From the throat, we continue upwards to one of the most commonly-referenced chakras at the space between the eyebrows, the third eye (“ajna” in sanskrit). With the purification of the consciousness in the fifth chakra, here at the sixth we arrive at clarity. It is the source of our intuition and perception, the facilitator of our wisdom and imagination. The third eye chakra is represented by the 2-petaled lotus, the downward-pointing triangle, the element of light and the color indigo or purple.
Symbolism and Focus
- The 2-petaled lotus represents the duality between the Self and the Universe (which can mean God, a higher power, the wider community, the world, anything outside of ourselves as individuals).
- The downward-pointing triangle appears again, like in many other chakra symbols, representing the expansion of energy from the tangible and the individual to the abstract and the universal.
- Light is the element of the sixth chakra, the medium through which we see, observe, collect information, visualize and exercise imagination.
- Depending on the source, the color of the Third Eye can range from indigo, dark purplish blue, to purple. I chose to represent it with the latter in order to clearly differentiate it from the throat chakra’s blue and to continue the rainbow path towards the final chakra.
The third eye chakra continues to carry us into the abstract realm through the use of sight and visualization. It is here where the consciousness receives the most insight and revelations about the universe before taking the last step towards the final chakra. The third eye governs our thought processes and how we turn our observations, perceptions and what we learn into wisdom and intuition. With our physical eyes, we can see that something exists, but with our inner eye, we intuit what that thing truly is. Our intuition acts as our guide for future experiences.
We all experience life through different lenses that filter out what we want or don’t want to see. The sixth chakra allows us to further exercise our creativity through imagination. For better or worse, the images that we choose to see are a reflection of our inner world. The sixth chakra represents our basic human need to see and be seen. It often takes many hurdles, crises or even traumas to open our eyes to the illusions with which we live. It often takes overcoming darkness to reach the dawn. Every human being deserves to experience life with clarity and certainty in themselves, their place in the universe and their purpose in life. When our unique experiences are acknowledged, we are free to explore and imagine endless possibilities.
Design Notes
The Third Eye is a very commonly-referenced visual, so I wanted to make sure to lean on the symbolism for this chakra (mainly the concept of light) to make the pin design unique. Thanks to the two petals, it still has the look of an eye in its overall shape, but I filled in more space for the silver metal of the pin to shine. I also wanted to add beams of light throughout the design that were different from the sun motifs in the third chakra - thinner and sharper to convey the feeling of clarity over blurriness or fuzziness, whereas the sun in the third chakra pin was intended to convey warmth. Choosing to go with silver rather than gold metal was also a way to differentiate the two feelings and designs.
Continue with Part 2 of the Third Eye Chakra guide here.
Credits and Resources:
Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith
7wisdoms.org by Shai Tubali
Chakras.info by Lizzy Martin
My Other Chakra Guides: