The fifth chakra is about truth, communication, discernment, judgement and detoxification. Its Sanskrit name Vishuddha means purification (1). The element associated with this chakra is sound, which makes sense given that its locaton, at the throat, is home to the vocal chords from which we talk, sing and speak our truth.
The fourth chakra is at the heart centre, in the middle of the chest and at the centre of the chakra system. It is the seat of unconditional love, kindness and compassion. The element associated with the heart chakra is air. When the two chakras meet, sound is amplified as it travels freely through the air, as though carried on the wind, and the air is filled with the echoes of sound.
When we combine the two chakras symbolically, we inject love into truth and truth into love. Sometimes revealing cold hard truths can be the most loving thing to do. What if we need to know something about ourselves to move forwards in our self development? On the other hand, what if injecting love means hiding the truth? What if it means witholholding what you are thinking or feeling to be the kindest, most grateful person you can be? That is where discernment is our most useful tool: trial and error, attuning with your heart space and judging each moment, and each relationship with care and compassion, learning when it is best to speak out, or not. Ahimsa comes before satya in the list of yamas, implying that non harming is more important that telling the truth. Not everyone is on a yogic journey, and not everyone is prepared to hear the truth. In that case it is more helpful not to speak your mind.
When I think of the fourth chakra meeting the fifth, I remember the chapter on Satya in Sharon Gannon’s bok ‘Yoga and Vegetarianism’. It is the perfect read for Vegan-uary, a hard hitting, yoga centred text on becoming vegan. Gannon recognises that the unheard calls of the mother and baby animals, which are separated soon after birth, are embedded in the meat and dairy that we eat and drink. When we eat meat and dairy we ignore the pain and suffering that the animals have had to live for and the suffering they go through at the moment of death; we ignore their voices. In essence, we silence all the farm animals and ignore the truth about the animals that we eat. We turn a blind eye to the separation that all the animal families undergo. We ignore that they live in unnatural conditions, that their life spans are cut short, and that they are so unhealthy and crammed in together that they are fed large amounts of pharmaceuticals just to stay alive. The untold story of the 80 billion farm animals that we kill every year is lost under a mountain of lies.
In fact, we are told so many lies in the media, many people cannot tell the difference between truth and falsehood. In our fight against climate change, the sceintific facts about climate change are brought into question because those motivated by money are preared to tell big lies that hide the truth. If there is one chakra that is standing in the way of a more enlightened world, or, rather, a healthier, cleaner, non polluting world, I think it is our fifth chakra. Without truth, people cannot make informed decisions, without discernment, they cannot see through the lies that are published in the media.
So as we approach the fifth chakra from the fourth, we challenge ourselves to be honest and to add to that the power of love. To live from a place of truth means to be truthful to yourself about how you are treating the other beings on the planet. To cleanse this chakra, listen to the animals, give a voice to others, and avoid meat and dairy as much as possible. By reducing the amount of meat and dairy that you consume, you are releasing vibrations of kindness out into the world, and into your own body, creating a culture of honesty, and an expectation of truthfulness. Your words will hold more weight, you will have a kinder relationship with yourself, and you are more likely to say what you mean and mean what yousay.
(1) Anodea Judith (2004) Eastern Body Western Mind. New York: Random House
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