1st Chakra: Foundation of Life
The root chakra is the first energy center to develop, and its influence continues through the first 7 years of life. It is our early childhood experiences that lay the foundation for how we begin to navigate the world. The root chakra rules our core human issues: identity, safety, security, comfort, physical roots, basic needs (air, water, food, care), and our physical body. It is the energy center that defines our sense of belonging in the world, our belief patterns, and sets the stage for our overall mental health. Our respective tribes introduce us to life in the world, and we “inherit” from these groups their attitudes toward others. Beginning life as part of a tribe, we become connected to our tribal consciousness by absorbing its strengths and weaknesses, beliefs, superstitions, and fears.
It’s not always black and white, but if we grow up in a relatively consistent, loving home, that experience can give us a strong foundation to go out into the world. On a soul level, it is said we choose the family we are born into and that it provides the necessary lessons needed for our soul’s evolution. Life crises are often the catalyst for letting us know that we need to break free of beliefs that no longer serve us. We may want to become more conscious, but we are also afraid to make changes because that means we must take personal responsibility for ourselves. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to work through the obstacles presented in our formative years. This perspective has helped me approach my life with more accountability.
Of course, I have gone through periods of feeling resentment, anger, and blame (and perhaps it’s a necessary step), but I soon realized that holding on to those emotions was not healing me but hurting me. Having compassion for and forgiving the people in my life has empowered me to take responsibility for myself and to not allow anyone to define who I am. I grew up with love but also in a somewhat unstable environment, especially in my formative years. Those experiences caused a good amount of anxiety and depression, some of which I’ve had to learn to work with more than heal. It’s an important part of self-love to deeply understand ourselves so that we can take care of our mental health, much of which is developed in childhood. Those difficult experiences are also what drive me to help guide others along their healing journey.
It can be difficult for people to access their feelings about their families and their childhood experiences; some completely block them out. Getting in touch with these emotions can bring up a tremendous amount of shame and anger, and many people don’t know what to do with those intense feelings. Luckily, there are many healing modalities to help process our experiences, but it does require courage and commitment to ourselves and our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Understanding and accessing our feelings from childhood is crucial to our healing journey. My hope is that this process of inner exploration will become more encouraged and openly respected in our society, as well as financially accessible for everyone.
How did you feel in your family? Were you the black sheep? Were you the star? Were you teased or put on a pedestal? Did you feel safe and secure? Was the environment peaceful or chaotic? All of these dynamics affect us profoundly as adults. Whether or not we acknowledge our experiences from our formative years, those feelings seep into our adult lives, usually unconsciously, until we fully process them. We know that children personalize everything in childhood. If the environment is chaotic, then it must be ‘me’ who caused it. One of the best parts of being an adult is having the ability to take back our power and redefine those experiences, once we are brave enough to allow them to come to the surface.
Whether you had a chaotic experience in your family dynamic or not, it’s important to understand yourself and others by having compassion. Too often, we judge one another, including ourselves. We’re all responsible for our behavior, but we also all have a story. Instead of thinking someone is weird, maybe consider what they might have gone through as a child. We must be discerning in our choices, but we can also have compassion and send Love to those who may have more traumatic life lessons to navigate. Consider working with a mental health professional to process your childhood experiences. But don’t stop there. Take what you’ve learned and reclaim your power by embodying a fully open heart toward yourself and others.
