Shango and the Root Chakra
1st Energy Center - Root Chakra - Shango
Anal Region
The first Orisha is known as the base, or Root energy center. This is a vitally important Orisha which is situated at the apex of the sacrum. Thousands of years ago African healers observe that Shango was responsible for anchoring the body on the earth plane. The amount of energy that flows through this energy center is related to the ability to link oneself with the Earth and to function in the natural world. At the symbolic level, Shango represents the Earth element, and is reflected in the lower vibrational nature of our being. Think basic survival! This energy center is responsible for readying the body for 'flight or fight' mode in times of stress, thus preserving the physical body from injury.
This connection to the 'flight or fight' response is linked to the adrenal glands (the medulla and cortex) which produces the hormone known as adrenaline. In Yorubic teachings, Shango is referred to as the Protector/Warrior. This energy center is partly responsible for the mental energy called "The will to live." Over-stimulated, this Orisha can cause defensiveness and motivate the individual to operate from a jungle-mentality which can be detrimental to health.
In the Yoruba context, Shango is the orisha that animates the substance or cellular matrix of the physical body, feeding and directing the life principle. This "life principle" is what is called the "Aganyu", the life force. Within its movement, lie the beginnings of all physical and chemical action, and of all cosmic and spiritual phenomena; it vitalizes and disorganizes; and from its point gradually emerged into energy and matter. Through its tendency to free itself from its entanglement and return to the central source (Ori), produced motion in the particles, and from its motion our bodies are formed. It is symbolized as a coiled serpent within the base of the spine. The Aganyu represents a powerful dormant energy which when correctly awakened and controlled in full consciousness, progress up the spine in a spiral pattern, similar to intertwined snakes. In modern biology, this same pattern is also seen in the "double helix" configuration of the DNA molecule, which contains the code of life. The teachers of Yoruba medicine, tell us that the Aganyu is a creative force of manifestation which assists us in the alignment of our orishas, the release of stored stress from the bodily centers, and the lifting of consciousness into higher spiritual stages. The process of awakening may be carried out through proper meditation which forces the Aganyu upwards through the appropriate spinal pathways and activate each of the major orishas during its ascent to the "Ori" (crown). From the physical level, Shango is associated with the spine in general, and the orifices of excretion such as the rectum, the anus, and the urethra. There is a close relationship between Yemoja (sacral or 2nd Chakra/Energy Center) and Shango. As Yemoja represents the organs that govern the processes of absorption, assimilation, and retention. Shango, on the other hand, represent release of 'previously digested materials. These orishas must work in harmony for the body to maintain a state of equilibrium. For example, if there is too much waste in the colon from constipation, there can he a buildup of toxicity within the body. Therefore, these orishas need adequate vital flow in order to maintain proper health.
