The activation and opening of your third eye is something that needs to happen on its own. DO NOT attempt to force it open, especially for ego-driven reasons. When this chakra comes alive, it should be because you’re ready for it and the process begins in a natural way. Leave the Universe/God in charge of this one, folks. There is a lot of ego and fear that should be cleared away from the mind/heart/spirit before you begin to explore this new way of seeing reality.
It’s rare for this chakra to activate and open, though we all have the capability of it happening. There are some who will use psychedelic drugs to cheat the process. But I have heard stories of people who have forced their third eye open only to start to regularly see (for example) massive, dark beings looming over their bed every night and suffer a total mental breakdown. So, again, DON’T FORCE IT. When you’re ready, you’re ready, and your ego is not in charge of that decision. Your spiritual bragging rights are not worth the trauma.
I’d like to share some of my experiences with this chakra. Everything discussed here is completely objective.
HOW IT BEGINS
When the third eye begins to activate, you’ll start to feel pressure on the center of your forehead, between your eyes. This pressure can feel like someone’s using their finger to push at that spot. It’ll feel warm, firm, and constant. It’s hard to miss!
This can happen during meditation, prayer, relaxation, or moments of deep concentration. As things progress, the pressure can start up every single time you even think about your third eye. Lately, I’ve been feeling this chakra activate on its own whenever my thoughts and emotions drift off from center, as a little cosmic “hey, get back on track.” It’s a gentle reminder from Spirit of what’s truly important, that our reality is illusory, and to draw my focus back to where it needs to be.
It will not always feel like a narrow external pressure. It can also feel like something is pushing outward from beneath the skin, from the center of our head. Some have even reported seeing a protrusion form on the forehead. I’ve also experienced, when the eye is opened, a distinct feeling of a sizable gap having opened wide in the center of my forehead. It extends to either side about the same size as an eye would be. It truly feels like an unblinking eye has opened in the brow. You can touch your forehead to reassure yourself everything appears normal. Sidenote: Unlike the crown chakra, which I’ve found you can “shut off” with touch when desired, touching the third eye doesn’t seem to affect its function.
PRACTICING SEEING
Meditation is very useful in flexing this new muscle and welcoming the ability as it makes itself part of your daily life. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and wait for inner stillness. Set an intention to activate the third eye. You should then feel the pressure form in your brow as the chakra activates. This can provide a helpful focal point during meditation. The more you focus on it, the stronger it will get.
I also recommend looking around during meditation or quiet moments with eyes firmly shut. The goal here is to practice seeing as if the darkness has depth and space. The more you do this, the more you will see variances in light and dark, as well as movement. There can even be what I think of as a “lava lamp effect”, with a constant, slow swirling and shifting that can be quite hypnotizing. The effect is calming in the same way as watching the tides at the beach.
THE FIRST TIME THE THIRD EYE OPENS
The first time my third eye really opened wide, I was laying in bed at night in a dark room. I realized I could see the room I was in almost the same way whether my eyes were open or closed. I could make out the edge of the bed, the nightstand, the dim light cast up the wall from where our nightlight is plugged in down by the baseboard, the outline of a window and the doorway to our adjoining bathroom. I laid there for quite a while, opening and closing my eyes to compare the two views, transfixed and amazed that I could see my bedroom with my eyes closed!
Of course, when my eyes were shut, I could also see forms moving around our room that I could not see with my eyes open, which was another reason for my state of heightened alertness and curiosity. They were dark like deep shadows, about the size of a person, and moved with similar speed – walking, bending over us, reaching out with arms, moving back and forth.
SEEING THE THIRD EYE
Another strange, particular thing that happens when the third eye opens is you may literally see an eye when you close your eyes, right in the center of your field of vision. Mine looks like a normal eye, with eyelashes, creases around the eyelid, and a shine on the pupil. This eye IS your third eye. It symbolizes the chakra in its active state. When it appears, it can linger for quite a while. I’ve had nights when every single time I rose from dreams and just laid there in bed, the eye was there. It’s persistent! If you see an eye like this, which is distinct and lingers, that’s a great sign your eye is active and opening up.
SEEING WITH THE THIRD EYE
It’s hard to describe the things one sees through the third eye. Mine was very active last night, so I’ll try to describe some things I saw then. I’ve noticed my third eye is most likely to be open in rising from dreams. The thing is, once I open my eyes, it begins to break the spell and the effect fades quickly, but it’s also surprisingly hard to keep your eyes shut when you’re so determined to look around! The instinct to open eyes is a strong one, so I’ve literally used my fingertips to hold my eyes shut while I look through my third eye.
When my third eye is open, I can wave my hand in front of my face (in a dark room, so there’s no backlighting) and see the exact outline of my hand as it moves. It’s fascinating!
Last night I could see a light figure and a dark figure moving around my room. The light figure shone from within, whereas the dark figure beside it was made up of pure blackness. There were distinct heads, shoulders, torsos, and limbs. There were no details within their forms, almost like you might envision a spirit made of pure energy. The funny thing is, these beings tend to notice when I’ve spotted them, and will lean in closer or reach out to me. That’s what these did, as if trying to interact with me or study me as I studied them.
Last week sometime, I woke to find a massive, black skeleton-like figure, at least ten feet tall, looming over my bed. I had just enough time to stare at it and go, “Oh, wow,” before it noticed it had been spotted, spun from its core like a windmill and twirled up and away.
I’ve also seen my field of vision absolutely filled with distinct, crisp black numbers in neat rows, scrolling very, very quickly with the apparition of my third eye hovering right at the center. I can’t even begin to guess at what it meant!
It’s important to note I’ve felt no fear, or any other emotion during these moments. There’s only a profound curiosity and desire to witness what’s happening. I never detect any threat or maliciousness in these presences. That’s why I find it to be absolutely crucial to already be centered and clear (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) before any of this starts to unfold.
The first steps we each must move through in the spiritual growth process are to get our ego-minds under control (rather than existing under its control!), and to process most of our major lessons of growth to clear away the noise and murkiness that clouds our awareness. We must stop seeing only our own mental projections, and practice seeing things as they truly are, without judgment or defensiveness. Fear comes when we craft mental stories about what we think could/is happening. Once we realize these stories are only figments of our own minds spinning and fabricating nonsense, can we release them. Seeing truth requires profound vulnerability and humility. It mandates we understand it’s not about US. We are only a small part of an infinite, intricate whole.
SIDE EFFECTS
You can experience mild headaches, nausea, and dizziness. It’s hard for me to pinpoint which of my physical symptoms are being caused by what, since I’ve been dealing with several different phenomena at the same time (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, claircognizance, a VERY active crown chakra, and continuing, intentional efforts to confront and process my lingering soul lessons). Because of that, I’ll venture some of my vertigo spells could have been caused by my third eye too, but who knows!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with my third eye and seeing what it shows me. It can be an intense way to discover all of the ways we really are never alone, and how connected we are to the fabric of Creation. It’s one of the highest gifts we can be given by Source. If you find the opportunity to take this journey, it’s because you’ve been trusted to be able to handle it, so be thankful and enjoy the ride.
Love and blessings, friends.