My lion is raging. 
My City of Jewels is burning.
I am feeding the fire in my belly
to fill the void within.

~

Connecting with this chakra has been like wrestling with a lion. Unsurprisingly I’ve discovered that, like the digestive system which it governs, it has a mind and a will of its own. It’s a greedy guts but it’s not very gutsy. It will spill its guts over any tiny little thing. 

Both this chakra and my digestive system are overactive. I’ve long had difficulties with IBS. “Slow down,” “slow down,” the constant messages I’ve been receiving from the rest of my body and from my Gods.

I journey to my bowels and see the microbiota are overwhelmed by ‘reds’ (Streptococcus sp.). I take probiotics and ‘greens’ (Bifidobacterium sp.) and ‘whites’ (Lactobacillus sp.) become more dominant. Things slow down. Too  much. I see them lying on a beach on their bath towels. I stop the doses and give them extra green vegetables to chew on and tell them to get back to work. 

I succeed in slowing my bowels but what about my life? This chakra is associated with vital energy, power, will, with the ego, with striving in the world. I’ve always been very active whether it’s exercising or creating. I’ve been ambitious too. Since becoming a nun I’ve pared that down a bit. Made more time for meditation – for being not doing. Hard. I can meditate for a couple of hours a day now but even that can easily become a competition.

This chakra also governs the adrenals and the animal there is Scrappy Doo from Scooby Doo. Scrappy with zoomies with his boxing gloves on. “Let me at ‘em, let me at ‘em.” He’s great for starting new projects but not at getting them done.

At first I’m both afraid of and annoyed with the lion. Why is it (and why I am I) so hungry? Why does it roar so at tiny vexations then disappear beneath the table when real courage is required?

I go “raargh!” at the lion. It goes “raargh!” back. We roar together and as we roar the lion shrinks until it so bigger than a tiny cub that fits on my fingernail. It reveals that it’s afraid of the void, that’s why it’s always hungry, always roaring. 

I take it into my heart chakra with my white winged mare, with Gwyn, show it love and reassurance. We go to the void and show it there is nothing to be feared.

I go to other digestive organs. Courage has long been associated with the liver – the part of us that wants to live. Lily-livered is a term for a coward. I’m relieved to find mine is dark and healthy – regenerating now my drinking has ceased. Overactivity has perhaps been good for my pancreas as unlike my mum and grannie on her side I have so far not developed diabetes.

“Let’s try to work together, be brave, truly brave, not roar but no resilience, not bark but no bite,” I tell the lion and the pup that looks like Scrappy Doo.

I’m doing my best to befriend this chakra – perhaps a lifetime of work.

~

Location: Abdomen / Colour: Yellow / System: Digestive / Nerve Plexus: Solar Plexus / Gland: Adrenals / Sense: Taste / Realm: The World / Element: Fire / Qualities: Vital Energy / Animal: Lion