Your Third Eye: What It Is, Blockages, Healing & How To Awaken It

Modern life can feel incredibly complicated. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed with information from all angles. We’re told that if we want to stay sane and make sense of it all, we must be objective and look for the facts. But what if this approach is wrong?

What if we’re neglecting a spiritual awareness to help us sort this out?

What if we could access a ‘sixth sense’ to help us find our way through the world, guided by inner wisdom? Are we ignoring the abilities of the mind’s eye?

I think we are. In fact, I’m convinced we are.

If we’re going to find a way to make real sense of the world, we need to work on our sixth chakra – the Ajna chakra. I want to discuss how accessing this sixth chakra can help you navigate life with more intuitive clarity.

What is the Third Chakra?

The Anja chakra goes by a number of names and is located in the pineal gland. You might know it as the Third Eye, the brow chakra, the sixth of the seven chakras – or even the “mother” of all chakras. In ancient Sanskrit, the words ‘command’ or ‘monitoring center’ are used to describe its function – but I like to refer to it as something even simpler; enhanced intuition. Philosophers in ancient times referred to it as the “seat of the soul.” Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe the third eye can be accessed for enlightenment.

The intuitive power we all have inside us radiates from this Third Eye energy center in an outward funnel of light energy. The pineal gland is a small gland only about the size of a pea, located in almost the center of the brain—above and behind the eyes. It produces melatonin to help you sleep and impacts your stress levels. When we access it correctly, it works with the hypothalamus gland to control our base desires and maturity. Everyone has a third eye, but some are able to connect to that Energy Center to discover more clarity, imagination, intuition, and inspiration from Source.

If you feel drawn to purples, indigos, and amethyst colors, it’s the Ajna chakra’s wisdom influencing your choice. As a symbol, it’s the two-petalled lotus – and it’s considered the seat of the “inner Guru” – our innate ability to make better decisions and protect us from what is false or harmful in the world. When we move towards revelation and insight, the Ajna chakra is the wind in our sails.

Third Eye Awakening: Signs Your Third Eye Is Open

It’s the intellectual self that blocks the Ajna chakra. At one time, we only had our sense of intuition and inner wisdom to guide us and expand our awareness. Now, we may think we grow our perception – but we’re often guilty of letting just our 5 physical senses lead the way—ignoring our sixth sense. If we learn to awaken our Third Chakra, we allow access to intuitive sensibility and inner-perception that supplements our physical eyes.

When we learn to open and unblock our Ajna chakra, we unlock our natural ability to discriminate through observation that doesn’t rely on body experiences alone.

I’ve always found it incredible how thought seems to work. When we’re busy, ‘always on’ and experiencing stress, our thoughts seem to blend into a tangled web where the most urgent or loudest issues and fears get all of our attention.

When your third eye opens, you can discriminate between quick and slow thinking. The Anja allows for slower background contemplation and wisdom; we become more lucid and observant.

Don’t misunderstand though. The Third Eye doesn’t slow us down or take us to a trance-like state where we’re not aware of the world around us – it’s quite the opposite in fact.

The fast, reactive thoughts that are usually driven by adrenaline and stress hormones still come quickly – but they come from a place of deep intuition and insightful wisdom. The Ajna chakra moves us from panic and impulsiveness to quiet certainty and confidence in a state of enlightenment.

With an open Inner Eye, you might notice:

Incredibly accurate intuition or clairvoyance
Precognition or ability to see aspects of the future
Less fear or uncertainty
Physical sense of pressure or touching between the eyebrows
Sensitivity to lights and colors
Consistent movement toward positive change
Headaches from energy overload
Vivid dreams
Scattered or often lost in daydreams

Take the 2-minute Chakra Quiz right now!

Symptoms of a blocked Third Eye Chakra

Thinking back; have you ever had that feeling that something’s not quite right? You can’t put your finger on the subtle energy – but that relationship, work decision, or business venture just didn’t feel right. Have you ever kicked yourself because you told yourself not to “be silly” and think rationally? Now think about how many times you were completely correct – I’d wager that if you can recall, your intuition was correct most of the time. Your Ajna chakra’s wisdom moved through you – but you decided to be ‘rational’ instead.

If you can relate to those bad decisions that come because we try to make ‘smart’ or rational choices, you’re definitely not alone.

In fact, I’d say you’re part of the overwhelming majority.

So many of us are stuck in the rigid and analytical, standing by concepts that don’t work for us on a spiritual level. Instead, this modern, overly intellectual way of living hinders our ability to feel fulfilled and happy.

Intellect is a strange thing though – when we have it in abundance, we can feel confident and clever in conversation, work, or in public – though we often feel fearful and false inside. In many ways, being ‘smart’ feels like a thin veil over our real, deeply insecure and unsure self. With a blocked Mind’s Eye, you might notice:

Trouble making decisions
Sometimes caught circles where you can’t see a clear way forward
Clarity of thought one moment, but questions and doubt seconds later
Anxiety or overthinking (trying to depend on an imbalance of rationality)
Nervous or unsure
Insecurities and self-doubt

Intellect doesn’t just tie us in knots in this way though – when we rely on it to carry us, we quickly succumb to the physical problems it brings; migraines, dizziness, even blindness. We turn to unhealthy coping strategies and addictions to try to get out of these feelings of being trapped in a rational, often depressed brain. Sadly, those coping strategies just bring more problems.

The truth is, intellect isn’t bad – it just needs balance. When the intuition of the Ajna chakra is blocked, our intellect runs away with us, taking us down increasingly dark and difficult paths.

How to Heal the Third Eye and Keep it Open

If you recognize familiar patterns and behaviors in the symptoms I’ve talked about above, now’s a good time to take steps to address the imbalance you’re experiencing.

Don’t Overthink It!

If the idea of a change struck a chord with you as you’re reading this; commit to giving it a slightly new approach a try – even if your ‘rational’ brain is telling you otherwise.

The great news is; even small changes can make a huge difference.

Meditate with Supporting Oils

Just like any of the spiritual chakras, Anja is best balanced through a reiki or meditation practice (feel free to include frankincense, lavender or neroli essential oil as a bonus!).

Focus Your Breathing

Brahmari meditation breathing techniques do an almost unbelievable job of dispersing those fast and anxious thoughts that bounce around your head. If you’re anything like me, you may even tingling or pulsing sensation around the area of the third eye as you begin to unblock the Mind’s Eye.

Practice Yoga

Try any asana or yoga pose that involves forward bends and pressing the forehead down; the Dolphin’s or Child’s pose for instance.

Use Color and Gemstones

Surround yourself with purples and indigos – Anja colors that help to unblock that inner vision. Experiment with gemstones too – amethyst, lapis lazuli, and azurite can have wonderful effects when you keep them close.

Slow Down and Listen

Our busy lifestyles really hinder our ability to balance. The saying is: “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” This couldn’t be more accurate than with the Third Eye. Your intellectual mind tells you to think and be heard all the time, but when we slow that impulse down and listen instead, the Ajna chakra awakens.

Try experimenting with different perspectives and viewpoints – even if that simply means you try a different activity, join a new yoga class, watch different shows, or pick up some new books.

Find Chakra Balance

I’m not going to pretend it’s easy to find the kind of balance your Anja chakra needs to bring new levels of peace and wisdom to your life – but I can tell you, without any question, that the effort required will pay itself back a great many times over.

Life can feel crazy and overwhelming at times – and even if it doesn’t feel manically out of control, we can so often feel like we lack the ability to simply change the direction we’re moving in. When you work on unblocking the Ajna chakra and opening your Third Eye, you’ll start to find a much healthier balance – and you’ll see paths emerging in front of you that you simply hadn’t noticed before.

As someone who experienced anger and depression every day of my younger life, I’m walking and talking proof that life can take incredible new directions when you put a little time and effort towards healing yourself and working to unblock your Mind’s Eye.

I want to give you real and meaningful steps to can take if you feel it’s time for a change.

I created the Chakra Quiz to help you find out which of your chakras are open, weak, or closed. It’s a short and powerful quiz—plus, you’ll get your answers immediately!