The Mysterious Third Eye

The third eye chakra – also called the “Agna Chakra” – has many yogis and seekers engulfed in its mystery.  The opening of the third eye opens the doors to the vast vistas of knowledge of the universe beyond time and space. In Sanskrit, Ajna means “perceive,” “command” or “beyond wisdom”.  The opening of this chakra is associated with cosmic power.  There is a popular myth from India which refers to the power of this chakra.  Shiva (the most powerful of the trinity) was deep in meditation when Kamadeva (the God of love, a Vedic equivalent to Cupid) created the illusion of springtime to awaken him.  Kamadeva’s intention was to have Shiva see the beautiful princess Parvati so that he would agree to marry her.  His plan succeeded, but Shiva, enraged that he had been tricked, destroyed Kamadeva by opening his third eye.  Another story describes how one day, in a spirit of play, Parvati shut Shiva’s two eyes.  The world was plunged into darkness as Shiva’s eyes energize the world. Shiva then opened his third eye and helped the sun shine once again.  These stories symbolize the power of this chakra.

The Agna Chakra is the 6th chakra and is physically located at the pineal gland. Each gland within the endocrine system is associated with a specific chakra.  These glands and in turn the chakras control the functioning of the organs that are associated with them. The color of the Agna chakra is indigo, a combination of the deepest blue and violet.  The opening of this chakra gives  access to a cosmic vision, illuminating everything as it is without the filter of the past, expectations, or judgment.

Our physicality is associated with two eyes looking outward, igniting the 5 senses which are always outward bound, meaning you can sense and perceive what is coming to you from the outside.  The Agna chakra is referred to as the third eye, because it allows one to look inward.  It is also known to be the corridor between the conscious and the unconscious mind and controls some of the highest mental functions – memory, recollection, intuition etc.  The opening of this chakra is not related to the normal processing the mind, but is an additional dimension of perception.

Having this chakra in balance is important to live a normal, healthy and joyful life.  An imbalance can lead to a lack of focus, confusion, depression (underactive Agna), hallucination and disassociation from the physical world (overactive Agna).  Yoga and meditation help bring about balance. Doing breathing exercises or pranayama nourishes the energies of the Agna chakra and can cultivate one’s intuition.  Its seed syllable is AUM.  Repeating the AUM mantra can give access to powers of intuition and insight.

Below are some ways to boost the energies of this Agna chakra

• Yoga and Meditation
• AUM chanting – minimum of 21 times
• Have a clean diet to purify the entire system
• Pranayama or breathing exercises
• Wearing or seeing color indigo.
• Use Essentials Oils – patchouli, myrrh and frankincense