Chakras
are energy centres, or openings, through which we
receive energy in to our body. We don’t just have the seven,
but these are considered to be the major centres; there are also
twenty-one minor chakras and a veritable host of other smaller
ones.
The significance of these chakra centres is determined by the
number of lines of energy that cross at that point. We have a
massive number of energy, or electrical, currents that run
through our body. A major chakra is defined as a point where
there are twenty-one rays of light or energy crossing each other;
the minor chakras are positioned at locations where fourteen
energy lines cross. Other chakras are created where seven
energies cross, and then there are even smaller vortexes of
energy after that. You may already know of acupuncture and
acupressure. The energy points used in these techniques are
where seven lines of energy cross each other.
You aren’t expected to remember all aspects of each chakra.
There are basics you do have to remember for psychic
development, however. You need to know the name, location
and associated colour of each chakra, together with how it
opens (i.e. front and back, or up and down). If you can
remember just this much, you can start working. Nevertheless,
the more you study these chakras, the more you understand
about each of them, the more powerful you will be in your
psychic work and spiritual growth.
Every chakra is connected to separate elements of our emotions
and actions, and each is related to a different part of our
anatomy. Most are allocated an animal and elemental symbol to
increase our relationship to those different energies. There is a
varying number of lotus-flower petals for each chakra and
corresponding mantras and yantras (mystical dialogues between
divinities) for meditative use that aid enlightenment.
The first chakra is known as the base. Sometimes it’s also called
the root chakra. It’s located at the base of the spine and its
associated colour is red. The base chakra has only one opening,
which is pointing downwards towards the ground; the energy is
therefore drawn up into the body with this chakra. It’s related
to the spinal column and kidneys and governs the adrenal
glands. As its name implies, this is about the rooted, physical
part of us. Survival and primal instincts are governed by this
chakra. This is about how well we respond to our physical body
and our relationship to nature, earth’s bounty. Do you live in
harmony with nature, or are you oblivious to it? This chakra
has four petals, as the number four is often used to symbolize
the material world. It also refers to the four directions: north,
south, east and west. Its associated element is, not surprisingly,
earth, and the animal connected to it is the elephant, Airavata.
He is the king of the elephants who belonged to the earth god,
Indra. He is often depicted with seven trunks, that signify the
seven minerals necessary for physical life. He also has a heavy
black collar around his neck to remind us of his ties to earth.
The elephant is the largest land mammal; he represents physical
matter itself. There is also a coiled snake within this chakra.
This refers to a latent energy which, when the seven chakras are
operating fully, can awaken deep within us. This energy is
known as kundalini and is explained in a later chapter. It’s an
energy with an intensity of power that most humans can’t relate
to; it can only be aroused and used under strict tuition. It’s
enough to know that it rises from this chakra, once all are open.
The strength of this energy is another reason why the existence
of the chakras was only known originally by highly trained
spiritualists. This is your starting point along the discovery of
the chakras. Its associated action is ‘I have’ and its connected
sense is one of smell. It is indeed your ‘root’, for you can be
likened to a tree that will only grow tall and healthy if it has
strong roots. Some of the physical dysfunctions that can occur
from blockages within this chakra are: irritable bowels, spastic
'colon, stiffness in the joints, sciatica, constipation and colon,
stiffness in the joints, sciatica, constipation and haemorrhoids.
The psychological functions associated with this chakra are
your will to live and your amount of physical energy.
The second chakra is called the navel or sacral. It’s located just
below the navel and it’s associated with the colour orange.
This chakra opens both front and back through the body. Its
physical connection is to the reproductive system, and the
glands affected are the gonads (ovaries in women, testes in
men). As you might expect, this relates to your feelings about
your own sexuality and your relationships with others. It’s not
just abut sex, but also about your ability to form intimate, nonsexual bonds.
Are you good at sustaining long-term friendships?
This chakra is depicted with six petals, each representing a level
of a thought which stimulates the mind. The element is water;
this is because our emotions are fluid in movement; they’re
constantly changing. The animal in this chakra is a mythical
‘makara’, a half-alligator, half-fish, that lives in deep water. This
symbolizes our own emotions which run deep, and our need to
delve into the subconscious mind to increase awareness. It also
reminds us of the respect we need for all chakra work;
they have hidden depths and power which we must appreciate. This
chakra is said to contain seeds of our karmic path and, because
sexuality is an extremely sensitive area for most people,
meditation on this chakra must be gentle and gradual. Its
associated action is ‘I feel, I want’ and it’s connected to the
sense of taste. Possible physical misfunctions that may arise are:
impotence and frigidity, infertility, hormonal imbalances, and
fungal infections. Psychologically, this chakra is associated with
your quantity of sexual energy and your amount of love for the
opposite sex. Just to repeat, delicacy is essential in this area as
particularly strong emotions are aroused here.
The third chakra is the solar plexus. It’s located below your
breastbone and slightly to the left. This is related to the colour
yellow and opens both front and back though the body. Its
body functions are the stomach, liver, gall bladder and nervous
system and its associated gland is the pancreas. This chakra is
about your will-power and determination in life, as well as your
own sense of destiny. It’s about how you feel you fit into the
world. The yellow is a reminder of the sun and its energy and
strength. The petals now become ten in number and represent
a smoky rain cloud. This shows how we cloud our own vision
and need to use our own bright sun to burn those clouds away.
It’s therefore suitable that the element associated with this
chakra is fire. You could call your fire your sense of will, your
sense of determination. The animal connected to this chakra is
the ram, which is sacred to the god of fire, Agni. Most people
see the ram as a stubborn creature. Are there areas of your life
where your stubborness stops you from seeing clearly? This
chakra is also about prana, the life-force, and how we digest
that into our system. It’s a reminder about how we eat and how
we use our energy. Its associated action is ‘I can’ and it’s
connected to the sense of sight. Blockages within this chakra
often relate to stomach disorders: ulcers, diabetes, chronic
indigestion, gastritis and eating disorders. The psychological
functions here are healing, your intentions towards your own
health, pleasure in expanding awareness and a consciousness of
who you are within the universe.
The fourth chakra is the heart chakra. It’s situated in the middle
of the breastbone, above the chest. The colour used here is
grass-green and it opens back and front through the body. The
body functions are the heart, blood, vagus nerve and circulatory
system. The gland affected is the thymus. The heart is often
associated with love and that is true of this chakra, but it’s a
wider encompassing of love. It doesn’t mean the love you have
for your partner or child; it’s about a universal, unconditional
love. This is the level when the vibrational frequencies start to
become faster and lighter. We are moving higher into the
realms of spiritual consciousness. This is not about needing and
demanding love; it’s about an unselfish, ever expanding
accent we use. It’s about considering carefully the content and
meaning of our words and knowing when is the right time to
speak and when we should remain silent. This chakra is also
about our hearing; how we hear and interpret words and the
power of sound and silence. How can we hear our inner voice
if we are not still? The petals have now inceased to sixteen and
we are shown a new fifth element ‘akasa’, which is
demonstrated as a circle, with a triangle inside it pointing
downwards. This is symbolic of a gateway into liberation. The
colour blue is significant here, reminding us of the sky, which
is limitless. Expansion is important. Again, the elephant,
Airavata, can be seen here but this time he no longer wears his
heavy black collar. He is no longer restricted to earth and
bound by ties. This chakra is about how transforming speech
and sound can strengthen you on your spiritual path. Its
associated action is ‘I speak’ and its sense is one of hearing.
Possible disorders from blockages in the throat chakra can
result in: sore throats, laryngitis, tonsillitis and tinnitus. The
psychological functions of the chakra are considered to be how
you take in and assimilate things and your sense of space,
relating to your position within society and professional work.
The fifth chakra is the throat chakra. It’s positioned at the
hollow of the throat and is associated with the colour blue. This
is a sky blue, not a dark blue. This chakra opens front and back
through the body. The connecting parts of the body are the
bronchial and vocal apparatus, lungs and the alimentary canal.
The affected gland is the thyroid. This is about purity of speech
and clarity of communication. Again, as the vibrations become
subtler and lighter, this is not about talking as we normally
know it. It doesn’t mean how we enunciate words or what
accent we use. It’s about considering carefully the content and
meaning of our words and knowing when is the right time to
speak and when we should remain silent. This chakra is also
about our hearing; how we hear and interpret words and the
power of sound and silence. How can we hear our inner voice
if we are not still? The petals have now inceased to sixteen and
we are shown a new fifth element ‘akasa’, which is
demonstrated as a circle, with a triangle inside it pointing
downwards. This is symbolic of a gateway into liberation. The
colour blue is significant here, reminding us of the sky, which
is limitless. Expansion is important. Again, the elephant,
Airavata, can be seen here but this time he no longer wears his
heavy black collar. He is no longer restricted to earth and
bound by ties. This chakra is about how transforming speech
and sound can strengthen you on your spiritual path. Its
associated action is ‘I speak’ and its sense is one of hearing.
Possible disorders from blockages in the throat chakra can
result in: sore throats, laryngitis, tonsillitis and tinnitus. The
psychological functions of the chakra are considered to be how
you take in and assimilate things and your sense of space,
relating to your position within society and professional work.
The sixth chakra is known as the ‘third eye’. Many of you will
have heard this expression before but not known what it really
means. It’s found in the middle of the forehead and is
represented by the colour purple. It opens front and back
through the body. Physically it relates to the lower brain, left
eye, ears, nose and nervous system. It’s associated with the
pituitary gland. As we move higher, so we enter further into the
realm of the higher consciousness. Cognition is talked about
with this chakra but it doesn’t mean knowing in the sense of
being worldly-wise or well-read. It’s about transcending physical
knowledge and reaching into spiritual enlightenment. Rational
thoughts are not needed because direct knowledge is taking
place. It’s referred to in our discussion about the knowing
sense. Here there are two large white petals, flanked by a circle.
They represent the two halves of the pituitary gland, with the
brain in the centre. It symbolises harmony of mind. Opening
this third eye chakra is about visualisation of higher concepts.
There is no element or animal associated to this chakra because
it transcends the physical and ordinary in every way. In the
centre of the circle there is a triangle, representing three levels
of energy which will be discussed in a later chapter. There is a
also a golden spot which is to remind us of the energy from
which we come and to which we will return; birth and death
are but transitions. A quarter moon is barely visible, to
symbolize the subtlety of the energy. This third eye chakra is
affiliated to the action ‘I see’ but transcends our five known
senses. Physical dysfunctions can be any of the following:
disturbed sleep, nightmares, snoring, migraines and dental
problems. The psychological functions are summed up as your
capacity to visualize and understand concepts and your ability
to carry out ideas in a practical way.
The seventh chakra is the crown chakra. Its location is at the
top, or crown, of the head. Its colour is violet, although it is
often described as white, symbolising purity of the highest level.
This chakra opens upwards from the top of the head to allow
the cosmic energy to flow in and down through the body. The
body areas affected are the upper brain and right eye and it’s
connected to the pineal gland. This is the highest and finest of
all vibrational frequencies and it pertains to a level of
consciousness which most of us cannot yet grasp. This is about
self-realisation on the highest level which creates fulfilment and
a state known as ‘bliss’. From the base chakra, the simplest and
most instinctive level, you have now reached the crown, the
think about in the Western world. How can one grasp ultimate
perfection if you have never experienced it? It can only be an
ideal to which one aspires at this stage. The path to
enlightenment on this level is a slow one. It’s also a deeply
personal journey requiring both courage and determination. In
this chakra the petals are now a thousandfold and they cascade
in a lustrous white light down over the top of the head. In the
centre of the flower are the symbols of the sun and moon
representing the universe. There are no elements or animals
associated with this chakra, nor any mantra or tantra. It is
simply too high a vibration to be touched upon in any physical
sense. It transcends all others. Many spiritual teachers are silent
about the wonders of this level; this is said to be because it is
beyond description. Its related action is simply ‘I know’ and it
again is beyond any of our five known senses.
