The Root of Your Foundation

image source:  Unsplash

image source: Unsplash

The root chakra is our foundation. Where it all begins, and the foundation we build upon. It is the first of our lower/physical chakras (our sacral and solar plexus belong to this group) — those concerned with earthly matters. Our sense of safety and security begins here. Think of your root chakra as soil. When soil is well nourished, seeds have the capacity and ability to grow, to break past the soil and rise to meet the sun’s warmth. When the soil’s conditions are not optimal, the seed’s growth becomes stagnant, and they may not grow to their full potential.

The root chakra develops from ages 0-7. Our most tender and impactful years that have the most influence on how we view ourselves, the world, and who we will become. Because the root chakra is our base, if this chakra is not balanced, the rest of the chakras may likely have some imbalances too. The beautiful thing about the chakras is that they can always be tended to and balanced.

In tending to our root chakra, we can begin the process of cultivating (or strengthening) our inner security and well-being while fostering self-trust and safety within ourselves. Inner child healing which consists of acknowledging the things we didn’t receive as children (our most tender wounds), and giving ourselves the love, nurturance, and security we needed and still need alongside the freedom to explore the world is a good place to start. Connecting with nature and grounding into her healing energy is a beautiful way to bring calmness into our life, body, and mind.

These practices allow us to become more present in the way we interact with life. They allow us to feel more at home in our body, and slowly open us up to experiencing life at a greater capacity. To hold whatever we experience whether it's joy, anticipation, love, etc. in all of its fullness. These practices can fill us with peace and the knowing that when life gets hectic, we can always find home and stability within ourselves and among the beauty, softness, and stillness of nature.

Sanskrit Name: Muladhara 

Location: Base of Spine

Element: Earth

Color: Red

  • Wear the color red, eat red foods, work with red crystals to strengthen this energy center

Affirmation: I am safe

Mantra: LAM

  • Practice chanting this. The vibration of this sound is said to activate and cleanse this energy center

Sound: ‘uh' as in cup 

  • Practice chanting this sound and focus on the vibration of the sound in your body

Frequency: 396 hz

  • Releases fear & guilt. Meditate or listen to this frequency (can be found on Spotify or YouTube)

Aromatherapy: Try earthy essential oils to ground and calm like Frankincense, Cedarwood and Sandalwood

Today’s Practice: Take a deep breath and tune into your body/root chakra. What can you give yourself today to feel more supported, secure or grounded? This can look like: taking a pause to reconnect with yourself, giving yourself a moment to rest and recharge, connecting with a loved one, crossing something off your to-do list that’s been on your mind, taking a break from your work day to go outside and feel the gentle cooling breeze or warm sun on your skin. Give yourself whatever you need today.


Press Pause & Enjoy this Moment

It’s in our nature to try to figure things out, to figure out the purpose and meaning of something, to have a thing figured out and perfected before we fully dive in and commit to it or present it to the world. But this only serves as a block. A block that prevents us from fully enjoying our experience because it pulls us away from the present moment and into our head. Instead of experiencing the fullness and richness of the current moment, we become preoccupied with trying to put the puzzle pieces together to see the finished product rather than enjoying the process moment by moment.

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For the rest of this season (and on), let’s commit to savoring each moment, and allowing ourselves to experience all of the colors and textures of our experiences. Let’s commit to feeling the fullness and depth of whatever is that we are doing whether it’s enjoying a meal, being in nature, talking with a friend, working on a project, or ordering a coffee at your favorite coffee shop. Let’s experience the moment as it is without thinking about what’s to come of it, what’s next or what it’s going to lead to. Let’s practice pressing pause on whatever else is going on in our lives, our to-do lists, and just be in the moment. Fully present, fully feeling, fully sensing.

Today’s practice: Experience this moment with your five senses. What sounds are you hearing? What scent is the most potent? If this moment had a flavor, what would it taste like, or what do you currently taste? What color or object stands out to you the most right now? How does this moment feel in your body? Tune into your senses and allow yourself to truly relax into this moment.

Scorpio Full Moon: Shining a Light Within

image source: Unsplash

image source: Unsplash

There are moments in our life that ask us to pause and put down the weight of the baggage that we’ve been carrying — old narratives about our identity, who we’ve been, who we are, limiting beliefs, patterns, and behaviors. Stories and ways of being that run on auto pilot in our mind and body. There comes a time when we become courageous enough to press pause and dig through the caverns of our inner workings. To shine a light on the unseen. To clear the cobwebs away. A time to bring the darkness (repressed emotions, memories, and thoughts) to light, and  excavate all of the density that has been living inside those caverns. This is Scorpio energy. Scorpio has the capacity to unearth all that has been buried away and bring it to the light of our conscious mind for us to face and transform. There is no tunnel too deep for Scorpio to explore. There is no limit to the depths that it will go. In the darkness and depth, Scorpio finds home. And it is by digging through the darkness that Scorpio uncovers truth, meaning and purpose. An alchemist, Scorpio transforms all of the darkness it touches to light. 

We all crave depth. And in order to experience the depth and richness that we want to have in life, we have to go past the surface. That’s where we start. And once we break past the surface, we can begin to explore all that lives within us, room by room, and clear out all that has been weighing us down. Sometimes we hold on to things not because we need them, but because we are familiar with the weight of what we’ve been carrying. We become accustomed to it, so we hold on to it. But transformation doesn’t happen by holding on to what we know. In order to grow, we need to release. And it is through the process of releasing, that we create space to invite more of the experiences we desire in life. And it doesn’t have to be done all at once. We can release bit by bit. At our own pace and timing, in way that feels supportive to our body and mind. Like Scorpio, we have the capacity to dig deep within ourselves to touch that which needs to be transformed. 

Full Moon Reflection: What have you been holding onto within yourself that is asking to be released? And how can you compassionately and courageously (begin to) release it in order to create space for a more aligned you to emerge?

From Fire (Aries) to Earth (Taurus)

Aries is the initiatior and trailblazer of the zodiac. It goes after what it wants with full force and at full speed. It takes action without hesitation and follows its creative urges instantaneously. Aries moves with passion, and with it, it forges a new and unique path for itself. Aries is the fire that’s within all of us that’s here to boldly create the life we envision for ourselves. Taurus is the grounding and steady force that grounds that fire. It is the stabilizer. Taurus seeks comfort, stability, serenity and pleasure. It moves at a slower pace because it is here to soak in all that life has to offer. Slowly and steadily. Moment by moment.

image source: Unsplash

image source: Unsplash

Taurus, unlike Aries, takes a slower and practical approach to life and creating its dreams. Its focus is on building a strong and sustainable foundation to produce all that it desires. Taurus is the foundation. The fertile soil. Without stable ground it can become difficult to sustainably build the life we envision for ourselves. Taurus gives us that. It grants us security and peace of mind. It gives us the room to pause and breathe. It is the container that holds the fire that we awakened during Aries season. A container that grounds, nourishes and sustains our fire, and allows us to continue to steadily build upon and refine that which we put into motion during Aries season. Taurus gifts us the ability to fully ground our dreams into reality.