THE ROOT (MULADHARA) CHAKRA

To begin our series of chakra which is a continuation from our previous post on the Introduction of Chakra in Ifá, we would comprehensively discuss the Root Chakra, which is the first seal to break in the ladder of chakras we introduced in the introductory post in relations to this. Root Chakra is known by the sankrit word Muladhara. In the Sanskrit, mula means “root” or “base” and the word adhara means “support”, so the meaning of the word muladhara in this contex is the “ support center“. This is exactly what the main function of the Root Chakra is.

Root chakra is the center of stability, security, and our basic needs. The root chakra is comprised of whatever grounds you to stability in your life. This includes your basic needs such as food, water, shelter, safety, as well as your emotional needs of interconnection, and being fearless like a lightening ripping through the storm. When these needs are met, you feel grounded and safe. It is the most important Chakra as this is the Fundamental Chakra, its formation begins at conception and becomes fully developed after 12 months. It is located at the base of the spine, the pelvic floor, and the first three vertebrae, the root chakra is responsible for your sense of safety and security on this earthly journey. Psychological and spiritually, it influences our personal integrity, self-esteem and sense of belonging. A large portion of our society has a blocked or unbalanced root chakra. The Root Chakra provides the links between our energetic system and the physical world and is the base for our life force energy. It gives us the motivation to eat, sleep, procreate and all the basic survival skills is developed through the root. When it comes to our psychological and spiritual nature, it helps us develop our personal integrity, self-esteem and sense of belonging it is the chakra that builds masculinity.

The main color of this chakra is red which is also the most dense color of all chakra colors. Red is the slowest of all the wavelengths within the visible spectrum, yet, it is the most stimulating color. That is why it is associated with Sango, He governs lightning, thunder, fire, drums and dance. Sango is a warrior Orisha of intelligence and wit, has irascible temperament and is the embodiment of manhood. He is very spirited and strong-willed. He loves all of the pleasures of the world and is used in spells for sex, lust, power and money which are the primary needs of man.
His influence as the energy governing the root chakra allows us to harness courage as fit as the thunder, resourcefulness and the will to live during challenging times. Sango is, in reality, the quintessential strategist, he loves nothing better than to plan ahead to set the stage and pull the strings necessary to produce the results they desire. His strategy sometimes goes awry, as in his learthly attempt to destroy his two powerful generals by pitting them against each other, but over the many years his knack for strategy has become highly refined and almost unstoppable.

As the essense chakra, the Root chakra connects us with spiritual energies of our ancestors, and our ancestors challenges and triumphs. Since Root Chakra carries our ancestral memories, basically everyone os exposed to experience the challenges or imbalances of Sango within the root chakra. Working on the root chakra is the first seal to break towards enlightment, the process of breaking this seal is an attempt to free the mind of the burden of the ego and desires which are the causes of imbalance. The first duty of a spiritual quest is to transform the body's sexual cravings and worldly desires, The more the mind is focused upon, and gripped by sexual desire, the more difficult it will be to even begin the climb the ladder of chakra to the crown. Most of Sango's battle in life were as a result of his own ego, sex drive and foolish pride, one notable conflict is that between him and Ogun, the warrior deity of iron and the deity of the heart chakra, where Sango was reported to have successfully wooed and seduced Osun and Oya the wives of Ogun with his good looks and prowess. Its obivious that when there is a conflict between the root and heart chakra there would be a great imbalance which is capable of demeaning ones sense of belonging and self-esteem.

When we are fully grounded and our root is deep, we easily manifest our needs and desires without harming another. Our creations are in divine alignment and created with the purest of intentions. When our root chakra is balanced we have no need or desire to manipulate, force or control another with distorted energy to get what we want at the detriment of another. We are grounded and centered, our physical body is vital and healthy, we are connected to our instincts and we feel safe and supported. We have faith in our own personal manifesting abilities and we do not expect others to take care of us. We do not give our power away and we know we are fully capable of providing all of the basic human necessities needed for our survival. We are a leader, not a follower. We are stable, healthy, courageous, patient and powerful.

There are various traumas that can affect the root chakra, societally, a large percentage of us have blocked root chakra, majority of us were raised by well intentioned but unawake parents who were unable to provide us with the nurturing necessary to fully develop this chakra. If we were raised in a safe, loving, nurturing environment the chances of our root chakra developing fully are very high, therefore, providing a very strong foundation for the rest of our chakras to fully develop. Also, life changes that “pull up our roots” cause a root chakra imbalance. Traveling, fearfulness about family, finances and religious faith, some people don’t need dramatic life changes to become imbalanced in the root chakra; these people live more in their heads than in their bodies, and feel ungrounded most of the time. In addition many religions, governments and the media induce inappropriate levels of fear keeping people stagnated in their root chakra. Fear of God, fear of people with different beliefs, fear of food shortages, viral outbreaks, food contamination, invading countries, nuclear threats and a failing economy keep us stuck in a perpetual state of fear making it very difficult for our root chakra to function properly.

An imbalanced, stuck, stagnant or blocked root chakra can also develop a sense of negativity and narrow thinking in the mind which will start as a need for co-dependence developing itself into to an intense feeling of insecurity due to the lack of self-esteem associated with a sever case of co-dependence; this would in turn lead to restlessness and apathy that has the propensity of transforming into a great depression and heart wrenching frustration leading to resentment of oneself and others in turn this ignites the flame of anger and rage capable of influencing ones ability to burn one's own house down and putting an end to ones zest for life. Other signs of an imbalance root chakra includes
• trouble saving money
• chronic health problems
• lack of healthy boundaries with others
• lack of or little interest in intimate/physical relations with an opposite sex
• eating disorders and lack of appetite
• lack of energy
• fear, etc.

If this chakra is not developed and its blockage broken, our foundation will be shaky and our roots will not be strong enough to provide continued support for our highest growth potential. A ship that is not tied well in port, will be lost to the current. To heal the root chakara, one must try to engage the body with constant exercises, pick a sport of interest, learn yoga if you can (it has been prescribed to heal all chakras); connect with the earth by walking barefooted to strengthen your connection with the earth and nature, joining a mountaineering expedition to clear the mind, and deep forest hiking to fill the lungs, heart and body with the scent of fresh green; also exposing oneself to certain colours especially red can help the restoration process and stating positive affirmation to psych your spirit and raise your vibration. Also, some food like protein rich foods (meats, eggs, beans n etc) and also root vegetables like carrots, radishes, onipn and garlic have been recommended as beneficial to the development of the root chakra.

Thank you for the read, the topic on chakra will continue in subsequent quotes we implore you to subscribe to our page to get notification on our next post via email and we also hope to read your thoughts and suggestions in the commentary box. We wish you a strong heart, healthy body and a sound mind.