The solar plexus chakra on the path of Self-realization: You are not your 'ego'
The solar plexus chakra, known as Maį¹‡ipÅ«ra chakra, derives its name from 'pura,' meaning 'city,' and 'maį¹‡i,' meaning 'jewel' or 'gem.' What truly makes you shine in life is not the ego with its prized self-concepts and worldviews, but rather the 'You' that is non-conceptual and free, waiting deep within for your discovery.
In a society where ignorance has become the primary lens, most people know only an ingrained dualistic vision. This creates a false sense of identity and keeps you trapped in a cycle of experiences, filled with moments of both pain and happiness, as if they define your existence or who you are. It also makes you reaffirm concepts you've ingested, which obstruct the greater intelligence and limitless possibilities of your true Self. It is the chakra that concerns the wider society and your stance in it. From Oneness, it is the discovery that you are this collective consciousness and yet not defined by it.
This chakra brings you face-to-face with your resistance to true Awakening and the fears that arise from losing an egoically centered vision or stance. On your consciousness journey, it marks the point where discrimination slowly makes you more aware of the Seer, while also showing you that, at some point, the egoically centered perspective can no longer be maintained.
In your spiritual practice, this translates into a profound resistance to going deeper inside by witnessing thoughts without taking them on or stopping them altogether. On some level, you already know that what you are unhooking from is your current sense of Self, that it will shatter what you have learned to be yourself, and the mind will try to rebel. It knows something's got to give.
In this chakra, you will have to meet your mind honestly and face the stories it tells you that sabotage your liberation. The most significant challenge may be accepting and embracing the truth that you are both non-conceptual and formless. Yet this realization awaits you as you delve deeper, recognizing that all you assumed to be you was never truly ‘You’.
As you step forward boldly on your inner journey of awakening and move out of seeking into sincere inquiry, you will have to both confirm to yourself what you are discovering while, at the same time, continuously empty yourself of concepts and the mind’s need to yet find another box for yourself. As you begin witnessing thoughts from awareness and gain clarity that you are not found in fleeting appearances, you automatically become more interested in finding out what you are. One of the stepping stones on your journey of Self-discovery is identifying ‘I AM’ as the innermost sense of ‘I’ and as the only thing that you can truthfully say about yourself.
In that way, the third chakra marks a real milestone on your awakening journey: discrimination suddenly becomes clear, and distance from the world of form as not you becomes more consciously established.
