Anhata-Dysfunctional Archetype-The Actor/Actress

This archetype plays at love without ever engaging its true feelings.  This is generally caused by a wound that was suffered at an earlier stage of life.  They fear to love and show deep feeling for fear of being taken advantage of, or hurt.  When someone gets too close to their vulnerable core, they often do something to sabotage this relationship rather than “exposing” themselves for hurt and betrayal.

This archetype will go through life isolating itself from intimacy.  They live on the surface, appearing as though everything is fine.  They avoid bonding by acting out its conflicts in tension and drama and distancing.  They only feel safe at a distance from those they profess to love.  The old deep wounds are expressed by holding back feelings and using argument and a variety of other tactics to keep love away.  When someone gets too close to the wound it terrifies them, and are afraid they will lose control.  They fortify themselves against the humbling and purifying experience of love.  They desperately want it, and need it, but are terrified by it.  It would mean letting down their defenses, and possibly being exposed to the hurt and pain of the old wound.

The archetype being vulnerable, finds protection from hurt to be its main goal in an intimate relationship.  It hopes to find someone who will heal them of this hurt, but are unwilling and/or incapable of returning love.  This situation of drawing close, and then all of a sudden pushing away, may be a repeated pattern in their relationship.  This becomes very frustrating for all parties concerned.

The way to begin to change this archetype is to allow oneself to be open to love.  This is difficult when this archetype often finds itself in co-dependent relationships, where there is little chance of getting its wounds healed.  The individual will continuously blame the other partner, without ever looking at their own responsibility for the struggling relationship.  This archetype can find release from the pain by seeing their own patterns and end the struggle and conflict that was set up against being loved and being able to love.  Open yourself to love, and heal your wounds. 

If you think that you may have this archetype at work in your life try these exercises.  Take responsibility for healing yourself.  Get past the shallow relationships that develop due to the defenses that you have set up to protect yourself.  Here are some questions to answer to help:

• Are you able to be open and honest about your feelings with another person?
• How much love do you feel for yourself?
• Can you experience love for yourself when you are unhappy or lonely?
• Are you able to sustain a commitment through difficult times?
• Do you know how to stay with someone through the unpleasant and hard times when communication is blocked because of blame or resentment?
• Can you be detached enough to allow your loved ones to be themselves?
• Does your love help you to honor your commitment to work things through when you feel unsure and vulnerable?
• Can you be true to your feelings in a relationship without sacrificing or losing your sense of self?
• Can you love someone as they are and not expect them to change for you?
• Can you love yourself enough to be the way you are in a relationship?

These questions are not a test.  They are simply used to help you understand your capacity to love others, and yourself.  I shows your capacity to allow others to get close enough to really love them as they are, with out pushing them to change to suit your view.

Short Contemplation 

Get comfortable, and relax.  Take several deep relaxing breaths….feel it expand your chest.  Feel it center in your heart.  Do this several times.  Feel you chest expanding and filling with each breath.  Say; “I am love” repeat several times.  Feel the love flow into your heart.  Allow you gentle nature to surface as you allow love into your heart.  Be the most loving and tender person you can imagine being. Repeat the litany of love. “I am love, I am love, I am love......  This engages the creative power that is part of our spiritual inheritance. We are created by and from the highest energy of existence, and that creative energy is I am that I am.  When you engage that eternal I am, by using the word I am...whatever follows these two words will come looking for you. When you say I am love, you have created yourself in the image of love. You are love, at its very universal core. You pour love out in rivers. Love flows from your being, and passes over everyone who is near you. I am love...I am love...I am love. It encompasses the world.

Anahata-Functional Archetype-The Lover

The world loves a lover, including the lover.  You know when you are in the presents of a lover because you have a warm fuzzy feeling of love when you are near them.  They are happy, and their love flows out to everyone around them.  This love is not binding, and will flow to you regardless of who you are.  There are no conditions placed on this love, and no expectation of love in return.  The lover loves you as you are, right now and right here. 

Do you remember falling in love, and how it made everything in the world seem wonderful and right?  This is how this person flows through life.  Even hard times do not diminish their capacity for love of self and others.

Young children, old people and possibly animals seem to be drawn to the lover, as they sense the lover’s aura.  The lover is generous in all things such as love, time and money.  This is a wonderful archetype, and one that you will want to develop in your life if it isn't already there.

Bring out the Lover in You

The following questions will possibly dredge up some hurtful emotions.  Do not plow into this exercise before you are sure that you are prepared for the emotions.

1)  Forgiving and releasing the past takes courage.  Are you willing to forgive those who hurt you and release the pain of separation, hurt and loss?  Forgiving usually starts with forgiving our parents.  They are the core relationship from which we form our character, and from which we create the delusions which separate use from love.  Look carefully at your parents or primary caretakers and be willing to forgive them for their limitations to loving you.  Release your feelings about not feeling that you had enough of what you wanted or deserved.  Try to realize that they were doing the best they could with their own limitations.  This may help you to forgive them more easily.  You can start with a simple sentence like: “I forgive you and let go of the past.”

2) Now move on to forgive anyone you feel didn't love you in the way you wanted to be loved.  This can include former friends, lovers, partners, colleagues, teachers, and so on.  These can be people from your past or from the present.  Again, saying a simple sentence like the above will do.

This one is a tough one.  I had to think deeply about this.  The questions flew in my head: Do I need to seek these folks out to prove I let go?  How do I know that I really let go if I never seek them out?  I have no reason to want to see them again, does that mean I didn't let go?  I think you have the idea now.  The answer is “Whatever will be, will be.”  I don’t think we have to prove this to anyone but ourselves.  If we don’t seek them out, is it enough?  Let your inner self be your guide.

Repeat the sentence and consciously try to let go of your resentment.

Your Higher Self, which is so closely linked to your heart, will protect you from being overwhelmed by negative feelings that you are unable to handle.  Trust yourself to find the love in your heart that you need for this exercise.

3) Forgive yourself for being hard on yourself, for your self criticism and self-punishment. The voice in your head that tells you these things is the true devil, who is the father of lies.  You may have felt it was your fault for not receiving the love you needed in the past.  Love yourself now.  Be responsible for the love you want in your life. Love given not only sheds rays of love on the person receiving it, but it shines equally brightly on the giver of the love.  As a line in the Prayer of St. Francis, “for it is in giving that we receive”.

Acknowledge that are lovable  and give love fully. Love is the way to peace. The bible put it this way, “Love thy neighbor as they self.”  Accept yourself and the situation you are in.  This acceptance will heal your heart and let love flow. 

Anahata Heart Chakra Meditation

Location of Anahata

As with any type of meditation, try to perform this meditation when you won’t be disturbed. Turn the phone off or down, make sure the children are occupied or in bed. Find a comfortable position either sitting in lotus position, lying on the floor or bed, or in a reclining chair. Play soft soothing music. Use the aroma therapy recommendations from the correspondences or burn incense of the appropriate variety to match the aroma therapy recommendations. I like to record these visualizations. The multiple dots after words ……mean a pause for a while so you can contemplate and give substance to the visualization. The dots after a number mean to count slowly.

Now to begin

The Rainbow Road Meditation

Begin by placing your tongue on the spot where your teeth and gums come together. Take a deep breath through your nose for a count of 4—1…2…3…4…, hold that breath for a count of 7—1…2...3...4...5...6...7 exhale through your mouth for a count of 8 1….2…3…4…5…6…7…8 repeat this process 3 more times. Now begin to breathe normally. Relax your feet. Feel that nice relaxing feeling moving up your calves, through your knees and into the thighs. Feel your legs grow heavy and sink into their point of contact…… Feel that nice warm feeling moving through the muscles of your buttocks and into your stomach…..feel the muscles relax and the tightness leave…….Feel that relaxation moving up your chest and into your back, feel your shoulder blades press into the point of contact….Feel that nice relaxing feeling moving into your shoulders and down your arm…. feel it moving into your hands. A nice tingling feeling in your hands as you let yourself go……Feel the relaxation move up your neck, into your scalp…..down the front of your brow. Feel the forehead smooth out and lose its creases……feel the relaxation move into your jaw…unclench your teeth…..feel your chin drop……Relax…..Relax

You find yourself in a nice, safe, comfortable place. The sun is shinning, there is a warm breeze blowing across your skin. You look down at your feet and notice a road of brick. You take a step forward onto the road, as you walk down the road you notice the bricks change colors..... red.... orange... yellow..... green.... Now, look up and in the distance you see a lush green glen.

Birds of all sorts make their home here. Sitting in the middle of the glen is a green fortress. The fortress gives off a sense of peace, joy and love. As you approach the fortress the large double doors slowly open inviting you in. The interior of the fortress is pink. You walk inside and find yourself in a large room. Sitting in the middle of the room illuminated by a warm golden light from the heavens is a pedestal.

As you approach you can see there is a heart on the pedestal.  It is beating with the rhythm of your own.

Notice how the heart looks, how it feels. Leave judgment behind, it has no place here. Is the heart frozen in ice? Bound by chains? Is it sad, or lonely, happy, sad, content? Is it broken? Is its energy wild and unpredictable, dim and weak?

Place your hands upon the heart allow the universe to guide you, ask the divine to help you heal for the highest and greatest good. Watch as the ice melts or the chains fall away; watch as the pieces are made whole again.

Know that what sits upon the pedestal, illuminated by the divine light is that which beats inside you. You can feel the rhythm feel the healing, feel the warmth of the divine. Know that you are safe in this place.  Know that peace, joy and love exist. You may return anytime you feel the need or desire. The more love you give yourself the more love is available to others. Bask in the glow of the universal love that you are giving to yourself. You deserve it.  Rest and bide a while....................................................................

Now I’m going to count backwards form 5 to 1.  5…your are beginning to rouse from the meditation….4 you feel love washing through you…3 your heart beats with the rhythm of love…2 you feel refreshed and loved….1 you are fully aware of your surroundings, your eyes are open and you feel relaxed and rested. 

The end

I hope this does as much for you as it has done for me.  If you have any recommendations on improvements to this visualization meditation please feel to share them in the comments.

Namaste