Free Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century by Barbara Carrellas Page B

addictions are so prevalent in society right now. Our entire culture seems caught in a tug-of-war between the loving thing to do (heart) and the practical thing to do (mind). This conflict trickles down to each of us in countless ways every day.
    Whatever decision you made a moment ago, you can make a new one right now. It’s important to remember that the point of power is always in the present moment. We are always able to change. What we need is the willingness to change and the faith in the decisions we make.
    As this is the chakra of creative expression, we can feel deeply wounded when we are criticized for our originality and inventiveness, or for simply speaking our truth. This is especially true in sexual situations, in which the heightened level of physical arousal makes us particularly sensitive to criticism.
    This chakra is also known as the “third ear” or the “voice that listens.” You know the kind of speaker who seems to be able to put into words what you know and feel but haven’t been able to express? That’s a speaker with a voice that listens. When our fifth chakra is open and clear, we can all express ourselves with our third ear.
    The physical problems most often seen in this chakra are sore throat, gum and teeth problems, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) syndrome (commonly known as grinding your teeth), laryngitis, swollen glands, and thyroid problems.
    Some things you can do to nourish this center are
* Practicing asking for what you want in sexual situations
* Drumming
* Singing and chanting
* Engaging in playful creativity
* Meditation
    Here are some affirmations to strengthen this chakra:
* I express my creativity.
* I express myself easily and joyously.
* I make decisions easily and I follow through with love.
* I am willing to change.
    THE SIXTH CHAKRA
    Also known as Ajna, the sixth chakra is located at the forehead, between the eyebrows. This chakra is also called the “third eye.”

Color: purple
Sound: high in pitch; A on the Western musical scale
Physical focal points: brain, pineal gland, eyes, ears, and nose
Metaphysical aspects: intuition and wisdom
    The sixth chakra reveals your highest intuitions, insights, and visions. By nourishing your third eye, you can hear the calling of your soul. Through this eye, you can “see” just who you are. You can “see” the nature of your true calling. As such, it is the sixth chakra that nourishes your uniqueness, your divine independence, and your ecstatic nature.
    This chakra is nourished when you are encouraged and permitted to follow your intuition. When the sixth chakra is out of balance, the mind tries to take over the job of the psychic center, and logic overcomes your intuitive voice. This is not to say we want to disregard the mind or make it less important than our intuition. The challenge and secret to this chakra is the integration of conscious and unconscious insights. When the two are in balance, we are capable of real creative thought; we are truly “open-minded.” This is wisdom.
    Our ears and eyes provide us with raw information about the world and the people around us. When the sixth chakra is clear, we are able to process that raw information with emotional intelligence so that we can learn from our experiences. We are able to evaluate our own insights, and we are open to the ideas of others. We perceive the difference between truth and illusion.
    This is also the chakra of visions. Bringing sexual energy up to the sixth chakra can produce intense insights into inner and outer worlds, as well as strengthen your faith in your intuition and your personal visions for your future.
    The physical challenges of this chakra are strokes, brain tumors, blindness, deafness, learning disabilities, and seizures, as well as less catastrophic headaches and sight problems. Incidentally, the pineal gland craves light. A tiny endocrine gland located in the brain, the pineal gland produces and secretes melatonin, which regulates the body’s