image of a heart chakra symbol over a green background

Heart Chakra Meaning, Symbol, Location and Properties

Discover the Heart Chakra’s meaning, symbol, location, and properties. Unlock how this center enhances love, compassion, and emotional balance in your life.

The Heart Chakra is also known as 'The Fourth Chakra' or 'Anahata' by its Sanskrit name.

  • Its main purpose is to harmonize love, compassion, and emotional balance.
  • The Heart Chakra is the bridge between the lower physical chakras and the higher spiritual chakras.
  • It is connected to the air element, representing openness and the free flow of love.
Table Of Contents
Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011

Heart Chakra Meaning

Anahata is the energy center of love, compassion, humanity, and safety.

It enables a loving contact with fellow human beings on the relation me-you. It nurtures a sense of community by stimulating self-awareness.

A balanced heart chakra makes it easier for a person to establish ties with other people while excluding all egotistical interests for doing so.

The primary mission of the fourth chakra is the development of selfless love towards fellow human beings in the Christian sense, and the expression of compassion and love for all beings in the Buddhist sense.

Every form of love enables one to venture beyond the limit of one’s person, even though the love of parents towards their children can be egotistical in the sense that its primary objective is to establish one’s own or their child’s personality in the world (at the expense of others).

Contrary to this, a healthy heart chakra stimulates love that does not distinguish between personal affection or dislike but instead stems from power and openness that are possible to exercise only when the heart chakra is well balanced.

When you are comfortable with yourself, accepting of your shortcomings, and capable of self-reflection, you are more likely to be able to understand other people and to accept them and their actions.

Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011

Heart Chakra Symbol

heart-chakra-symbol

The fourth chakra is represented by a twelve-petal rosette that denotes universal love, which is, according to Indian bhakti-yoga, a path towards devotion and humbleness. In Christian traditions, it represents the love for one’s fellow men.

The symbol of the fourth chakra is a hexagram consisting of two interlaced equilateral triangles, one pointing up and the other one down.

The first one symbolizes the male principle of God, represented by Shiva, the symbol of consciousness, and the second one symbolizes the female principle of God, represented by Shakti, the divine mother goddess and a symbol of energy.

The heart chakra symbol, known as "Anahata" in Sanskrit, is represented by a twelve-petal lotus and two intersecting triangles forming a six-pointed star. Here's a breakdown of its key elements:

  1. Intersecting Triangles: The upward and downward-pointing triangles represent the union of masculine and feminine energies, as well as the balance between earthly and spiritual matters. Sometimes the intersecting triangles can be represented as 6-pointed star.

  2. Twelve Petals: The twelve petals represent the twelve qualities of the heart, such as love, peace, understanding, empathy, and harmony.

  3. Color: The heart chakra is associated with the color green, symbolizing healing, compassion, and love. The soothing green reflects the chakra's connection to nature and the energy of love.

heart-chakra-location-diagram

Heart Chakra Location

The heart chakra is located in the area of the chest and thoracic vertebrae, in the center and in line with the heart, behind the breastbone, between the shoulder blades.

The fourth chakra is in the middle of our energy system. Its position is above the third chakra (Manipuira) and just below the throat chakra.

As such it connects the earthly grounding energies stemming from the lower chakras with the celestial energies flowing from the upper chakras.

Heart Chakra Properties and Functions

  • Common names: heart chakra, the fourth chakra, Anahata
  • Name meaning: Anahata comes from Sanskrit and translates to immaculate, unspoiled, unstruck
  • Corresponding gland: thymus
thymus-gland-location-diagram

The thymus gland, associated with the fourth chakra, is the central organ responsible for the correct functioning of the adaptive immune system. It produces T-cells which are crucial when the organism is defending itself from foreign invaders.

  • Color: green, smoke grey
  • Mantra: YAM
  • Number of petals: twelve petals, each containing one of the following Sanskrit syllables kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam and tham.
  • Corresponding deities: Isha, Kakini
  • Animal Symbol: antelope, pigeon, birds
  • Element: air
  • Symbol: hexagram
  • Sound: ah
  • Frequency: 341.3 Hz
  • Corresponding sense: touch
  • Corresponding natural phenomena: forest, pristine nature, meadows, and fields
  • Planet: Jupiter
planet-jupiter-photo

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is a celestial giant known for its impressive size and vibrant bands of clouds. With a diameter over 11 times that of Earth, Jupiter's colossal presence is impossible to ignore. Astrologically, Jupiter is often associated with expansion, growth, and abundance.

  • Key themes: love, humanity, compassion, affection, safety.
  • Affected body parts: heart, lungs, circulatory system, blood, skin, arms, palms, upper back, thorax, bronchi.
  • Positive spiritual aspects: love of others, human warmth, feeling of belonging, feeling of self-worth, artistic expression, tolerance, openness, the ability to maintain a healthy distance.
  • Negative spiritual aspects: infatuation with oneself, narcissism, arrogance, cruelty, bitterness, and cold-heartedness.
  • Physical signs pointing to abnormal functioning of the heart chakra: heart problems, pains in the thorax, too high or too low blood pressure, pulmonary issues, breathing problems, frequent colds, pains in the upper back, shoulder pains.
  • Mental issues pointing to abnormal functioning of the heart chakra: insensitivity, loneliness, trouble with meeting new people and establishing contact, misanthropy, inability to create a healthy distance.
Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011

Other Articles About Heart Chakra:

Aged leather book with green stones, heart chakra symbol, and leafy vines surrounding.

Heart Chakra: The Complete Guide

    Explore the Heart Chakra's meaning, location, and properties in our complete guide. Learn how to heal and balance your Anahata for enhanced love, compassion, and emotional harmony. Discover affirmations, meditations,…
    man holding his chest in pain

    Heart Chakra Blockage Symptoms

      Identify Heart Chakra blockage symptoms like emotional imbalance and fear. Learn signs, causes, and how to heal for love, compassion, and joy.
      painting of a green flower symbolizing heart chakra opening

      Heart Chakra Opening Symptoms

        Discover the signs of Heart Chakra opening, from increased compassion to emotional healing. Learn how to recognize and embrace these transformative symptoms.
        Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011

        Other Chakras Meanings, Symbols, Locations and Properties:

        Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011