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CHAPTER 1
ALL ABOUT CHAKRAS
Chakra History
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means "wheel." The chakra system originated in India, and it is mentioned in four holy books that date back to before 2500 BCE, with other early references appearing in early writings called the Upanishads. Since then the system has become incorporated into Hinduism and Buddhism, later spreading to Tibet and, in recent years, to China and on to the West. In the Vedic (Hindu) tradition, the chakras are linked with the god Vishnu.
The Theosophical Society, formed in England in 1875, promotes universal brotherhood without distinction of race, creed, color, gender, or social background. It is based on the realization that life in all its diverse forms, human and nonhuman, is invisibly One. The Theosophists researched many Eastern ideas, including the chakras, working out their own concepts in relation to the chakras. Modern-day Indian students of the chakra system are in broad agreement with the Theosophists' ideas.
The arrival of the New Age, first in the USA in 1968 and later in the UK and Europe brought many of these old concepts to light. The ideas that proved to be workable and worth keeping have remained in use, and this includes the chakras.
Other traditions refer to connecting paths around the body, including the Chinese system of meridians (lines of energy that connect one part of the body to another) used in acupuncture, along with its spin-offs in the form of acupressure and reflexology. The aura is another subtle type of energy that surrounds the body in layers. There is even some similarity between the chakra system and the Kabala, and with ideas contained in Islamic Sufism.
What Is a Chakra?
A chakra is an energy center in the body that has energy flowing around it, but also through its center. There are seven main chakras in the body. The Hindu image of a chakra is that of two cones linked at the pointy or narrow ends, with the wide end of one cone opening in the front of the body and the other opening at the back. If the cone image is too awkward for you to envisage, imagine the chakras as tubes going through the body.
The chakras monitor the temperature and atmosphere around us, and they help us to know when we are too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. They link to the elements of fire, earth, air, and water, balancing our bodily functions to fit in with the world around us. They tell us when a place feels right for us or when it makes us feel uncomfortable, and whether the people we are with are likely to attack us or not. This isn't just in the sense of a watching out for muggers or thieves, but whether we feel comfortable with those with whom we work, our business contacts, and others with whom we have contact in our daily lives. Put simply, the chakras alert our sixth sense to tell us to fight or flee.
On a practical level, the chakras are linked to the condition of our bodies and the state of our minds, so if a chakra is partially or wholly blocked or misaligned, it is said to affect our health. Here one can take liberties with an ancient Latin saying that goes "mens sana in corpore sano," meaning "a healthy mind in a healthy body," and suggest that nice clear chakras help the mind and body to function properly.
The Three Levels
• At the basic level, the chakra system is linked to the physical body, thus dealing with such things as health, strength, sickness, weakness, and discomfort.
• The second level connects with the mind, the intellect, and the ego, along with the subtle concepts of intuition and sense. This level tells us that something is wrong, or alerts us to the fact that someone else is falling ill.
• The highest level relates to our spiritual nature, which allows us to contact the universe or the Almighty, but it can also help us to become psychic and mediumistic, and to get into contact with our spiritual guides. This level can even help us to tap into other people's past and future lives and to understand the nature and personality of others.
Chakras cannot be seen by an X-ray or an MRI scan, but they are part of the human body in the same way that the aura is. It is widely believed that chakras exist in the bodies of all living creatures. Those who have watched animals respond well to energy healing and to complementary therapies will find this easy to believe.
The chakras link with the endocrine system and the nerve ganglia that lie along the spinal column, and with the glands that supply us with the hormones that we need for life and for health. They monitor the world around us, checking for light, warmth, sound, smells, tastes, comfort, and discomfort, relating to the five traditionally recognized senses and the hidden senses of intuition and spirituality. The chakras sense changes in the weather and air pressure, and they let us know when our environment is set to become uncomfortable or even unsafe. They are part of our survival system.
That is why if a chakra is partially or wholly blocked, too open or misaligned, it can affect our state of mind and our health. At a more important level, a couple of badly functioning chakras could even affect our survival mechanism or our ability to spot danger before it arrives, so checking out the chakras and giving them healing can certainly be useful.
Chakras and the Aura
The aura is a layered field that surrounds humans and probably all animals as well. It is something like an electromagnetic field, but that is not it. Those who work with chakras may also work with the aura. Some say we shouldn't learn about the chakras or attempt to give them healing without knowing about, and working with, the aura, but the aura is a big subject of its own, so I won't go into it here, other than to touch on it where it is necessary for me to do so.
Chakras and Religion
Chakras are not a matter of belief, faith, or religion, and they do their job even if we refuse to believe chakras exist. However, if we want to give healing to others, it makes sense to believe in the existence of the chakras and to understand how they work.
How Many Chakras Are There?
Tradition tells us there are 78,000 chakras, but this is obviously an unworkable number, so we restrict ourselves to the seven main ones plus a number of minor ones that are worth considering from time to time. The extra chakras fall into three categories:
1. Two of the seven main chakras are said to be doubles, with one lying above the other.
2. There are several chakras that line up above the crown of the head.
3. There are a few other bodily chakras that seem to be important and active, such as those in the hands, shoulders, chest glands, hips, and feet.
The Seven Main Chakras
There is some discrepancy in the names of these chakras and also some confusion. For example, some people confuse the sacral and solar plexus chakra. It really doesn't matter what you call them, as they will still work by any name you call them.
1. The base chakra — also known as the root chakra
2. The sacral chakra
3. The solar plexus chakra
4. The heart chakra
5. The throat chakra
6. The brow chakra — also known as the third eye
7. The crown chakra
Functions and Associations
This is the heart of the chakra method, as it shows us what each chakra is designed to do. Each chakra reflects light and energy, which has its own meaning. The organization works like this:
Flower Images
In addition to the idea of cones or tubes, the chakras can be represented by flower images and there are many of these, depending on which tradition you prefer to use. The Indian tradition uses stylized images of lotus flower petals in the following form:
[??] The Base (or Root) Chakra symbolizes survival instincts, safety, grounding, and taking nourishment at a basic earth level.
[??] The Sacral Chakra relates to the emotions, sex, and creativity
[??] The Solar Plexus Chakra is linked to willpower, personal power, the mind, and the intellect.
[??] The Heart Chakra is concerned with compassion, relating to others, and unconditional love.
[??] The Throat Chakra corresponds to communication, the truth, and creativity.
{??] The Brow Chakra relates to ESP, inner wisdom, intuition, and psychism.
[??] The Crown Chakra is associated with spirituality, the universe, and linking with deities and the higher consciousness.
People in the USA or Britain may use different images. Some people use a mental picture of the flowers in place of the cones or tubes, and while purists would say they are wrong, the chakras will still work, however you envisage them. The following is my own take on a system used by some UK spiritualists.
Chakras and Colors
The most important thing to grasp is the color system, as it is intrinsic to the chakras. Needless to say, there have been differences of opinion about this over the centuries and there are variations in different parts of the world, but the Western system is based on the colors of the rainbow, with a few additions where required.
Chakra Colors
Crown: Purple
Brow: Indigo
Throat: Light blue or turquoise
Heart: Green
Solar plexus: Yellow
Sacral: Orange
Base: Red
Some systems use the seven colors of the rainbow, adding several more chakras rising up from the crown of the head, and these are shown as white.
Kundalini
There is a theory that the seven main chakras are set in motion by an energy source called Kundalini. This energy is supplied by a mystical snake that lies curled up at the bottom of the body by the base of the spine. When activated, the snake uncoils itself and reaches upward, passing one chakra on one side and the following one on the other side, thus using its serpentine body to create a friction that spins the first chakra in one direction and the next in the other direction, and so on. If you like the Kundalini snake image, feel free to use it, but the chakra system works perfectly well if you pay no heed to the notion of Kundalini. As it happens, the chakras are always active, just as the human aura is always on guard, so there is no need to make an effort to set them in motion for normal purposes.
Unusual purposes would include awakening Kundalini to trigger a range of weird experiences that might cause changes in the physical body, the emotional condition, and the psychic ability. The sudden release of energy could cause stress in some areas of the body, or it could open the psyche, heart, and mind to strange visions, shivery feelings, or other odd sensations. It's a good idea to have a knowledgeable person with you if you intend to do any heavy spiritual meditations or rituals designed to work on this kind of intensity.
Kundalini is said to be the force that links us to the earth beneath our feet and the heavens above our heads. It brings sudden enlightenment and can bring feelings of ecstasy of the kind that people experience when performing certain shamanic rituals. It can be activated by doing yoga, by meditating, and, of course, by opening the chakras. You can choose to envisage Kundalini as smoke rising upward from a fire and passing by the revolving drums of the chakras, so if you aren't that keen on the idea of your body being inhabited by a snake, this makes an acceptable substitute.
Astrology
There are seven celestial objects that move across the sky that were known long before telescopes were invented, and these are the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Many different lists have been put forward over the ages to show links between the planets and the chakras, and each has its own convincing explanation. However, here is a commonly understood modern link between the chakras and what astrologers call "the planets" meaning the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The table below shows how the chakras link to the planets and astrological signs.
Psychology
Each of the seven main chakras is linked to a different aspect of a person's character and personality, so if one chakra becomes weak or damaged, it can upset the others. If a healer treats a misaligned or blocked chakra, this will help all the other chakras and can have a surprisingly beneficial effect on the patient's nature and the way he manages his life.
The Soul
Some traditions say that the soul resides in the crown chakra, but others say it is spread through all the chakras from the solar plexus upward. Whatever the fact of the matter, a blocked chakra will have an effect on the chakras above it.
A Few Warnings
Always have the best of intentions for yourself and for those you wish to heal. Bad wishes will always come back to the person who sent them, and they will probably come back in a worse way than the person intended in the first place.
Don't allow yourself to feel that you are better than other people are, or even that you are better than the person you are healing. When ego appears, spirituality goes out the door, and the healing stops working.
CHAPTER 2
THE MAJOR CHAKRAS
There are seven major chakras and they line up from the bottom of the spine to the crown of the head, with each chakra running through the body from front to back. Each revolves in a different direction to those above and below it. Some believe there are slight variations on the major chakra theme, whereby some systems divide the heart chakra and brow chakras into two, but we will look into this a little later. The animal totems that you see listed for the chakras are not the same as those in astrology, despite the fact that the planets link with the chakras. For example, the heart chakra is linked to the wolf, but the planet for this chakra is Venus, which astrology associates with the bull.
The Base Chakra
Details
Position: Base of the spine
Main role: Survival, life
Bodily area: Legs, base of the body
Gland: Adrenal
Sense: Smell
Key Ideas
Positive: Security
Negative: Fear, insecurity
Position
The base, or root, chakra is located at the base of the spine, and it tunnels through the body from front to back. In addition to controlling the lower end of the body, it rules the hips, thighs, legs, and feet. Those who work in the spiritual field or who meditate regularly might wish to ground themselves by linking the base chakra to the earth by imagining the spine extending a root downward so that it goes into the earth, or by mentally sending roots down from the soles of the feet.
Base Chakra Topics
This chakra is concerned with the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, and it is instinctive — as opposed to emotional, mental, or spiritual — because it is concerned with survival. The base chakra helps to keep us in one piece, so it activates when something or someone threatens our happiness, or even our very survival. For instance, if we find ourselves feeling uncomfortable at the thought of going to a particular place or being in the company of a certain person, the message is coming from the base chakra and it is worth heeding. If you are into palmistry, the base chakra has a connection with the life line and its connection to survival. The base chakra gives us our awareness of the world around us, our place on earth and in society. It rules the need for practical security, and when danger threatens, the adrenaline associated with this chakra kicks in and gives us the instinct for fight or flight.
The yang, or masculine, aspect of this chakra makes it important where male sexual activity is concerned, especially as the chakra runs through the genital area. It is linked to the warlike planet, Mars, which makes it assertively masculine, but oddly enough, this chakra is also associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
The base chakra relates to the past, our background, our family history and reputation, and our relationship with our mothers. Our childhood experiences, early school life, and early years in general are ruled by the base chakra. This chakra concerns the home, along with safety and seclusion, and it represents a base from which we venture out.
Psychologically, the base chakra refers to events that happened while you were still in the womb and during the first six months of your life. So look back to the events of those times for greater understanding of any problems you may have.
This chakra is the location of the sleeping Kundalini, so its awakening and the start of its upward journey represent the start of the search for the divine.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "In Focus Chakra Healing"
by .
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