Root Chakra Characteristics
by Eileen Nauman, DHM (UK)

Copyright 2001- 2005 Eileen Nauman
All Rights Reserved
docbones@gotsky.com

COLOR: Red
LOCATION: Base of spine (coccyx)
PETALS: 4 (the four directions, the number "4", Saturn, Earth)
NOTE: C

SYMBOLIC MEANING

• Feminine because it connects one with Mother Earth/is nurturing and is nurtured by connection with others.
• Physical grounding. You are in your body. You're "home." You're "here." All your focus is on this life, in this body, time and place. It has all your attention. Buddhist say this is our "earth connection."
• Gaia (Mother Earth)
• General creation
• Baptisms
• "All for one and one for all"--The Divine creates and protects all human tribes' spiritual needs. To accept fully family of origin.
• Accept personal responsibility for living honorably. Our belief patterns and conditioning processes.
• Our template (which may or may not change with time and age and experiences).
• Our "family" includes social network, our immediate environment we grow up in, our religion or belief system, business contacts, our political leanings, ethnic background and our culture.

FEARS

• Physical survival
• Group abandonment
• Loss of physical order (of the "tribe"/family/peer group)
• Loss of respect by family/tribe/peer group.

STRENGTHS

• Biological family, our office/co-worker "tribe", our friend "tribe"
• Support and loyalty from family/tribe
• Physical vitality
• Strong life force/Vital Force
• Sexuality in males
• Physically strong; has great endurance and strength (the marathon runner as a symbol) 
• Likes physical jobs or jobs that require muscle and strength (male or female)
• Safety in numbers. Family means safety. Tribe means safety.
• Loyalty to the tribe/family order
• Bonding with your family/tribe
• Possessing a family/tribal honor code that you follow or live your life by ROOT CHAKRA SAYING: "All for one; one for all" or "We are all related" or "We are all connected."

SOUND: Bass tone, Percussion, Brass and Piano

METAPHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• Root and source of the Kundalini
• Learning to work within family/community
• The "I" becomes immersed and dissolved into the "WE"

TIME OF OUR LIFE: the developmental years of our childhood

SHADOW
1. Inhibition of the individual experiencing his/her unique individuality is not tolerated. The "I" is not tolerated.
2. "An eye for an eye" belief system.

PHYSICAL RULERSHIP IN BODY
Organs: physical body support; base of spine; legs, bones, coccyx
(tailbone) , feet, rectum, and the immune system.

ENERGETIC DIS-EASES

• Coccygeal pain
• Sciatica
• Varicose veins
• Hemorrhoids
• Rectal tumors/cancer
• Depression
• Immune disorders/compromised
• Skeletal disorders/compromised (our foundation is crumbling)
• Epidemics (compromised immune system, and a virus can sweep around the world--and it is a reflection of the world's symbolic immune system, i.e., the Spanish Flu of 1918 killing 22 million people worldwide). Or, in the USA, Great Depression, Wall Street Crash in 1929, we began a Polio epidemic in the 1930's and 1940's to reflect ourselves as "crippled" by this economic disaster that affected everyone.

WAUTER'S ARCHETYPE ASSIGNMENT

1. Healthy Root Chakra: Mother archetype
2. Dysfunctional Root Chakra: Victim archetype.

A healthy root chakra means financial security, adequate food, a home, shelter, the essentials we need to survive and feel as if we are surviving. There is a positive sense we can survive just about anything. No matter what life throws at us, we can handle it. (It doesn't mean we like it, but we gird our loins, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, buckle down and "just do it" or whatever is necessary, in order to survive). This chakra, when operating positively, literally pulls energy from the earth and moves it up and through our body toward our Crown chakra (7th chakra) at the top of our head. The person is literally "in their body." They are in touch with their mind AND their emotions simultaneously.

A dysfunctional or blocked chakra means we lose our connection to Mother earth. We are disconnected (literally and figuratively speaking) from earth energy. This is where you see the "space cadet" phenomena, and people who cannot "stay" in their body. They can't seem to lock in or lock down. Our basic human survival, our sense that we can't survive or just minimally survive, kicks in, instead. Another example of not being grounded "living in our head." We've all seen people like this. The adage I use is that they are "cut off from the neck down"--meaning, they are afraid to inhabit their bodies, get in touch with their emotions, passions, pain and vulnerability. (I see a lot of men doing this). They have super intellects, they are logical/rational and they see everything through the mental construct of the "lower mind"--our every day functioning left hemisphere of our brain.

The Root as far as she is concerned, is about the "Tribal Mind" (tribal mind) or mind set. Examples of "tribe" would be our society we live in and most important, our family of origin, with its' rules, laws, do's and don't's that are acceptable or unacceptable. In the Age of Aries, survival depended upon people banding together and working toward common goals/needs/support in order to live and not die. Other examples of the tribal mind would be the religion you belong to.

Everyone belongs to one or more "tribes." For instance, my list, Athena, is a "tribe". It is a group of like-minded people who AGREE to move the direction that the tribal leader (me) wants to move in. Caroline Myss says there's nothing wrong with tribe except it stops the person from growing and developing. There's positive and negative tribal mind situations. The ones she's concerned with are the negatives that inhibit our grown as an INDIVIDUAL.

Tribal mind in the negative has only one leader and you follow. If you don't follow the 'laws' of that particular tribal mind, then you are thrown out, you become a pariah and you are not allowed to remain within it. These are very scary propositions to some people who feel if they are thrown out of a tribal mind that they are 'lost' or can't survive. This isn't true nowadays, but the mind set and fear is still there. It is in these situations of a negative tribal mind that a person is stopped from growing. They cannot and are not allowed to make their own unique/individual choices for themselves. If they open their mouth and voice any opinion different from what the tribal mind wants, then an uncomfortable focus is brought to bear on that person to be quiet and go along with the "line" that is espoused by that tribal mind. We see this all the time in many ways in our world.

She kept pounding home that our own FAMILY is our 'tribe' that we have the most problems with. Family gave us how we were to think and see and behave in the world. Old patterns and 'tapes' of the family mind set isn't necessarily what we need. Some are our tribal mind, outdated and certainly do NOT address the individualism of a person within the family unit at all. We all were given "roles" (archetypes) to play in the family. So long as we play that role, we cannot get to our uniqueness as a human being. We need to shed the play of that archetype and go on an inner journey to find out who and what we really are (another archetype). Most family members are afraid to say they won't play that role--so the root chakra becomes blocked--and the person's growth becomes blocked as a result of this mindless following of what the family expects/wants of you.

(EN--a good example of this is an alcoholic family where each child plays a role to the set of the parents/the alcoholic parent. Until the children of the alcoholic parent stop playing this role--and they will most likely unconsciously carry this role into their adult life--they cannot get to who they really are, which is hidden beneath this facade. They are living in the negative archetype of the family and the role they played within it. To continue to play this role/archetype is stifling/suffocative to the individual and eventually, will cause dis-ease or dis-harmony for that person because they are not listening to their own inner voice about what their needs/expression/creativity is about nor will they grab/grasp it and move with it--for fear of being thrown out by the family).

HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY ROOT CHAKRA DEFINITIONS

HEALTHY ROOT CHAKRA (Root chakra has no damage to it, is opening and fully functioning, and has no past life debris in it)

• You are practical, common-sensed, organized, systematic, realistic and 3rd dimensional.
• Honors commitments made
• Sees the unhealthy side of family/tribe and does not continue to support them or act them out or be them
• I-don't-believe-it-unless-I-can-see-it mentality is not part of their life creed
• Their word is their bond; honor bound. What they say they will do, they will do. You can count on them.
• Home is our castle. Pride in the home.
• Able to process what our family/tribe has taught us, changed, added or subtracted what is "right" for us.
• Justice, but does not try to even the scale by doing the same thing to the person who did it to them
• Loyalty, but not to the destructive expense of Self. (You allow family/tribe to lean on you, but not sap you of your essence...healthy "boundaries.")
• Love of favorite possessions
• All five senses are fully operational and utilized
• Has a hobby they are impassioned about
• Family/spouse/children are important and central for and to them
• Prove-it-to-me
• Care taking of a family member with healthy boundaries and time off for the health of Self
• Confidence
• Moral compass (example: the Ten Commandments)
• Solid self-esteem
• Patriotic
• Involved in social fabric surrounding your life
• May belong to an association, group or company of like-minded people
• Involved in children's school
• Involved in local government and issues that affect you
• Passion, zest and vigor for life; wakes up full of hope and energy
• Passion for living
• Allowing the Divine to deal out the punishment for what was done against you, instead of you going into an "eye for an eye" mode; trusting that the Universe will even out the wounding/hurt/words against you
• Living connection with Mother Earth; loves Nature, and understands that we are never one, but many; everyone is connected.
• Lives their life with reason, passion, focus and joy 
• Survival oriented.
• Treats others as they, themselves, would like to be treated--the Golden Rule
• Tribal/Family justice is sifted through and sieved; not swallowed whole. What is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander.
• Has honor (can stand up for self with pride, has dignity, honor as in marriage vows saying them and meaning them, your word of honor to a family/friend/tribe member, etc.)
• Has self respect and respects others, accordingly
• Works out physically to stay fit, no matter what age
• Managing ourselves in the world successfully.
• Taking responsibility for Self (non-Victim)
• Understanding when the family or tribe is right and wrong and making the correct choice for Self.
• Evaluating our belief system and changing it as we grow and evolve, accordingly.
• Empowered and self-actualized and motivated.
• Healthy attitude toward group/family/tribe.
• Co-creation principle; able to physically manifest one's dreams or goals instead of them remaining in the realm of possibility only.

UNHEALTHY ROOT CHAKRA
Root chakra is not acknowledged, or when we violate the tenants of it, or if it shuts down, becomes blocked, is torn and in need of repair (as from a physical injury, as an example), or has debris from a past life in it that we can in to work on to dissolve this lifetime):

• Unable to manifest things on the physical plane. Cannot co-create to manifest their dreams or goals.
• Unable to keep their word to themselves, much less another
• Feeling victimized by Society
• Caretaker who gets their health, energy, and life sucked out of them by the experience; no healthy boundaries, no sense of taking care of Self
  "Everyone in my family thinks this way" and they never think differently
• Zealot, fanatic, or terrorist who kills in the name of a group (tribe) or religion
• Everyone does it, so why shouldn't I?
• Allow family/tribe to lean on you too much out of a sense of loyalty or responsibility (unhealthy loyalty)
• Any tribal belief that denigrates another human being or gender (men are smarter than women, women are bad drivers, Indians are all
  alcoholics, red-haired women are temperamental, etc.) Adolf Hitler is an example of negative tribal/German country consciousness and people buying into this belief.
• Any belief pattern or conditioning that keeps us 'stuck' and unmoving/growing as a human being
• Chronic fatigue or any dis-ease that DISempower us physically, like air being taken out of the balloon; only it is your energy leaking out until you have nothing left for self--no healthy boundaries, unhealthy loyalty perspective
• Family has abandoned you in some way (spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically)
• What our parents told us about ourselves is still in our body (and we are ill as a result of them)
• Does not "feel at home" here on Earth. Person feels like a stranger here. Feels as if they belong somewhere else; but they don't have a clue as to where that might be.
• Traveling with never a strong tie or connection to a specific place on this planet. Footloose and fancy free; but searching....always searching...
• Searching for their "real" family and never finding it
• Pragmatic
• Pessimistic
• Rigid in all ways (spiritual/mental/emotional/physical) or one or more of these ways.
• Won't believe it even if it is proven to them or they see it.
• Survival at all costs; selfish.
• Unable to manage ourselves or our affairs in this world.
• Gives away power to peer group or more powerful person/entity/group.
• Unhealthy attitude toward group/family/tribe.
• Bullying others
• Illness is centered around losing touch with our physical world.
• Needy
• Needing the approval of others (this spurs them into certain patterns
  of behavior to get the 'pat on the head' and recognition).
• Belligerent
• Danger excites them; trauma junky; they feel 'high' when doing something that involves danger, and 'dead/numb' the rest of the time.
• Ordinary life makes them feel dead. Exciting life makes them feel 'alive.'
• Possessiveness/territorial/selfish and incapable of thinking of another first before themselves.
• Narcissistic
• Abrupt
• Interrupts when someone else is speaking
• Impatient
• Aggressive
• Assaultive
• Feels isolated by the world; a loner mentality
• Disconnected from life; no passion in living in any way
• Life is a constant, daily drudge; passionless
• Abuser (mental/emotional/physical)
• Spontaneous; acts without thinking or speaks without thinking what their words or actions might have on another or others
• Territorial; what's mine is mine and don't you dare step over that line into my territory.
• Hyperactive; can't rest, can't let down or relax
• Low boredom point
• Victim archetype
• Restless (ants in their pants)
• Socially inept; cannot even say 'thank you' or 'I'm wrong' when s/he should
• Dumbly and blindly follows family/tribe justice without asking questions (Example: young children who are raised to think they are martyrs in Palestine giving their life for the 'cause' of Palestinian freedom).
• Sexual addiction (male)
• Getting even is a must; it's personal, up front and close
• Family/tribal justice blocks our individualize spiritual advancement
  (Example: children raised in Northern Ireland to fight the British)
• Justice is an "eye for an eye" or "what goes around, comes around" and they may carry it out to get even with the person who did it to them
• Lacks self-respect; therefore, does not foster respect of others
• Moral instability
• "Do unto others, what they do unto you"

ROOT CHAKRA QUESTIONS

1. Does your family have a Code of Honor? What is it? Are you living it? Believe in it? Or, have you tweaked it to make it yours and not necessarily there's?

2. What is valid and invalid about your belief patterns within you? What works for you? What no longer does? What never did?

3. What belief pattern(s) in your family do you feel are healthy? Unhealthy? Toxic? Dysfunctional?

4. Give me an example of your honor. Have you always held to it? Have you ever dishonored yourself? How? Did you repair it? If so, how?

5. Write down the wounds your family has given you. What ones are healed? Which ones need attention? Have you confronted the family on them?

6. Write down all the healthy positives your family has given you. How have they made you the person you are today?

7. If you have children, what honor, loyalty and justice teachings have you passed on to your children? What have you not passed on from your family to them?

8. What ethnic and cultural situations do you still practice with your family? What ones have you released and no long practice?

9. Looking at the healthy and unhealthy root chakra list, what items would you like to embrace and become? What ones would you like to release and no longer be?

10. Have you ever felt like the Victim? (Something that happened to you out of your control and left you feeling injuring and unconfident toward yourself)

11. If you did, what are your feelings toward this issue or situation presently? Have you been able to fully express your feelings over it or not?

12. If you were a victim, do you keep replaying this pattern over and over again? Or do you use it as an 'excuse' for how you live your life presently? As a crutch to prevent you from taking responsibility for yourself in all ways?

13. Do you feel supported by family/tribe in having what you want out of your life? Or in your life?

14. What do you feel you're entitled to? (well adjusted people feel they deserve health, respect, friendship, love, money, success and
happiness).

15. Do you take time out for yourself? Do you do something for yourself every single day that is good for you?

16. Do you have some healthy boundaries in place to be able to say "no" and mean it?

17. Have you made out a daily energy budget (keeping in mind we have $200 of energy money to spend a day on whatever we choose) that includes you pampering yourself in some way? (This might be going to an art class, pottery class, working at your hobby, gardening, walking with your spouse, riding your horse, etc... something that gives you PLEASURE and REWARD for simply being the wonderful person you are).

REFERENCES:
Andrews, T., The Healer's Manual, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1993
Myss, C., Ph.D., Anatomy of the Spirit, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 1996
Myss, C., Ph.D., Why People Don't Heal And How They Can, Harmony Books,Inc., New York, NY, 1997
Wauters, A., Chakras and their Archetypes, The Crossing Press, Freedom, California, 1997