As Venus, the planet of love, journeys through her retrograde cycle, there is no better time for clearing and rebalancing our heart chakra.
The heart chakra activates love, compassion, generosity, trust, openness, self-esteem, and is our bridge between the self and the other.
With Venus in Retrograde, chances are issues in these areas may come into your awareness, reminding you that they need addressing or clearing.
As the center of our energy system, the heart chakra really acts as a mediator between our lower and higher chakras.
The lower or earth-based chakras are often about groundedness, security, needs, and wants, whereas our higher chakras are more about receiving, self-love, and the connection to spirit.
When the heart chakra is out of balance, it is possible to feel a pull between these two areas of our lives and feel off-balance when it comes to what we want and what we are receiving.
The heart chakra is also where we connect to our soul, and during Venus Retrograde, it is not uncommon to be guided back to this truth in some way.
When your heart chakra is out of balance it usually manifests as:
- Being emotionally closed off or feeling the need to push others away
- Inability to receive abundance, support, or help from others
- Being overly critical of yourself and others
- Blaming others or feeling a sense of superiority
- Pushing away others out of fear of rejection or being hurt
- Being out of touch with your emotional state of mind
- Losing trust in the state of humanity and the world
- Feeling withdrawn or isolated from others
- Feeling out of touch with your passions or life
- Self-hatred or hatred for others
- Feeling overrun with fears and anxiety
- Holding on out of fear of loss or being alone
If any of these are resonating with you, chances are you are in need of a re-balance to your heart chakra and a clearing out of old, stagnant energy.
The good news is that the energies of Venus Retrograde can be incredibly supportive of this journey. And remember, you have the power and the innate knowledge within to heal your heart charka. Own this power!
Here are a few suggestions for healing your Heart Chakra and a ritual to guide you:
1. Attend To Your Needs
What do you truly desire for yourself? Sometimes it can be so easy to go along with what others want or fall into patterns of peer pressure. Really take the time to ask yourself what it is that you truly want and start to become firmer in your intentions.
Sit down with a pen and paper and write down a few answers to the following questions- “What do I really want for my life?” and “What is important for me today?” Review your answers and try to create more of what you want in your life starting now.
You may also want to use the following affirmation:
“All of my needs are being taken care of by the Divine Universe. I trust this open myself to the flow of the Universe, knowing that my needs are always being met in perfect timing.”
2. Release Blame
Our heart chakra can become blocked when we start projecting our emotions onto others instead of looking within.
Everything that happens to you is a reflection of your own inner state so there is no need to pass blame. No matter what you feel victim to, releasing blame allows you to take your power back and brings your emotions and a solution into your control.
You have no control over what others do or the events around you, the only thing you can control is your internal state. Remembering this allows you to release the blame and take responsibility for your own energy.
Here is an affirmation that may support you:
“I release my burdens, my blame, and my victim mindset and I understand that everything in this life has a higher purpose to teach me. Through releasing blame I take my power back and understand that I am a powerful manifestor and co-creator of my destiny.”
3. Acceptance and Forgiveness
When you bring acceptance to a situation you automatically introduce space for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a powerful healing tool that can really help to open your heart chakra and mend traumas from your past.
No matter how bad the situation, bringing acceptance allows you to really deal with your thoughts and emotions and brings any arising issues to the surface. Through acceptance, you can also start to work through any stagnant emotions.
Remember, forgiving is not about saying that what happened was ok, it is about accepting what happened because sometimes it is only through acceptance that we can begin to heal.
How does it change your outlook to simply accept what is? How does your internal dialogue or your thoughts about the situation change when you just accept?
4. Look into the Mirror
Every soul lesson in this life can be traced back to learning how to love yourself. When you truly love yourself you step into a higher frequency where miracles, destiny, and the Divine all flow.
To really reach this place you have to be able to look into the mirror on a daily basis and tell yourself- “I love you”.
Place your hand over your heart, look deep into your eyes as you gaze in the mirror, and repeat- “I love you”. Repeat it till you feel it and then repeat it some more. Pay attention to what emotions or resistance arises as you do this exercise.
This powerful practice instantly helps to raise your vibration and opens your heart chakra.
5. Respond with Compassion
Connecting with the soul of a person, rather than their ego, is a good way to infuse compassion into a situation. It is also helpful to remember that everyone is just doing their best with what they know.
By no means do you want to be a doormat, but at the same time bringing compassion into the situation can really allow you to see things from a different viewpoint.
Ask yourself is there a way you can be kinder? Is there a way you can bring some light and loving energy into your life or into the situation? Is there a way I can see beyond the ego and connect with the soul essence of this person? There is always room for love, there is always room for compassion, sometimes we just need to shift our mindset to find it.
Your heart chakra runs on Love, so by providing it with more loving thoughts, words, and deeds you can truly fire it back into balance.
6. Pink Flowers and Rose Quartz
Pink and green are the colours of the heart chakra and flowers are the hearts of Mother Earth. By bringing some pink flowers into your life you can start surrounding yourself in a more positive environment for healing. You can also make a bath filled with pink rose petals and other flowers to help evoke healing.
Rose Quartz is also a powerful stone for healing the heart chakra as it helps to rebalance and refocus your energy.
Place your Rose quartz crystal over your heart while meditating or wear a pendant close to your chest in order to align with the vibration of the gemstone.
Here are some more suggestions for heart chakra crystals.
7. Heart Chakra Ritual & Meditation
This ritual is a great exercise if you are looking to deeply heal and open your heart chakra.
You will need: a pink or white candle, a piece of rose quartz, a bowl of water, a pink or red flower and/or rose essential oil and a pen and paper.
Directions:
1.) Find a quiet space where you cannot be disturbed.
2.) Take a few deep breaths in and out in order to relax your mind.
3.) Placing your hand over your heart breathe here deeply for a moment until your thoughts settle.
4.) Take your pen and paper and write down your intention for your ritual, for example: “I intend to clear and release any blockages from my heart chakra caused by my fear of not being loved.”
5.) Fold the piece of paper and place it under your piece of rose quartz.
6.) Light your candle and take three deep breaths, allowing your intention to sink in (you may also want to repeat your attention aloud or to yourself.)
7.) When you feel ready, begin by reciting the following affirmation (please feel free to tailor it for your own situation or feelings)-
“I release all of the blocks surrounding my heart and my energy moving forward. With every breath, I release the burdens that my heart has had to carry. With every passing moment, my breath will carry away the fear, pain, and stagnant energy that surrounds my heart. All that no longer serves me will be carried up to the heavens for release. Anything that I no longer need will be released into the heavens. I am free. I am free.”
8.) Take a few deep breaths imagining all your fears, burdens, and pains being taken away into the heavens.
9.) When you feel ready, begin reciting the following affirmation:
“Now that the heavens have accepted and taken away my burdens I feel an openness, a lightness, and a trust. I allow love back into my life, I allow compassion back into my life, I allow myself to trust and know that I am being supported and carried by Mother Divine. I love myself, I love all those around me and I know I live in a loving world. I am love and for now and forever I return to the state and the vibration of love.” (Again, feel free to edit this for your needs).
10.) Take a few deep breaths allowing this to sink in and then place the flower or a few drops of rose essential oil into the water.
11.) Hold the bowl of water in your hands while reciting “I am Love.” Using your fingertips dab a few drops of the water over your heart center as a way to protect and purify your heart chakra opening.
12.) End the ritual with a thank you prayer to the Universe. To close the ritual, blow out the candle, pour the water into the garden, and take the paper straight out of the house into the recycling can.
There is a real calling for all of us to open our heart chakras and bring more love, compassion, and understanding into the world. Understand that as you open your heart charka you also help to affect the world and those around you in a positive and loving way.
Love is truly the Universal healer.
