Am I Safe Enough to Exist?
For growth to occur, the answer to this question must be yes.
The muladhara (root) chakra sits at the base of the spine and governs survival, safety, and belonging, which lays the foundations for the entire chakra system. This is where consciousness first takes root in the physical world and the place where we establish our existence, our support system, and our humanity. Before we can seek meaning, expression, or transcendence, we must first arrive fully at the foundation and establish our viability.
In the body, muladhara governs the structures that keep us upright and alive: the legs, feet, hips, spine, bones, teeth, and connective tissues.
Muladhara also presides over our survival instincts, influencing the adrenal glands and stress responses. (fight, flight, or freeze)
An imbalance in the root chakra may present as chronic tension, fatigue, digestive issues, or dissociation.
However, when balanced, the body feels present, stable, and resilient, with a sense of being gently held by the earth.
The body will never lie: if it feels safe, you will know it. And if it detects or suspects danger, there will surely be signs.
Beyond the physical body, a balanced muldhara will allow the mind to trust in self and others, and cultivate a sense of belonging, safety, and security.
An imbalance will show up as anxiety, fear, scarcity mindset, a feeling of impending doom, or hypervigilance.
The mind begs to know: “Will I survive if I relax?”
On a spiritual level, muladhara teaches us that evolution and actualization do not occur by leaving the body, but by fully inhabiting it. Enlightenment that bypasses the root will eventually become fragile, unstable, or disconnected. True growth is grounded, embodied, and sustainable.
You can’t transcend what you haven’t first accepted.
So what does all this have to do with mud?
The chakra system is often symbolized by lotus flowers, which grow in the thick mud of shallow waters.
The mud is dark, dense, thick, messy…not beautiful in a traditional sense.
But it is nutrient-rich.
It anchors the plants and allows for upward growth.
Much like our spiritual evolution.
We come here as this perfect seed of potential to become our pure, wise, unbounded, unburdened lotus-selves, but it is through the mud that we must find our way.
It’s often preached that spiritual growth comes from escaping the darkness, from “banning” the shadow-sides. Muladhara teaches us the opposite: we grow by rooting into the mud, by sinking into every facet of our human existence, by accepting the nutrients (experiences) offered to us.
Just as a plant with weak roots can’t support a tall stem, a human without grounding cannot sustain higher states of consciousness.
Before energy can rise, the body must feel safe, basic survival needs must be met, the nervous system must settle, and the foundation must be stable.
By tapping into the energy of muladhara, you remind yourself:
You are allowed to take up space.
You are allowed to need support.
You are allowed to move slowly.
You are allowed to build from the bottom up.
There is no shame in tending the roots and no failure in returning to basics.
There IS, however, wisdom in strengthening your foundation.
When you’re grounded in the mud of real life, the bloom doesn’t need to be forced- growth happens naturally…
The lotus rises because the roots are ready.
