Anahata Psychology | Meaning of the Heart Chakra

In this episode on Anahata psychology we are exploring the meaning of the heart chakra Anahata from the point of view of psychology. This is based on the Psychology of Kundalini Yoga by Carl Jung a series of lectures he gave in 1932 where he explored the symbolism of each of the chakras in the system of Kundalini yoga and worked to integrate it with the findings of Western psychoanalysis and of his findings with the individuation process.

Looked at developmentally, Jung found that the heart chakra Anahata was the stage at which the psychological rebirth reveals itself. At this stage the process ceases to appear solely as a turbulent emotional upheaval as it was with the overwhelming watery deluge in Svadhisthana or the inflamed fires of passion in Manipura.
In Anahata the Night Sea Journey is complete and the reborn sun crosses the horizon in the sunrise of the new day. This is the revelation of something divine in us. At this point the inner figure of the Purusha “smaller than smaller and bigger than big” becomes visible. This is the Atman or the Self as it’s called in Jungian psychology. This is the stage when it becomes clear that the process is spiritual. With the overwhelming deluge of Svadhisthana (which can manifest as depression) and the fires of Manipura (which can manifest as everything from grief and suffering over old wounds to anger and overpowering impulses) it is possible to confuse the process as a personal one. It might be a breakdown of some purely personal variety. With Anahata however the spiritual nature of the process is revealed with the emergence of the Purusha and the rising of the new sun.
Psychologically this means becoming objective of the fires and waters of the earlier stages. Stepping back from identifying with these emotions something else can be glimpsed behind the process ⁠— there is something greater at work. All this and more is explored in this episode.



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