An individual operating out of the first chakra is in a state of primary fusion with the world. He is absorbed by the senses and engages the material world exclusively. He believes that the world owes him something and that those around him should recognize that he is special. He becomes self-centered and narcissistic. He cannot experience authentic love because he cannot put himself in the place of another; he is unable to “walk a mile in another person’s moccasins.” This center corresponds to the first seven years of life. The traumas experienced in these early years, including birth, and prenatal trauma, are recorded in this chakra, forming psychological complexes that stunt later development. Like a young child, a person motivated primarily by the first chakra will be preoccupied with his needs for survival and entertainment. When cornered, he can become violent, lashing out physically or emotionally at the perceived threat. The first-chakra person will look for temporary sensual gratification at whatever cost. Often he can not tell where his body ends and the world begins, so others become an extension of himself and cease to matter in his eyes. When I see a client who has suffered early childhood abuse or who was abandoned by one or both parents, I immediately look for first-chakra involvement. Former-life traumas are often located in the first or second chakra. Throughout history dictators seeking domination have been propelled by the negative drives of the first chakra.
There are remarkable positive attributes of the first chakra. Its survival instincts ensure the continuation of the species: They drive us to mate and bear children, and allow humans to persevere under the most adverse of conditions. In Sanskrit the first chakra is called muladhara, meaning “foundation”. Our energetic house must be built upon a strong footing. In yoga this chakra is thought of as the home of kundalini energy. Its symbol is a coiled serpent asleep at the base of the spine. Kundalini is seen as the active power of the great goddess Shakti, the force that animates all creation. For the shaman this is the primordial serpent who swallows its own tail, Ouroboros, and portrays an unconscious state of self-absorption. To the Amazon peoples this power is represented by the sachamama, the water boa. In North America, it is represented by the rattlesnake. As we clear imprints within the first chakra, the Kundalini energy is awakened. The primal serpent uncoils, and its feminine energy moves up through the chakras. Shamans in the America, India and Tibet have long believed that it is through the power of the primal feminine that all creatures move, live, procreate and flourish. It’s no surprise that the serpent was the one to bring us the fruit of the tree of knowledge in Genesis. Its energy, which lies dormant within each of us, is the energy of the Earth and the heartbeat of the mother planet.
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Respecting The Connection(s)