The other day a friend of mine was told by a psychic that she should open her “third eye” to assist her in her being a healer, in the larger sense. My thoughts turned to what I’ve read and heard about opening the third eye and I was moved to share that information and whatever relevant thoughts that came to me as I was transcribing it. Coincidently, or not, I’m using my “third eye” to write this information, right now. Here it is:

The “Third Eye” is a nickname for a perceptive faculty we have as humans. In the Hindu system it is the ajna chakra, guru chakra, brow chakra or “third eye” chakra. Those who can psychically see the ajna chakra see it’s physical touchpoint to be the pineal gland, residing inside the cranium behind the center of the forehead. Google says it is “the center of perception and command. It directs our sight and everyday awareness of the world.” So, the name is derived from its placement and functionality. But look again at that quote. It directs our everyday awareness of the world. That brings me to my first point:

1) Your “third eye” doesn’t need to be open, it is fully open and functioning in your life and always has been!

But, you may not recognize that functioning because of misconceptions you might have and some esoteric information you may not have heard before. Maybe this is that information.

2) It’s not just an “eye”.

Calling it the “Third Eye” leads one to believe the perception is “visual”. It’s way more than that. Bottom line, the function of the ajna chakra is to deliver ideas or information from our inner source, and that information can be experienced in multiple ways. Let’s explore that a bit.

Suppose you are a predominantly visually-oriented person, perhaps a painter, a photographer, a graphic artist. Or suppose you have vivid dreams, or just love to look at nature, shape and color. If your inner self wants to send you a message, its best option is through a channel (concepts) with which you are relatively familiar and have a strong significance. Rather than use the word “imagination” which has an “unreal” context, I use the word “imager” which describes the function of that faculty we all have. It takes the information from the inner self and, like a TV set, turns the signal from the cable into a visual image, which, hopefully, we will interpret as was intended.

Now suppose you are a predominantly auditorily-oriented person, perhaps a musician, a translator, a writer. Or maybe you have a keen sense of hearing and hear not only sound, but can distinguish tones and notes, whether you can carry a tune or not. There can be a sense of dimension, and multiple auditory aspects. If your inner self wants to send you a message, its best channel is through words and sounds. So where do you think those words in your head come from. What is that “still small voice”?

So am I telling you that every thought that comes into your head is your inner self trying to get a message to you? In the sense that one could see every experience as a divine teaching moment with infinite creative potential, yes. But on a day-to-day, present-day, practical world sense, no. I’m not talking about mundane thoughts. I’m talking about thoughts that just seem to pop into your head that answer a question you might have, or might suggest you do something differently, or give you an alternate interpretation of something you experienced.

Someone once asked The Evergreens (a group like the Temple Teachers) how to distinguish between mundane thoughts and inner self guidance. They explained that the default mental voice we are “given” is the voice we recognize most, i.e. our own voice. However, our conscious mind can command our subconscious mind to deliver a message (like an email, in a sense) to our inner self to use a special voice for guidance messages. [Per Huna, the subconscious mind is the go-between for the conscious mind and the all-knowing inner self.] The Evergreens suggested that you choose the voice of someone you can “hear in your head”, and whose advice you trust. Once the reprogramming is complete you will hear that someone’s voice speaking to you, perhaps greeting you in a special way particular to you and that person.

Suppose you are predominantly a feeling- or sensing-oriented person, who has found it successful to go by your “gut”. If your inner self wants to send you a message, its best channel is through your “gut”. Maybe you get queasy feelings or chills that direct you to stay away from certain people or places, or maybe you recognize when you feel positively drawn to someone or some place. Your conscious mind can command your subconscious mind to deliver a message to your inner self to send the smell of a rose whenever it wants you to pay special attention to what’s going on around you.

However it may be that you’re oriented, the information is coming to you all the time, you just need to watch for it, listen for it, check you feelings. And you can tailor an inner signal to pay attention. Declare to yourself that you are watching, listening, and aware of feelings and sensations.

Also, know you have many loving friends and helpers in non-physical realms who want to talk with you, answer your questions, guide you on your path. Do be selective, though. Gloria recommended “Thank you, Source, for your continued guidance and protection”, as a regular affirmation. I printed a copy in a nice script and posted it on the inside of my bedroom door as a daily reminder. Talk with your guides, either individually, if you know their name, or as “Source”. But remember, their names may be temporary and symbolic — a tool, if you will, to pass a message, like “Silverthistle”.

So, “opening the third eye” is 1) knowing that there is a constant source of information from our inner self or inner associates and 2) trusting that that information will be passed through a familiar “channel” and 3) being aware of watching, listening and feeling what you experience, moment by moment. If you don’t look or listen for a message, you won’t see or hear it.