Root Chakra Archetypes
The Functional and Dysfunctional Associations of the Base Chakra
The archetypes associated with the root chakra are the positive Mother and the negative Victim and are explored in Ambika Wauters' Chakras and Their Archetypes.
Associated with each of your seven main chakras is a positive and negative archetype. By identifying and understanding these archetypes, you have the chance to reverse the effects of negative energy that may be causing your spiritual growth to be hindered.
Ambika Wauters’ book, Chakras and Their Archetypes, walks you through the process of addressing and working through the negative archetypes with explanations, meditations and affirmations.
The first chakra we will discuss is the root chakra. Associated with this chakra are the functional and dysfunctional archetypes of Mother and Victim, respectively.
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and channels the earth’s energy up to our higher centers. It is also responsible for grounding energy to the physical earth. The more we ground ourselves, the greater our chances of developing into the people we would like to be and of making our dreams a reality. If we become disconnected from the earth, we lose our ability to care for ourselves. Providing the essentials we need, including shelter, financial security, food, and emotional ties becomes problematic.
The root chakra archetypes are linked with the material world and with the “physical realities of maintaining life,” Wauters explains. We either master the fundamentals of survival or we succumb to victimization.
Grounding ourselves is the key to working through the Victim archetype. Without grounding our energy through some form of expression, our emotions stagnate, we risk becoming inflexible and we become sluggish when meeting life’s challenges.
By reconnecting with our inner core and putting ourselves in touch with our feelings, we are able to work through the Victim archetype and “make realistic decisions based on our highest good and greatest joy,” Wauters notes.
Wauters identifies the dysfunctional root chakra archetype as follows:
- Experiences the world at the mercy of outside forces that work against it
- Seldom has awareness or sense of responsibility for its circumstances
- Is always in a helpless state
- Totally reliant on partner, companion, family, organization, etc.
- Is disconnected from their inner core of feelings
- Mind is stuck in a frozen state of fear, terror or desperation
- Experiences no sense of empowerment
The first thing to do in any situation where you feel like a victim is to be honest about your feelings. By expressing and acknowledging feeling of sadness, anger, anxiety or joy you empower yourself. By understanding the circumstances in life that have caused negative emotions and taking responsibility for them, we grow. As we regain our power we can move past being the Victim.
The functional archetype of the root chakra is the Mother. According to Wauters, this is the one we understand best. She is fundamental in our lives and integrating this archetype into our lives is key to our development. She helps us incorporate the feminine aspects of our personality so that we are able to love not only ourselves, but others as well.
When you become your own “good mother,” you are able to manage the curve balls life throws you and take responsibility for your circumstances. Eating well, getting enough rest and becoming less dependent on others to mother you are ways in which you develop the Mother archetype. “Mothering and nourishing yourself means understanding what you need and letting yourself have it, to the best of your ability.” The more we are able to utilize the positive aspects of the mother, the healthier and more stable we become.
