The center of your head (COH) is a place that you can focus yourself as spirit, to work energetically and psychically in the body. It is a centering technique that brings a great deal of power, neutrality and balance to meditation, magic and psychic reading, as well as the daily experience of life. This is not the only way to center and there are several very talented readers who do not work in this way. However, I have found it to be extremely beneficial as a reader and teacher and since it is the second technique I teach after grounding, I wanted to elaborate on it here.
I will give a more detailed explanation as to the technique itself at the end if this article, but for now take a minute and locate this area just so that you have an idea of what I am talking about when I say the "Center of your head."
One easy way to locate the center of your head is to first ground (please see my article on grounding if you don't know what this means) and relax, then place the index finger of one hand on your forehead, and the index finger of the other hand above one ear. Close your eyes and picture imaginary lines extending out from each finger and notice where they intersect.
When you have found that area, you can put your hands back down.
Bring your awareness and attention to that area in the center of your head. It is actually farther back than the brow/eye area, which is where many people are taught to focus. If you bring your energy a little farther back in your head, you may find (as I did) that the experience is completely different. This place is the center of your head.
The area is somewhat related to the pineal gland, which Descartes referred to as the "seat of the soul." I was told that one of the functions of this gland was to detect amounts of light so that our body knows what season of the year it is. What this same area in the energy body does is to reflect the light of you as spirit throughout the rest of the body.
The center of your head is your own personal sacred place; you can think of it like the altar of your temple. It is your control tower, the drivers seat. Whatever energy or being or thoughts reside in the center of your head are the ones running the show. This is one reason I always suggest that people clear it out and own it for themselves. It is a very powerful place.
This doesn't mean that you always have to be there. There are many things that can only be learned and processed through "out-of-body" experiences. Dreams, visions, and some types of "path working" are all done with the attention outside of the body. In my opinion, however, it is even more important to own and use this area when you are doing work out of the body since you will, no doubt, want to return and find things as you left them rather than finding some strange energy hanging around.
It's also much easier while in the COH to get in touch with and work from a place of neutrality and not be so harsh and critical about everything (including yourself). It is one of the reasons that it is a really safe place to focus your energy and attention. You can experience life at close range and still maintain your spiritual perspective on things which is good since, sometimes, we all have lessons that are less than pleasant. If you are centered, you are not so apt to lose yourself and become overwhelmed by the problems and challenges that life can hand you.
And if it happens (never to me of course - I have just read about it in books, yeah right!!) that you do become immersed in your current trials and tribulations, you can find a way to regain some perspective and perhaps even find some amusement about your situation. When we get caught in trying to figure it all out or getting into the judgement of it all, it is oh so easy to get stuck in the energy. The neutrality of that quiet, still, balanced place can really help you to move past whatever hurdle you are facing.
There are also whole configurations of energy having to do with reading and seeing that are located in the general area of the head and the sixth chakra. The sixth chakra is an energy center or "vortex" of energy that flows horizontally from in front of the brow through the head and back beyond if a bit, it is sometimes referred to as the "Third Eye." When you focus your energy in the center of your head it starts to awaken and stimulate this entire area and will begin to open up your clairvoyant ability.
Clairvoyance is French for "clear seeing" and is the term used to describe the ability that we all have (we may or may not use it - but I am of the opinion that we all have this ability) to perceive/see energy, auras, beings, chakras, energetic pictures and so on. Many people use this word only to mean "seeing the future." This isn't the definition I personally use. Although divination would certainly come under the heading of clairvoyance, I do know many people who use their clear seeing ability to do lots of things that are totally unrelated to future vision.
Practicing being in the COH is wonderful preparatory work for psychic reading. It conditions you to maintain your spiritual focus. As you get more comfortable there, it will give you clarity of vision. You can get a clear view of "what is" and not be so influenced by what you think "should" be. It gives you access to your own neutrality which I find essential in reading so that:
a. You are reading the person in front of you and not you own "stuff."
b. You don't take on the energy of the person you are reading.
c. You allow the person the space to create and learn in whatever way they choose to.
I have found that when you are working from the COH it is much easier to accomplish these things:
a. You see the person clearly and are not so influenced by your emotional responses.
b. You can be aware of what's yours and what's theirs and keep them separate.
c. You can remember that the person you are reading is spirit, just like you are, and has lessons to learn regardless of your opinion of how they are doing it.
Being in the COH is a simple concept, but is isn't always easy. It can take practice to hang out there more than a few minutes at a time - that's where meditation comes in. It is the discipline of meditating regularly that will give you the ability to choose where you would like to place your attention and the focus to keep it there until you decide otherwise.
When something is simple, it can be easy to discount, or to rush past it in an effort to get to the "good stuff" that is seen as more advanced. What I have found to be true for me is that there is a depth and richness of experience that comes with time. Even, or perhaps I should say especially, in the simplest of these techniques there is an uncovering of new levels of discovery that happens as you work with them regularly.
It is also variable. There are days that I draw on the vastness of the universe, knowing that all is really within me and present in the center of my head. And then there are days that it is a struggle just to be in the center of my head and not judge myself and everything to death!? We are all human after all. I have found though, that the tool of centering has and continues to be incredibly valuable. It has gotten me through even the most stressful of times.
Technique
Always start by grounding. Sit comfortably in a straight back chair or on the couch (as long as you don't tend to nod off to sleep) have your hands and feet apart and feet flat on the floor.
Close your eyes and turn within.
Take three nice deep breaths, breathe down into your belly and soften it as you breathe. Notice how you feel, how your body feels.
Be aware of your first chakra. This is simply an energy center (vortex) that is located in the general area near the base of the spine. For women the center is usually near the area between the ovaries (note: the chakra positioning doesn't change if you have had to have your ovaries removed for any reason). For men the location is slightly lower in the body because the chakra placement is associated with the testicles.
Be aware of this area, and allow a cord of energy to flow downward from your body.
Through the chair you are sitting in.
Through the floor and down through the building you are in.
Through the foundation and into the deep earth beneath.
Allow your grounding to flow down into the earth past all the rocks and layers of the planet, past the water, deep into the earth into the heart of the Mother.
Until it reaches the center of the earth.
Allow your grounding cord to connect securely into the center of the planet.
Be aware of your grounding cord being securely connected also to your first chakra.
Now that you are grounded you can take the next step and center yourself.
Take a nice deep breath and bring your awareness into the center of your head. Feel free to use your index fingers to help you to focus there if you wish.
Notice how your body responds. It might have a reaction to you being centered. Let that reaction simply be, notice it. If you experience any discomfort, release it down your grounding.
Be aware of what the center of your head is like right now. Is it light? Is it dark? Is it crowded, or empty? Cold or warm, big or small? Are you aware of sensations, sounds, images, scents? Relax and breath yourself into the center of your head. Get comfortable and begin to own this safe neutral place.
Continue to use your grounding to release energy from this space so that you can make more room for you to focus there in the present moment.
Say hello silently to yourself as spirit in the center of your head.
Recognize and validate the essential you. You may be aware of yourself as a bright light, or you may notice your presence in some other way.
Enjoy the experience. Be aware of your uniqueness and also your connection to all that is.
Say hello to you body, from the center of your head. Notice your body's response. Take a moment and simply allow yourself to be. Allow time to explore being grounded and centered, releasing energy and gaining awareness.
When you are done, open your eyes, bend forward and touch your hands to the floor, as you relax your neck and release any built up energy around the head and shoulders into the earth. Slowly sit back up. If you journal this would be a great time to record your experience. If not, then you're ready to go on to the rest of your day or evening. Blessed be.
Erika Ginnis works as a psychic and practitioner in Seattle. She offers, counseling, classes, reading and healing through her practice "Inspiration is the In-Breath of Spirit" She can be reached at (206)669-5881 or through her web page http://www.inbreath.com
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