We had a bit of a late start with this past gathering, so given the OG composition of the group, we went over the agreements quickly and dispensed with “getting to know you” questions. Had we had time for this reflection, the questions would have been: When do you speak your truth easily and joyfully? and When do you find yourself unable to speak your truth? (We circled back to these questions in the exercises and discussion that followed.)
Heart meditation
For our first meditation we connected once more with our heart center. Once we’d established that connection, I had everyone ask herself two questions: What is my truth today? and What do I need to speak my truth? We had mixed results in the group, ranging from someone who found it easier to connect with her heart this time around than last month, and those who were still working on dropping from their head to their heart. One individual kept hearing the voice of her head, and still another person didn’t think she got anything. I emphasized that all these experiences were typical, that meditative techniques take practice, and that even if we don’t seem to get answers now, we can trust that some time in the next 24 hours or so, the answer will come to us when we least expect it.
Head vs. heart partner work
We also reviewed the head vs. heart exercise from last month, but this time instead of doing it as one large group, we partnered up so that everyone was required to give voice to the answers they were getting. Everyone seemed to agree that it felt really comfortable and familiar being in the head, and that the head seemed to have a dominating voice that responded to questions quickly and authoritatively. The heart, by contrast, seemed to speak with a gentler voice that gave responses that were more expansive and non-judgmental. I think that the heart actually gives answers just as quickly—if not more—than the head. That is why, when we are building up our intuitive skills, we learn to go with our first impressions, and not to second-guess ourselves. But the heart does speak with a less domineering voice, and it is often difficult to hear it through the constant yammering of the monkey mind. As with anything, practice makes it a lot easier to connect with that deep voice within.
Throat chakra overview
After our meditation and partner work, we shifted gears into a discussion of the throat chakra. We talked about how it is not only an energy center, but a gateway in our body, and as such, it’s really interesting to pay attention to what we take in (e.g., gasp) and release (e.g., sigh) through our voice. It’s also important to be aware of the times when things seem stuck in our throat, and we find ourselves speaking with difficulty (e.g., stammering) or feel unable to speak our truth entirely (e.g., by resorting to lying, avoidance, or silence).
It is really obvious what the signs of imbalance are in the throat. But what makes the study of the throat chakra really interesting is that energetic excess and deficiency in this area can be tied to imbalances in our other chakra centers. Knowing what to look for and relating it to other chakras gives us a hint as to what will bring us back into balance (e.g., establishing a sense of safety, connecting more deeply with our emotions, boosting our sense of authority, etc.).
It seems obvious that the throat should be the center of our ability to speak truth, but it is also related to our ability to hear truth. For this reason, I always pay attention to when I have a difficult time hearing someone speak, phase out during a portion of a conversation, or I fall asleep during an audio or video talk. Barring obvious things such as ambient noise getting in the way, a microphone not working, and stress or fatigue on my part, I often wonder if my failure to hear and really listen to someone is because they are voicing a truth that I am not yet ready to hear.
Truth and resonance
This led us to a discussion of truth and resonance, because when we are talking about personal truth (not objective truths that are empirically or logically verifiable), we really need to pay attention to the energy of it. We talked a bit about waves and harmonics so that we could graps what it looks like mathematically when things are “on the same wavelength.” Then we did a short exercise to bring back the bodily memory of what truth / resonance feels like in the body and what dissonance feels like. Everyone had a different description for what resonance and dissonance felt like, which I loved, because it shows how unique each one of us is.
[Note: This is a bit like learning your body’s YES / NO, but slightly different in that here you are bringing in the energy of something external to you and gauging how well it meshes with your own energy. In the yes/no exercise, you are remaining within your own energy field and reading it for a positive/negative response.]
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