"What is a Third Eye?" - The Third Eye (or inner eye) sits in between your eyebrows and refers to the gate that leads to the inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness.
A term that is very popular in modern Spirituality is "opening your Third Eye". Though opening your Third Eye is a major part of the process, this term gets thrown around a lot without fully knowing what it is or what it's meant to do for you. The idea is that by opening it you are strengthening your spiritual connection as well as your overall awareness. It's meant to provide wisdom and insight and give you a deeper understanding of those "bigger questions" we ask ourselves. A common misconception is that when your Third Eye opens, it's super scary because everything changes and you start seeing Spirits. This is not true. Yes things start to change and the way you see the world may be different but that doesn't mean that this is something you should be afraid of. When you are ready to begin your journey, this awakening is going to be part of the process. You're going to be okay!
So how do you know if your Third Eye is open? In most cases, the first indication that your Third Eye is opening is a physical symptom. For example, you may experience more headaches, fatigue, and overall pressure or heaviness on the body. This is an overwhelming process because you are essentially "waking up". In waking up, your Third Eye is starting to see beyond the things that your "regular eyes" can't see. You are more sensitive and so these symptoms are very normal. Now of course, headaches can also be a result of an underlying health issue so if it prolonging or poses a major concern please seek medical attention immediately. However, if you know that you have decided to embark on a Spiritual Journey and this mild headache has randomly come up, take a moment. Stop and ask yourself: "Spirit, what is happening to me right now?" Breathe. You are going to be going through a lot of changes and this is just the beginning. Assess the situation.
Once your Third Eye is open, that's when the internal changes start to come in. This is the fun part! First you may notice that you are starting to talk to yourself more. Yes, talking to yourself. Whether it's internal or out loud, you begin to have a dialogue with yourself and your intuition. That gut feeling that you get has a voice. The dialogue that you are having is between you and your intuition creating a deeper connection within yourself. You are becoming one with yourself, as they say. Next, you're going to notice the synchronicities happening around you more often. Synchronicities can look like repeating numbers, deja vu; anything that sticks out multiple times or feel like you've experienced them before. Seeing these things can feel really creepy, don't get me wrong. You keep seeing the same white feather in the same spot on the sidewalk everyday? Weird! But they are messages from The Universe letting you know that you are on the right path. This is where the trust comes in. Having trust in The Universe, Spirit, whoever or whatever you believe in is a huge step in successfully opening your eye. There's a level of peace that comes with just trusting and knowing that The Universe has your back.
People tend to fear the unknown. Granted this is a valid thing to fear, yes, but it's also kind of exciting don't you think? With trust comes giving up control and by giving up control, we don't know what's going to happen next. All we can do is be in the present and be thankful for the things we receive. The minute we open ourselves up to possibility, only then will we see results. This is a for sure sign that you have opened your Third Eye successfully. You start seeing RESULTS. Things start to manifest before your eyes and the things you desire start coming to fruition in a way that makes you wonder if Magic is real!
Spoiler alert...it is ;)
Now the work you are doing doesn't go unnoticed. Spirit is so proud of you for showing up for yourself! But even though that is a reassuring thing to hear, I'm sure, what about you? Are you proud of yourself?
When was the last time you heard: "I'm so proud of you!" And why wasn't it recently and from yourself? If we were to rewind our timeline, the first time we heard those words was when we were children. It could've been a parent telling us this, a relative, maybe even a teacher. The point is that we've been exposed to seeking acknowledgement or appreciation from others at a very early age. We don't realize that-that is what we're doing until later in life, though, because once those accolades stop we start to miss it. We think: "Wait...you used to tell me you were proud of me all the time. Are you not proud of me anymore?" This is so detrimental to our young mind because we instantly assume that if we are not getting it, we're not doing a good enough job. It is vital for parents, educators, or any elder of any sort to remember that children are sponges to EVERYTHING. Not only to knowledge but to everything they come in contact with. That being said, it is your inner child that is still reaching for those accolades today.
When we talk about the inner child, we are talking about the part of you that is still trying to have fun, doing their best, and is just wanting to experience. Our inner child doesn't care about the future or what happens next; they just care about having fun and doing right by their parents. As we get older, our parents or whoever our guardians were will start to lessen the amount of praise they give you. Not because they're not proud of you, not because they just don't want to anymore. This is just the natural process of life. As you get older they want you to feel prepared for the "real world" and the real world isn't praise all the time. It's hard work, there are successes but there are also failures. There's moments where things are easy and moments when things get really hard. They don't want to keep you in that safe bubble forever so after awhile the amount of praise may start to lessen. This is where things get confusing because as I mentioned before, your inner child goes: "What happened?" It's life, little one. But you can claim your power back. You can provide the praise that you desire and miss so much. At the end of the day, all you have is you. The words: "Wow! Great job! You did it! Thank you! I'm so proud of you!" These mean so much to us and you hold the power to claim them for yourself. So why don't you?
Acknowledging yourself and realizing that you are worthy, you are good enough, you've worked hard on something is a huge hurdle to cross over in our Self-Love journey. You work hard each and everyday and overcome obstacles in more ways than one. So in the practice of showing up for yourself, here is something called the Ho'oponopono Prayer. Give it a try and see how you feel:
"I'm Sorry, Please Forgive Me, Thank You, I Love You"
This ancient Hawaiian practice was originally taught by A Healer by the name of Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona. In 1983 she was designated as a living treasure of Hawaii. This prayer functions as both a communication concept for reconciliation and a tool for restoring self-love and balance. This can be said to yourself in prayer/meditation format or can be written as a journal prompt. The purpose of this prayer is to give yourself what you so desperately seek in others. By reciting this prayer you are acknowledging all layers of yourself, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and accepting yourself as you truly are. When using this prayer you will attach your name to the end of each phrase. For example: "I'm sorry, Amanda. Please forgive me, Amanda. Thank you, Amanda. I love you, Amanda."
Taking the time to really acknowledge yourself and be your own cheerleader is something I think everyone can really benefit it. If you can take the time to integrate this practice, whether its the Ho'oponopono Prayer or just making a point to say you're proud of yourself/thanking yourself, it creates a domino effect. The more you integrate this into your practice, the more growth you'll notice within yourself. The words you say to yourself are kinder, your posture begins to strengthen and straighten out, and you may finally start to believe in the words you're saying after awhile. What you are doing is making this a non-negotiable priority to take ownership of your success without seeking the acknowledgement or praise from others. Love yourself, dear one, and claim your power.
Blessed be.