Written by Glen Park

The ideology of industrial capitalism is dominated by the values of Achievement Consciousness, left-brain thinking, and the Solar channel of the third chakra. Aspiration and achievement, power and success, and fame and fortune are presented as highly esteemed goals in our education systems, our workplaces, the media, and the social fabric of modern societies. The unique individual is emphasized over the family or tribe.

An economic theory that contributed to modern society’s espousal of the values of Achievement Consciousness was Herbert Spencer’s theory of “survival of the fittest.” This was Spencer’s interpretation of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which Darwin accepted. Darwin, however, also emphasized the importance of cooperation as a survival strategy in the natural world.

Under capitalism, in principle although less often in practice, anyone with initiative, competitive spirit, and determination could become successful. The individual achiever was glorified. The negative aspect of this ideology was that people who were less successful, especially the poor, were blamed for their poverty and seen as deserving of it, even when that poverty was largely the result of problems in the larger public arena, such as lack of work or inadequate pay.

This ideology is still the dominant cultural story in today’s capitalist world and acts as a powerful influence on young people. It is embodied in our education systems, which encourage development through left-brain thinking and Achievement Consciousness. Many young people emerge from their education with left-brain dominance even if they began school with balanced or right-brain dominance.

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Chakra Healing Therapy: Awaken Spiritual Energies and Heal Emotional Wounds

In this in-depth guide to working with the chakras, author Glen Park draws on her decades of experience as a Chakra Therapist to explain how the chakras can be understood as an embodied map of the psyche, with each chakra representing a different stage of development from infancy and childhood through adulthood, with the Heart Chakra playing a central role in awakening the spiritual potential of the upper chakras.

The author examines each chakra individually on the physical, psychological, psychic, and spiritual level, as well as through the lens of the solar (masculine) and lunar (feminine) channels. She shows how the connections between the chakras and developmental stages are paralleled in the findings of Western psychology and neuroscience and how our collective expressions of the chakras influence cultural trends in society.

Glen Park has taught workshops in the Alexander Technique and chakra healing therapy for more than 30 years in Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. She has presented at conferences for Alexander Technique International and the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. She is also the author of The Art of Changing.