The emblem for the heart chakra is a circle of twelve lotus petals bordering two overlapping triangles, shaping a six-pointed star. The triangles symbolise the descent of spirit into the body and the ascent of matter intensifying to meet spirit. This symbol (also known as the Star of David) illustrates the Sacred Marriage- the equilibrated interpenetration of masculine and feminine. This is the star of radiancy that radiates from an open-heart chakra. The six points can also be seen as associating with the six other chakras, as they are each incorporated at this centre.
In the body, this chakra links to the cardiac plexus, and governs over the heart, lungs, and thymus gland. Just like each chakra can be seen as a disk of twirling energy, likewise the entire body/mind can be seen as a chakra. If one pursues a path from the crown chakra, coiling through each centre, one can find that the heart is the terminal point of the spiral-the centre, the goal. Here one finds the eye of the storm, where quietness persists in the middle of wrath. The heart is undeniably a centre of peace.
The Sanskrit name for this chakra is Anahata, meaning "sound that is made without any two things striking," as well as "unstruck," "unhurt," "fresh," and "clean." When the chakra is released from anguish from old hurts, its opening is guiltless, bright, and beaming. The fight of the third chakra is substituted by acceptance in the fourth. If the third chakra has completed its job, the state of affairs is easier to acknowledge.
The element of the fourth chakra is air, the slightest dense of the physical elements so far. As an element, air is normally associated with knowledge and things that are unrestrained and feisty. Air symbolises freedom, like the birds that fly. Air exemplifies openness and freshness, like the ventilation of a room. Air symbolises agility, straightforwardness, and gentleness. When one falls in love, one has a feel of walking in cloud nine. Air implies roominess, which is accomplished through letting go. When one adheres too strongly to what one loves, one stifles their dearest, which is like depriving them of air. One generally talks about demanding space when one wants "room to breathe."
Air, the gaseous state of matter, varies from any element, because it tends to diffuse itself equally across any space it occupies (excluding gases that are especially lighter or heavier than the average atmosphere). Water stays at the bottom of the bowl. Earth stays rigid and fixed. Fire moves upward, but always sticks to its fuel; yet air dissipates. Incense burned on an altar slowly permeates the whole room. There is a sense of symmetry, peacefulness, and constancy. Similarly, the heart chakra reverberates a kind of loving calmness in respect to the complex interrelationships of all things.
Lastly, air symbolises breath, the life-sustaining process through which the cells are kept alive. The Hindus call it prana (derived from pra, "first," and na, "unit"). In yoga philosophy, prana is referred to as a fundamental energy in and of itself, an indispensable unit from which all life is made. This energy exemplifies a boundary between the physical world and the mental world. The mind, if it desires to manipulate the body, can do so through dominance of the breath. Similarly, control of the breath can silence the mind. Prana is regarded an essential link between the two-just as the heart chakra is the integrator between upper and lower chakras.
Opening the heart chakra requires an amalgamation of modus operandi and perceptiveness. Firstly, one learns to see the world with regard to relationships-what causes things to enter into and stays in arrangement with other things. This, of course, includes one`s personal relationships with others and with the world around.
The heart demands an apprehension and practice of balance- between mind and body, inner and outer spheres self and other, giving and receiving. Opening the heart necessitates a superiority of ego, permitting one to yield to forces bigger than the self. Lastly, opening the heart chakra requires a perception and control of the breath, because it is the tool of physical and mental transformation. This normally liberates the heart from its chains and brings peace, because it says in the
Upanishads:
When all the knots of the heart are unloosened, then even here in this human birth, the mortal becomes immortal. This is the whole teaching of the scriptures.
