Chakra #6 – The Third Eye or
"Clairvoyant" Center
The third eye center, or Ajna in Sanskrit, lies within the skull at the approximate location of the pituitary gland. To gauge where that is we can take an imaginary line from the place midway between the eyes and just above the brow (where the Eastern Indians indicate the spot with a red or black dot) to a point directly down from the top of the head. I hesitate to use the word crown as many people assume this is the spot on the upper back of the skull where the hair grows in a spiral. The Ajna center is the place where those participating in spiritual practice have focused their attention in order to develop a capacity for clairvoyance (clear seeing). Clairaudience (clear hearing) is a function of the throat center.
This is the second of the “upper centers.” Where the throat center lends itself toward an intuitive understanding or “knowing” how all circum-
stances are integrated, the third eye allows a broader comprehension by allowing us to envision or intuitively “see” the complete matrix of energies involved. The perception of the third eye is intuitive but much more comprehensive than the throat center. A good analogy would be to compare a blind man with augmented tactile and auditory skills moving around a room with a sighted man who would have a clear “picture” of where everything was and know exactly where to focus energy and attention to move smoothly and easily within the furniture patterns of the room. The blind man’s movements would be more approximate than the sighted man and he would have probably learned to “tap into” the energy flow or “Feng Shui” of the room. Overall the sighted man would have a much fuller comprehension of the energies involved in the room through his ability to actually “see.”
Where the heart center is indicative of letting go and the throat center “obliquely” suggests that we follow the path of least resistance relative to the natural order of things, the third eye center encourages us to acknowledge the fact that we have no control over anything (Ruumet, 2006) save ourselves and even in that our free will is limited depending on what we have done to our physical bodies over our lifetime. In health, there is a point where we are no longer willing or able to reverse the damage we might have done through poor choices. In the interest of conserving energy or being able to continue our lessons under renewed circumstance it is sometimes wiser to regroup by discorporating and starting again. This mortality factor is enmeshed with third eye energy in that the ability to envision the entire matrix of life encourages much more trust and comfort in the individual concerning his future passing and the fact that he will still have other opportunities to gain awareness as he follows the path of least resistance in allowing himself to flow with the natural death and rebirth cycle rather than resist it which is usually the case with lower centers. The idea of reincarnation may be objectionable to some, but please remember, we are examining the perspectives gained through the spiritual beliefs over the centuries by a multitude of cultures that have developed disciplines for ascending through the chakras. This understanding and belief often “comes with the territory.” Whatever beliefs you may hold about where you go when you pass, all scriptures talk about a resurrection in one form or another. It doesn’t necessarily have to include a prophet or a deity even though most do.
The third eye is generally the pathway in which visions and intuitive flashes come to those who put themselves into a meditative state or those who have enough self discipline to simply clear their mind and contemplate. They come when the mind is free of clutter and the day to day issues that arouse the lower mind are not demanding attention. This state of “calm water” is encouraged by disciplines similar to Zen and Buddhism in order to reach a state of “enlightenment” which, simply put, is coming to a place of acceptance and understanding of how “things are,” letting material day to day concerns freely “flow by” and comprehending our place in the world.
The third eye also reflects a quality of “undoing” (Ruumet, 2006). On first perusal we could assume that this might be an individual’s ability to do harm to himself. But on closer examination we may come to see that having a panoramic view of our perceived reality gives us an unprecedented ability to “see” the consequences of our actions before they occur. This is not to say that we have the ability for precognition as much as a type of awareness enabling us to comprehend the outcome of actions as a function of our ability to understand and envision the natural flow of energies in the dynamic interplay of life circumstances. In perceiving this way we are able to recognize what appear to be the beginnings and endings of chosen actions with equal alacrity as a complete and balanced matrix, free of the time constraints that normally bind individuals operating on the lower levels. We, essentially, see events as having no beginning and no end but simply an inter-relative balance of forces all occurring at the same time. Seeing events in this way is in keeping with perceiving intuitively rather than logically or instinctively. Perhaps this is the basis for what is defined as precognition. “Seeing” the future is just “seeing” another part of the matrix.
Those who are still operating within the perceptual limits of the lower centers are generally not able to conceive of, let alone utilize, operating from an intuitive perspective rather than mental or instinctual unless they have regressed from a higher level due to ego issues that have yet to be worked through totally. The person who has not yet arrived at the upper operative levels only sees reality through a reflection of their desires with no allowance for the unexpected outcomes or natural flows of energy inherent in their learning process. The person who has arrived but regressed will have a vague perception that something might be different with what they have perceived but be unable to “put their finger on it.”
Polarized or acquisitive motives create such a gross and obtrusive effect that the gentler aspects of intuition are unable to penetrate the borders of the tangible mind until the mind has either lost its command of our perceived reality through trauma or has been subdued by an activity such as meditation or a peak experience.
There is one more point to ponder. The heart is the balance point between the upper centers and the lower centers. It is the point where we “cross over” from being directed by the tangible world to being directed by the inner or intangible world. Essentially, we can say that this is the point where our awareness crosses over from an external locus of control to an internal locus of control; from rational to irrational; from material to energetic. This is not to say that the lower centers are voided as the upper centers “take over.” It just indicates that the overall directivity has shifted its point of reference for what we accept as our reality. When the bible says we can either worship god or mammon, it is essentially asking if we are motivated by the material world or the energetic world. Both the upper centers and the lower centers participate equally but one or the other must “direct.”
Adapted and excerpted from:
Maerz, John L., (2012). A Mile in Your Shoes: The Road to Self-Actualization Through Compassion. Lulu Publishers.
Additional References:
Ruumet, Hillevi, PhD., (2006). Pathways of the Soul: Exploring the Human Journey. Trafford Pub., Victoria, BC, Canada. ISBN# 1412-092-361.