Caroline Myss – the 7 stages of power
I wrote these summary notes in 1998 while sailing around the world. They were originally published in a newsletter I wrote for friends called “Footnotes”.
The 7 stages of power is a sacred energy map laid out by Dr Caroline Myss in her book Anatomy of the Spirit and in her 6 tapes Energy Anatomy. Myss says that the Eastern Chakra system, the Christian sacraments and the Judaic Tree of life are all teaching the same thing – how to manage your energy.
If, like me, you’ve been struggling to apply the concept ‘we create our own reality’ to daily experience, Myss is manna from heaven. She points out that so long as we are plugged into the group mind (any collection of friends or associates) each group we are plugged into has a say in the creation of our reality.
Myss says we need to become conscious of all the groups we are financing with our spirit so that we can call our spirit back where necessary. Best of all, she provides clear constructive advice on how to do this on a daily basis.
Myss advises that we draw the tree of life for ourselves so that we can work with it on a daily basis. I’ve done this in two ways: one as a quick reference guide – a brief one page ‘tree’ (you can add the leaves and birds and stuff) that we can stick on fridge doors, inside diaries or whatever. And a second ‘tree’ for more detailed reference.
Use my trees to identify where you are on the tree, then read or re-read the appropriate chapter in Anatomy of the Spirit. Although we evolve from level 1 through to 7, I don’t think we sit quietly in one part of the tree until we’ve gobbled up all the leaves in that area. I think we jump around from branch to branch all the time so we need to keep track of where we are daily.
Key points from Myss:.
The 7 chakras represent the seven sacred teachings that enable us not to lose our power/spirit.
Whenever you need guidance, go to the tree of life and ask where the problem is on the tree.
Our spirit is fuel. Every choice we make is breathing that energy into something.
Whenever you are losing power, you can retrieve your spirit by consciously recognizing which truth you are not honouring
Each of us creates our own reality but every group we finance with our spirit has a say in this reality. You evolve at the rate of all the groups you are plugged into. You are being asked by your guides to unplug from the group mind so that you can evolve at a faster rate.
We are energy before matter. Biology reflects biography.
To stay healthy our bodies need: honour, integrity, mercy, creativity, endurance, commitment, harmony, compassion. Each situation in life is a lesson that enables us to learn one of these powers..
Much illness is created through the misuse of the spirit (There are exceptions – where illness is a divine task: to help balance/channel away negative energy in the world)
The Tree of life (quick reference guide)
Internal Power
7 CROWN = Your spiritual bank account/reservoir, where you store grace,
Christian sacrament: anointing the dead/extreme unction
Judaic tree of life: Keter – crown, divine inspiration
Universal truth: live only in the present.
Symbolic significance: Don’t carry your dead/the past
6 MIND/Third eye Clarity. Centre of inner dialogue, place of wisdom
Christian: Ordination
Judaic: Binah (intuition, understanding, female energy) and
Hokhmah (wisdom, male energy).
Universal truth: Seek only the truth.
Having the courage to look at yourself/ at what’s
really going on. Recognizing your special skill. .
5 THROAT Will. Awakening the will; becoming conscious.
Christian sacrament: Confession.
Judaic: Hesed (mercy, female.) and Gevurah (judgment, male)
Universal truth: Surrender personal will to divine will.
Making the heart and the mind clear and congruent.
Becoming conscious of where you invest your spirit.
HEART Love. Christian sacrament: Marriage
Judiac: Tif’eret (beauty, harmony, love, compassion)
Universal truth: love is divine power
Whoever is in your life was sent there=divine messenger.
External Power
3 SOLAR Sense of self, self esteem, centre of integrity, personal
PLEXUS honour code, ethics, initiation rites into adulthood
Christian sacrament: Confirmation
Judaic: Hod (integrity, feminine energy)
Nezah (endurance, masculine energy)
Universal truth: honour oneself
Birthing yourself. Learning the capacity to please yourself.
Your tribe’s/society’s beliefs will fail you so that you
can unplug from the group mind.
2 SEX One-on-one contact and power; creativity, finances, nurturing
ORGANS Christian sacrament: Communion
Judaic: Yesod (seeds of creation, masculine energy)
Universal truth: Honour one another.
Every thought you send another person is delivered
instantly. Operate in holy union. Keep your word.
1 BASE OF Tribal data base, belief system you are born into.
SPINE Connection to your environment, nature, the Earth.
Christian sacrament: Baptism
Judaic: Shekhinah (Gaia – earth spirit /feminine energy)
Universal truth: All is one. Honour the Earth and all life.
No matter what happens in this life, you will be fine.
You cannot be abandoned because you are never alone.
The Tree of life (full reference guide)
Internal Power
7 CROWN = Your spiritual bank account/reservoir, where you store grace, chakra
guidance.
Spirit chakra: Sahasrara
Christian sacrament: anointing the dead/extreme unction
Judaic tree of life: Keter – crown, divine inspiration
Universal truth: live only in the present
Symbolic significance: Don’t carry your dead/the past
Dwelling on the past interferes with our ability to receive
spiritual guidance today.
6 MIND Clarity. Centre of inner dialogue, place of wisdom
Mind chakra: Ajna
Christian: Ordination
Judaic: Binah (intuition, understanding, female energy) and
Hokhmah (wisdom, male energy).
Buddhism=Right livelihood
Universal truth: Seek only the truth.
Lessons:
Continually evaluating the truth and integrity of our beliefs.
Having the courage to look at yourself/ at what’s
really going on.
Recognizing your special skill. Naming your power.
Understanding the shadow side of this power.
Final lesson: Developing the capacity not to judge (you can
never know all the facts. It is not your privilege)/Releasing the
need to know why things happen in terms of human reasoning
vs divine reasoning.
Teacher of this chakra – Buddha
5 THROAT Awakening the will; becoming conscious.
Willpower chakra: Vishuddha
Christian sacrament: Confession
Judaic: Hesed (mercy, feminine) and Gevurah (judgment, masculine)
Buddhism= Right Speech
Universal truth: Surrender personal will to divine will.
Lessons:
Learning the nature of the power of choice. (is it motivated by
faith or fear?)
Consciousness = being aware of where your spirit is going to.
Not letting it be used without your full awareness and
agreement. This begins by taking it back from every place
where it has been unconsciously plugged into.
Making the heart and the mind clear and congruent.
The development of the will is the central core of your spiritual
journey.
Retrieving your spirit from the ‘negative missions’ you may
have sent them on.
Learning not to judge yourself or others negatively.
Final act of will: total surrender. Recognition that you have no
authority over your life anyway. Therefore there is nothing to
fear. Everything that happens is for your benefit.
Write down everything you know you should do, but don’t and everything you know you shouldn’t do, but do. Then see what you’ve given authority to. Pay attention to what excuses you give to break your own rules. Then look at the belief patterns you know you shouldn’t believe but do. E.g., age doesn’t count.
4 HEART Love
Emotional power chakra: Anahata
Christian sacrament: Marriage
Judiac: Tif’eret (beauty, harmony, love, compassion)
Universal truth: love is divine power
Teacher of this chakra – Jesus
Lessons: Whoever is in your life was sent there.
People only harm you if you look through the
lens of human justice. This enables you to
believe that you are innocent and everyone else
is guilty.
Betrayal experience = your Judas. Everything
you believe in will fail you so that you give up
your belief in human order/justice. You have to
be crucified to ascend to a higher order.
Loving ourselves and others unconditionally.
Final lesson: Developing faith in the divine
External Power
3 SOLAR Sense of self, self esteem, centre of integrity, personal
PLEXUS honour code, ethics, initiation rites into adulthood
Personal power chakra: Manipura
Christian sacrament: Confirmation
Judaic: Hod (majesty/integrity, feminine) and Nezah
(endurance, masculine energy)
Universal truth: honour oneself
Lessons:.
Birthing yourself. Learning the capacity to please
yourself.
Trusting you own gut instinct
No longer needing to operate within tribal mind.
Developing your own personal honour code.
Your tribal/society’s beliefs will fail you so that you
can unplug from them.
. Gratitude for our life, exactly as it is right now.
2 SEX One-on-one contact, sex, power; creativity, finances, nurturing
ORGANS Partnership chakra: Svadisthana
Christian sacrament: Communion
Judaic: Yesod (seeds of creation, masculine energy)
Universal truth: Honour one another.
Treat all life with honour.
We attract relationships that help us become more conscious.
Lessons:
-Connecting to the sacred within other people
-Every thought you send another person is delivered
instantly. Don’t harm others. Operate in holy union.
-Keep your word because you know the spiritual/energetic
consequences of not doing so.
-Every person you meet/everything that happens is
potentially the best thing that ever happened to you.
-Everyone else is a mirror reflecting back to you your
own qualities.
Spiritual challenges1 : To learn to interact consciously with
others: to form unions with people who support your
development and release relationships that handicap your
growth. 2. Managing the power of choice: it is not what we
choose but our reasons for making the choice. (Fear or faith?)
Generally the 2nd chakra is where one releases a lot of one’s energy – to finance negative thoughts; to send negative energy to others so that you can invest in the thought that you are an innocent victim; lack of closure. Keeping someone weak, needing you, will injure your spirit.
1 BASE OF Tribal data base, socialization, the culture, belief system you
SPINE are born into. Connection to your environment, nature, the
Earth.
Tribal Chakra: Muladhara
Christian sacrament: Baptism
Judaic tree of life: Shekhinah (Creation; Gaia – earth spirit,
feminine energy)
Connection to the 12 tribes of Israel; the 12 apostles; 12 signs
of the zodiac; 12 magnetic fields of life; 12 months of the
year…
Universal truth: All is one.
No matter where I am, I am touching everything.
Lessons: No matter what happens in this life, I will be fine.
Accepting our family of origin as divinely chosen to teach us
the lessons we need to learn in this lifetime.
In order to ascend, we must first honour our families and all
life.
Final lesson: You cannot be abandoned because you are never
alone. You have guides who are with you all the
time.
The dark night of the soul
Madness is essential to empowerment. The dark night of the soul is a classic mystical experience. Everything you believe in that is an illusion will fail you. You have to go through a state of despair, of feeling fully abandoned in order to emerge empowered. This is a consequence of activating the 7th chakra; getting yourself into present time/letting go of the past. We are not meant to mourn our traumas for a very long time. The dark night is your passage way to having your energy realigned.