Throat chakra: Where's your will? In your way.

Any of these apply to you?

• People say I'm strong-willed.
• I have no self-control when it comes to ______ (insert any addiction you might be battling, which for me is sugar).
• I'm a bit controlling. OK, more than a bit.
• I have trouble expressing myself honestly.
• I need assurances of outcome before I'll make a change.

Welcome to the realm of the Throat Chakra, the seat of your will.

Need catching up? Visit any of the previous entries in this series:

What are the Chakras?
First Chakra: The Root
Second Chakra: The Sacral
Third Chakra: The Solar Plexus

Fourth Chakra: The Heart

As you've probably guessed, the Throat Chakra is in your neck, located halfway between the notch in your collarbone on the front and your spinal bump on the back. The fifth chakra is a place of will, expression, and control.

Additions and powerlessness are processed here ("will power") , and in the Sacral Chakra as well.

Here are some indications that you've got an imbalance in your Throat Chakra.

Emotional and mental:

Addiction

Judgmental and critical

Difficulty making decisions

Frustration with or fear about expressing yourself

Stubbornness

Overwhelming need to know why

Physical symptoms associated with imbalance:

Chronic sore throat

Laryngitis or pharyngitis

Raspy voice or little girl voice (think Betty Boop or Kristen Chenoweth)

TMJ

Thyroid problems

Mouth or gum sores

The color is blue. Like a clear sky on a winter day.
The seed sound is "HUM" This is mentioned for those who meditate. This would be an appropriate chanting phoneme, as sound is a primeval force.
The verb is "I speak."
The sense is sound.

The associated endocrine gland is the thyroid.

The Throat Chakra has to do with surrendering your own will to G*d or to the Divine.

Christian Sacrament: Confession. Taking responsibility for one's deeds and receiving the grace to cleanse yourself of negative acts of will.

Jewish Sefirot: Gevurah, and Hesed. The left and right arms of G*d. Gevurah represents power, judgment and punishment; Hesed symbolizes the love and mercy of G*d.

Healing thought: Surrender personal will to Divine will.

For anytime you're feeling that your life just isn't what you thought it would be, here's a powerful passage by Dr. Caroline Myss:

As we mature, we all try to build lives according to our own will. First we separate from our parents; we establish our independence, and we seek a career. Then, inevitably, some event or crisis occurs. Perhaps an occupation does not unfold according to plan; or a marriage does not work out; or an illness develops. We find ourselves in a situation that forces us to confront the limitations of our own inner resources that prevent us from successfully completing our plans...We ponder some questions: "What am I meant to do with my life? What was my purpose in being born?" These questions set the stage for aligning our will to the Divine plan -- the most profound choice we can make.

That one choice, made in faith and trust, allows Divine authority to enter out lives and reorder our struggles into successes and our wounds into strengths. While we may or may not consciously desire to surrender our personal will to Divine authority, we are sure to encounter numerous opportunities to do so. An incentive to make that choice lied in the life stories -- and life struggle -- of people who experienced nothing but pain and failure until they said to God, "You take over." Extraordinary acts of synchronicity then filled their lives, and new relationships their hearts. I have yet to meet the person who ever regretted saying to the Divine, "All yours."

As I research and compose this post, I can't quite get my throat clear -- a sign that I've got some releasing to do in my Throat Chakra. (In fact, with each post for this series, the spotlighted chakra in my own body has given me plenty of material to work with.) So here's a rundown of the things I can check:

• Am I holding back in speaking my truth?
• Am I expressing judgment or criticism of someone (or myself)?
• Have I told any lies? Obscured any truths?
• Am I living by Divine guidance or my own fear?
• Am I truly open to Divine guidance, or am I really trying to control G*d by saying "Guide me but stay within my comfort zone"?
• Am I over-controlling something or someone?
  
• Am I stuck on the question "Why?" for a situation?

"Thy Will Be Done." One of those phrases where simple ≠ easy.

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This post researched, in part, from Anatomy of the Spirit, by Caroline Myss, PhD.

The paintings for this series were created by Lisa Brown-Olsen. Her work is featured at Green Mountain Yoga. Check out GMY's online store, where you can also find chakra balancing jewelry by Mindy Arbuckle, owner of Green Mountain Yoga.