Chakras

The chakras act as conductors for energy to move through all layers of the aura.   Humans have 7 major chakras – found in a line descending down from the crown of the head to the base of the spine, and 21 minor chakras, as well as many other even smaller chakras.  Animals have up to 3 chakras, and it is said that minerals and crystals contain one chakra.   A major chakra is found at a point where 21 lines of energy cross the body and a minor chakra is where 14 lines cross each other.  The system of acupuncture is based on inserting needles into the body to make contact with lines of energy in order to either release energy or aid in energy flows.  It is believed that in each of us there are more than 72,000 meridian crossing points.

Energy moves up from the earth into our lower chakras and affects our physical bodies.  It anchors our Spirit in the material reality.  Energy also moves down from the cosmos through our upper chakras and affects our thinking, feelings and spiritual perception.   The lower chakras fall into the category of magnetic energy while the upper chakras are electrical in nature. 

The lower three chakras, which sit below the diaphragm are known as the feminine chakras in that their function is specifically receptive.  They take energy from the earth and the immediate environment.  They link you to Mother Earth and the events that tie you to family, clan, tribe, community.  The upper four chakras are known as the masculine chakras.  They are primarily concerned with giving energy out in the form of love, communication, healthy attitudes and inner reflection.  They link us with the Source and become active as we become spiritual and capable of love. 

When a chakra is open, a vortex of energy swirls into the cone-like funnel and is absorbed into the body.  The more open you are to a situation or experience the more open the chakra will be, the less open you are, the more closed the chakra becomes.   When something happens that impedes the natural flow of energy, the chakras can become sluggish or even close altogether.  Sometimes this will be a temporary situation and the energy flow will resume its natural flow once again.  However, chronic shortages of energy lead to illness.  Our health and well being depend on active chakras.  It is important to understand that it is also possible to be too open and is as much of a dysfunction as a closed chakra.  Awareness of the chakras will help you to adjust these imbalances. 

As you develop your consciousness you will release old stagnant emotional energy in the form of dreams, memories, and feelings that weigh down your spirit.  As you evolve and open yourself up, you can actually become healthier – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – with more energy available for living, healing, creativity and joy.  

The process of opening up to greater energy occurs when you live fully in the present.  Appreciate the beauty all around you, and live in a state of gratitude . The state of your chakras is a vital key to what you think and feel.  Your chakras are the repositories of all your thoughts, feelings and attitudes about life.  If you have limiting thoughts about your existence, your energy field will be small and narrow.   The more freedom, love and beauty the spirit experiences, the wider the energy fields become. 

The chakras exist in the etheric layer of your aura , next to the physical body.  Each of the seven chakras relate directly to the seven layers of the aura, but not on a one to one basis.  Each chakra has seven counterparts radiating outwards from the body through the seven layers of the aura.  Although there are separate chakras, it is important to understand that each is but a part of a whole energy system.  Each chakra functions fully only when the other chakras are also fully engaged.  This is what is meant by “being in balance”.  It is also the concept behind “holistic” health – the idea that each chakra is part of the whole.

Root Chakra or Base Chakra 

This is the first chakra and located at the base of the spine.  It has only one opening, downwards to the ground and draws energy from the magnetic field at the earth’s core.  This energy moves up through the feet and legs, energizing blood and tissues in the body.   This chakra reveals whether you are well grounded, it is linked to your drive for survival and anchors your spirit on the physical plane.   If you enjoy your physical day-to-day life and feel well grounded in the present, appreciating your physical energy and vitality, then this base chakra will be functioning well. 

Your Root Chakra is affected by your limiting beliefs often imposed by family, culture and religious dogma.  For your Root Chakra to be fully functional, you must get rid of limiting beliefs.  You must have a clear belief that the Source exists within each of us, and embrace what unites us, not what separates us.

You heal the Root Chakra each time you affirm your right to live the life you want and honour who you are beyond any limiting identifications. 

The Root Chakra is associated with the Earth element and the color red.

Sacral Chakra or Navel Chakra

The second chakra is located just below the navel in the pelvis area just above the pubic bone and has two openings, front and back.    This chakra is influenced by your ideas about pleasure, your sensuality and sexuality.  It is about the ability to let go of your ego and connect with others on a deeper, more spiritual level. 

If you feel deserving of the good things around you, this chakra will open to receive pleasure and abundance.  The Sacral Chakra controls our physical ability to move forward in life.  It is governed by the water element and affects emotions, which if left unexpressed, can cause fluid retention in the body.

The color which symbolizes this chakra is orange.

Solar Plexus Chakra

The third chakra is positioned just over your stomach under your diaphragm.  It has two openings, front and back.   It filters energy into your vital organs – pancreas, spleen, stomach, small intestine, gall bladder and liver.  This chakra has to do with emotional power, self-acceptance and personal will.   For this chakra to be functioning fully, you must cultivate an attitude of worthiness – to know that you are worthy simply because you exist.    As your mental attitudes are also connected to your emotions, this chakra is directly related to your self-esteem and how you take care of yourself .  

An imbalance in this chakra is common, and often relates to a person’s loss of the sense of power within themselves.  Connection with personal power and innate wisdom shuts down and feelings of fear, anger and sadness develop.  To protect from uncomfortable feelings in the solar plexus area, individuals often breathe in a shallow manner, keeping life and breath from animating the feelings that reside there.  Breathing fully into your abdomen can reverse this process, helping you to connect more deeply with your body and instinctual feelings. 

The Solar Plexus chakra is ruled by the element of fire and the color yellow .

Heart Chakra

The Heart Chakra is the center of the energy system and is located in the center of the chest, opening both front and back.  It is at this chakra that the vibrational frequencies start to become finer, lighter and higher.  This chakra is often considered the hinge between the physical and spiritual.  The first three chakras are very much based in the physical world – physical, mental and emotional, it is at the Heart Chakra where you start to move into the more spiritual realms of your being.

This chakra functions both physically and emotionally to keep your life force alive.  Energetically, the Heart Chakra is composed of the heart protector, which protects the heart from emotional pain and the spiritual heart, thought to be the seat of the Divine within us. 

This chakra is all about love , an unconditional free-flowing energy that acknowledges all people and situations as deserving of love and compassion.  It is about how we relate lovingly towards others – friends, family, fellow human beings, animals and nature – inclusive and universal. 

If you have a strong capacity for loving others and are not judgemental or discriminatory in expressing love and you feel connected with love to everyone and everything, this chakra will flow freely. 

This chakra is associated with the color green, like the color of grass.

Throat Chakra

The fifth chakra is located at the throat, neck and includes the mouth, teeth and jaw and opens both front and back and relates to how you respond and express yourself – not only verbal, but writing and creative arts as well.

The Throat Chakra can become blocked with suppressed feelings, especially fears, revealing unspoken emotions and unexpressed ideas.  When this happens, it prevents energy from rising to the upper centers.  Unblocking this chakra requires a commitment to living truthfully and not blaming others.  This chakra holds the memory of all that went unexpressed and it takes a commitment to inner reflection to begin the process of unblocking this chakra.

This chakra will function well if you live with truth and integrity, if you go out and create what you want rather than rely on others, if you feel fulfillment in your life and if you no longer blame others for your difficulties in life. 

Often, this chakra develops later in a person’s life when you have developed the maturity to know what really matters.  

The Throat Chakra is associated with the sky-blue color.

Brow Chakra or Third Eye

The sixth chakra is located at the point between your eye brows and is often referred to as the third eye.   It also opens both front and back.

This chakra is associated with our ability to see life in a much larger context than just our earthly existence.  This is the center of your innate intelligence.  This center seeks meaning, truth and freedom.  Wisdom, discernment, knowledge and intuition are qualities of this chakra and it is closely linked with the higher mind and enlightenment. 

The Brow Chakra controls the flow of hormones from the pituitary gland and is associated with the color purple.

Crown Chakra

The seventh major chakra is located at the top of the head.  This is the most elevated chakra in the system and vibrates at the highest vibrational frequency of all the chakras.  Like that Base or Root Chakra, the Crown Chakra has only one opening with points up towards the sky. 

The Crown Chakra controls the pineal gland, which is located near the center of the brain between the two hemispheres.  It is believed by some that the pineal gland is the seat of the soul.  This gland secretes a hormone called melatonin and influences our deep inner cycles, such as sleep, happiness and tranquility.

This chakra provides the means to deepen your connection with the Divine Source.  Whether you wish to make this connection conscious, is up to you.  The link is there, you need only acknowledge it, to experience it.  Nothing needs to be done other than to recognize it.  It is through this chakra that allows you to feel loved, guided and protected.   

The chakras are the gateway to all forms of spiritual awareness and healing.  Become aware of your own chakras and where you might be experiencing blocks.  This will give you great insight into areas of your life that need healing.  It is important to remember that all seven chakras are equal in terms of significance and it is necessary for all to be functioning as fully as possible. 

Check out the following link for some powerful meditation exercises for opening the chakras. Chakra Meditations

In Spirit,