CICERO & THE 5TH CHAKRA
Having a huge influence on the formation of the Latin language itself, Cicero was one of the greatest orators, consuls, politicians and philosophers (among many other credentials) of all time. Many of his writings inspire me today, and I bring up the great Marcus Tullius Cicero because his ability to inspire, move and persuade the greatest minds in power while communicating higher ideals is linked to his relationship with the 5th chakra. I like to pretend that his essence was guiding me through a moment in time.
Allow me to back track.
I was at a large festival in Texas with my family some years ago and saw a beautiful booth with the most intricate crystal jewelry and designs. It was high quality stuff. Amidst the crowds, people shoving around, the smells of fried everything and chaos, my vision zoned in on one particular crystal, and I could not see anything else around me. My skin chilled as waves of tingling sensations bathed my body. This is usually what happens when a higher version of myself wants me to pay attention to something important: hyper-focus, tunnel vision, chills everywhere, otherworldly instinct. And so I walked over to the designer, who was an eccentrically charismatic, gypsy-esque, Brooklyn-based, Romanian chap in his mid forties with a jovial half smile and stocky build.
We began to chat about his work. I had my eye on one piece. It was a crystal ring with an opulent, ornate setting; royally bombastic with just enough pretension to make a statement without slapping you in the face. It was old world, yet wearable. It was just right. I absolutely loved it. The crystal in the center was the color of a lost lake, untouched. It was the clearest light blue, but imbuing a milky quality that I found soothing and solid, like a rock that was a star at the same time. It glistened with powdery softness. For any of you who have an affinity for crystals, you know exactly what I am talking about. The thing wanted me to wear it. The ring would have no other, and I could hear it gently breathing my name with the novelty and excitement of a new, summertime lover. I had to come up with a damn good excuse, justifying my cause for purchase to the rational part of my brain that rarely allowed for such self-indulgence. The chap dealing crystals would pack up his cart and be gone before the day was through. But I wanted more information…to justify my cause, of course. I pressed him for info. What type of crystal is this? Where did you get it? Who is your source? How was it harvested? Was the stone machine cut? Where was this process done? Has it been cleaned? Yeah, are your rocks clean? No, no, no… I mean energetically cleaned! What do you mean you don’t know what I mean? Energetically. Cleaned…And what is your spirit animal’s social security number?
It makes me chuckle, now. He really didn’t know or care. Nor did he understand that he was dealing with an intense crystal healer. He was the designer, owner and operator of this enterprise, and he wouldn't answer my questions for God’s sake. I waited around his booth while big haired, bleached-blonde, leopard-skin wearing, oil tycoon wives with lipstick brighter than their Texas-sized presences interrupted my interrogation. Well, they actually had money to buy his fine pieces. So, I waited. And after flirting with a few of these flamboyant, cash-carrying characters, he finally remembered the name. He said it so casually, after waiting for this one piece of information, and I saw the words seep through his nonchalant lips in slow motion like liquid ink.
“Ohhhhhhh, I thiiiiiiink I reeeeeemeeeeeembeeeeeeer…. It’s bluuuuuuuue chalcedoooooonyyyyyyy,” he said.
Blue Chalcedony.
“Fantastic!” I said, and ran off into a corner. He looked puzzled but I really didn’t care. Estranging myself from the festivities of the day I started to research what vibrations and healing qualities the crystal offered so I could compare these benefits with what may need healing in my personal life. And this is what I learned.
Blue chalcedony is the metaphysical stone of the 5th chakra.
WHOA. LEGIT.
It is said Cicero used to wear this stone around his neck before giving great speeches and orations in the senate.
WHAT?!?
Can you see my eyes right now as you’re reading this page, bugging out and exploding the surprise of my soul through the screen on your iPhones and tablets? I wish I had a dirty martini in that moment so I could spew it out dramatically with ferocious, soap opera, shock. Maybe some fine cowboy would come over and ask if everything was alright after my hypothetical cocktail exploded. I would unapologetically slap him after proceeding to call me “ma’am” even though I was only 27. I would turn to him with pale-faced intensity and wild green eyes, whispering like an arrow, “It’s Cicero’s stone, you fool…” and walk away, oh so slowly. Obviously, the “Old West Song” from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly would be playing in the background.
End scene.
I personally have a connection to Cicero, as well as St. Augustine (side note: a lot of Cicero’s work was built upon his study of St. Augustine). I mean, the man used this particular crystal as an amulet to enhance his ability to communicate with power. He consciously cleared the chakra vortex in his throat, attuning himself to the highest energies in the best way he knew how. And he had great influence. And there was something, some guide or higher aspect of myself, wanting me to work with healing the 5th chakra. I was guided to wear this stone, to keep it with me, to work with the colors and corresponding vibrations. How exciting! This is incredible. Cicero… I was going to wear what Cicero wore. I felt special. I would wear it proudly. Perhaps I was a fine orator in a past life. Surely, the rational part of myself would want me to wear Cicero’s amulet -stone despite the price. Perfect excuse. Yes this is what---
And then the chills came again. I was silenced.
The thought, “Your Voice,” became the dominant idea in my mind. My voice. I immediately thought of the idea of opening up and I could feel my physical body start to curdle into itself like rouge, cottage cheese, physically disgusted from the idea of too much exposure, knowing that exposure is part of connecting to my powerful, inner voice. I’ve spent a lifetime protecting it like a half-starved mother bear in a land taken over by hunters. I’ve build armor over the most sensitive touch-spots of my soul. It’s helped me survive. It’s kept me safe, and I was not ready to part with this fool-proof protection I’d created. Protection had been my best friend. There was so much in that thought, “Your Voice” and how far away I was from it’s full potential.
My throat closed up and I was a rabbit caught in a trap looking around for a hole in the ground. I felt so much emotion at once. My voice. Myself. My being. My wounds. My insights. My story. My genius. My ability. My passion. My struggle. My pain. Speak. Speak. Speak. No. No. No. I listen. Isn’t that enough? Speakers must listen, right? Everyone speaks. Everyone yells. There is too much noise in this world. Let me be a listener. But I realized, in that moment, that this awesome, stupid, stone marked the beginning of a terrifying journey to heal the deepest wounds of my life. Those wounds affected the most sensitive and powerful energy center in my body (unique to me—everyone has different strengths), and thus the quality of every aspect of my life. I felt naked at that festival in that moment, amid all those realizations, communications and imaginative, wild west fantasies.
I busted myself. But I did buy the ring.
I delved into what it means to heal the 5th chakra and began to accept the full realization is that I am a 5th chakra healer.
But I was hiding. And I still am, to some degree. I have so much growth to work through in this area and I am not ashamed to say that. I am not so arrogant. And recently in my work and practice, in what comes up for clients (which always leads to further introspection), I began to see that the 5th chakra needs to be addressed; mine and yours. We will do this together.
“Kalisa,” you might be thinking, “all this jive, and you still haven’t told us WTF a 5th chakra is, or what a 5th chakra healer is!”
The 5th chakra: Something people love to shut down when afraid, especially women. Something that sets you free. A place within you that holds your truth and stories. An expression of your divine self. A never-ending pool of imaginative craft so deep that the other end is a lagoon in Andromeda, whose channels connect you to everyone and everything else in the universe. A healer’s tool. The perfect shade of cool, electric, blue. Power. Protection. A sharp knife you can turn on yourself, turn on others, or use to sculpt cedar. Safety. Intimacy. Integrity. Understanding. Both speaking up and choosing silence. Truth. Truth. Truth. That’s what it is.
But really, technically, clinically, it is a spinning vortex located in the throat area of your internal energy system that governs expression and communication. It’s the 5th main chakra, up from the root at the spine. It’s one of the major 7 of the 189 total chakras. It’s a big one. And you see, right now is a time when being of integrity to your higher purpose is of utmost importance. It is impossible to live that higher purpose without the ability to speak up for yourself, speak through to yourself, or silence into yourself. We mustn’t forget that silence is it’s own form of communication. Power does not always have to be loud. There is a time and place for it all.
Sometimes I feel like the full manifestation of my voice and my potential is this unlimited, powerful scope of multifaceted artistry and mysticism, organically coming together through dancing channels and collaborations. It’s beautiful, and I can see it and feel it. It’s beyond me. It’s something orchestrated by a higher divinity, something much more powerful than I. I am humble, bowing to this orchestration. But this cosmos of higher expression lies on the other side of a forceful river that is as much of a personal shield, as it is a personal limitation. It’s a dark storm to wade through. But I am in it. I am swimming in it. I created it. I can traverse it. It’s really fucking frightening and makes my body want to hide in fetal position under my covers holding my chest from collapsing. But, I’ve found there is incredible power in traversing this river, even when your heart is a glass slipper. There is freedom in its unlocking. Healing the 5th chakra is the ultimate acceptance of self.
When I was a young girl, maybe 22, I was told by a world famous psychic and intuitive that I was a 5th chakra healer. She was an older, lovely British woman. The kind you want to sit and have tea with every day at 4 p.m. sharp because she knows every story and everything in the world and speaks about atrocity, light and dark with such grace and love that no matter what is happening, you know it’s going to be okay. She was and is experienced, wise, and I wanted her to bake me crumpets in her cottage after she returned from farmer Dewey’s butcher shop (and yes farmer Dewy was a real person in her small town outside London).
She works with celebrities and royalty around the world, she is a published author and sought after speaker, she travels giving lectures and workshops. I was in trouble when I saw her. And I needed to speak with her at that time. At this point, she was the second successful intuitive who told me I was a healer. As soon as I walked in and sat down she said, “Firstly, I want to say to you, child, for you are a child, that you are a healer. (pause) A gifted healer (pause—looking me square in the eyes). You can do what I do. And you should do. People will need you. You’re a 5th chakra healer; it comes through the voice with you. There are people in this world who will be jealous of you, who will try to stop someone like you from realizing this gift. But you will do this. You will make it through. It’s sort of like playing piano. Some people are musically gifted. And of those few, some will be lucky enough to afford lessons. And of those few, some will have a piano in the home where they can practice. Some of those will get scholarships to musical programs because they are so good and so encouraged. Some of those graduates will be so talented that they will become maestros and concert pianists. The healer, is the concert pianist. I am so utterly surprised that you are not using this gift.”
I will never forget the tone of her voice and how it made me feel. I will never forget the way she said, “utterly.” That voice echoes like loving waves bathing random moments still today. I heard it silently in my mind over the course of the coming years, when I was going through what I like to call “Personal Hell Phase 3” (but that’s another story). She told me so much more than that, about my artistry and need to express my creativity, about my gifts, politics and her predictions in terms of wartime tensions. She spoke to me about love. Oh, we discussed a great many things. Some of them may be true. Some of them might not. I am not big into predictive intuition because we can change the course like a sailor perking up at a new wind. But I needed that bit of wisdom prior to one of the deepest and most challenging journeys of my life. I will say one thing about truth: it sticks with you. If it resonates, if it gives you the chills, if it echoes, then pay attention. That means it is real for you.
I remember the frequency in her tone. I remember knowing her soul, because I could understand things about her from the tone of her voice. I remember the exact phrasing that she used. I remember the pauses. There was energy behind breath and inflection. I understood the intention behind it all. I could listen and read the energy of her voice as she was working with me. And do you know why I remember? It’s because I am a 5th chakra healer. And the 5th chakra is closely related to the sense of hearing. To speak with wisdom, one must be able to listen. Reading tonality is one of the methods I use when I am working with clients on the crystal bed.
To give you a little more context, the 5th chakra is the first of the upper, spiritual energy centers in the body. Being aligned with this center is to speak, listen and express yourself as a higher form of communication. It is being in tune with spiritual expression. Ether, spirit and the hearing senses correspond to this energy center. So, those who have a higher ability with this chakra have sensitivities connected with hearing, speaking, writing, acting and any type of communication. They may be musically gifted as well, as a keen ear is required to play music and to sing.
This energy center is connected to the thyroid and parathyroid. It is responsible for healthy functioning of the throat, larynx, mouth, ears, nose, teeth and trachea. When it is blocked we might become silent, or at the other extreme, ramble on like a thoughtless jackass who speaks much, but says nothing. We might start lying or gossiping, developing unhealthy communication, perhaps even overeating, binge drinking or using drugs to avoid the pain of speaking from the blocked chakra. Ultimately this neurosis is about avoiding the pain of the wound, not the addiction itself. You might develop hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, jaw pain, headaches, cold sores, laryngitis, a hoarse voice, autoimmune dysfunction and the like when this energy center is out of balance. When in balance, we are tapped into psychic senses, especially clairaudience. We hear between the lines. We are able to listen actively and respond with thought, emotional intelligence and wisdom. When the 5th chakra is balanced we become more than dreamers. We are channels for the mystical landscapes of our dreams, into the Earth world. We become bringers of beauty.
So how do we heal the damn thing? It’s not as simple as one, two, three. It’s about planting a seed of awareness that becomes a lifelong dance with your integrity, voice and power. But I will list out things that I know help and describe what I mean. Many of you, like myself, are dealing with a lifetime of shit piles on top of your truth. You don’t even fully know, what you don’t know. But there are small things we can do in our daily lives to strengthen this energy center, just like an athlete lifts weights every day to stay conditioned.
1. SMALL TRUTH, BIG TRUTH, AT ALL COSTS.
Say yes when you mean yes. Say no when you mean no. I am an introvert. I get physically exhausted from doing energy work, and from being around too many people. I need a lot of down time. That is where I recharge. I hibernate in winter and I am all out, in the spring and summer. I operate in cycles and I don’t fight it anymore. The thing is, I tend to attract very extroverted friends that like to get into all sorts of fantastical nonsense and fun. And I love them. And I like nonsense and fun sometimes too, but not all the time. I like journals, poetry and trippy, instrumental music. But I used to lie and make up small excuses for reasons I didn’t want to hang out because I didn’t think that, simply being me and needing to be alone, was enough of a justified reason to say no. "Oh man," I’d say, "I wish I could but I have to wrangle up these 14 lost bunnies that I found on the side of the road in Mendocino, and gosh, finding them homes its going to take me all night. Maybe months. I have to crochet little jackets for them too, because these are special bunnies who speak in sign language and luckily, I speak sign language. So, I was able to understand that they were cold. In fact, I have to learn how to crochet. I’m headed to the yarn store now, with these cosmic, smart-bunnies. Sorry. Next time! Ya’ll have fun…"
When I was young I hated Chuck E Cheese. My friends loved it. I thought it was plastic and creepy and weird and those robots playing music were unnaturally looking at me and not looking at me at the same time. And the chaotic energy of random, sugar-highed, kids made me physically ill. I froze up in places like Chuck E Cheese. It was too much. When I would have friends over and they would ask if my mom would take us there, I would lie and say that she was working and she couldn’t. Not a far stretch from the norm, and of course at the time I didn’t have the understanding or language to say I am a sensitive, empath and can’t stand the energy that God forsaken, plastic kingdom of mayhem…
Now, when someone asks me to do something, I say yes. That sounds good. Or I say no, I can’t make plans that day. I am unavailable and need to relax. I cannot join you because I don’t want to. Being honest and direct is the best way to be nice. Or maybe it’s a big one. Maybe you are a woman terrified of getting physically close to anyone in a romantic sense, because you’ve been raped. You don’t talk about it to anyone. You buried it 10 years ago. You do not go to therapy because that would mean acknowledging that something bad happened. But you are secretly tortured, thinking that you are the type of person who secretly deserves bad things. You don’t want to be damned and if you acknowledge this fact, then maybe more bad things will happen. So you bury it. And it wells up in your heart, throat, and body, giving you sleepless nights and panic around potential dates. These, you see, these are 5th chakra falsities. Self-delusion. Lies. Do you see where I am going with this? Big Truth. Little Truth. Not speaking truths, cause problems. Everywhere. From physical ailments to relationships and addictions.
2. SING.
a. Humans have been dancing and singing since the dawn of time, through housework, war, slavery and plagues. It’s natural. It’s meditative. It is exercise for the voice and the throat and the heart center. Singing connects you to source and your physical body at the same time. It’s practice. It doesn’t matter if you have a shitty voice or an awesome voice. Just sing. It’s healthy. My sister notoriously had this god awful singing voice that rang like a crushed bell covered by a pile of dying ravens. (Sorry, Eve. I do love you). But she trained in yoga and started chanting and singing more through her practice, and with time, balanced that chakra and the corresponding vibrations. Her voice literally sounded more pleasant after working with it.
When I was a little girl, I was just plain scared. I was hiding, even then. But I would sing. I would hum, in a natural state of joy. But very soon in life I became aware that people might be watching, and then I would only sing total privacy. I went to an Episcopal elementary school where we attended church on Wednesday mornings. We had to sing hymns. I would sing softly so no one would hear me. I would sing softly because I didn’t want to be seen, and I knew my voice was different from the other children. If I sang out people would notice my voice was different. They would look at me. I didn’t want the attention so I sang in cracked softness. But sometimes, if I wasn’t too close to anyone I would start to sing with natural power. I remember being a little girl and having tears stream down my face when I would let my voice out. When I sang I would cry. It was divine. I didn’t understand why I would cry, and really I still don’t understand but it doesn’t matter why. It’s just a strange phenomenon that happened regularly, and I found it embarrassing.
One Wednesday morning, I was late to church and sat next to a woman who worked in administration instead of my classmates because I snuck in through the back. I didn’t really care if this woman heard me sing. We reached for our hymnal books as the pianist commenced. I opened my tiny, little mouth and sang because I knew the words and I felt safe in this hidden spot. After the hymn, she looked at me and said, “Well honey, don’t you have a pretty voice.” She had smiling eyes. I gently turned to look at her with hot tears rolling down my cheeks and whispered, “thank you.”
3. WRITE.
a. You don’t have to be a writer. Everyone is creative. You are part of creation therefore you were created. That makes you are creative. Get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally do. Make some coffee or tea before the kids are awake, before the phone starts ringing, before you check your Instagram and email. Write from your stream of consciousness, whatever comes to mind. You don’t need to edit it. You don’t need to look back over it. You can burn the page for all I care. But it’s healthy to express and release in this way. When you write you discover things that weren’t there. You tap into a subconscious wisdom.
4. CONNECT TO URANUS.
a. At night when you go to sleep, imagine a blue tube of light inside a purple tube of light that connects through the atmosphere and stratosphere, into the cosmos until the other end of the tube hits Uranus. Let light come in from this planetary body. Let there be healing. It doesn’t matter if you feel like you are imagining it. Imagination is the key to divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the key to all art and all healing. The energies of Uranus strengthen the 5th chakra.
5. SILENCE.
a. It’s hard to know what to express when you’re all jumbled. Watch the clarity and acuity that arises when you stop speaking and actively listen. Silence has become a luxury. Silence has become precious. Everywhere is loud. People are loud. Cities are loud. You go for a hike and there is going to be someone on that trail who is jabbering on his or her phone about something petty. You’re loud. Your mind is loud. The self-sabotaging voice is loud. So be silent. You will hear through the loudness. You will hear quiet, despite it all. You will be receptive to truth because you’ve silenced your earth self. And truth is what the 5th chakra needs.
6. MEDITATION
a. There are certain chants and sound vibrations that specifically strengthen the 5th chakra. My favorite is a Kundalini Mantra, “Sa Re Sa Sa” It means that the infinite totality is here. The creativity of God is here, everywhere. You can download this mantra, or listen to it on youtube. Find a version you love. Close your eyes. And sing this mantra with all the bigness of your heart. 11 minutes is rad. 31 minutes is boss status.
All of these will help. You can do yoga for the 5th chakra. You can see an acupuncturist. You can come see me and we can uncover truths and stories around wounds. You can be a boss like Cicero and me, wearing an amulet of blue chalcedony, pretending that you are about to give speeches to powerful politicians of the world. You can call bullshit on your made up stories. You can face pain. You can get sober. You can stop binge eating and throwing up. You can stop sleeping with people that treat you like crap and pretending it's “cool.” You can start working out and get grounded into your physical body. You can chant. You can find ways to be truthful with yourself. When you do that, you can be truthful with other people. You can be brave and be honest with people, and I promise you the ones that are worth it won’t leave you. Those who are supposed to be there, will be there. That’s how soul mates work. They are mates, for your soul. Opening in this way causes your pure essence to speak through you; the passions and purpose arise from your darkest depths soaring through to your heart and lips as the healing breath of life that it is! It will move through you, unobstructed by your oh-so-healthy, 5th chakra. And you will give this healing breath to the world. Others need it desperately. You will help them remember their own ability to heal through truth. Love is the only thing that is real. Everything else is illusion.
I am wading through the river with you.
With all of my gently opening, glass-slipper heart…