Name: Vishuddhi clean, purification
throat chakra

Location in the throat
Body:

Affects: throat, throat communication
ears, mouth, creativity
arms, hands, connections
muscles, nerves,
thyroid gland

Unbalanced: influenza, hyperactive
colds, talking unstoppably,
neck pain, self-righteous,
goitre, dogmatic, or:
muscle tension, overly timid,
unreliable, weak,
difficulty expressing oneself

Colour: blue

Element: ether Sense: hearing

Mantra: HAM

Stones: sodalite, blonde agate,
azurite, sun finder stone

Declaration: I speak,
I will express myself openly and freely

The fifth chakra is traditionally associated with the element ether, and in many ways it represents
the meeting point of body and mind, the connection point between the abstract and manifested thought/idea,
and the gateway or bottleneck through which we must pass to move from the material to the
the spiritual level. For people who practice kundalini yoga, this is supposed to be the most difficult chakra
to cross.

In several spiritual traditions, it is believed that it is through the 5th chakra that the Divine makes
contact with you - this is one of the reasons why Christians bow their heads when they pray, so that the neck with the throat chakra is
exposed and facing upwards.

The 5th chakra is also strongly associated with sound, with vibrations and with communication (both
sending and receiving), and all three are connected. We all know that sound is vibration. All of the
chakras also have their own vibrational level that is faster the higher up you go,
just as light waves/vibrations are much faster than sound waves/vibrations.

The importance of sound, and thus the spoken word, can also be seen in various creation stories.

Hinduism and Christianity, which are otherwise quite different, have something in common here.
Both recognise that it was God's word that initiated the creation of the world. The Vedas state:
"In the beginning was Brahman, with whom was the Word. And the Word is Brahman." In the Bible it says:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And so, for example, the community
Echancar sees it, God manifests as a sound vibration in the universe. God is sound.

But back to ourselves. When the 5th chakra is open, you will, by and large, also perceive the whole
world around you on a vibrational level, a more abstract level, in addition to the more obviously visible and
social. You will, for example, perceive all the subtle undertones in the voice more strongly than the actual
the words being spoken.

The 5th chakra largely controls our ability to communicate. The verb associated with this chakra is speak, and as a statement related to this, it is natural to say:

I want to be able to speak openly and freely. The sense associated with this chakra is hearing, and it is important to remember that
that communication goes both ways!

This chakra is all too often closed in children who are not allowed to express their emotions freely or
cry or scream or assert their own opinions. "Children should be seen but not heard." If you as a child
have been repressed in this way, you have probably also had to repress a good deal of your
feelings because this has hurt so much. Therefore, it can often be necessary to work on the heart chakra
first and release the emotional blockages that are located here. Once that has happened, you will usually notice
that you find it much easier to express yourself.

The throat chakra is associated with the colour blue. Blue is known to have a calming effect, and blue is therefore
a good healing colour for all kinds of inflammation. It's great for sore throats and ear infections, and
I also think it's great for colds and bronchitis (I dress my upper body in blue for this, wear a blue scarf, etc.
etc.) Blue surroundings can also have a positive effect on hyperactive children, and if kids are having a really "rebellious" day, it can be a good way to calm them down, have them to paint lots of blue etc. can have a hugely beneficial effect.

Of blue stones, I've found sodalite to be a nice and very effective stone. Joy Garner says that it is invaluable for anyone who has a "bad trip", whether it be on drugs or suffering from seasickness or other travel sickness. Hold the stone against your third eye. The same thing also helps with depression. I personally think that the light blue lace agate is a good "comfort stone" - I have a big one that I hold on to when things go wrong. But sodalite is probably the most useful of the blue ones, and also helps with swelling, sore throats, etc.

Azurite helps with strained eyes, for example if you've been driving a car for a long time or sitting in front of a computer screen for a long time. Place one on each eyelid and rest with it there for about 20 minutes.

As previously mentioned (under the section on the 2nd chakra), carnelian (orange stone) is also good to use if
you have difficulty saying things (especially in a circle), plus it is good to place on tense muscles between the shoulder blades and in the shoulders and neck.