The chakras are thought to be spinning disks of energy, corresponding to bundles of nerves, major organs, and areas of our energetic body that affect our emotional and physical well-being. They first emerged in Hinduism and Buddhism.
There are seven main chakras people work with, and in this post we'll go through each of them, focusing on how they affect our writing and what we can do about it.
ROOT (red, earth)
- survival, safety, grounding
- blocked: insecure about finances + basic needs, well-being, feeling afraid or unsafe, sex problems
- balanced: feeling grounded, secure, safe
- overactive: too stuck in your ways, unwilling to accept change or transition, materialism, overworking yourself
IN WRITING:
• blocked: feeling unsafe to express oneself, fear of failure, lack of discipline
- try writing on paper, in a traditional way, to feel more grounded
- focus on small, consistent writing goals, rather than big challenges
- create a safe writing routine which will be comfortable for you
• overactive: overly rigid, obsessed with routine or perfection, unwilling to take creative risks.
- try free writing
- try writing something completely different than you're used to
- allow some chaos in your writing; perhaps skip plot planning this time?
SACRAL (orange, water)
- emotions, creativity, sex
- blocked: feeling emotionally rigid, apathetic, creatively stumped, closed off to intimacy, low self-esteem
- balanced: good self-worth, creative
- overactive: hypersexual, gets emotionally attached easily, anger, explosivity
IN WRITING:
• blocked: creative block, lack of passion, disconnected from emotions
- journal about your feelings
- gather inspiration by surrounding yourself with art, listening to pleasant music, going outside
- reward yourself after completing each writing goal, and compliment yourself on your hard work
• overactive: overwhelmed by emotions, difficulty focusing
- it's the best time to focus on editing and refining rather than producing new output
- practice outlining and structure in writing
- practice breathing exercises before, during and after writing
SOLAR PLEXUS (yellow, fire)
- will, strength, intellect, thoughts, ideas, goals
- blocked: feeling powerless or timid
- balanced: good self-esteem, confident
- overactive: domineering, bordering on aggressive behavior
IN WRITING:
• blocked: self-doubt, fear of sharing work, procrastination
- try out working with affirmations
- keep a writing success log: number of words, drafts finished, etc
- share your writing with your most trusted person. If you don't feel like sharing the entire chapter, share a part of it
• overactive: writing to impress, overcontrolling narrative
- try writing with someone else, collaborate with others
- write something just for fun, absolutely without any rules
- journal about your feelings
HEART (green + pink, air)
- compassion, love
- blocked: lonely, insecure, isolated, cold, and lacking kindness towards yourself / others
- balanced: able to love and connect to others
- overactive: you tend to smother people with your affection, putting others first
IN WRITING:
• blocked: fear of vulnerability, emotionally flat writing
- explore deeply emotional topics in your writing, like loss or shame
- practise self-compassion, reward yourself after completing each writing goal, and compliment yourself on your hard work
- read / listen to podcasts about human connection
• overactive: people-pleasing writing, too sentimental
- focus on self-love, write for yourself, not for others
- journal on your accomplishments, keep a writing success log
- perhaps it's for the best to write something light-headed and humorous instead of emotionally heavy stories
THROAT (blue)
- communication, truth, creativity
- blocked: gossiping, speaking without thinking, and having trouble speaking your mind
- balanced: you speak and listen with compassion and feel confident when you speak because you know you are being true to yourself with your words
- overactive: you tend to speak too freely and openly, bordering on dictatorial or offensive, or you tend to be a poor listener
IN WRITING:
• blocked: writer’s block, fear of expressing truth, holding back voice
- talk to a trusted person about your writing, what you're struggling with, what parts you're unsure about
- read a book by someone who writes bravely and doesn't shy away from going overboard with details and describtions (like George Martin)
- create a character who will speak out the things you're not really to say or share in your place; nobody needs to know where it came from
• overactive: over-explaining, info-dumping, difficulty listening to feedback
- try writing flash fiction or another short form of fiction
- read your work aloud and cut anything that feels repetitive
- despite being scared of it, asking for feedback is extremely helpful. If you're scared of negative comments, try asking for compliments first
THIRD EYE (purple)
- sixth sense, intuition, animism
- blocked: headaches, issues with sight or concentration, hearing problems, not in touch with their intuition, feeling out of touch with your instincts
- balanced: people follow their intuition and are able to see the big picture
- overactive: u carry a sense of paranoia about what your gut tells you, or overanalyze ordinary experiences
IN WRITING:
• blocked: lack of inspiration, difficulty seeing big picture
- keep a dream journal for inspiration
- meditate before writing
- try out writing therapy or walking writing
• overactive: disconnected from reality, endless ideas with no completion
- note down your ideas, but commit to completing one story at the time
- practise outlining and structure
- write about something mundane in vivid detail
- set deadlines for yourself
CROWN (violet + white, spirit)
- spirituality, higher consciousness, past lives
- blocked: narrow-minded, skeptical, stubborn, spiritually disconnected or making foolish decisions
- balanced: connection to our life’s purpose and spirituality
- overactive: head “in the clouds” all the time
IN WRITING:
• blocked: feeling disconnected from meaning or purpose in writing, burnout
- meditate on what are your reasons for writing
- read THIS post on creative rest
- connect with spirituality more; do writing rituals, read philosophy, take care of your mind, body and soul
• overactive: neglecting craft, escapism
- take a step back from jumping down the idea hole, and focus on the technical side of writing: grammar, structure, world building
- read posts from this blog to develop your writing abilities outside of creative expression and ideas
- practise mindfulness and grounding
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