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Ajna Chakra
The sixth chakra is Ajna — to command and Agna — to know or have knowledge.
In this chakra is vision — not just sight. Sight of the eyes, inner sight and psychic vision.
We transcend duality here. We transcend from individual consciousness to cosmic consciousness.
There are many threes here. Ida and pingala dissolve into Sushumna. The three gunas go back to a state of rhythm and balance. The three parts of aum merge to return to the bindu. The three elements of the working of consciousness - budhi, ahamkara and manas.
In this chakra, we see reality beyond duality. No right and wrong, no good or bad, no I and you.
Ajña means “command” or “summoning,” as well as “authority” and “unlimited power.” This reflects the fact that it is from this energy center that all other chakras are guided.
The name bhru madhya consists of bhru, meaning “eyebrows,” and madhya, “in between.” This chakra is also called the trikuti, or “third eye”, referencing its power of clairvoyance. Still more names are divya chakshu, or “divine eye,” and gyana chakshu or gyana netra, “the eye of knowledge.” In modern circles, it is referred to variously as the brow, forehead, third eye, or sixth chakra.
Ajña sits at the very top of the spinal column, in the area of the medulla oblongata, the lower half of the brain stem. It is also linked to the medullaplexus, which is sometimes called the cavernous plexus, yet it is hard to find the exact location. Many focus on the ajña kshetram, or activation point, at the mid-eyebrow area.
It is the seat of vision and perception. The colour is violet or indigo.
It is connected to the pituitary gland. Functionally, the pituitary is involved in the production of growth, sex, and other hormones that act upon the muscles, kidneys, and other endocrine glands. It also stores hormones produced by the hypothalamus. It is often called the “master gland” because it directs so many other organs and endocrine glands, including the adrenals, thyroid, and gonads.
There are two lobes composing the pituitary. The anterior lobe regulates growth, metabolism, and reproduction, and it accounts for about 80 percent of the pituitary gland’s function. The posterior lobe produces vasopressin and oxytocin, two of the hormones linked to kundalini. These hormones are released when the hypothalamus sends messages to the pituitary through nerve cells.
A stalk-like structure connects the hypothalamus and the pituitary, emphasizing the interactive role between the two. The hypothalamus controls an immense number of bodily functions such as body temperature, hunger, aspects of parenting and attachment, thirst, sleep, and circadian cycles. In a biological sense, the posterior pituitary is like an extension of the hypothalamus, whereas the anterior functions as an independent organ. The nerves that enable this relationship are also involved in the control of emotions and sexual activity. Recently scientists have discovered another likely vital function of the hypothalamus: regulating many aspects of aging, either slowing down or quickening the aging process, mainly by responding to—or creating—inflammatory conditions. Inflammation has been linked to a plethora of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, as well as the breakdown of the genes, which leads to disease and aging.
Body Parts Managed: The brain, eyes, pituitary gland, neurological system, sinuses, hypothalamus, aspects of the ears, the nose, and the pineal gland.
Predominant Sense and Sense Organ: There is no predominant sense, so this chakra is neutral. The sense organ is the mind.
Action Organ: The mind is also the ajña’s action organ.
Vital Breath: There is no vital breath associated with ajña but rather a harmonic convergence of all vital breaths.
Health conditions include eyesight problems, deafness, nightmares, dyslexia, brain tumors, strokes, blindness, seizures, pain, depression, hormone imbalances, insomnia, neuralgia, acute sinusitis, dizziness, nervous breakdowns, growth or developmental disorders, blood pressure issues, learning disabilities, and, in conjunction with other chakras, migraines.
We still have a way to go if we experience the psychological challenges linked with ajña. These include intense irritation toward another person or an aspect of our life, as well as an inability to perceive what is truly occurring. Common invitations to deal with our ajña-based issues also include a refusal to change old patterns — despite the fact that we can plainly see they don’t work — and the inability to look forward with joy. The underlying theme of ajña issues is basically a question of perception: is it time to start seeing life through the lens of our higher consciousness rather than our programmed inadequacies? To embrace the worth of our being — not our skill at “doing” — is the key to entering the resulting state of peacefulness.
Deficiencies result in an inability to see the obvious, denial of problems or challenges, being easy to deceive, chaos, codependency, abusive relationships, difficulty in planning the future, memory loss, lack of joy, anxiety, and perception issues. Excesses result in fantasizing, hallucinations, difficulty concentrating, obsessiveness, delusions, nightmares, self-centeredness, and turmoil.
The chakra has a white colour with sixteen purple or smoke-coloured petals. Within the pericarp, there is a downward pointing triangle. The three corners are the balance of the three gunas. This is sky blue and within the triangle is a white region, circular like the moon. This circle represents the element akash. It is the lunar symbol of nada — the pure cosmic sound — and purity. The Bija mantra HAM is written on the chakra. In the bindu above, resides Shiva with five faces and ten arms.
The sixteen petals are the sixteen Sanskrit vowels. They correspond to the mantra ng. The seven musical tones are here.
There are two big white petals.
Inside the pericarp is the Shakti Hakini.
Ajña’s Component Parts: Gross Element — Light | Subtle Element — This is the supreme element; all other elements are present | Color of the Element — Transparent | Sound of the Element: Om | Attribute: Unity and ego | Sound Carrier: Ajña is not always associated with a sound carrier; when it is, the most frequent is the black antelope. | Petals: The ajña lotus is beautifully white like the moon and is often described as being as cool as a moonbeam. It is formed of two petals upon which are inscribed the letters ha or ham and ksa or ksham, which are also white. These petals represent the ida and pingala nadis — lunar and solar energy — which meet in the sushumna before rising to the crown chakra. Ham is written on the left petal and represents Shiva; ksham is written on the right petal, representing Shakti. These are also the manifested and unmanifested minds, respectively. These two petals are not static; rather, they radiate power. One petal sends energy down through the five lower chakras and the other sends energy into the higher chakras. In these radiations are the five vayus, five divine powers, and kundalini. This lotus is said to shine with the glory of dhyana or meditation. The letters upon the petals are written this way in Sanskrit: | Cosmic Realm or Plane — The cosmic realm is tapas loka, the plane of austerity and home of the blessed. Ruling Goddess within ajña is Hakini, who is white and holds in her hand a white moon, rosary, skull, book, and a mudra that grants boons and dispels fears. She has six red faces with three eyes in each and sits on a white lotus.
Here is the place where we are free of past karma.
Divination — clouds, alomancy by throwing of salt, using a mirror, the casting of stones, crystal ball.
--- Rajen Vakil