Spirituality: What Is The Third Eye?

The third eye, also called the eye of the soul or the eye of knowledge, is a symbol shared by many religions and spiritual practices. This energy center, generally considered as the gateway to intuition, is located in the middle of the forehead between the two eyebrows. We invite you to discover the powers of this chakra and how to open it to develop your clairvoyance.

What is the third eye?

The third eye is a religious and esoteric symbol that originated from the East. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is not uncommon to see this spiritual eye depicted or engraved on representations of gods, Buddha, and bodhisattvas.

It is generally located at the level of the forehead between the eyebrows, on a point that yoga calls Ajna chakra or chakra of knowledge. It is also at this place that Hindus draw a red dot called pottu or bindi on their foreheads.

According to the Upanishads, the philosophical texts at the foundation of Hinduism, the third eye is one of the 10 gates of the human body. While the other nine gates (including our eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth) give us access to the external world through our senses, this tenth gate leads to the inner world.

Unlike our two eyes that only reveal the external reality, this eye is turned inward. It symbolically represents intuition, clairvoyance, and self-knowledge.

What is the purpose of the third eye?

Even if you think that your intuition is not your strong point, reassure yourself: we are all endowed with a third eye! According to the principles of yoga, this energy center located between the eyebrows corresponds to the 6th chakra.

When energy flows freely there, Ajna chakra brings clarity, insight, and wisdom. In concrete terms, this means that this energy center helps you to listen to your intuition and be more clear-sighted in making the right choices in life.

In daily life, a good balance between logical/pragmatic thinking and intuitive/creative thinking is a sign of a harmonious sixth chakra. Conversely, if you feel tossed around by your emotions and unable to step back and distinguish truth from falsehood and make the right choices, it may be a sign that your forehead chakra is blocked.

In this case, there are several methods to open the third eye to regain clarity and serenity. Opening this chakra allows one to free oneself from illusions and thoughts related to fear. Some even believe that opening the third eye allows access to extrasensory perception, mediumship abilities, or higher consciousness.

How to open your third eye?

The first way to open your third eye is to practice meditation. In Taoism, there is a specific exercise to train your third eye. It involves closing your eyes and focusing your attention on the point between the eyebrows.

This same type of meditation with a focus on the 6th chakra can also be found in Hatha yoga. In addition to yoga poses that activate all the energy centers of the body, it is possible to practice visualization.

Sitting cross-legged with a straight back, start by calming the flow of your thoughts by focusing on your breath. When you feel ready, concentrate on your sixth chakra and visualize a light between your eyebrows, like a candle illuminating your thoughts and inner feelings.

To activate the powers of the third eye, it is also possible to use writing by jotting down ideas, emotions, and dreams in a journal, as well as crystal therapy or lithotherapy.

The color associated with the 6th chakra is indigo or violet, so lithotherapy recommends using stones in these shades, such as amethyst or lapis lazuli, to develop intuition. And if you want to rebalance all your chakras, including Ajna chakra, you can also wear a 7 chakras bracelet that brings together all the colors of the rainbow.