life feels unreal for me, almost illusory, and I have difficulty staying present. 1 2 3 4 512 My tendency is to get away from it all in whatever ways I can. 1 2 3 4 5
13 I get strong chocolate cravings. 1 2 3 4 5
14 I have abused or abuse alcohol, particularly hard liquor and wine. 1 2 3 4 5
15 I am overly concerned with other realities. 1 2 3 4 5
Third Eye Chakra Total: ________
Section 7: Crown Chakra
1 = Does Not Apply 3 = Applies Sometimes 5 = Applies All the Time
1 I lack faith in a Higher Power, or I am overzealous in conveying my religious beliefs. 1 2 3 4 5
2 I tend to be resentful of others who are overreligious or very forthright in their beliefs about God. 1 2 3 4 5
3 I lack a specific belief system about my connection with all of life. 1 2 3 4 5
4 I feel let down by a Higher Power. 1 2 3 4 5
5 I have spiritual beliefs that I neglect to live by. 1 2 3 4 5
6 I avoid an intimate connection with God for fear that it would change my life. 1 2 3 4 5
7 I struggle to maintain faith in living. 1 2 3 4 5
8 My experience with life has left me feeling that something is missing. 1 2 3 4 5
9 Life only goes so deep. 1 2 3 4 5
10 My body and spirit feel disconnected. 1 2 3 4 5
11 I doubt that I would be helped by a Higher Power in the event that I would need assistance. 1 2 3 4 5
12 I do not pray. 1 2 3 4 5
13 My spiritual views are nonexistent. 1 2 3 4 5
14 I search for a greater meaning to my life and do not seem to find anything satisfying. 1 2 3 4 5
15 I often feel lost in my life. 1 2 3 4 5
Crown Chakra Total: ________
Chakra Score Summary: ________
The chakra with the highest score indicates the greatest degree of imbalance. From here, you can either read the remainder of the book straight through, or you can skip to the chapter that addresses the chakra you most need to focus on as indicated by your score.
CHAPTER 4
FOODS FOR GROUNDING AND PROTECTION
Feeding the Root Chakra
I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.
—JOSEPH CAMPBELL
Earth • Roots • Grounding • Survival • Body •
Food • Matter • Beginning • Red • Square •
Tribe • Tradition • Abundance
LARRY: LOW ON GROUNDED ENERGY
Larry has mixed feelings about people. In the company of others, his identity wanes and he easily assumes the behavior and emotions of others. When he sees someone crying, his eyes well up with tears. If someone is angry, he feels rage swelling from within. As a result, Larry finds himself confused around other people. He is not sure what he actually feels. Being a taxi driver, around a wide variety of people, he comes home at the end of the day and feels “spaced out.” Many times, his body collapses in fatigue. He responds best when he is able to exercise, such as lifting weights or running. Most of his free time is spent in seclusion so that his life feels less complicated.
Larry has spent much of his life in debt and has difficulty managing money. He hops from job to job, unable to make a significant commitment. He has resigned himself to jobs where he doesn't have to interface with the boss to any great level, as he finds himself resentful toward authority influences. Larry is constantly haunted by the thought of going broke and ending up on the street. Many of his family members are successful, and he feels that he could never rise to meet their level of accomplishment. Finally, Larry has issues committing to an intimate relationship, because at the core level he does not believe he is worthy of being loved.
Larry is the extreme example of someone who is ungrounded, or unable to cultivate a healthy experience on the physical level in the human flesh. His boundaries are weak, as he willingly takes on the feelings of those around him, rather than recognizing and centering in his own emotions and authentically experiencing the interaction with someone else. In a manner of speaking, he relies on others to assign him his identity without taking responsibility for his own feelings and thoughts. People such as Larry may have difficulty surviving in the daily world and believing in their right to exist. They are insecure, erratic, impatient, bored, and flighty. Common practices and activities such as holding a full-time job or balancing finances may present to them as uphill battles of strife and pain. Healing for Larry is about mining his internal worth and value so that he can express his emotions authentically as his own and earn money without fear.
THE ROOT CHAKRA: GROUNDING
UNHEALTHY ROOT CHAKRA INDICATIONS
Perhaps you feel as though you can identify with elements of Larry's situation. If you answer positively to the questions following, chances are you have issues with grounding and would benefit from some work on your root chakra.
Do you feel like its “you” against “everyone else”?
Do you find yourself trying to overcompensate by overachieving, overworking, and even overeating?
Do you resist and even despise family traditions and refuse to take part in them?
Are you at “war” with your family of origin?
Are you suffering from inflammatory or autoimmune conditions?
Do you sometimes feel like life isn't worth the effort?
Do you feel that you are unloved and neglected by your family and friends, almost like you are invisible?
Do you take special care to safeguard your possessions and yet you still feel unsafe, to the point where you feel like your life is in jeopardy?
Do you often feel fatigued, like you can't go further?
Do you frequently feel like you are separate from others around you, like you cannot seem to connect?
Do you often
