The third eye is the sixth main chakra (although there are many more) and one of the most well-known and widely discussed chakras aswell.
It is associated with clarity of vision in the non-physical sense. A clear self-awareness, and as an extension a clear perception of the world around us. The third eye is also the psychic organ through which we see non-physical energy, auras etc.
This chakra is located between the eyebrows in a physical sense, often connected to the pineal gland. It is represented by the color indigo, also the sixth color in the rainbow spectrum.
In this post I want to go over some of the signs your third eye is overactive, why this might happen in more detail and how to balance it.
Signs of an overactive third eye chakra
What many find is that after a short time of focusing on the third eye it quickly becomes overactive, which is distracting from everyday life.
A lot of practices focus exclusively on the third eye and with this, we cultivate a lot of energy in the higher chakras without having a firm base in the lower chakras. We might be able to see things quickly, we might be able open up our third eye in a dramatic way, but a lot of blockages can come alongside.
- Brain fog
- Overthinking
- Overactive imagination
- Headaches
- Feeling of overwhelm
- Disconnection from others
There is often a sense of fear that comes alongside the overwhelm you might be feeling. The third eye allow us to see everything that we previously ignored, repressed or denied in ourselves and the world.
When people focus on the third eye without doing the proper shadow work, all of this repressed material comes up to the surface all at once. You see all of your faults, your unhealthy patterns, your unconscious behaviors – it’s a lot to take in at once!
A lot of people become so fearful when this happens that they want to close their third eye down completely, or ascribe malicious or demonic meaning to the third eye itself. Opening the third eye is a wake up call in of itself.
This is a good time to take a step back and evaluate why you wanted to open your third eye in the first place, if that was the goal, and what your intentions with this were. Were you looking for quick progress, or a genuine deepening of self-awareness?
How to balance the third eye chakra
An overactive third eye is no joke. It’s not that the third eye is more important or more powerful than any other chakra, but because it incorporates our sense of vision, the effects of an overactive third eye are much more noticeable.
When it comes to healing or balancing the third eye chakra we have to go in the opposite direction and focus on grounding. This is where we bring these higher energies down to a comfortable, manageable level.
Any practice which allows us to feel firmly in the body such as yoga, gardening, being in nature, exercize, barefoot walking, body-focused meditations and so on are great grounding practices. We are essentially bring our focus back to the Earth.
Incorporating a few of these practices will go a long way in calming that overactive energy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t focus on the third eye too much or even exclusively during meditation. There is a lot of spiritual guidance that involves zoning in on the area between your eyebrows intensely for long periods of time.
If you are working on the chakras it’s important to focus on each one for an even amount of time. The root, sacral and solar plexus chakras are just as important as the heart and higher chakras as they set your energetic foundation as it were.
It’s also perfectly fine to not focus on the third eye chakra at all, at least not specifically. As we meditate, become more mindful and consciously shift patterns in our life that aren’t serving us, the third eye naturally opens up as a result (and at a much more manageable pace).
Ask yourself this question: What stops me from seeing myself, others and the world at large clearly?
What beliefs shrink your perception, what shadows haven’t you addressed, and what relationship dynamics would you like to change? Although these things don’t seem related to the third eye, they help clarify our vision – which is what third eye opening is about.
Signs of a balanced third eye chakra
Now that we know what an overactive third eye looks like and how to go about managing that, how can we tell our third eye is balanced and healthy?
- A sense of clarity
- Sharper focus
- Control over our imagination
- Deeper creativity
- Deeper connection with others
I would say the hallmark of a balanced third eye chakra is being able to absorb information without losing objectivity.
When we are receiving psychic messages or imagery there is a lot of ambiguity involved because those images are filtered through our preconceptions, what we already know and of course, the ego. However we often take what we receive as literal, or don’t leave enough space open for further interpretation.
A balanced third eye chakra allows us to welcome all sorts of perspectives (without necessarily taking them on as our own). We can meet ourselves and aren’t afraid to witness ourselves when we are at a low vibration, a high vibration and all the other spaces in-between.
How to open your third eye safely
For the most part we don’t balance our third eye through visualizations or meditation on the third eye itself but through the work we do to confront our fears, doubts and limiting beliefs. This means that when we do open up our vision, we no longer feel fear or anxiety towards what we see.
Make sure your spiritual practices are balanced and consider all areas of your being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
When I first opened my first eye in a deliberate way I hadn’t addressed a lot of my emotions. When my third eye opened all of that stuff came flooding in at once and I was overwhelmed. I somehow considered emotions as separate from the spiritual.
You can look at all areas of your life and see how they would support a deepening in your spiritual awareness. Do you have a stable physical environment, are your finances in good order, do you interact with people in a way that you are happy with?
Opening our third eye is going to be disorienting if we don’t have the community structure or close guidance that is required. However I do think we can live in this world and have a ‘normal life’ with an open third eye without feeling so out of touch or imbalanced.
It’s just working through that in-between phase of integration and acclimation that is difficult.
What has your experience with the third eye been?