Keeping your chakras healthy and functioning well will go a long way towards keeping you in great shape physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Here I help you assess the health of your crown chakra and suggest ways you can develop it.

The Crown chakra is the third of the 'upper chakras' and the final chakra in the classic seven chakra system. Although this is the ‘highest chakra’ it does not make the Crown better than the 'lower chakras', just different in function. Whereas the lower chakras are concerned with your physical existence on this planet, the higher chakras are more to do with your spiritual life and this is especially so at the Crown.

I suggest working with the three lower chakras, then spending time at the Heart Bridge before going on to work with the higher chakras in order, as those who neglect the lower chakras can become very ungrounded and find it hard to cope with everyday challenges. Please look at the health of your Base Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra and Throat Chakraand Brow Chakra if you have not done so already.

The Crown Chakra
The Crown chakra vibrates to violet, gold or white light. It is linked to the pituitary gland, which is the master endocrine gland. The Crown allows us to connect with the Oneness of the Universe- its function is to take us beyond our individual selves.

The Crown chakra is located just above the top of the crown of the head. The total energy reflections of each chakra are believed to reside within it. By linking our consciousness with the Universe we allow for fulfillment of our potential. We are all incarnated here for our soul’s growth and this is hard to do from a limited Earthly perspective. By working through the Crown we can understand so much more about our place here and our life lessons.

If your Crown chakra is working effectively you can expect synchronicity to occur with frequency- it’s about being co-ordinated and in step with the Universe. Thoughts come and go freely and life feels inspired, as if you are ‘on track’.

Potential signs of dysfunction
Underactive: Lack of physical co-ordination and mental confusion, listlessness and exhaustion, poor balance, clumsiness, feeling disconnected from spirituality.
Overactive: obsession, paranoia, martyrdom and a tendency to be ‘spacey’. People with mental health problems sometimes have their crown chakras stuck open- damage like this can also be the result of drug abuse. These people may experience scary phenomena such as voices in their heads and thoughts that aren’t their own.

Crown Chakra Workout
Because the crown chakra opens us up to universal energy and all the energies that are ‘out there’ and beyond self, it is vitally important that the base chakra is functioning well for our energy integrity & spiritual safety. The base chakra helps to keep us well grounded and safe as we open up. These two chakras need to work in harmony with each other, therefore ensure you have strengthened your base chakra and learned to ground and protect yourself before you take steps to develop your Crown chakra.

The best exercise for the Crown Chakra is meditation. By sitting peacefully and stilling the rush of everyday thoughts you can in time feel ‘at one’ with everything. Meditation can be difficult at first, so choosing a focus such as a candle flame to gaze into, or a mantra to recite can help. Bellaonline has its own Meditationsite if you’d like more guidance on how to meditate.

Healers open their Crown chakras to bring healing energies into and through their system. With time and dedication the ‘spiritual voltage’ each of us can handle becomes greater. We literally channel more powerful energies through us. When I work I feel my crown chakra opening wide and am careful to close it at the end of my sessions.

Prayer can help us to open the Crown chakra, if it is truly practised as a communication to the Divine. Participation in other spiritual practices, including ritual will tend to open the Crown wider too. Sitting in Circle for mediumship will also teach you proper use of all of the chakras, especially the Crown and Third Eye.

Finally there are many crystals for use at the crown. Try amethyst, clear quartz, danburite or apophyllite. If the crystals have a natural termination then you'll need to decide which way to point them. Generally I find pointing out away from the head is good for connecting up to Spirit, but point facing inwards will help draw the Universal energies into the physical.

It is particularly important for those who decide to work on the Crown chakra to be aware of its state. Having a wide open Crown chakra during healing work is appropriate, whereas walking around ‘wide open’ at the shops I feel is asking for trouble. Consciously close your Crown chakra after your spiritual work- if not to a tight bud at least to a ‘sensible’ level and ensure that your light is covered by visualising a hooded cloak or similar protection. You need to be aware that your light shines out like a beacon from the Crown chakra and can be seen by discarnate beings of all persuasions. The brighter you shine, the more interesting to all sides you become, so look after your energies with care as you progress along your path.

If you’d like an in depth understanding of your chakras then I can heartily recommend Caroline Myss’s The Energetics of Healing. I like Caroline's dry sense of humour and down to earth style. This programme is so packed with information that I’ve watched it over and over again, each time gaining more insight.