Opening the Third Eye: A Grounded Approach to Intuition and Inner Awareness

When someone says they want to open their third eye, I’m curious about what that means to them.

Are they hoping to feel more connected to their intuition? See something during meditation? Deepen their connection with spirit? Or feel more confident trusting themselves?

There can be many hopes tucked inside that one expression.

I understand the curiosity. There is something compelling about exploring the parts of ourselves we haven’t fully understood or felt connected with. In my own practice, I like to begin by listening to what someone is seeking and what is happening in their life.

What does the third eye mean to me?

The language I use comes partly from my yoga practice, where the third eye is associated with ajna, the centre around the space between the eyebrows.

I connect this space with inner awareness, intuition, and the ability to see ourselves and our experiences more clearly.

That might include noticing a pattern we have been caught in, recognizing a feeling we have brushed aside, or becoming aware of how much someone else’s expectations influence our choices.

For me, that kind of clarity has a place in spiritual exploration.

In my shamanic training, this centre is also associated with Eagle medicine. Eagle offers the image of a wider view. From the ground, we may see only the difficulty directly in front of us. From above, we begin to notice the surrounding landscape: the patterns we are moving through, where we have come from, and possibilities we couldn’t see before.

I find that perspective valuable when I feel caught in something. What else is happening here? What am I overlooking? Am I seeing the whole situation, or mainly the part that touches an old hurt?

Connecting with that Eagle perspective can help me step back and consider how an immediate experience fits into the larger picture.

I also value discernment: being able to listen to an impression, stay curious about it, and allow for the possibility that we have misunderstood. Trusting ourselves can include changing our minds.

Looking into that inner space

In my yoga practice, bringing gentle attention to the space around the brow is a way of turning inward. We also explore this kind of awareness in my Sacred Pause practices.

After taking time to settle into the body, we may close our eyes and gently notice the dark or seemingly empty space before us. I think of this as a space in which to rest with our consciousness—to notice thoughts, feelings, images, or simply the experience of being there.

There is no need to fill that space or search for a message. We can spend a few moments there without expectations.

Sometimes that inner space feels quiet. Sometimes it is busy with thoughts, feelings, or images. Sometimes very little seems to happen.

I try to approach it with room for all of those experiences.

It can be easy to sit down with an expectation. Perhaps we have heard someone describe colours, visions, or a profound sense of connection, and we begin waiting for something similar.

Then the questions start. Am I doing this right? Why can’t I see anything? Is something blocked?

I would gently invite a little less pressure. There is no particular image or sensation I would ask someone to produce as proof of their connection.

You can begin by noticing what is actually there.

What if you feel disconnected from your intuition?

If someone tells me their third eye feels closed, I want to understand their experience before deciding what it means.

Perhaps they have difficulty trusting their feelings. Perhaps meditation feels frustrating or uncomfortable. Perhaps they once felt connected with their inner awareness and now feel distant from it.

We can explore those experiences without beginning with the assumption that something is wrong.

One question I might ask is: what happens when you try to listen to yourself?

Do you dismiss what you notice? Look for someone else to confirm it? Worry that you are making it up? Feel pressure to find a clear answer immediately?

Those questions can give us somewhere meaningful to begin.

Making room for your own story

There may be experiences worth exploring around self-trust.

Perhaps you shared a feeling or observation when you were younger and were laughed at or dismissed. Perhaps you were encouraged to follow other people’s opinions more than your own. You may have had an experience you found confusing or frightening and never had a comfortable place to talk about it.

If something like that belongs to your story, we can make room for it.

I wouldn’t assume those experiences explain a closed third eye. I would be interested in how they affected your relationship with yourself.

What did you learn about speaking up? About believing your feelings mattered? About being curious without needing to be certain?

There also doesn’t have to be a painful experience underneath every difficulty. Sometimes we are expecting something that doesn’t match how we naturally experience things. Sometimes we need a different practice, more time, or less pressure.

Why I come back to grounding

In the earlier stages of my spiritual exploration, I often felt drawn toward the higher realms, the third eye, and the crown chakra. I loved that expansive meditative space—the feeling of reaching beyond my usual sense of myself and connecting with something larger.

I also came to recognize that it could become somewhere to escape.

There were times when it felt easier to move into that space than to be with my body, my problems, or the feelings waiting for me in everyday life.

As I began paying more attention to grounding, my relationship with spiritual practice changed. Connecting with my body, exploring the first and second chakras, and developing a greater sense of safety within myself became important parts of the work.

I began to understand something I still return to: the more grounded I feel, the more freely I can explore.

For me, grounding means feeling connected with your body, your surroundings, and your everyday life. It includes recognizing your needs and limits, having support, and knowing you can pause.

In my own approach, I value lower-chakra work and the foundations I explore through Lower World journeying. They are different ways of working, but both have helped shape my appreciation for a steady foundation.

That is my perspective, rather than a sequence I believe everyone must follow.

Eagle is a helpful image here, too. The wider view becomes useful when we bring it back into our lives—into our choices, relationships, and understanding of ourselves.

Understanding what we bring to the experience

For me, grounding also involves getting to know my own patterns. What tends to frighten me? When do I pull away? What makes me brace, seek reassurance, or expect something to go wrong?

I don’t need to have resolved all of those patterns to recognize them.

That recognition matters when I turn inward. If an image, thought, or strong impression arises, I can pause before deciding what it means.

Is there something in the present situation that needs attention? Has this touched a familiar fear? What do I actually know, and what am I interpreting?

I wouldn’t dismiss a concern simply because fear is present. I also wouldn’t assume a frightening inner image is a warning or an instruction I must follow.

This is where discernment becomes part of the practice.

Shamanic work, as I practise it, offers space to explore the fears, protective responses, and shadows that may influence how we experience things. Knowing those parts of ourselves can help us relate to an impression with more perspective.

When I feel tense or overwhelmed, it can be harder to distinguish between a present concern and a familiar reaction. Feeling calmer doesn’t make every impression accurate, but it can give me more room to listen and reflect.

We can connect while we do the work

I want spiritual exploration to leave room for the person having the experience: their comfort, relationships, responsibilities, and ability to make sense of what comes up.

You don’t have to have everything healed or figured out before you begin. Grounding can be something you develop along the way.

I don’t believe we need to finish working through the first chakra, then the second, and eventually earn permission to explore the third eye. We can connect, discover, and work through our difficulties along the way.

Even a few moments of feeling our feet, noticing our surroundings, and becoming aware of our body can be a place to begin. Grounding gives us somewhere to return as we explore.

If an experience feels overwhelming, I would encourage slowing down. There is nothing to prove by pushing past your limits.

Are we seeking connection—or hoping to get past something?

There is an expression sometimes used in spiritual conversations: spiritual bypassing.

I understand it as using spiritual ideas or experiences to move around something in our lives that needs attention. We might reach for positivity when we haven’t allowed ourselves to grieve, or keep seeking another experience while postponing a conversation we know we need to have.

I think this deserves compassion. Wanting relief is understandable.

I also think we need care with the label. Someone’s interest in the third eye, spiritual journeys, or plant medicine tells us very little about what they are avoiding—or whether they are avoiding anything at all.

I prefer to leave room for reflection.

Does this practice help me feel more present in my life? Can I acknowledge difficult feelings alongside my spiritual beliefs? Am I giving myself time to understand what I experience?

These are questions we can return to without judging ourselves.

Where do psychedelics fit?

I sometimes receive inquiries from people who associate shamanic healing with mushrooms or other plant medicines.

My own work does not involve psychedelics. I respect that people may choose to explore those experiences, and I’m open to hearing what draws them there.

What interests me in a conversation about my work is what someone hopes to find.

Is it connection? Clarity? A sense of meaning? Greater trust in themselves?

We can talk about those hopes and whether my approach feels suitable. I don’t offer a promise to open someone’s third eye or create a particular spiritual experience.

I offer space to explore, listen, and work with what comes forward.

A short grounding and inner-awareness practice

If you are curious about your inner awareness, you could begin with a few quiet moments.

1. Find a comfortable seat. Let the chair support you. Place your feet on the floor if that feels comfortable, and notice the points of contact beneath you.
2. Notice where you are. Look around the room. Take in a few familiar objects, colours, or sounds. Give yourself a moment to arrive.
3. Feel your body. Notice your feet, legs, hands, and the weight of your body. Let your jaw and shoulders soften a little if they can. You don’t need to force relaxation.
4. Notice your breathing. Allow it to move naturally. Feel a few breaths coming and going without needing to deepen or control them. If breath awareness feels uncomfortable, stay with the feeling of your feet or the support of the chair.
5. Gently turn inward. If it feels comfortable, close your eyes. Without straining or directing your eyes upward, notice the dark space before you, around the area you associate with the third eye. Allow it to be as it is. Thoughts, feelings, images, or quiet may be present.
6. Make room for one question. You might ask, “What am I noticing right now?” or “What might a wider perspective help me see?” Let the question rest without demanding an answer.
7. Return to your surroundings. Feel your feet and the chair again. Open your eyes, look around, and take your time before moving on.

If turning inward feels unsettling, keep your eyes open and return to the room. The grounding part can be the whole practice.

You might ask yourself:

• What am I hoping to feel more connected with?
• What happens when I listen to myself?
• What helps me feel supported and present?
• What needs my attention in my life right now?

You could also reflect on whether you recognized a familiar fear or pattern, what remains uncertain, and whether there is a small, practical step you want to take.

This gentle movement between body awareness and inner exploration is part of what I welcome in Sacred Pause.

These are the kinds of questions I welcome in my shamanic healing work. Through conversation, energy work, and guided journeys, we can explore your experience at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

For me, developing inner awareness is an ongoing relationship with ourselves—one that benefits from patience, curiosity, and care.

Eagle’s wider perspective and the grounding beneath our feet both have a place in that relationship.

If you’d like support exploring that relationship, you’re welcome to reach out. We can talk about what you’re looking for and whether my approach feels like a fit.