Dancing Archetypes, a description of a 6th chakra process, taught in Psychology of the Chakras 7-day intensive
Created and written by Selene Vega
In the 6th chakra trance session of Psychology of the Chakras 7-day intensive, participants emerge from the deepest part of the trance into a room in which tarot and other cards with visual images have been spread out on the floor. Wandering through the pools of illustrations and symbols, each person is asked to choose a card that they are drawn to, as well as one that they are uncomfortable with. In these sessions, having done the work of the first 5 chakras, we create a safe space to explore relationships with these parts of life as they manifest in our inner and outer realms. Without the context of the entire journey through the chakras, the community formed by the workshop setting, and the expertise of the facilitator, a better way to begin this exploration is to work first with the images to which you are drawn.
Begin by coming to center, sinking into your somatic self. Let your gaze rest on the visual image you have chosen, taking in the feeling of what you are looking at, then close your eyes and allow that image to form inside you as the archetype flows through you. Let each breath evoke that energy from deep within you, drawing to you all the rich history and universality of that archetype. If the archetype is human or animal, let your body begin to take on the characteristics of that archetype’s body. Even if your focus is something that we don’t think of as having a body (the Moon, for example, or the Ocean), allow your body to take on the qualities of that energy. Follow your feelings rather than your thoughts, letting your intuition guide you.
Open your body to the archetypal energy by imagining that you are a statue of that archetype, finding a pose that expresses those qualities. As you hold that pose, feeling the energy flowing in you, allow the archetype to use your body to manifest its energy, dancing its dance with your arms and legs, expressing its countenance in your face, bringing its timeless way of being to this present time in its interaction with your somatic self. Explore the many dimensions of the archetype, the parts that feel easy and familiar… the parts that take you to your growing edge… the parts that surprise you and introduce you to new ways of being.
When you are ready, bring your archetypal dance to a close. Let the energies that you have invited to dance in you drain out of you, knowing that you can invite them back in again another time. Sink back into your own center, breathing into your Beingness, aware of the larger field that you participate in, and also aware of your own individual self. Opening to an archetypal energy can give us access to a larger perspective and a greater wisdom than we usually are able to bring to bear on the situations in our lives and our understanding of our place in them. Often this exercise opens a window we didn’t know was available. One student was able to find a source of patience with herself that had eluded her until she worked with the great mother archetype. As she identified with an image of Gaia, earth mother, she connected with the long history of our planet as a huge container to hold the speeding, irritable, restless feelings she had been having. The expansive movements that emerged in her dance created a spaciousness that she could not imagine before, and she found her way to a sense of humor and compassion for her situation.
Written by Selene Vega
Vega, S. (2004). Movement practices for self-relations. +Walking in two worlds: The relational self in theory, practice, and community+. S. Gilligan and D. Simon. Phoenix, AZ, Zeig, Tucker, & Theisen.
Contact Selene:selene@spiritmoving.com