareness where you see yourself looking out towards the universe, there is a shift to the acknowledgement of self-knowledge as you see yourself being one with the universe.

common issues

limiting beliefs

mental barriers that prevent or block spiritual growth and enlightenment
a fixed mindset that reduces the ability to stay open-minded and so it prevents the expansion of your awareness

distortion (misinformation)

not discerning the truth through the sixth chakra: information gets skewed leading to misconceptions
attachments to beliefs or paradigms that alter perception of reality

attachment

anchors individuals to material desires, ego-driven pursuits, or rigid beliefs
disrupts flow of energy as effort is needed to maintain the connection to the attachment

traumas or abuse

The crown chakra plays a crucial role in our journey to spiritual enlightenment. An open crown allows us to ask profound questions about existence and seek an understanding beyond the material realm. Traumas or abuses to this energy point are not merely disruptions to our psychological well-being; they are denials of our intrinsic right to seek and attain self-knowledge or discover our true nature.

Here are two common abuses that can compromise the development of the crown chakra:

Invalidating of beliefs through withholding of information
Children are naturally very curious and are eager to learn as they navigate the world. As they grow and explore, any questions that could be answered with the truth should be provided. If they are denied answers or intentionally held back from learning valuable information, this can stifle their desire to learn and inhibit any flow of information that comes through. If a young child seeks to understand and is instead shamed for learning, this will shut down the crown chakra and lead them to resort to building a foundation of knowledge on their own created explanations.
Spiritual Abuse
In truth, any spiritual practice which uses tactics for manipulation is deemed as abusive. Additionally, any religion that is forced against a child’s will, promotes the suppression of their truth or uses fear to enforce obedience will compromise the crown chakra. This type of approach (especially with young children) will only discourage against any interest in future spiritual development and will actually close off any potential future interest in establishing a spiritual connection.
Another form of spiritual abuse is depriving a child of any exposure or discussion on spirituality or religion. On the contrary, this denies any opportunity of authentic spiritual exploration and consequently teaches them ignorance, implying it is shameful to seek a spiritual connection.

signs of disharmony

As our collective energy ascends rapidly, with more individuals being born with heightened spiritual and psychic abilities, it is crucial to balance the crown chakra with the grounding energy of the lower chakras, particularly the root. This balance allows for healthy integration and prevents the crown chakra shadows from dominating, thus promoting a harmonious spiritual journey.

A balanced crown chakra will show characteristics of someone who is open-minded and flexible in their thinking. Unlike being attached to one concept or idea, they are open to explore other potentials as they are motivated to broaden their understanding. They will also have a healthy connection to spirit, instead of being too enveloped in their practice they understand how to balance between the physical world and respect what they know from receiving incoming wisdom declaring higher truths.

Signs of disharmony arise when these qualities disappear and there seems to be an imbalance that leads to either spiritual cynicism or spiritual addiction. As the crown chakra sits above all the other chakras, the cause of energetic disharmony is usually linked to a secondary reason which is connected to another chakra below.

shadow of the crown chakra

The shadow of the crown chakra is attachment. While it is necessary for forming and following through on commitments with the lower chakras, it must be balanced with a spiritual practice because it inhibits our ability to expand the crown chakra. This is because the higher chakras seek to reach enlightenment and expand with the universe: the lower chakras seek to ground and connect with the physical world. It should be recognized that letting go of attachments does not mean abandoning responsibility to prioritize spirituality, but to actually release the desire to hold on to comfort that is external. This process allows for extra psychic energy that was fixated on something to be released and promote the flow of energy upwards, towards the crown.

A second shadow energy of the crown is addiction. As mentioned in my previous post on the sacral chakra, addictions can be complex because they involve more than one energy centre. The crown chakra can be affected by two types of addictions; those that keep the person stuck in the lower chakras preventing any connection with the higher self, or by being fixated on spirituality which happens from an excessive amount of energy.

underactive vs. excessive

underactive

The energy that is rising to the crown chakra is blocked, with little energy flowing down from the crown. This creates a disconnect from the rest of the energy body. Some signs of an underactive crown chakra are:

fixating on a single point of view; only one answer that is correct
attachment to always being right; knowing everything
difficulty with understanding or retaining new information
defensive over limitations (limiting beliefs)

excessive

Instead of grounding through the other chakras, excessive energy flows past the chakra instead of circulating through it. This creates issues with staying connected and present in physical reality. Some other signs of an excessive crown chakra are:

prioritizing the development of the mind, excessive intellectualism not grounded in wisdom
escaping from reality through spiritual pursuits or beliefs, resulting with a spiritual addiction, or spiritual psychosis
information overload resulting in overwhelm

healing work

The healing work for the crown chakra is focused primarily on activating it’s energy through bringing up the energy from the lower chakras. For most people, they can become too engaged by the challenges of the lower chakras that they never are able to transcend to living from the higher centres. If the crown chakra is not open, life can feel very monotonous and there can be a disembodied connection with the Self. To open and balance our crown chakra meditation is key, it releases the lower chakra centres and teaches observation of the mind. This practice also promotes the opportunity of tapping into higher states of consciousness because it demands stillness and a single focus of concentration.

It’s crucial to understand that ascending to higher consciousness isn’t about adhering to spiritual dogma (or systems), but about opening the mind to higher states of awareness and being a receiver for deepening self-knowledge. It is not a focus on surrendering to something external, but on learning to transcend the comfort of lower attachments and limitations to realize you are a spark of the divine.

Below are some suggestions on ways to heal the crown chakra.

re-establish balance

underactive energy needs to focus on a disciplined spiritual practice to deepen or create a spiritual connection
overactive energy needs to focus on grounding all excess power from the higher chakras

meditation

develop a daily meditation practice that involves training the mind to focus on one thing at a time and eliminate distractions
utilize a mindfulness practice to focus on being present and expand on sensory awareness

spiritual discernment

the crown is the connection to higher knowledge and wisdom, to stay open to the truth practice utilizing discernment by writing down incoming information
make time for self-reflection

healing tools

Every energy centre has its own frequency–we attract experiences based on our resonate frequency. The crown chakra is the highest in vibration and sits at the top of the subtle energy body. It is the connection point to the divine and most importantly with our higher selves. The higher self is the aspect of our consciousness that transcends the limitations of our physical existence, representing our true essence and highest potential. It is the source for our higher wisdom to come through, a guide for our intuition, and leads us towards alignment with our spiritual purpose. To heal the crown chakra is really to heal the connection we have with the higher version of ourselves, providing us with the potential to become more of that person we desire to be.

To help with this, here are some suggestions that will help with balancing the energy of the crown chakra:

Daily Affirmation: The information that I seek comes to me. I am a divine being love and light flow through me.

Chant: There is none, the sixth chakra is Om
Resonant Sound: Ng (as in siNG)

Solfeggio Frequency: 963 Hz

Sound Bowl Frequency: 484-485 Hz
Music Note: B

Aromatherapy: Neroli, Frankincense

Food: None-fasting is encouraged

Exercise: None-Yoga or meditation
Yoga Pose: Supported headstand, Plough pose

Healing Crystals: Clear quartz, purple fluorite

Please notice that above does not include suggestions for doing the emotional or mental healing work that could be the underlying cause for present day challenges with the sacral chakra. As mentioned, the sacral chakra holds sexual trauma which often comes up years after the actual event. While the modalities listed above are extremely beneficial, for full healing to occur, any unresolved experiences that come into your awareness should be acknowledged with the appropriate professional help.

Coach’s Note: A coach is useful for applying accountability to make the necessary changes for self-improvement. They can help you to find where you are struggling and get to the root of the issue so you can release mental, emotional or spiritual blockages. However, coaching is not a replacement for medical attention or professional talk therapy.