Jose ATID LEIIA STEVENS 163ward him. She cleared him out energetically and made the
necessary adjustments to the opening to achieve a state of
balance. She envisioned the opening to this tunnel reducing
in size to the circumference of a silver dollar. The gastric
pains disappeared, as did her date. She ended up dating an-
other man who was less intrusive.
Working with the second tunnel is a valuable way of
keeping your sexual and creative energy vitalized, a great
help in initiating and gestating new projects and clearing out
untenable ones.THE THIRD TUNNEL or POWER
The solar plexus, just above the navel, is the location of
the third main tunnel. Yellow in color, it generates energy
that forms the third layer of the spirit body. This tunnel is
associated with action, assertion, visceral power, and the use
of energy by the body. A few people use this center to enter
and exit the physical body in out-of-body experiences such as
astral travel. In this state many people describe "seeing"
their spirit bodies connected to their physical bodies by a
silver cord. Travel through this tunnel often reveals to the
shaman personal patterns, ideas or misconceptions about
power, and obstacles to the use of that power. Beyond the
scary guardians of this information lie sources of real power
that, if tapped, can truly be a key to success.
Tlie powers available in the third tunnel can be used to
command audiences, assist in leadership skills, or generally
to become more noticeable. Think of some well-known
opera singers or symphony conductors you have seen. They
know how to access the power available through this tunnel
successfully and they achieve their results whether they are
conscious of it or not.
The Buddha is often depicted as having a very large belly,
a symbol of great power and balance of energy in the Far
East. Historically there is no evidence that the man who be-
came the Buddha after his enlightenment, Siddartha Gau-
tama, was actually a fat man.
Another and more subtle function of the third tunnel is to
act as a generator of sorts and to monitor the energy distri-
bution of the whole body. We are speaking here of the en-
ergy that makes up your spirit self. Although it cannot be
measured physically, when it is not functioning properly you
tend to feel listless, tired, and withdrawn. Checking with the
third vortex is especially important before and after situa-