Identity is a
constantly changing and expanding manifestation of spirit. Without it, our
power is too diffuse, but if we cling to it, we become limited. If our rights
remain intact, or if we have managed to reclaim them, then we have a good
chance at embracing our seven basic chakra identities, each of which builds
upon the one below in an ever-expanding pattern of larger systems.
Before listing
the identities, it is worthwhile to reflect on the concept of identity itself,
for it is a slippery but important concept in both psychology and spirituality.
Identity gives us meaning. We are constantly in search of meaning, for it tells
us how to operate. By identifying rain clouds, we know to roll up the windows
in the car. If we are ill or out of sorts, we want to identify the cause.
Each of the
chakras is associated with a particular identity that emerges developmentally
as we mature through life. Each identity contains within it the identities of
the previous stages. Expanding our sense of identity is one of the keys to
expanding our mode of consciousness from one chakra to the next. The identities can be seen as metaphoric layers of clothing, as ways
to cover the essential soul underneath. It is not a problem to have clothing—we
need different outfits for different occasions, from jeans to tuxedos to sexy
lingerie. It is a problem if we think the clothing is who we actually are, and
never remove it.
When we are so
immersed in these identities that we confuse them with the underlying Self,
then we have gotten stuck at a particular level. We have confused the clothing
for the body itself—unwilling to remove it, scared to expose the nakedness
underneath. If, on the other hand, we cannot identify at all with a level, then
we know we have some work to do there. Job hunting in
dirty jeans or gardening in formal wear is inappropriate—if that is all we can
do, we are severely limited.
The chakra
identities can be positive or negative, liberating or imprisoning. They are
simultaneously real and false. They are real in that they are real parts, yet
they are false because they are not the whole.
CHAKRA ONE: Our first identity level is known as the physical identity, and
its job is self-preservation. Here we learn to identify with the body—when my
body is hungry, I am hungry, when it hurts, I hurt. The body cloaks the
invisible soul, and reveals its shape and expression. When we identify with the
body, we identify with the soul’s expression in physical form, as well as its
physical qualities of male, female, young, old, fat, thin, healthy, or sick.
Physical
identification is necessary for dealing with the physical world. If I don’t
realize that I cannot lift one hundred pounds of paper in a carton, I can
seriously hurt my back. If I don’t recognize when I’m hungry or need to rest, I
can seriously compromise my health over time. To go without this identity is to
be dissociated from the body and disconnected from the physical world.
CHAKRA TWO: Beneath the surface of the body churn the
emotions. The emotions are the clothing of our feelings. When we experience a
strong emotion, we feel our aliveness and often identify with the feeling
involved. Even our language makes this identification: I am angry, I am scared.
(Other languages say, I have fear or anger.) This is the identity that says, I
feel therefore I am, and whatever I feel is what I am. Some people identify
their main sense of self in this way.
The second
chakra, then, is our emotional identity, and its job is self-gratification.
Emotion emerges from our physical identity and yet brings in an added
dimension. We have to feel our bodies in order to feel our emotions and learn
to interpret their messages. Emotional identity expands the experience of the
body and gives it dimension and texture, connecting us to the flow of the
world.
CHAKRA THREE: In the third chakra, we identify with our will, behavior, and
our actions. This is where we realize that we are a separate entity with the
power to choose our own actions and consequences. This is the ego identity,
oriented towards self-definition.6 This type of identification says, “I am what
I do.” When we do something right or achieve something difficult, we feel good
about ourselves. When we make mistakes or fail, then we think we’re bad. We
think that what we do is a statement of who we are. Ego identity emerges from
physical and emotional identity and can be thought of as the inner executive,
as it executes our intentions. This is the identity most often in charge. But
we have to remember—it is only a middle manager.
CHAKRA FOUR: In the fourth chakra, we create a social identity, also known
as the persona. The persona is the personality created to interact with
others—it is the part of ourselves that the ego allows to rise above the
surface, separated off from the shadow. Our social identity may be the
compulsive helper, the seductive lover, the pleaser, or the entertainer. In our
families we may take on the role of the lost child, the hero, the good girl, or
the rebel. Initially, our self-concept is based on how others react to
us—whether we are popular or an outcast, admired or criticized, loved or
rejected—identifying ourselves primarily through our relationships. As we
mature, the identity shifts to include how we perceive our role of service to
others, or how we have learned to give and embrace a world beyond our
ego-oriented self. This becomes our basis for self-acceptance.
The social
identity has the ego as its base, yet continually expands beyond the realm of
self-centered needs to embrace an awareness of others. As I transcend my ego
identity to care more about others, my social identity emerges. Yet, how I
present myself to others depends a great deal on underlying ego strength.
CHAKRA FIVE: The fifth chakra is the center of our creative identity. Here
we identify with our self-expression—what we say and produce. Initially, we
identify with our word through the commitments we make. I have committed myself
in marriage and by that commitment I am a wife. I have given my word to write a
book, and in that commitment I am a writer. In this identity, we take
responsibility for what we say by embodying it in our actions. Through our
creativity, we identify ourselves as artists, teachers, entrepreneurs,
politicians, mothers, or fathers. (We may also identify with our mistakes and
failures.) The creative identity expands outward, through its ability to
contribute and give back to the larger system.
As this level
matures, we begin to identify with larger possibilities and reach for
inspiration from the great works of civilization, from the inspiring acts of
heroes and saints, poets and painters. As we expand into the creative flux of
the world around us, we identify with our path. Our path is the realization of
our personal contribution to the larger system. Ideally, the path leads to an
ever-expanding growth of consciousness and an eventual transcendence of the
personal self into the transpersonal self. Its foundation is a healthy ego,
social confidence, and a sense of compassion for others.
CHAKRA SIX: In the sixth chakra, we expand into our archetypal identity,
transforming the individual I into something transpersonal. Our personal story
is now seen as an event in a larger story. If we suffered from poor mothering
because our mothers were not supported, we carry a piece of the archetypal
story of the degradation of the Mother Goddess—the loss of the archetypal
Mother. The power that our mothers lacked was the same power that has been
stripped from women over millennia, stripped from the archetype itself. Those
who suffered from distant fathers carry a piece of the larger story of
industrial revolution, of disempowered men removed from their families, and the
distant Father-God archetype.
We enlarge our
understanding of Self as we find our own life themes reflected in fairy tales,
mythology, movies, and news stories. We experience self-reflection in the
larger system. We realize we are players in a much larger drama, riding the
waves of the cultural tide’s ebb and flow. As we mature at this level, we
consciously embrace the evolution of the archetypal symbols that speak to us.
If we take on a crusade for the preservation of the ancient forests, we are
doing more than just saving trees—we contribute to a larger archetypal cause.
CHAKRA SEVEN: In the crown chakra, we come to the final and largest
identity: our universal identity. The more our consciousness expands, the
larger our identity can become. As we realize the magnificent scope of the
cosmos, we have the opportunity to transcend our smaller, more limited world,
and identify with the entire universe. This is a common theme in mystical
experiences where the identification with the smaller ego states gives way to
recognition of a unitary identity with all of life, indeed of all creation. In
Eastern philosophy, this is the basis of true self-knowledge—the knowledge of
divinity within.
The chakra
levels move from exclusively individual identities—as unique and singular as
our bodies—toward a universal commonality. At the outer extreme of the crown
chakra, individuality is transcended and absorbed in the larger field of the
divine. This is expressed by the Buddhist maxim: Thou Art That. The purpose of
the crown chakra, meditation, and indeed, of most spiritual disciplines, is to
break through the bonding with the smaller identities and to achieve
realization of the universal identity. This does not deny the reality of the
smaller identities; it just means that we see them as part of a unified and
integrated whole.
Each identity
is primary when our developmental process is centered there. Like Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, we must consolidate our identities on the lower levels
before we can sustain the larger identities, even though we may catch glimpses
of them from time to time quite out of order. As we experience the higher, more
inclusive identities, our lower identities slide into appropriate
perspective—no less important, yet taking their place as pieces supporting a
much larger, more powerful whole.
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