#But without victim blaming bc addiction is a disease

[stardustedknuckles]

*scrubbing hands down my face* how can you compare magical ability to cocaine with a straight face and also support that the solution is to give Laudna unrestricted access to the cocaine. What mental gymnastics are you doing for that to make any sense. I know marisha used the metaphor. I also know people use metaphors that most closely match their life experiences and if parental/guardian/whatever broad mentor category Delilah belongs to abuse was something she'd struggled with, she very likely would have made that comparison instead! Creators are in fact fallible and trying their best with limited vocabulary and/or experience. It's not an entirely bad metaphor, but it does not take motivation and narrative impact as far as abuse and in fact puts Laudna in unflattering light that she doesn't deserve.

The magic wasn't making Laudna a worse person. Delilah was, and could also crucially physically take over her body to do shit she didn't want and which, again crucially, she was not actually responsible for. The magic was not interfering with her ability to live her life. Delilah was. And if anyone was hungry for power, it was Delilah.

Addicts are accountable for the actions they take in the name of getting their next fix, even though those actions are not what they would do without the disease of addiction and they are so often horrified by them and feel out of control. Laudna was never accountable for the things Delilah forced her body to do. The only possible blame she could take was MAYBE for not trying harder to get rid of Delilah earlier, which. She had fifty years to learn that wasn't fucking possible so forgive her if that certainty took time to change in the presence of powerful and kind friends giving her strength to not only try, but to even want to try.

Addiction as a metaphor for Laudna and her whole deal with Delilah would squarely assert by extension that everything Delilah did to her and through her was her own fault. The term for that is victim blaming.

Hey so can we stop with the addiction metaphors now that Delilah's been bejeweled. It was never a great metaphor and followed more along the lines of an abusive relationship, and now Laudna is in control of her life. Like. Addicts don't recover by continuing to access the thing that made them feel powerful, because again. Addiction was an incomplete and inept metaphor for that whole deal. The cocaine does not throw itself at your face and taunt your every waking thought, because it is in fact an inanimate object. Manipulators do that. People do. And when people do it, that's abuse.

[crystals-and-cosmos-blog]

Intro to the 7 Chakras

    The Chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC in the oldest text called the Vedas, according to this ancient Hindu scripture the human body has 7 energy points that start at the base of your spine and expand to the top of your head. You have more than your physical body, the chakra system can be thought of as your “energy body.” When one of these chakra points are out of balance, it can cause disease within the body, and the symptoms can be mental, physical, emotional or spiritual. These 7 chakras that originated from eastern medicine happen to align with modern medicine and are known as our Endocrine System. Yes, our chakras have much to do with the human body’s glands. A variety of health problems may be caused by Chakra Imbalances affecting the associated Endocrine Gland and resulting in illness. Whether a chakra is overactive or underactive it can cause problems within the body. When you balance your chakras you will have control of your mental and spiritual health as well as your physical health. 

    So what are each of the 7 chakras? They each serve a specific purpose and are interconnected. If one is imbalanced, you will not achieve true alignment and optimal wellness. The lower level chakras are more “physical” chakras that deal with you as an individual - the upper chakras are “spiritual” chakras that focus on higher dimensional frequencies. Let’s begin with the Root chakra located at the base of your spine. 

1. Root Chakra or Mūlādhāra (Sanskrit)

Translation: English: "root and basis of Existence."Mula means root and adhara means basis.) 

Largely responsible for how safe/secure you feel - based on your physical environment. 

When out of harmony we don’t trust our environment and feel in danger

Feelings of basic/primal needs not being met: Food, water, shelter, clothing, love, etc.  

Color: Red     Element: Earth     Affirmation: “I am.”

Location in the body: Base of spine / in between genitals & anus 

Glands: Adrenals 

Affected Physical Body Parts: Spine, legs, bones, feet, rectum, immune system, large intestine, teeth 

Lesson: To feel safe in your environment, to be able to ground yourself, manifest basic needs, and practice healthy physical sexuality. 

Physical dysfunction: Chronic lower back pain, poor posture, sciatica, problems with veins/blood flow, rectal tumors and or cancers, hemorrhoids, constipation, arthritis, immune-related disorders, depression, weight fluctuation. 

Mental/ Emotional dysfunction: the ability to provide life’s necessities, provide for your family, group safety security, feeling like you belong in a group, the ability to stand up for one’s self. 

Keywords for imbalance: Fear, guilt, shame, depression, abuse, neglect, unsafe, dangerous

-Natural healing-

Crystals: (Most Red stones) Ruby, Garnet, bloodstones, hematite, obsidian, onyx, black tourmaline, red jasper, smoky quartz, fire agate. 

Essential Oils: Myrrh, sandalwood, patchouli 

2. Sacral Chakra or Svadhishthana 

(Sanskrit: स���वाधिष्ठान, IAST: Svādhiṣṭhāna, English: "where your being is established.""Swa" means self and "adhishthana" means established.) 

Deals mostly with sexual/reproductive organs and activities, but also emotions and creativity. 

Can become unbalanced due to unexpressed anger - stifled creativity - feelings of shame/guilt - and dealing with feelings of lack or scarcity of money or material goods. 

When in balance you will cultivate healthy relationships, be in touch with your inner emotions, express sensuality in a positive/healthy way, and easily cultivate abundance. 

Location: 2 inches below the navel

Element: Water    Color: Orange     Affirmation: “I feel.”

Glands: Ovaries, testicles 

Physical body parts affected: womb, genitals, lower vertebrae, pelvis, appendix, bladder, hip, kidneys

Life lesson: Use your emotions to connect to others without losing your own identity. Freely express creativity and healthy emotional sexuality. 

Physical dysfunction: Chronic lower back pain, sciatica, gynecological problems, pelvic pain, impotence, frigidity, uterine/bladder/kidney problems

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: guilt/ blame, shame, negative money mindset, negative outlook on sexual relationships, hypersexuality, low sex drive, problems with power/control/dominance, creativity/ problems with expressing one's ideas, honor in relationships

Possible causes of energy blockage: sexual abuse/trauma, r*pe, harassment, gender issues, body dysmorphia/dysphoria, p*rn addiction, shame or repressment of sexuality, stifled creativity. 

Crystals: Carnelian, amber, moonstone, coral, orange tourmaline, Sunstone

Essential Oils: ylang-ylang, lemon, patchouli, rosewood, sandalwood 

3. Solar Plexus Chakra or Manipura

Manipura translates from Sanskrit as "resplendent gem" or "lustrous gem"

The 3rd Chakra or “Power Chakra” 

Location: Above Navel / Solar Plexus (beneath ribcage) 

 Element: Fire          Color: Yellow           Affirmation: “I can.”

Glands: Pancreas, Adrenals

Physical body parts affected: Abdomen, Stomach, Intestines, liver, gallbladder, spleen, middle spine 

Life lesson: To experience the depth of who we are as individuals

To live your life’s purpose 

To feel empowered and have good self-esteem

Physical dysfunction: Arthritis, Digestive issues, gastric ulcers, eating disorders, diabetes, indigestion, fatigue, hepatitis, nerve pain, weight issues, metabolism issues, cancers/tumors in the digestive system, etc. 

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: trust issues, fear, easily intimidated, low self-respect or self-confidence, sensitivity to criticism, phobias, self-esteem issues, self-harm, depression, inactivity/ stagnant energy, etc. 

Possible causes of energy blockage: Repressed anger, dominance/submission issues, problems with working on a team, controlling personality, instability with money, lack of passion for career/ purpose, childhood trauma, many failures, codependency, addiction, etc.

Crystals: Citrine, amber, yellow topaz, tiger’s eye, yellow agate

Essential Oils: Lemon, lemongrass, lime, lavender, rosewood, rosemary, 

4. Heart Chakra or Anahata

Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, IAST: Anāhata, English: "unstruck") In Sanskrit, anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten".

Location: Center of Chest 

Element: Air            Color: Green          Affirmation: “I love.”

Glands: Thymus 

Physical body parts affected: Heart, chest, lungs, circulatory system, shoulders, breast, ribs, lymph nodes, diaphragm, veins, etc. 

Life lesson: To experience empathy, compassion, and unconditional love for one’s self and all other beings. 

Physical dysfunction: heart disease, heart attack, asthma, allergies, lung cancer, lung disease, pneumonia, breast cancer, high blood pressure

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: Inability to love, hatred for others, resentment, grief, self-centeredness, loneliness, trust issues, inability to forgive 

Possible causes of energy blockage: repressed heartache/grief, trauma, negligence, a victim of abuse, unhappy relationship, poor relationship with immediate family, lack of support of friend group, isolation

Crystals: Rose quartz, emerald, peridot, other green stones.  Essential Oils: Rose, bergamot, ylang-ylang, Melissa, palmarosa 

5. Throat Chakra or Vishuddha

(Sanskrit: विशुद्ध,: Viśuddha, English: "especially pure")

Location: Throat     

Element: Sound        Color: Light Blue            Affirmation: “I speak.”

Glands: Thyroid 

Physical body parts affected: Thyroid, parathyroid, throat, neck, mouth, gums. esophagus, teeth, hypothalamus, neck vertebrae, arms, and hands  

Life lesson: To speak and receive the truth. To express yourself freely. 

Physical dysfunction: Raspy or sore throat, mouth ulcers, gum difficulties/disease, stiff neck, scoliosis, swollen glands, thyroid problems

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: Strength/will, personal expression, following one’s dreams, using personal power to create, ability to make decisions, addiction, judgment, faith. 

Possible causes of energy blockage: suppressing creative talents, difficulty expressing one's self, not feeling safe to freely express, swallowing words 

Crystals: turquoise, aquamarine, celestite, lapis lazuli, blue kyanite

Essential Oils: Lavender, rosemary, frankincense 

6. Third Eye Chakra or Ajna 

Ajna translates as "authority" or "command" (or "perceive") and is considered the eye of intuition and intellect. 

Location: Forehead, between brows 

Element: Light     Color: Indigo        Affirmation: “I see.” 

Glands: Pineal

Physical body parts affected: Brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, nose

Life lesson: To use insight and intuition

To see past the physical world and access higher dimensions 

Physical dysfunction: Brain tumor/hemorrhage, stroke, neurological disturbances, blindness, deafness, full spinal difficulties, learning disabilities, seizures, headaches, blurred vision, memory loss, 

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: self-evaluation, truth, intellectual abilities, feelings of adequacy, openness to ideas of others, emotional intelligence 

Possible causes of energy blockage: A lack of trust in one’s intuition or ability, 

Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, amethyst, fluorite, clear quartz

Essential Oils: Lavender, frankincense, sandalwood

7. Crown Chakra or Sahasrara 

(Sanskrit: सहस्रार, IAST: Sahasrāra, English: "thousand-petaled") 

Location: Top of Head 

Element: Thought    Color: Purple, white, gold      Affirmation: “I know.”

Glands: Pituitary 

Physical body parts affected: Muscular system, skeletal system, skin, central nervous system 

Life lesson: To experience the divine meaning of life. 

Physical dysfunction:  Energy disorders, depression, chronic fatigue, apathy, 

Emotional/ mental dysfunction: Ability to trust, values, ethics, courage, selflessness, ability to see the big picture, faith, inspiration, spirituality, devotion. 

Possible causes of energy blockage: lack of trust in the divine or the universe, lack of faith, distrust, believing in the worst possible outcome, manifesting negativity 

Crystals: Amethyst, clear quartz, moonstone, selenite, white topaz

Essential Oils: Frankincense, peppermint, sandalwood, lotus