Since before time and space were, the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.

– Tao Te Ching

When I first learned of the eighth chakra in the twelve chakra system I am using in this chakra meditation series, I thought immediately of the Northern Thai style Buddha statues, in which a flame is seen extending from the crown, or seventh chakra, of the Buddha, about 6-8 inches above his head. In earlier versions of this style of Buddha, this extension was actually a tall hair gathering, representing his regality. Over time, it morphed into a flame, and its meaning became more esoteric, representing Buddha’s oneness with all planes of existence, both within and beyond time and space.

This is the dominion of the eighth chakra – time and space. Accessed at a point 6-8 inches above our crown chakra, through this nexus we can connect to past, present, and future. We can also connect to other dimensions – modes of perceiving and experiencing existence different from that of our own. For this reason, this chakra is sometimes called the Shaman’s chakra, or the Shadow center. It represents our connection to the unseen forces, from the past and other planes, that shape our experience of the here and now.

From the perspective of energy work, there are many reasons someone might learn to access this chakra. It is the center through which we can view the energetic imprints and patterns of karma. For some, it is considered the access point to the Akashic records, an esoteric ‘library’ holding the energy imprints of all that has occurred. For others it is also considered the access point to the Shadow worlds, or unseen or underlying forces beneath events. Healers and energy workers often seek to access and work with these forces in order to release the bonds of the past.

From a psycho-spiritual perspective, the eighth chakra represents our ability to clearly see the patterns from our past that are binding us within our present, and to face, forgive, and release them, so that we may fully own ourselves as radiant, untethered, beings of light.

Many occult arts work with this chakra, whether explicitly or subtly. Any healing process that helps us release or transmute past patterns or habits in some way accesses the insights gained through the eighth chakra. Any psychic or dreaming training that involves astral travel or connecting with other planes of existence – whether these are viewed as literal or symbolic – also accesses this chakra. It is a center of great paranormal insight and power.

For this reason, and as with all the out-of-body chakras, grounding and alignment are particularly important when accessing it. Proper grounding in our body and in the here and now helps to assure that we don’t simply float around in a spacy, disassociated state when we attempt to bring our awareness up and out. Alignment assures that any work we do with our eighth chakra is for the highest purpose, in service to healing, love, and wisdom.

I like to work with a five-step preparatory process whenever I am accessing any of the out-of-body chakras:

• Grounding in the body
• Anchoring in the earth
• Centering in the heart
• Establishing boundaries of light
• Affirming alignment with the divine, and the highest good

Because of the importance of these steps, in the following meditation, they take up almost half of the 20 minutes. In my experience, it takes time to settle into our subtle awareness, and especially for those new to these esoteric chakras, it’s helpful to progress slowly. This particular meditation is not focused on accessing the eighth chakra for the purposes of reading past karmas or traversing astral planes. Instead, it’s focused on simply gaining a sense of connection to time as an expansive field, and then moving into timelessness itself. Then it gently leads you into a visualization designed to help you connect to a plane of pure light, pure radiant consciousness.

The purpose of such a meditation is to loosen our usual perceptual boundaries, so that we can begin to recognize ourselves as more than the usual thoughts, emotions, and sensations which occupy our everyday awareness. These states aren’t enlightenment, they are simply other planes we can access to expand our awareness along the way. However, it’s very easy to get attached to these states once we learn to access them, and traditional spiritual teachings contain many warnings about this. The art is to experience them joyfully, without attachment, and to recognize them as part of the spectrum of existence on our way to divine truth.

So find a safe, quiet, comfortable space, and explore! I hope you enjoy this little adventure beyond time and space. May it open you to the many luminous layers of your being and the universe.