The ninth chakra in the 12-chakra map I am using in this chakra meditation series is the portal through which we commune with spiritual energies beyond words. Within every chakra there is stillness and light, a unique refraction of the divine that we can commune with through meditation. But through the ninth chakra we receive lessons and wisdom related to our spiritual growth trajectory, and we receive this through symbols and energies too subtle for the limits of language.

Every religious tradition has symbols that represent spiritual knowledge and principles. In addition to conveying meaning we can’t capture through language, symbols also form a bridge to the subtle planes, becoming portals to energetic vibrations – much like the chakras themselves. In spiritual traditions that connect with the subtle planes, as most meditative traditions do, focusing on a symbol opens our mind to the deeper understanding embodied through that symbol.

So often our thinking mind becomes a barrier to spiritual understanding. In our early childhood years, as we learn to speak, our awareness begins to generate and fixate on a constant stream of inner chatter. Eventually, that chatter becomes our reality, and we lose our connection to the deeper levels of awareness that form the foundation for spiritual communion. Meditating on symbols is a powerful way of reconnecting to this level of awareness. Symbols speak to both our sub- and super-conscious.

Located about 12-18 inches above our head, at the peak of our energy body, the ninth chakra is our doorway to this kind of knowing and communing. In Eastern traditions that utilize deity practice, a deity is often visualized at this point above the head during meditation. Typically at some point the practitioner dissolves the deity into herself, visualizing herself becoming the deity. In this way, the qualities the deity is said to represent are owned as internal, rather than external. The purpose of such meditations is not to worship forces outside of ourselves, but to awaken our own innate spiritual qualities and wisdom.

This kind of practice really captures the essence of the ninth chakra, for in addition to being the chakra of our symbolic knowing, the ninth chakra also holds our ‘soul plan.’ How exactly a soul is defined varies between spiritual traditions (and in Buddhism there really isn’t an intrinsic soul), but the idea of a soul plan in some form exists within all of them. This plan is really a kind of energetic map of our spiritual trajectory. It represents our individual path to spiritual awakening, and our deepest sense of purpose – how our spirit most wants to express itself in the world at its highest potential.

We may or may not access our path or this potential fully within a given lifetime, but if we do, we have connected with our ninth chakra. We feel this chakra, or a part of it, whenever we feel intuitively driven to complete some task, or make some life change, that catapults us forward on our journey of self-discovery – even if it doesn’t make complete sense when examined from a worldly perspective.

The following meditation will explore these two aspects of the ninth chakra. It begins with grounding – so important whenever we are meditating on the out-of-body chakras – and then works with both a symbol and ‘soul plan’ question. To get the most out of this meditation, you should do the following before you begin:

• Select a symbol that has personal spiritual significance or intrigue for you. I have selected the Endless Knot, shown above – a powerful symbol in many different traditions. You can use this symbol if you like, or select any other spiritual symbol or deity.
• Contemplate a question you would like to ask about your own spiritual trajectory or soul purpose.