Thread by @poonamdut

Kundalini, Chakras. Bodies:

Ajna Chakra:The center of command The word ajna comes from the Sanskrit root which means 'to know, to obey or to follow'. Literally, ajna means 'command' or 'the monitoring center'.
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In astrology ajna is center of Jupiter, which symbolizes the guru or preceptor. Amongst deities, Jupiter is represented by Brihaspati, the guru of the devas & preceptor of the gods. Therefore, this center is also known as 'the guru chakra'.
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Ajna is the bridge which links guru with his disciples. It represents the level at which it is possible for direct mind to mind communication to take place between two people. It is in this chakra that communication with the external guru, the teacher or preceptor takes place.

And it is here that the directions of the inner guru are heard in the deepest state of meditation, when all the sense modalities are withdrawn and one enters the state of shoonya or void.
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This is a state of absolute nothingness, where the empirical experiences of name & form, subject & object, do not penetrate. In this completely static state, light of the mind is extinguished; the consciousness ceases to function, no ego awareness remains.
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This void state is same as the death experience, & in order to traverse it the voice or command of guru must be heard in ajna chakra. Of course if you are new to spiritual life you won't be facing this problem yet, but when it comes you will find it very difficult to manage.

At the moment your problems are just mental - dispersion of mind, worries, anxiety, restlessness, etc., but when the night is dark and you have gone very deep in meditation, losing your individual awareness...
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the only thing that can guide you at this point is instructions of your guru heard through ajna chakra. It has also been called 'the eye of intuition', and is the doorway through which the individual enters the astral and psychic dimension of consciousness.
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Perhaps the most common name for this chakra is 'third eye', & the mystical traditions of every age & culture make abundant references to it. It is portrayed as a psychic eye located midway between the two physical eyes & it looks inward instead of outward.
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In India, ajna chakra is called divya chakshu (the divine eye), gyana chakshu or gyana netra (the eye of knowledge) because it is the channel through which the spiritual aspirant receives revelation and insight into the underlying nature of existence.
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It is also called 'the eye of Shiva', for Shiva is the epitome of meditation, which is directly associated with the awakening of ajna chakra. It is interesting to note that ajna chakra is more active in females than it is in males.
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Women are more sensitive, psychic and perceptive and they are often able to predict coming events. However, in most people this inner eye remains closed, and though they see the events of the outside world, knowledge and understanding of truth cannot be gained.
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In this sense, we are blind to real possibilities of the world, unable to view deeper levels of human existence.
The location: Ajna chakra is located in the brain directly behind eyebrow center. It is at the very top of the spinal cord, at the medulla oblongata.
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Initially its very hard to feel exact location of ajna, so we concentrate on ajna kshetram, at mid-eyebrow center, bhrumadhya. These two centers are directly connected. Thats why its always been an Indian custom to place tilak, chandan, sindur or kumkum on mid-eyebrow center.

Sindur contains mercury, and when applied to eyebrow center a constant pressure is exerted on the nerve that runs from bhrumadhya to medula oblongata. The original purpose for applying these may have been forgotten, but it is not a religious mark or even a beauty spot.

It is a means by which you can maintain constant conscious and unconscious awareness of ajna chakra. It should also be mentioned here that ajna chakra and the pineal gland are one and the same thing.
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The pituitary gland is sahasrara, & just as the pituitary & pineal glands are intimately connected, so are ajna & sahasrara. We could say that ajna is the gateway to sahasrara chakra. If ajna is awakened & functioning properly, all experiences in sahasrara can be managed well.

The functions of the pituitary too are controlled. However, in most of us, pineal gland starts to degenerate at the age of 8, 9 or 10. Then pituitary begins to function & to secrete various hormones which instigate our sexual consciousness, our sensuality & worldly personality.

At this time we begin to lose touch with our spiritual heritage. However, through various yogic techniques, such as trataka and shambhavi mudra, it is possible to regenerate or maintain the health of the pineal gland.
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Traditional symbology Ajna is symbolized by a two petalled lotus. According to the scriptures it is a pale color, light grey like a rainy day. Some say it is white like the moon, or silver, but actually it is an intangible color.
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On the left petal is the letter ham and on the right ksham. Ham and ksham are inscribed in a silvery white color and are the bija mantras for Shiva and Shakti. One represents the moon or ida nadi and the other the sun or pingala nadi.
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Below the chakra the three nadis merge - ida on the left, pingala on the right & sushumna in between. Within the lotus is a perfectly round circle which symbolizes shoonya, the void. Within the circle is an inverted triangle which represents shakti - creativity & manifestation.

Above the triangle is a black shivalingam.Shivalingam is not, as many people believe, a phallic symbol. It is the symbol of your astral body.
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As per tantra & occult sciences, the astral body is the attribute of your personality, and in the form of shivalingam, it can be one of three colors, depending on the purification or evolution of your consciousness. In mooladhara chakra the lingam is smoky and ill-defined.

It is known as dhumra lingam, and we can compare this with our state of consciousness when we live an instinctive life. We have no real concept of ourselves or what we are. Ajna chakra has a black lingam with a very consolidated outline.
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It is called the itarakhya lingam. Here, in ajna, the awareness of 'what I am' is more sharply defined and various capacities are being awakened. In sahasrara the consciousness is illumined and therefore the lingam there is luminous. It is called the jyotir lingam.
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When a person of unevolved mind concentrates, he experiences the shivalingam in form of a smoky column. It comes & then disperses, comes again & disperses, and so on. With deeper concentration, as the restlessness of the mind is annihilated, the lingam becomes black in color.

By concentrating on that black shivalingam, the jyotir lingam is produced within the illumined astral consciousness. Therefore, the black lingam of ajna chakra is the key to the greater spiritual dimension of life.
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Over the shivalingam is the traditional symbol of Оm, with its tail on top and the crescent moon and bindu above that. Om is the bija mantra and symbol of ajna chakra, and above its form can be seen the raif, the trace of sound consciousness.
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Paramshiva is the deity of ajna chakra and he shines like a chain of lightning flashes. The goddess is the pure minded Hakini whose six faces are like so many moons.
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