by Dean Ramsden
What are chakra cords?
Relational Energy Healing uses a developmental map of ten chakras to show how each chakra grows sequentially as we evolve from a pre-natal infant self into an adult self. A vital part of the psychic anatomy that makes this growth possible is the phenomenon of chakra cords. We are all familiar with the umbilical cord that connects us to our mother prior to birth. The chakra cords extend that connection to the mother (and then to others) long after this physical cord has been cut. Chakra cords are the invisible connecting link to those people who become important to us.
To the psychic vision these cords appear as transparent filaments capable of transmission or reception of energetic connection. When "seen" from below they look similar to the tendrils of a jellyfish. Sometimes this flow goes both ways (as in a healthy and mutually-supportive relationship), and other times the flow is mostly one-way, draining one of the individuals. Popular love songs unknowingly refer to these connections, which are often most noticeable in their absence. For instance, in the Sixties Diana Ross sang, “You keep me hanging on.”, indicating a romantic relationship that has become one-sided and unhealthy.
The age of the cords is also a factor in relational energy healing. Aged cords are often tarnished with the accumulation of unresolved feelings or difficult memories, much in the way jewelry becomes encrusted with stains from lack of care or use. Tarnished chakra cords restrict the vitality of our lives by keeping us “hooked into” old relationships long in need of restoration or resolution. By cleaning cords, and by engaging in personal process work, we can release the past and move fully into the present as well as create a more desirable future for ourselves.
Cutting the cord, and untangling cords.
You may have come across healers who advocate cutting cords. While certain cords are appropriate to remove (see Junk Cords, below) many cords to others are deeply engaged with our chakra system, and infiltrate into our organs. Cutting a cord, such as to a parent or an ex-loved one, may exacerbate existing emotional pain by shocking us into a deep state of abandonment.
Rather than randomly cutting cords to escape emotional pain I advocate judicious pruning, cord cleaning, and the emotional clearing of cords using personal process work. In this way the cords will “power down”, losing their charge and influence upon us, while we retain the nourishment and lessons the relationship brought to our lives. In the words of Ken Wilber, we “transcend and include” the relationship, and the past becomes part of our spiritual evolution. We learn to draw strength, compassion, and wisdom from the relationship, even though it may now be over. This work can be achieved even with those who have died, as the cords often remain attached long after the physical body of the other person has passed on.
Tangled cords are very common, and the first job of a relational energy healer is to untangle and energize cords in the chakra indicated by the client’s presenting issue. Imagine running your fingers through long, wet hair after a dip in the ocean, and you will get the idea of how a relational energy healer untangles cords.
Five common types of chakra cords
1. Junk Cords: analogous to "junk mail" or e-mail "spam", junk cords casually hook into the lower chakras as part of a failed attempt to probe or control us in some way. I call them junk cords because they remain hooked into the surface of a chakra long after the probing from another has ceased. I often find excessive junk cords in clients with unexplained fatigue or who struggle with personal boundaries.
The classic example is the salesperson or telemarketer who tries to "hook" you into making a purchase you do not wish to make. As you walk away you feel affected or invaded in some way you can't put your finger on. Junk cords are the easiest cords to remove as they only hook lightly into a chakra's surface via a little "fish hook" at the cords termination point. The healers' s energy hand (see diagram above) can release the hook and thens send it back to the originator.
2. Transitional Cords: these are "feeler" cords that attach and detach rapidly, as we explore a connection with another person. They function to orientate ourselves to another, allowing us to receive or download information to this person, or to focus the transmission of memetic thought-forms. Feeler cords touch us when the other is objective and curious, but not interested in forming a personal or permanent relationship with us.
All of us have experienced this as we ask for driving directions, or listen to a theatrical performance or lecture. It is a passive and yet focused way of connecting with others, one that does not infringe on our or another's personal boundaries.
As transitional cords do not linger we have no need to detach them. However , extended or intensely curious attention will overcharge our chakras, producing such phenomena as stage fright, fear of public speaking, or shyness. Learning to tolerate being "seen" by others - warts and all - is an essential skill for the empowered individual. This is what allows us to make a stand for something important, or to make a verbal statement of intent, or a request for a change.
3. Attachment Cords: when we do accept or initiate personal contact with another we send attachment cords deep into the inner structure of the chakras, forming permanent or semi-permanent links to others. Typical examples of this are the bonds we form with parents, siblings, family members, and our children. We also attach these cords to long-term partners as well as others with whom we have bonded in an emotional or sexual way. These cords transfer both healthy and unhealthy energies from one to another, influencing us at many levels of consciousness.
An example of this is seen in the psychological concept of transference. For instance, if I am dependent upon my job I will probably cord with my boss in ways that are reminiscent of similar dependent relationships with male authorities from my past. As another example I may meet a man whose behavior triggers memories of the way my father acted towards me, and my interactions towards this person will be tainted with the unresolved feelings towards my father. I may find myself arguing with this man similar to the way I argued with my father during my upbringing. This indicates that I am in "transference" with him; my attachment cords are distorting my present experience by bringing in the past.
To heal dysfunctional attachment cords we must engage our personal process. We must be willing to examine the habitual beliefs and patterns of our lives, and explore alternative responses to unhealthy behavior. As attachment cords can go through the chakra and deep into the sushumna, and even wrap around organs, it may be necessary to remove them. An alternative approach is to "graft" a new experience onto the cord, effectively "re-programming" the cord and adapting the experience in service of the individual rather than to her detriment. Chakra cord grafting can significantly change the impact of toxic or unhealthy attachment cords, and can re-write the relationship.
4. Heritage Cords: just as our bodies contain genetic coding from our ancestors, our chakras contain unresolved or habitual relational cords from past family members. Often we find ourselves repeating family patterns stretching back many generations. Just as a parent may hear herself speaking to her young child in the identical way her own mother spoke to her, so family relational patterns are held within heritage cords, unconsciously affecting the choices we make in our lives. By bringing these patterns to our awareness, and by re- patterning heritage cords, we can heal the past and begin to make new choices.
Work with heritage cords is indicated in such situations as dysfunctional partnerships or where we find ourselves repeating a common family pattern, bound and controlled by our family situation.
Working with heritage cords is similar to techniques used with attachment cords, except for the important distinction that the patterns involved will probably be linked deep into both the family and cultural matrix of the person. This makes repairing the damage and reprogramming the cords much more difficult. Ideally, heritage cord work is done in a group setting, which allows for a recapitulation of the original family-based pattern. However, slow and persistent changes to heritage cords (coupled with current-day attachment cord work) can erode the grip of the familial past and allow an individual to transcend chronic family patterns. These patterns are popularly known as "karma" or destiny, implying that our future is written ahead of time in the heritage cords of our ancestors.
5. Self Cords: we cord to others to explore relationships and experience the reality of the other, and we also cord to ourselves to provide a "witness" to self that is vital for a healthy adult. However , many of us were not supported in growing healthy self cords, due to poor parenting models or being raised in dysfunctional or alcoholic families. Co-dependent behavior is another way of saying "I get my reality from you (via relational cords) and not from my own sense of self (self-cords)". In fact, I may choose you over myself, and have one-sided relationships based on inadequate self cord development.
Relational Energy Healing & Chakra Cords
What are chakra cords?
Relational Energy Healing uses a developmental map of ten chakras to show how each chakra grows sequentially as we evolve from a pre-natal infant self into an adult self. A vital part of the psychic anatomy that makes this growth possible is the phenomenon of chakra cords. We are all familiar with the umbilical cord that connects us to our mother prior to birth. The chakra cords extend that connection to the mother (and then to others) long after this physical cord has been cut. Chakra cords are the invisible connecting link to those people who become important to us.
To the psychic vision these cords appear as transparent filaments capable of transmission or reception of energetic connection. When "seen" from below they look similar to the tendrils of a jellyfish. Sometimes this flow goes both ways (as in a healthy and mutually-supportive relationship), and other times the flow is mostly one-way, draining one of the individuals. Popular love songs unknowingly refer to these connections, which are often most noticeable in their absence. For instance, in the Sixties Diana Ross sang, “You keep me hanging on.”, indicating a romantic relationship that has become one-sided and unhealthy.
The age of the cords is also a factor in relational energy healing. Aged cords are often tarnished with the accumulation of unresolved feelings or difficult memories, much in the way jewelry becomes encrusted with stains from lack of care or use. Tarnished chakra cords restrict the vitality of our lives by keeping us “hooked into” old relationships long in need of restoration or resolution. By cleaning cords, and by engaging in personal process work, we can release the past and move fully into the present as well as create a more desirable future for ourselves.
Cutting the cord, and untangling cords.
You may have come across healers who advocate cutting cords. While certain cords are appropriate to remove (see Junk Cords, below) many cords to others are deeply engaged with our chakra system, and infiltrate into our organs. Cutting a cord, such as to a parent or an ex-loved one, may exacerbate existing emotional pain by shocking us into a deep state of abandonment.
Rather than randomly cutting cords to escape emotional pain I advocate judicious pruning, cord cleaning, and the emotional clearing of cords using personal process work. In this way the cords will “power down”, losing their charge and influence upon us, while we retain the nourishment and lessons the relationship brought to our lives. In the words of Ken Wilber, we “transcend and include” the relationship, and the past becomes part of our spiritual evolution. We learn to draw strength, compassion, and wisdom from the relationship, even though it may now be over. This work can be achieved even with those who have died, as the cords often remain attached long after the physical body of the other person has passed on.
Tangled cords are very common, and the first job of a relational energy healer is to untangle and energize cords in the chakra indicated by the client’s presenting issue. Imagine running your fingers through long, wet hair after a dip in the ocean, and you will get the idea of how a relational energy healer untangles cords.
Five common types of chakra cords
1. Junk Cords: analogous to "junk mail" or e-mail "spam", junk cords casually hook into the lower chakras as part of a failed attempt to probe or control us in some way. I call them junk cords because they remain hooked into the surface of a chakra long after the probing from another has ceased. I often find excessive junk cords in clients with unexplained fatigue or who struggle with personal boundaries.
The classic example is the salesperson or telemarketer who tries to "hook" you into making a purchase you do not wish to make. As you walk away you feel affected or invaded in some way you can't put your finger on. Junk cords are the easiest cords to remove as they only hook lightly into a chakra's surface via a little "fish hook" at the cords termination point. The healers' s energy hand (see diagram above) can release the hook and thens send it back to the originator.
2. Transitional Cords: these are "feeler" cords that attach and detach rapidly, as we explore a connection with another person. They function to orientate ourselves to another, allowing us to receive or download information to this person, or to focus the transmission of memetic thought-forms. Feeler cords touch us when the other is objective and curious, but not interested in forming a personal or permanent relationship with us.
All of us have experienced this as we ask for driving directions, or listen to a theatrical performance or lecture. It is a passive and yet focused way of connecting with others, one that does not infringe on our or another's personal boundaries.
As transitional cords do not linger we have no need to detach them. However , extended or intensely curious attention will overcharge our chakras, producing such phenomena as stage fright, fear of public speaking, or shyness. Learning to tolerate being "seen" by others - warts and all - is an essential skill for the empowered individual. This is what allows us to make a stand for something important, or to make a verbal statement of intent, or a request for a change.
3. Attachment Cords: when we do accept or initiate personal contact with another we send attachment cords deep into the inner structure of the chakras, forming permanent or semi-permanent links to others. Typical examples of this are the bonds we form with parents, siblings, family members, and our children. We also attach these cords to long-term partners as well as others with whom we have bonded in an emotional or sexual way. These cords transfer both healthy and unhealthy energies from one to another, influencing us at many levels of consciousness.
An example of this is seen in the psychological concept of transference. For instance, if I am dependent upon my job I will probably cord with my boss in ways that are reminiscent of similar dependent relationships with male authorities from my past. As another example I may meet a man whose behavior triggers memories of the way my father acted towards me, and my interactions towards this person will be tainted with the unresolved feelings towards my father. I may find myself arguing with this man similar to the way I argued with my father during my upbringing. This indicates that I am in "transference" with him; my attachment cords are distorting my present experience by bringing in the past.
To heal dysfunctional attachment cords we must engage our personal process. We must be willing to examine the habitual beliefs and patterns of our lives, and explore alternative responses to unhealthy behavior. As attachment cords can go through the chakra and deep into the sushumna, and even wrap around organs, it may be necessary to remove them. An alternative approach is to "graft" a new experience onto the cord, effectively "re-programming" the cord and adapting the experience in service of the individual rather than to her detriment. Chakra cord grafting can significantly change the impact of toxic or unhealthy attachment cords, and can re-write the relationship.
4. Heritage Cords: just as our bodies contain genetic coding from our ancestors, our chakras contain unresolved or habitual relational cords from past family members. Often we find ourselves repeating family patterns stretching back many generations. Just as a parent may hear herself speaking to her young child in the identical way her own mother spoke to her, so family relational patterns are held within heritage cords, unconsciously affecting the choices we make in our lives. By bringing these patterns to our awareness, and by re- patterning heritage cords, we can heal the past and begin to make new choices.
Work with heritage cords is indicated in such situations as dysfunctional partnerships or where we find ourselves repeating a common family pattern, bound and controlled by our family situation.
Working with heritage cords is similar to techniques used with attachment cords, except for the important distinction that the patterns involved will probably be linked deep into both the family and cultural matrix of the person. This makes repairing the damage and reprogramming the cords much more difficult. Ideally, heritage cord work is done in a group setting, which allows for a recapitulation of the original family-based pattern. However, slow and persistent changes to heritage cords (coupled with current-day attachment cord work) can erode the grip of the familial past and allow an individual to transcend chronic family patterns. These patterns are popularly known as "karma" or destiny, implying that our future is written ahead of time in the heritage cords of our ancestors.
5. Self Cords: we cord to others to explore relationships and experience the reality of the other, and we also cord to ourselves to provide a "witness" to self that is vital for a healthy adult. However , many of us were not supported in growing healthy self cords, due to poor parenting models or being raised in dysfunctional or alcoholic families. Co-dependent behavior is another way of saying "I get my reality from you (via relational cords) and not from my own sense of self (self-cords)". In fact, I may choose you over myself, and have one-sided relationships based on inadequate self cord development.
Self cord work is a vital part of relational energy healing, and radically supports therapeutic growth and support by enhancing the "wiring" of contact to self. These cords can be identified as emerging from relational cords and implanting themselves back into the head of the chakra (usually on the outer edge of the chakra).
Conclusion
Cord healing can assist the client's growth and healing when client and healer release energetic splits, conflicts, or other negative influences held within particular cords and their associated organs. The reparative healing concept of Relational Energy Healing holds that once the obstructive or life-negating issue is resolved it triggers the return of the natural growth of the chakra. This will reset the healthy relational needs of the client. Many times this will result the client's relationships beginning to change. Some relationships may even fall away. The new pattern will make new options, or types of relationships, possible.
Change and transformation is about evolving towards the empowered and choice-driven individual. Reaction is replaced with response; choice replaces compulsion or addiction. Then we will grow closer towards our life goals, and towards our soul's longing. We can choose to drop the pain of the past, and to embrace a creative and exciting present. We can learn to consciously participate in our own evolutionary unfoldment.
Post je objavljen 09.10.2007. u 21:22 sati.