Rainbow Tarot - Solar Plexus Chakra

"I have right to be an individual"

Hello everybody,

I'm very excited to start the exploration of the third chakra on our Rainbow Tarot journey with you today.

I'll start by briefly discussing its characteristics and then share my personal story related to its themes.

Lastly, I'll reveal the messages from my Tarot spread, exploring our third energy centre, the Solar Plexus Chakra.

I hope you find clarity, balance, and activation in this vital energy centre as you read.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

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Solar Plexus Chakra - Manipura

The Solar Plexus Chakra, also known as Manipura, is characterized by its vibrant yellow colour, symbolizing the fire element and representing the sun's radiant light.

Located in the upper abdomen, approximately two inches above the navel and just below the rib cage, the Solar Plexus Chakra serves as the body’s energy powerhouse and governs autonomy, self-esteem, willpower, proactivity and ego.

As we progress through the chakra system, the Solar Plexus Chakra plays a crucial role in transforming our basic survival instincts from the Root Chakra and emotional expression from the Sacral Chakra into a profound sense of self-awareness, personal power, and individual identity.

In the world we’re living in, power is often equated with control and domination. Wars, both past and present, are essentially struggles for power. The cultural obsession with money and weapons is aimed at asserting dominance over the opposites to win and attain maximum power.

Apart from the realm of politics, in our everyday lives – be it at work, school, or home – we often encounter situations where someone seeks to assert power over us, or conversely, where we may find ourselves striving to overcome others or assert dominance over them.

This dynamic extends into our intimate relationships as well. Our parents may impose rules and expectations on us, teachers may exercise authority in the classroom, and partners or older siblings may try to influence our decisions or behaviours. In each case, there's a power dynamic at play, where one party seeks to exert control or dominance over the other.

As you also know, this doesn't signify genuine power. In fact, we might regard it as a sign of weakness, because we've learned that losing makes us feel powerless.

Low self-esteem and shame block our personal growth. When we feel a lot of shame, we also feel less powerful, which makes it hard for us to develop our ego. A strong self-esteem accepts mistakes as part of growth, but shame makes us afraid to make something wrong.

Individuals who struggle with shame often stick to what feels safe and try to control everything around them. They fall into patterns of compulsive repetition and addiction.

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For days, I've been preparing for this piece on the third chakra. Even though I've read the book before, this time around, I've come face to face with some heavy truths about myself.

For the past couple of days, I've been feeling the pressure to succeed and get things in order due to some approaching deadlines, which recently led to a mental breakdown.

I've been trapped in this cycle my whole life. Even though I feel closer than ever to untangling the tight knot, the sense of defeat I'm experiencing is truly painful.

While reading this chapter in "Eastern Body Western Mind" by Anodea Judith, I realized that the root cause of many of my problems is generally a lack of self-confidence.

I remember one day when my mom said this about me, "the psychologist said she has a lack of self-confidence.”

I've always been a criticized child, especially by my father, who never seemed satisfied with anything about me. He had always wanted a son, not a daughter.

His criticism often manifested in hurtful, belittling words, and at times, it even escalated to physical violence.

My desires, thoughts, and feelings were never acknowledged. Instead, he would assert his dominance through yelling and screaming, always having the final say. I wouldn't dare disobey him.

He would blow up over every small mistake, like forgetting a book at school or getting a math question wrong. He'd criticize what I wore and my weight, telling me to eat less and change my clothes. He wouldn't let me meet my friends or be like other girls.

In school, the situation was no different from what it was at home.

During my school years, I experienced exclusion and bullying from both my peers and teachers, leading me to believe that there was something inherently wrong with me.

I was also scared of getting answers wrong at school, but I had a plan. If a teacher asked me something, I'd just say, "I don't know." But one day, that backfired. My teacher got really mad and made me go to the front of the class. She gave me the chalk and yelled at me to solve a problem in front of everyone.

I felt so ashamed, I couldn't even think. After that, things didn't get better. More kids started to pick on me, and my inner voice kept telling me I was dumb.

Throughout my life, I've cared a lot about what others thought of me, going to great lengths to earn their approval. However, there were also times when I pushed back against their expectations and rebelled. Looking back, I realize that all my actions were driven by others' influence rather than my own personality.

During and after my parents' divorce, I found myself shouldering the responsibility of parenting my mother, a burden no child should bear. As a teenager, I was diagnosed with trauma-induced depression.

Since then, in addition to being trapped in cycles, I've grappled with distorted body image, emotional eating disorder, aggression, self-harm, toxic relationships, addictions and list goes on.

Today, as I teach myself essential life skills I missed out on during childhood, I've found comfort and guidance in revisiting the pages of Anodea Judith's book. Realizing the impact of my shame-bound identity on my journey, I feel inspired to turn over a new leaf.

That's why I've decided to create the Rainbow Tarot series, inviting others to join me in exploring the chakra centres through reading and sharing our own stories :)

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Messages From The Solar Plexus Chakra

The Chariot card has emerged from my deck, resonating deeply with the qualities of the third chakra, which are willpower, determination, and success.

In this depiction, the figure embodies self-confidence, determination, and the potent force of willpower necessary for engaging with the external world in a goal-oriented manner.

Additionally, the Rune Stone Fehu, which I've drawn, signifies personal power. So, for those of you caught in a cycle of low self-confidence, it’s the perfect time to engage fully in life, and to do so, the first step is to make a firm decision to change this pattern, and start now.

To fuel the fire in this energy centre, consider gradually incorporating discipline into your life. From the very beginning, saying "I can't do this" and declaring defeat before even starting will only reinforce shame and weakness.

Start with simple changes, like your diet, sleep routine, or physical activity level. The goal is to establish routines that empower you to step into your own strength.

The Justice card embodies principles of balance, accountability, and truth. When paired with the Moon card, which represents fears, subconscious thoughts, and the unknown, it might be good for doing some inner work as well.

This could involve confronting feelings of insecurity or inadequacy that inhibit self-expression and make you stuck on your journey.

You might have developed a habit of trying to control external circumstances in order to feel safe. But it's crucial to realize that the world isn't always a safe place, and clinging to your comfort zone won't guarantee security.

The Sun card symbolizes joy, vitality, and clarity. Smiling you to shine a light on your innermost desires and values to guide your actions and decisions.

For you to grow and mature, start by stepping out of your comfort zone, which means embracing challenges any time. If you can allow yourself to make mistakes or learn from life’s challenges, you’ll have your joy of life and vitality restored.

You might be someone tend to do things all the time compulsively. I used to have a compulsion for constantly tidying up and thoroughly cleaning, especially when I was living in a shared flat. It stemmed from various factors, including my desire to maintain control over my surroundings in order to feel safe and comfortable.

When I realized that I couldn't control others but could control my response to them, I began to make changes in my life. Now, living elsewhere and having learned from my past behaviours, I've made space for relaxation and stillness. It wasn't easy and didn't happen overnight, but like many good things, it was a process.

So, if you're finding it challenging to let go of control, it might be helpful to establish an empowering meditation routine. I truly mean it. For me, the realization came after completing a 10-day silent meditation course, specifically the Vipassana technique.

During this course I discovered I could sit still for much longer than I had anticipated. Mentally and physically, it was incredibly challenging, especially for someone like me who struggled to remain still. However, the experience was immensely helpful.

In relation to the third chakra, the final card, VI of Cups underscores the significance of healing past wounds and embracing the purity of your inner child.

This card encourages you to reflect on past experiences, with compassion and forgiveness, allowing for the release of emotional burdens that may hinder full self-expression.

Lastly, I invite you to have a look at these Solar Plexus Chakra affirmations. They can be powerful tools for personal growth and healing, especially when used in conjunction with shadow work.

They can help to reframe negative thought patterns and beliefs, allowing for greater self-acceptance and empowerment.

I own my power and recognize the strength inside me.

My actions are intentional and bring me closer to my goals.

Challenges are positive opportunities to grow and improve.

I let go of mistakes and failures and my fear of them.

I am free of limitations from others.

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I hope you found this piece insightful and enjoyable.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Hugs and love,

Selen <3