Black Americans have the highest prevalence of gastrointestinal illnesses in the US. Key players within this system are the pancreas, stomach, liver, intestines, and the gall bladder to name a few. All of which are associated with the solar plexus chakra. Let’s do a brief breakdown on the solar plexus and what the body may be telling us.
In short, chakras are wheels of energy that align along several parts of the body. The main 7 (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown) we hear about most often align along the center of your body along the spine and within the area of the body it affects most.
The solar plexus sits at the base of the sternum. Here’s a few of its characteristics:
Name: Solar Plexus
Sanskrit: Manipura (dwelling place for jewels)
Color: Yellow
Element: Fire
Affirmation: “I act/will (will as in action, not future tense)
Nicknamed as the energy center of “rage and radiance”, this heat-filled chakra is linked to our livelihood, self confidence, vitality, and life force. Imbalances in the solar plexus can register as a lack of willpower/action, or on the opposite end, angry/boastful/out of control. Just as plants can essentially digest light from the sun to make food for themselves, the same concept happens to us as humans through what we choose to consume. I like to think of the gut as a second brain and intuitive center. Think of the times you’ve been anxious or nervous, got butterflies, or just had a ‘gut feeling’ about someone or something. In those moments, did you find yourself unable to eat, or adversely, want to eat everything in sight? Yep, that’s that solar plexus doing its job to let you know what’s up even before you understand the fullness of what’s going on around you. Think of it as your body consuming and digesting the energy of the environment or situation and responding accordingly.
Now, why does this matter when discussing the prevalence of gastrointestinal issues in the Black community? (These are my own observations/theories)
It’s largely generational.
One story I’m reminded of that tells how deeply rooted this runs is of an enslaved mother and her son. Essentially, the son was one of the best workers on at the plantation. When the slaveowner caught wind of this, he would tell his mother, “Your son works harder than anyone else out here. He always brings in the most ‘x’ and makes me a lot of money, which makes him worth more.” When the mother heres this, she responds, “oh he’s not doing that great, he does awful work/sloppy/slow/etc.” She says these things not to hurt her son, but to do whatever she has to do to keep the family together. It may have been a long shot for her to try and disprove what her son’s numbers clearly showed he was capable of, but if she could persuade them to see him the way she wanted them to, maybe it would keep her family together.
What about the parent who isn’t afforded the luxury of spending enough time with their children to help them channel that fiery energy into their individuality? The parents who lean too much on ‘because I said so’ because they don’t have the patience nor the time to allow their children explore their individuality within healthy boundaries. This cannot be simplified down to bad parenting, alone. It is irresponsible to make this solely an individual problem when systemic influences exist present day.
What about Black women? When the decreasing presence of Black fathers in the home (again, not solely individual but also systemic) became prevalent, Black women increasingly stepped into the role of being everything to everyone all at once. Growing up, Black women were the therapists, beauticians, cooks, providers, teachers, and more all at once. Seeing this firsthand was inspiring in a way that I never fully understood how any man fit into what I thought the family dynamic could be. However, there still so many things children can learn best with a father figure present.
Somewhere along the way, the dynamic of the fire-kindling parents and their light-filled children lost the plot but kept the behaviors going. What’s left behind is generations of mothers inherently disapproving of their sons because their mothers did it, sons growing into adults with no sense of self outside of how they provide for others, daughters having unhealthy relationships with men, and more without fully understanding why. All this, AND the highest rates of diabetes, colorectal cancer, liver diseases, and other gastrointestinal illnesses than any other demographic here in the US.
It’s stories like these where Black people have carried on traditions and generations of trauma without fully understanding why it was ever like this in the first place. The solar plexus is where we digest the world we’re part of, and how we come to understand how the behaviors of our parents and family affect who we become. Afflictions to this area manifest into the rising numbers of diabetes, colorectal cancers, liver, and other digestive disorders in the Black community. The ulcers and hernias we get from stress, the metabolic disorders we get as a result of food deserts and lack of affordable, healthy options within black and brown communities. All of it matters. In a popcorn society where we seek instant gratification due to being in such a fast-paced environment…no time to digest and reflect, only to produce to the point of exhaustion and at the risk of our own health.
It’s a contradiction to tell people who have no clue who they are to have self-confidence. What exactly does that confidence lie? If you were raised by parents who did not encourage individuality and self-expression for whatever reason that may be, how do we go about discovering that on our own? How do I generate the willpower to heal if I don’t know what exactly needs healing? What about me is authentic versus learned behavior? How do I know what makes me happy when I’ve lived my life doing and providing for everyone else first? Not to mention, we live in a society that still benefits on the oppression of Black people no matter what they call it or change the name to.
What’s the remedy? I will offer some things we can do individually to balance out the solar plexus with what’s around us. With that, I highly recommend some in depth shadow work and inner child work to address any past traumas or belief systems that do not align with you becoming the best version of yourself to get to the root of the issue. What’s listed below is meant to support you in those endeavors.
Foods/Herbs: Cinnamon, citrus fruits, pineapple, rosemary, ginger, peppers, spicy foods
Crystals: Tiger’s eye, amethyst (for a hyperactive solar plexus), citrine
MEDITATION. As the Sun is the source of life and vitality for the planet, we have Source within self. If you’re unsure where to start, create the space within yourself to receive those answers. Talk therapy is a great option for those who need a safe space to explore the depths of their past and encourage healing.
EVERYTHING is spiritual. The body is not some isolated system that just goes haywire without reason. When we begin to see ailments in the body as a sign of what’s going on with us in the spiritual, true healing can take place. It’s one reason why you and I can consume the same things and our body reacts completely different to it. The way I process/digest things/information are different than you. The common factor here is that it’s telling us SOMETHING. The beauty is that you have everything you need to change it. You got this.
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