Visuddha (The Throat Chakra)Location: The throat/neck
Colour: Blue Associated Organ: thyroid Element: Ether Visuddha means "pure" and is considered the "lunar region" where man comes to the "gateway of liberation" where the world of error and opposites can be left behind and unity can be found (Jung, 77). The concept of unity is solidified through the representation of Shiva as Sadasiva (a form of Ardhanarisvara), his androgynous form (Mookerjee, 42). Sadasiva is depicted here with five heads to signify the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether- all found in the lower chakras) being purified once reaching the Visuddha chakra and dissolvinh into ashka which concerns the renunciation of the material world and becoming conscious of eternal realities (Goldberg, 68;Jung, 77). From here, Kundalini or Shakti can progress upwards to reach Ajna where the final process of liberation or ultimate unity begins (Goldberg, 68). Sakini is the female principle of this chakra, together Sakini and Sadasiva represent the mystical union and equality in opposites (Jung, 77). The elephant in this symbol is Airavata, the vehicle of the Vedic god Indra (Mookerjee, 42). |
Discussion
The fact that visuddha's associated element is ether is very interesting to Jung. What is
ether? Ether is space, thought, “matter that is not matter”(Jung, 42). For Jung
this mimics the qualities one experiences psychologically once having reached
visuddha. Here, one steps beyond the empirical world to the ether region in a
sense (Jung, 47). In visuddha, material facts external to you dissolve into
union with internal, psyche based facts (Jung, 49). Essentially, the people you
experience outside of yourself, external to you, become “exponents of your
psychichal condition” (Jung, 50). Put another way, if somebody or something
makes you angry, no matter how justified it is, in visuddha you recognize that
this anger is not caused by those external things but rather “it is a phenomenon
all by itself” (Jung, 49).
ether? Ether is space, thought, “matter that is not matter”(Jung, 42). For Jung
this mimics the qualities one experiences psychologically once having reached
visuddha. Here, one steps beyond the empirical world to the ether region in a
sense (Jung, 47). In visuddha, material facts external to you dissolve into
union with internal, psyche based facts (Jung, 49). Essentially, the people you
experience outside of yourself, external to you, become “exponents of your
psychichal condition” (Jung, 50). Put another way, if somebody or something
makes you angry, no matter how justified it is, in visuddha you recognize that
this anger is not caused by those external things but rather “it is a phenomenon
all by itself” (Jung, 49).