llewen-complete-book-chakras_1.md

Summary of Llewen's Complete Book of Chakras: Cynthia Dale - Part 1

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• Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras: Your Definitive Source of Energy Center Knowledge for Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Evolution

Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• SECTION 1. CHAKRA FUNDAMENTALS AND BASIC PRACTICES
• 01. YOUR SPINNING WHEELS OF LIGHT
• 02. WHAT IS KUNDALINI?
• 03. HINDU CHAKRAS: THE BASIC SEVEN
• 04. THE FIRST HINDU CHAKRA: MULADHARA
• 05. THE SECOND HINDU CHAKRA: SVADHISTHANA
• 06. THE THIRD HINDU CHAKRA: MANIPURA
• 07. THE FOURTH HINDU CHAKRA: ANAHATA
• 08. THE FIFTH HINDU CHAKRA: VISHUDDHA
• 09. THE SIXTH HINDU CHAKRA: AJÑA
  • HISTORY OF THE THIRD EYE: THE GIFT OF CLAIRVOYANCE
• 10. THE SEVENTH HINDU CHAKRA: SAHASRARA
  • THE PINEAL GLAND: SAHASRARA’S ENDOCRINE GLAND
• 11. THE BENEFITS OF CHAKRA MEDICINE
• 12. CHAKRA MEDICINE METHODS: PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS
• 13. CHAKRA MEDICINE METHODS II: HEALING
• 14. CHAKRA MEDICINE PRACTICES: EASTERN METHODS
• 15. CHAKRA TECHNIQUES

INTRODUCTION

Chakras: energy centers in the human body, looked like wheels of light, intertwined with physical and emotional capacities, studied by various cultures for thousands of years, manage all levels of existence, linked to body's electrical system and subtler categories of vibration.

Chakra Medicine: term for the sum total of knowledge about chakras and their practices, key to health, happiness, and prosperity.

What is a Chakra?

• Energy centers in the body
• Look like wheels of light
• Manage all aspects of life
• Intertwined with physical and emotional capacities
• Studied by various cultures for thousands of years

History of Chakras:

• Ancient Hindu ideas about energy
• Spanning civilizations and eras

Nature of Energy:

• Essentially energy centers
• Understanding physics of energy
• Kundalini energy: force that awakens chakras and paves way to enlightenment

Part 1: Fundamentals of Chakras

• Overview of chakra function (physical and psychological)
• Sanskrit names, purpose, color, associated gland, part of body managed by each chakra
• Practical considerations, related diseases, psychological functions
• Symbols, archetypes, intuitive abilities, secondary chakras

Part 2: The Hindu System

• Examining seven in-body chakras from base to top of head
• Function physically and psychologically
• Adding layers of knowledge for a fuller picture

Part 3: Fundamentals of Chakra Medicine

• Practices for working with chakras for greater health and well-being
• Assisting in various ways, locating and clearing/balancing chakras
• Western and Eastern approaches

Part 4: Historical, Scientific, and Cross-Cultural Understandings

• Review of history of chakra concepts
• Vedic, tantric, yogic chakra legends
• Physical and subtle energy, scientific explanation of kundalini

Part 5: The Science of Subtle Energy

• Primer on physical and subtle energy
• Classical and quantum physics about nature of energy
• Chakras within larger energetic anatomy

Part 6-8: Around the world tour of chakra systems in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Americas, modern Western chakra systems.

Part 9: Chakras Et Cetera

• Relationship between chakras and earth, animals, skies
• Recent and unusual chakras
• Coverage of unique and contemporary chakra concepts and systems.

SECTION 1. CHAKRA FUNDAMENTALS AND BASIC PRACTICES

• Chakras are metaphysical energy centers that organize subtle energy for human use
• Three main systems of subtle energy in the body: chakras, meridians/nadis, and auric fields
• Chakras convert physical energy into subtle energy and vice versa
• Seven main chakras regulate vital physical, psychological, and spiritual concerns
• Each chakra assists in embracing physical needs while attaining wisdom for enlightenment
• Section 1 is a pocket guide to understanding all aspects of chakras

Chapter 1: Understanding Chakras

• Chakras are non-physical, subtle energy centers
• Subtle energy runs at vibrations outside the physical world
• Chakras interact with meridians/nadis and auric fields
• Three main systems form our subtle energetic anatomy
• Differences between physical, subtle, and other types of energies
• Seven main chakras share similar qualities: regulate vital physical, psychological, and spiritual concerns
• Each chakra assists in embracing physical needs while attaining wisdom for enlightenment
• Brief history and science of the chakras
• Hindu beliefs about chakras
• Chakra attributes: structure, spin, etc.

Chapter 2: Kundalini Energy

• Kundalini is a type of subtle energy that enables us to fully activate and use chakras' powers
• Draws heavily from ancient Hindu understanding of chakras and their operation
• Basic discussion of kundalini energy
• More in-depth exploration in Section 2.

01. YOUR SPINNING WHEELS OF LIGHT

Chakras: system of subtle energy transformers within the human body, influencing both psychic and physical energy

• Ancient belief in multiple energy bodies, recognized by various cultures
• Defined as energy transformers operating within the subtle energetic anatomy
• Seven basic in-body chakras agreed upon by most systems

Background Information:

• Brief history of the chakra system: acknowledgment in East Indian culture, but also present in other cultures
• Use of subtle energy across cultures: trust in spiritual senses and understanding of human body, mind, and soul
• East Indian energy concepts: chakras as a network of systems that compose our subtle energetic anatomy

Understanding Chakras:

• Explanation of chakras: energy transformers within the body, influencing both subtle (psychic) and physical energy
• Science of the chakras: vital part of us that can be discussed intelligently
• Meridians and energetic fields: framework for understanding the chakra system

Chakra Factors:

• Elements: associated with each chakra, representing various aspects of nature
• Colors: symbolic representation of each chakra's energy
• Locations: position within the body
• Tones: specific sound frequencies related to each chakra

Goals:

• Understand reality more deeply
• Transform reality powerfully
• Become a more complete version of oneself

Implications:

• Chakras prove we are more than just physical beings.

WHAT IS A CHAKRA?

Chakras

• Energy organs managing physical, psychological, and spiritual energies
• Seven-chakra system, originated from Hinduism
• Locations and conclusions drawn into chakra systems
• Made of energy, have important jobs, work together like cogs in a machine
• Swirling vortexes of light, not physical organs
• Each manages specific area of body, emotions, mental concerns, intuitive gifts, spiritual identity
• Can be pictured as lotus flowers with varying number of petals (vortexes)
• Major chakras have 7 vortexes each, emanating from front and back sides of spine
• Each has a name, bodily location, purpose, color, endocrine gland association, etc.
• Anchored in physical body, perform highly physical functions
• Draw on special energy called kundalini for health and spiritual transformation

CHAKRA STRUCTURE

• Seven chakras with seven bands of colors and sounds
• Each occupies its own horizontal band of vibrating energy
• Manage whatever comes their way that matches their energy band

Chakra Substructures

• Located along the vertical axis of the body
• Extend outward to the front and back
• Have inner and outer wheels
• Lower chakras are more material, higher ones are more spiritual

Chakras and Brain Hemispheres

• Left side receives energy and is feminine
• Right side transmits energy and is masculine
• Energy flows into left side, processed in chakras, projected from right side

Chakra Function

• Each chakra has a left and right side, yin and yang
• Energy enters through left side, pours out through right in a circular motion
• Number of hubs or petals varies based on energetic frequency

Chakras and Spine

• Front and back sides serve different functions
• Back side receives energy, filters depending on soul issues
• Front sides help create reality and share information with the world

Additional Chakra Aspects

• May have inner and outer spheres or circles
• Inner wheel programs essential spirit during conception, holds keys to dharma
• Outer wheel programs during conception, assists adaptation to family system and culture, holds self-destructive beliefs.

WHAT DOES THE SPIN OF A HEALTHY CHAKRA LOOK LIKE?

Chakra Spin

• Complex interaction enabling conversion of energy
• Healthy chakra:
  • clockwise when taking in energy
  • counterclockwise when releasing it (not always the case)
• Disturbed chakra:
  • spin disturbed
  • appears weak
  • misshapen or too open
• Clockwise spinning chakra can take in unhealthy energy
• Counterclockwise spin necessary for releasing energy and emotions
• Chakras may shift direction at certain times (e.g., menstruation, grief)
• Assessing chakra spin: only outer wheel can be assessed, inner wheel can only be accessed in deep meditation
• Inner wheel flows with higher needs, corrects distorted external wheel spin
• Some individuals have counterclockwise chakras (shamanic and mystical people)
• Understanding energy and chakra interaction essential for comprehending chakras fully.

THE THREE MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE CHAKRAS

• Physical Processing:

  • Located in the body, managing a certain part and related to physical senses
  • Described by colors and sounds
  • Interact with nerves and endocrine glands

• Psychological Processing:

  • Involved in beliefs and feelings
  • Create psychological constructs affecting well-being

• Spiritual Processing:

  • Contributes to spiritual development and consciousness
  • Serves as a channel for specific psychic abilities

Additional Information about Chakras:

• Memory Banks:

  • Record and hold information related to the three roles
  • Remember conclusions drawn and reactions of others
  • Function from conception

• Energy Transformers:

  • Exchange and transform subtle and physical energy
  • Hold key to physical and spiritual changes
  • Change subtle energy into physical energy and vice versa

1. CHAKRAS PROCESS PHYSICALLY

• Chakras have physical locations inside or atop the body, even though their vibrational frequencies can't be proven with modern technology
• Every chakra functions on a different vibratory plane and interacts with a particular level or layer of the body
• Often described as a rainbow bridge due to their progression through the seven colors of the rainbow
• Each chakra is linked to a major nerve plexus, endocrine gland, and regulates core physical, psychological, and spiritual functions
• Chakras are ultrasensitive and manage physical concerns by monitoring specific body parts, organs, and tissues within their vibratory band
• Each chakra is associated with a primal element and vertebral region or spinal nerve plexus
• Chakras hold memory of past traumas or events that can be triggered to respond in some way.

First Chakra:

• Located in the hips, through the coccygeal plexus and adrenal glands
• CEO of hips, coccygeal vertebrae, anus, bladder, rectum, and adjacent body parts
• Regulates safety, security, and physicality
• Ultrasensitivity makes it effective at managing physical concerns related to these areas.

Example: A client with unexplained hip pain was unable to recall any injuries or causes. Through chakra healing, the practitioner discovered that the client had been injured as a child but had forgotten the incident. The memory and associated pain were released, resulting in the pain disappearing.

2. CHAKRAS PROCESS PSYCHOLOGICALLY

• Chakras manage specific sets of beliefs and related emotions

First chakra: deals with safety and security, emotions include feelings of love, worth, rejection, etc.

Fourth chakra: holds beliefs about love and corresponding feelings such as attraction, compassion, gratitude.

• Dysfunctional beliefs or ignored feelings can inhibit chakra function, leading to psychological issues and physical health problems.
• Chakras are activated in sequence during development, "locking in" conclusions about the environment.
• Negative beliefs and emotions can be released through chakra healing and clearing.
• Close connection between emotions, chakras, and physical body: example of a woman with coccygeal pain and mother's fall during pregnancy.
• Woman's unconscious guilt for causing her mother's problems led to carrying her mother's pain.
• After addressing feelings about mother's death and guilt, the pain disappeared.

3. CHAKRAS PROCESS SPIRITUALLY

• Chakras are a part of the spiritual journey towards enlightenment

Spiritual Truth and Guidance:

• Each chakra is a step towards enlightenment
• Achieving enlightenment requires effort and resilience
• The chakra system offers spiritual guidance and inspiration

Chakra Gifts:

• Innate psychic abilities or gifts within each chakra
• Physical, emotional, and mental empathy
• Healing
• Intuitive abilities

Impact of Life Events on Chakras:

• Damage to natural psychic abilities can occur due to physical or psychological events
• Negative effects: closing down access to empathy, hypervigilance, anxiety, absorbing others' issues
• Positive effects: opening up too much, becoming overly sensitive

Example with Third Chakra:

• John's story: anxiety and oversensitivity to others' fears
• Psychic data about others picked up through third chakra
• Overloading system with others' mental activity causes anxiety
• Techniques used to help close down the third chakra and reduce sensitivity to others' fears

Chakra Medicine:

• Can affect us in unusual ways
• Techniques used for clearing and healing chakras.

DEEPER INTO CHAKRAS AND ENERGY

Chakras:

• Energy experts and spiritual centers
• Interact with various types of energy:
  • subtle (psychic)
  • physical (sensory)
  • causal, etc.
• Operate on multiple dimensions of reality
• Help convert higher-dimensional energies into hormonal, biological, and cellular energy
• Part of the energetic anatomy, along with meridians/nadis and energetic fields
• Important control centers in subtle energy landscape

Properties of Chakras:

• Interact with nervous system and endocrine glands
• Involved in electromagnetic functions and biochemistry
• Express as oscillating fields of light, operating on different colored bands of frequencies (rainbow colors)
• Associated with sounds or "seed tones" in various traditions

Types of Energy:

• Subtle or psychic energy: fast-moving energy processed by chakras
• Physical or sensory energy: slow-moving energy
• Causal energy: serves as a blueprint for subtle and physical energy
• Other dimensions: 10 dimensions, each with unique properties (length, width, depth, time, possible futures, universes)

Energetic Anatomy:

• Chakras: energy experts and spiritual centers
• Meridians/nadis: energy channels that transport energy
• Energetic fields: emanate and receive energy, including auric fields

SANSKRIT: ANCIENT LANGUAGE OF BEAUTY, COMPLEXITY, AND POWER

Sanskrit: ancient language associated with India, considered the oldest written language

• Meaning: "refined" or "purified"
• Opposite of prakita: "natural" or "vulgar"
• Called the language of the gods
• Contains 50 letters (consonants, vowels, semivowels)
• Each letter has a particular vibration and corresponds to an aspect of the Absolute
• Used to create myriad possibilities with sounds and combinations
• Alphabet called devanagari: "cities of the gods"
• Forms basis of mantras: word formulas made by combining sound vibrations
• Sanskrit believed to create concepts within which we live and express ourselves

Sanskrit Alphabet:

• Fifty letters: consonants, vowels, semivowels
• Each letter corresponds to a particular god that manifests as that sound
• Letters arranged according to the way they are pronounced in the mouth

Important Characteristics of Sanskrit:

• Perfect language for spirituality
• Sounds create concepts within which we live and express ourselves
• Mantras: word formulas made by combining sound vibrations
• Invites a change in the natural realm
• Nonlocal: unbound within time and space, explains chakras' ability to transcend time and space
• Chakras keep our feet on the ground and heads in the stars
• Interconnectivity explained by quantum physics
• Ultimate implication of nonlocality: everyone and everything is inseparable.

A THUMBNAIL HISTORY OF THE CHAKRAS

• Chakras are an ancient concept from Sanskrit language, meaning "spinning wheel" or "disk"
• Originates from Vedic texts, around 1500-500 BCE
• Associated with tantra and yoga practices
• Concepts of celestial order, movement, and balance
• Seven main chakras in the body, but numbers vary between different traditions
• Originated from Hinduism, but also present in other cultures (Kabbalah, Incan tradition, etc.)
• Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) popularized the belief of seven main chakras in the early 1900s
• No standard system of chakras; each school and teacher may have their own interpretation
• Each chakra contributes vital functions to body, mind, and soul
• Subtle systems rely on subtle energy, explored in detail in Hinduism.

SUBTLE ENERGY ACROSS TIME

• Subtle energy is a vital force described in various cultures throughout history with different names:
  • chi (TCM, Japan)
  • ki (Japan)
  • prana (East Indian spiritualities)
  • reiki
  • olodumare
  • vital force
  • mana
  • orgone
  • Odic force
  • élan vital
  • innate intelligence
  • vis medicatrix naturae
  • kundalini.
• Orgone energy, as proposed by Wilhelm Reich, is a massless but ever-present substance that coalesces to form matter on all levels and is the fundamental creative force of nature.
• Deficits or constrictions of orgone energy can lead to diseases and life imbalances, while robust orgone energy promotes good health and well-being.
• Subtle energies are used in various healing systems:
  • Eastern practices:
    • TCM
    • shiatsu
    • ayurveda
    • kahuna
    • reflexology
    • qigong
    • t'ai chi
  • Western practices
    • homeopathy
    • chiropractic care
    • massage
    • Healing Touch Program
    • Therapeutic Touch
    • Energetic Freedom Technique
• Subtle energy produces physical change through measurable and immeasurable energetic fields called the biofield.
• The biofield is a complex electromagnetic field within and around the body, consisting of both measurable and immeasurable subtle energy.
• Measurable parts of the biofield can be assessed using devices like ECG, EEG, and SQUID.
• Subtle energy practitioners alter the biofield to shift energetic anatomy, including chakras, and restore health in the biofield, which can heal the body.

BASIC ENERGIES IN THE HINDU UNIVERSE

Hindu Elements and Vital Breaths

Ancient Hindu subtle energy system based on Prana

Hindu Elements (Panchabhuta or Bhuttas)

• Five major elements in the universe
• Each chakra manages one element, also called tattvas or qualities
• Associated with deities

Five Elements and Their Qualities

1. Earth (Prithvi or Prithivi)
   • Heaviest element
   • Solid and dense
   • Eternal within the atom, perishable in the body
   • Sweet taste
   • Located at the feet
2. Water (Jal or Apas)
   • Bestows coolness, fluidity, and smoothness
   • Eternal in atomic structure, perishable in rivers, etc.
   • Contracting force, flows downward
   • Astringent taste
   • Related to the knees
3. Air (Vayu)
   • Light yet tangible
   • Linked with action and movement
   • True and eternal, but perishable in breath
   • Motion, travels at acute angles
   • Acidic taste
   • Found in the navel
4. Fire (Agni or Tejas)
   • Generates heat
   • Eternal and perishable forms
   • Expansive force, flows upward
   • Pungent taste
   • Located at the shoulders
5. Ether (Panchabhuta)
   • Carrier of sound
   • Always eternal, pervasive, nature of Brahman
   • No physical association, can do what other elements can accomplish without location or taste

Vital Breaths

• Each chakra related to a vital breath
• Ten vital breaths, all aspects of our physical self and divinity
• Guru Gorakshanath's commentary on the ten vital breaths

Ten Vital Breaths

1. Prana: Air of breathing
   • Most important air
   • Lies in the heart, also found in other places
   • Controlled through pranayama
2. Apana: Air of rectum
   • Helps release excrement and urine
   • Found in the rectum, male organ, thighs, etc.
3. Samana: Air of digestion
   • Found in the navel
   • Intestinal fire also resides in the limbs
4. Udana: Air in the throat
   • Serves speech
   • Active in the hands and feet
5. Vyana: Air that circulates through the body
   • Operates in the ears, lips, etc.
6. Naga: Air of erection
7. Kurma: Air of blinking
8. Krkara: Air of sneezing
9. Devadatta: Air of yawning
10. Dhananjaya: Air pervading the entire body that lasts beyond death

• Apana and prana unite at the navel, drawing each other through the body
• Navel is the center of the body for a yogi

EXERCISE: THE TWO VITAL AIRS

• Guru Gorakshanath's instruction for expelling and inhaling jiva (soul)
  • Exhale: Pronounce "ha" to help apana expel prana
  • Inhale: Pronounce "sa" to let prana drive down apana
• Combine sounds to pronounce "hamsa" (ajapa gayatri)
  • Encourages immense power
• Repeat phrases continually for a powerful effect
  • 21,600 times according to a yogi

A SNAPSHOT OF THE CHAKRAS

Chakra Snapshot

• Seven main Hindu chakras with their qualities and properties
• Location, endocrine gland, color, Hindu syllable or sound, physical functions, psychological functions, and spiritual functions

First Chakra: Muladhara

• Location: Hips
• Endocrine Gland: Adrenals
• Color: Red
• Physical Functions: Earth element, hip area, elimination, genital system, coccygeal vertebrae, life energy, smell and nose in Hindu system
• Psychological Functions: Safety and security, worthiness to exist, primal issues and feelings
• Spiritual Functions: Self-identity, psychometry, sensing others' bodily sensations

Second Chakra: Svadhisthana

• Location: Abdomen
• Endocrine Gland: Ovaries or testes
• Color: Orange
• Physical Functions: Water element, sexual organs, upper intestines, abdominal area, sacral plexus, taste and tongue
• Psychological Functions: Emotional health and creativity
• Spiritual Functions: Relationship with emotions and intuitive senses based on feelings

Third Chakra: Manipura

• Location: Solar plexus
• Endocrine Gland: Pancreas
• Color: Yellow
• Physical Functions: Fire element, digestive system, skin, diaphragm, small intestines, sight and eyes, Hindu associations with smell and nose
• Psychological Functions: Personal power, mental activity, self-esteem, willpower
• Spiritual Functions: Intuitive powers related to knowledge and mental activity, control of physiology

Fourth Chakra: Anahata

• Location: Heart
• Endocrine Gland: Heart
• Color: Green
• Physical Functions: Air element, heart, circulatory system, blood, lungs, breasts, thymus, shoulders, cardiac plexus, touch and skin in Hindu system
• Psychological Functions: Love, relationships, ability to relate and bond with others and the Divine
• Spiritual Functions: Ability to attain highest forms of love and service toward others, intuitive gifts related to control of air

Fifth Chakra: Vishuddha

• Location: Throat
• Endocrine Gland: Thyroid
• Color: Blue
• Physical Functions: Akasha or ether element, neck, ears, jaws, teeth, trachea, vocal cords, laryngeal and carotid plexuses, Hindu links to hearing and ears
• Psychological Functions: Communication and expression, faith, decision making, sharing of one's own truth
• Spiritual Functions: Decision to face karma or not, learning how to free the self from the world, intuitive gifts related to speaking and hearing as well as knowledge about past, present, and future

Sixth Chakra: Ajña

• Location: Forehead
• Endocrine Gland: Pituitary
• Color: Purple
• Physical Functions: Element of light, brain, eyes, neurological system, sinuses, medulla plexus, no specific Hindu sense associations
• Psychological Functions: Self-perception and self-awareness, vision and perception, mind and higher perceptions of reality, ability to break old patterns
• Spiritual Functions: Transformation of individual consciousness to transcendence, intuitive gifts include those related to psychic sight, higher vision, and higher mind functions

Seventh Chakra: Sahasrara

• Location: Top of the head
• Endocrine Gland: Pineal
• Color: White
• Physical Functions: Not linked with an element, skull, brain, cranium, central nervous system, cranial plexus, beyond physical senses and body in Hindu system
• Psychological Functions: Emotional

02. WHAT IS KUNDALINI?

Kundalini

• Energy that activates chakras and enables spiritual maturation
• Mythologized in Hindu religion as the red serpent or rainbow serpent
• Fuels our chakras, ensures good health, holds key to enlightenment
• Sanskrit meaning: "life energy" (feminine)
  • Coiled energy beginning in a little pot of earth
  • Bestowed perpetual consciousness when awakened by the Bestower
• Worldwide phenomenon with various names and representations
  • Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent, in Central and South America
  • Depicted as a snake swallowing its own tail (ouroboros)
• Hindu literature portrays it as a red or rainbow-colored serpent or snake.

THE RAINBOW SERPENT: CLIMBING THE CHAKRA LADDER

• Kundalini: A dormant life energy represented as a serpent coiled at the base of the first chakra in Hindu belief.
• Symbolism: Kundalini is feminine, red, and lies at the muladhara chakra. It awakens when summoned and travels through nadis to activate seven chakras.
• Goal: To reach the seventh chakra (crown of the head) for enlightenment (samadhi), merging feminine and masculine energies.
• Associations: Celestial beings, goddess Shakti (female energy, fire), and her male consort Shiva (male energy).
• Nadis: Energy channels transporting kundalini throughout the body; 72,000 nadis in some traditions.
• Three Main Nadis: sushumna (central channel), ida (feminine, left nostril), and pingala (masculine, right nostril).
• Challenges: Kundalini must pass through three energetic locks (granthis) guarding the first, fourth, and sixth chakras.
• Granthis: Guardians of chakras that challenge kundalini's rising; ask us to examine security, love, and self-image issues.
• Benefits and Challenges: Transformative process leads to self-realization but also involves dealing with material world attachments and personal issues.
• Three Locks: Brahma (childhood abuse, financial challenges, addictions), Vishnu (lovability, relationship needs, heart conditions), Rudra (appearance, self-worth, body image).

THE SHEATHS OF ENLIGHTENMENT

• The five koshas (sheaths) are veils that separate us from our true divine selves, described in the Upanishads

Annamaya Kosha:

• Contains teachings related to having a physical body
• Achieve physical balance by caring for and respecting physical needs

Pranamaya Kosha:

• Energy or life-force body, part of the subtle body
• Embrace it by deepening breath and attuning it with the physical body

Manomaya Kosha:

• Mental body related to our nervous system
• Calm and soothe it to unify mind and body

Vijanamaya Kosha:

• Wisdom body reflecting consciousness
• Comes alive when first three koshas are unified

Anandamaya Kosha:

• Bliss body, awakened when we experience the beauty of every moment

• Kundalini rises through nadis to stir chakras, forming basis for enlightenment
• Process involves ups and downs but is a love story of Shiva and Shakti (male and female aspects)
• Koshas act as lesson plans guiding spiritual maturation.

THE LOVE STORY OF THE CHAKRAS: SHIVA AND SHAKTI

A Tantric Perspective

• Shiva and Shakti are the divine masculine and feminine in tantric philosophy
• They represent consciousness (Shiva) and manifested reality (Shakti)
• Their love story is an allegory for the rise of kundalini

Shiva and Shakti: The Unified Consciousness

• Shiva and Shakti are one, embodied in human beings as chakras
• They exist in tat, or eternal consciousness
• Everything in physical reality comes from the bindu, or point
• When unmanifested, bindu is the home of Shakti and Shiva

The Separation: From Unity to Duality

• In order to create physical reality, Shiva and Shakti separated
• Our Shiva selves remained in the divine realm, our Shakti selves became form
• Kundalini activation is a means of reconnecting with our divine selves

The Process of Union: Maya and Prakasha

• Downward movement (maya): awakening of dormant power
• Upward movement (prakasha): enlightenment or kundalini rising through chakras
• Encouraging union through chanting "aum" or "om"

Understanding Kundalini: Importance and Challenges

• Kundalini awakening is essential for self-development
• Understanding the process of union helps comprehend kundalini's effects and importance.

THE BENEFITS—AND CHALLENGES—OF A KUNDALINI AWAKENING

Kundalini Awakening

• Activation of powerful kundalini energy
• Stimulates unhealed issues in chakras
• Reconfiguration of cells (like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly)
• Old cells attack new "imaginal cells"
• Goal: replace old issues and harmful energies with new programs

Challenges during Kundalini Awakening

• Unresolved issues in chakras vibrate
• Reexperience of original traumas, emotions, desires, misperceptions
• Difficulty releasing old patterns
• Repression can lead to retraumatization or physical illness
• Kundalini energy may get stuck at a chakra or granthi
• Kundalini syndrome: physical, psychological, spiritual emergency

Symptoms of Kundalini Syndrome

• Shaking and other physical movements
• Physical trauma and illness
• Panic attacks
• Psychological upheaval
• Uncomfortable or disturbing psychic phenomena
• Fear-based reactions to symptoms

Differences in Kundalini Risings

• Causes: trauma, spiritual devotion, transmission, natural process
• Uneven progression through chakras
• Some experience no negative side effects

Kundalini Graduate

• Physically energized and able to direct life energy
• Peacefully energized emotional state
• Clear and clean mind
• Fluid feelings with soft smile
• Bond with all beings while maintaining boundaries
• Link with the Divine

Benefits of Kundalini Awakening

• Physical health, mental clarity, emotional maturity, spiritual purity
• Passes through three granthis and breaks through koshas
• Healing process

Kundalini as a Healer

• Symbol of healing: the caduceus
• Slow and arduous or quick and easy journey
• Clears chakras to become true self
• Serpent kundalini is both fearful and healing
• Passes through three granthis and several nadis
• Enlightening ideas represented by koshas
• Benefits outweigh consequences

THE HINDU CHAKRA SYSTEM

• Chakras are energy centers with distinct characteristics and interactions

Hindu Chakra System:

• Seven primary chakras in the body
• Narrowing focus to understand commonality
• Sources from earliest Hindu scripture
• Many interpretations, variations exist
• Emphasis on consistent and favorite systems

Characteristics of Hindu Chakra System:

• Limited scope: seven primary chakras in body
• Numerous interpretations and variations
• Associated descriptors: auras, elements, planets, sounds
• Archetypes and development stages

Early Hindu Writings on Chakras:

• No bells and whistles (auras, etc.) mentioned
• Descriptions have evolved over centuries

Exploring the Seven Primary Chakras:

• Emphasis on ancient scripture and favorite systems
• Caveats: interpretations, variations, associated descriptors, archetypes, development stages.

03. HINDU CHAKRAS: THE BASIC SEVEN

Hindu Chakras: The Basic Seven+

• Seven-chakra system is the cornerstone of contemporary chakra knowledge and most widely accepted in the world.
• This system represents the universal story of the subtle self within Hindu tradition.
• Thousands of metaphysicians, scholars, practitioners, and scientists have explored its principles.
• Contains themes applicable to every area of our lives and every life on the planet.
• Our memories, interactions, and future are connected to our chakras.
• Seven chakras hold all our experiences, shaping our unique self and bonding us with humanity and the universe.

Section Overview:

• Presentation of various perspectives on each of the seven basic Hindu chakras.
• Esoteric and straightforward perspectives covered.
• Foundation for understanding the following seven chapters, one for each chakra.
• Emphasis on developmental stages, psychological aspects, innate psychic abilities, kundalini-cultivated siddhis, elements, lokas, and emotional challenges related to chakra activation.

Seven Basic Hindu Chakras:

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara):
   • Associated with survival instincts and sense of smell.
   • Developmental stage: Infancy and childhood.
   • Psychological aspects: Security, stability, and grounding.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to the earth and primal energies.
   • Emotional challenges: Fear, insecurity, and survival issues.
2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhishthana):
   • Associated with sense of taste and creativity.
   • Developmental stage: Childhood and adolescence.
   • Psychological aspects: Emotional balance, pleasure, and relationships.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to emotions and sexuality.
   • Emotional challenges: Guilt, shame, and emotional instability.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura):
   • Associated with sense of sight and personal power.
   • Developmental stage: Adolescence and young adulthood.
   • Psychological aspects: Self-esteem, willpower, and identity.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to the intellect and intuition.
   • Emotional challenges: Anger, control issues, and power struggles.
4. Heart Chakra (Anahata):
   • Associated with sense of touch and love.
   • Developmental stage: Middle adulthood.
   • Psychological aspects: Love, compassion, and emotional connection.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to the heart and emotions.
   • Emotional challenges: Grief, loss, and emotional blockages.
5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha):
   • Associated with sense of hearing and communication.
   • Developmental stage: Late adulthood.
   • Psychological aspects: Truth, self-expression, and creativity.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to sound and vibration.
   • Emotional challenges: Deception, dishonesty, and communication issues.
6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna):
   • Associated with sense of intuition and inner vision.
   • Developmental stage: Old age.
   • Psychological aspects: Intuition, perception, and wisdom.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to the mind and higher consciousness.
   • Emotional challenges: Illusion, confusion, and spiritual disconnection.
7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara):
   • Associated with no physical sense organ.
   • Developmental stage: Enlightenment.
   • Psychological aspects: Connection to the divine and transcendence.
   • Innate psychic abilities: Connection to the universe and cosmic consciousness

WHAT’S IN A CHAKRA?

Chakras

• Regulate life areas through physical, subtle, and other energies
• Hindu system recognizes various types of chakra energies
• Energy includes vibration of Sanskrit name, archetype, gland, etc.

Common Chakra Characteristics

• Sanskrit Name and Meaning: unique name with specific significance
• Location: related to spine, nerve plexus, organs, etc.
• Purpose: major activities
• Color: vibrational frequency
• Activation: general time of activation
• Associated Gland: endocrine gland and functions
• Body Parts Managed: physical structures or functions
• Predominant Sense and Sense Organ: associated sense and organ
• Action Organ: generates principal physical activity
• Vital Breath: type of breath managed, if applicable
• Related Diseases: common afflictions
• Psychological Functions: emotional and mental functions
• Associated Archetypes: universal templates
• Personality Profile: traits associated with the chakra
• Chakra Deficiencies: energy deficiency symptoms
• Chakra Excesses: excessive energy symptoms
• Balanced Chakra: balanced state benefits
• Symbols/Yantras: symbols and geometric designs for meditation

Component Parts

• Element: associated element, colors, sounds, lotus petals
• Gross Element: material elements
• Subtle Element: essence of sense perception
• Color of the Element: color of gross element
• Sound of the Element: seed sound or bija mantra
• Attribute: quality provided and its opposite
• Sound Carrier: animal or mythical entity carrying the seed sound
• Petals: number, sounds, letters, deities, meanings
• Cosmic Realm or Plane: cosmic plane associated with the chakra
• Ruling Goddess: Hindu goddess supervising the chakra
• Ruling God: Hindu god overseeing the chakra
• Ruling Planet: Western tradition assignment of planets to chakras
• Granthi: energetic knots and their relationship with lingams
• Intuitive Abilities: related siddhi and contemporary psychic gifts
• Related Auric Field and Its Functions: associated auric layer

THE HINDU COSMOS

Hindu Cosmos:

• The Hindu cosmos consists of three worlds: heaven, earth, and the netherworld
• Divided into fourteen lokas or worlds
• Two groups: upper-world lokas (vyahrtis) and lower-world lokas (patalas)

Upper-World Lokas or Vyahrtis:

• Three planes of gods and mortals
• Not created, beyond form
• Traits and rulers:
  • Satya/sahasrara: Abode of Truth, ruled by Lord Brahma
  • Tapa/ajña: Demigods, no heat
  • Janah/vishuddha: Humans, sons of Brahma, region of sound and higher ego
  • Mahar/anahata: Enlightened beings
  • Svar/manipura: Lord Indra, between sun and polar star, hosts 330 million devas
  • Bhur/muladhara: Humans and animals, place of earth

Lower-World Lokas or Patalas:

• Seven planes of demons and nagas (serpents)
• Affiliated with the muladhara chakra
• Traits and rulers:
  • Atala: Bala, son of Maya, intoxicated with sex and addictions
  • Vitala: Hara-Bhava, form of Shiva, residents adorned with gold
  • Sutala: King Bali, pious demon-king, releases people from karmic bondage
  • Talatala: Maya, demon-architect, realm protects Maya
  • Mahatala: Home of nagas, serpents live in peace
  • Rasatala: Home of demons, foes of the gods
  • Patala: Vasuki, region of nagas

Chakra Development and Activation:

• Chakras are fully intact at birth but only blossom under certain conditions
• Some chakras might be fully mature at birth due to past life or in utero circumstances
• Chakras usually activate according to a scheduled time frame related to human developmental milestones
• Understanding chakra development is beneficial for raising and caring for children, as well as adults
• Chakra medicine can help heal emotional components of physical issues by examining memories and linking them to their related chakras before performing chakra work.

A TWELVE-CHAKRA DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM

• First seven chakras and their developmental periods:
  • First chakra: Womb to 6 months
  • Second chakra: 6 months to 2½ years
  • Third chakra: 2½ to 4½ years
  • Fourth chakra: 4½ to 6½ years
  • Fifth chakra: 6½ to 8½ years
  • Sixth chakra: 8½ to 14 years
  • Seventh chakra: 14 to 21 years
• Every seven-year cycle after age 14, the body revisits and invites healing for an issue from one of the lower chakras:
  • Age 14: First chakra
  • Age 15: Second chakra
  • Age 16: Third chakra
  • Age 17: Fourth chakra
  • Age 18: Fifth chakra
  • Age 19: Sixth chakra
  • Age 20: Seventh chakra (completes and recycles)
• Example of revisiting unprocessed emotions:
  • Fifteen-year-old experiencing emotional upheaval and life goal thinking (seventh chakra)
  • Emotional issues equate with the second chakra and age 2 to 2½
  • Divorced parents during early childhood (unprocessed emotions)
  • Healing sessions on feelings about divorced parents led to emotional stabilization.

ANODEA JUDITH’S CHAKRA DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM

• Parents, teachers, and caretakers play a crucial role in assisting children's chakra development.
• Unmet needs from childhood can lead to blocked chakras; healing and therapy can help address these issues in adulthood.

First Chakra: Womb to 1 year

• Promote embodiment through touch, holding, nurturing, and meeting physical needs.
• Establish trust through bonding and consistency.

Second Chakra: 6 to 18 months

• Introduce loving separation and safe exploration of the world.
• Reflect emotions positively.

Third Chakra: 18 months to 3 years

• Encourage self-esteem by supporting autonomy and independence.
• Provide choices and appropriate discipline.

Fourth Chakra: 4 to 7 years

• Model healthy relationships and empathy.
• Explain how relationships work and organize peer get-togethers.

Fifth Chakra: 8 to 12 years

• Support communication and creativity.
• Introduce the child to the greater world.

Sixth Chakra: Adolescence

• Assist in developing self-identity and creating a safe haven for independence with clear boundaries.

Seventh Chakra: Early adulthood and beyond

• Stimulate questions, offer spiritual choices, provide educational opportunities, and let go.

Traditional Hindu System of Chakra Activation

• Each chakra opens every seven years, creating the following system:
  • First 1 through 7 years
  • Second 7 through 14 years
  • Third 14 through 21 years
  • Fourth 21 through 28 years
  • Fifth 28 through 35 years
• Sixth and seventh chakras are sometimes considered unrelated to any given age.

Emotional Challenges of the Chakras

• Emotions appear to track with the order of the chakras, beginning with fear in the first chakra and progressing upward.

1. Fear: Evoked when survival is threatened; can force energy from lower to higher chakras.
2. Guilt: Prevents emotional and sexual bonding.
3. Shame: Deters spontaneity, self-esteem, and personal power.
4. Grief: Dampens love and the light in the heart.
5. Lies: Misinformation that keeps us from relating to the world.
6. Illusion: Inaccurate perception of situations; misses the big picture.
7. Attachment: Holding on to something or someone when it's pointless.

Chakra Powers: Psychic Senses and the Siddhi

• Paranormal powers that ensue with the rise of kundalini are called siddhis.
• Each chakra expresses through a type of psychic sensitivity.
• Psychism is defined as the unbounded passing of subtle information between the chakras and the external world.
• Developing psychic boundaries helps create parameters for chakras' use of psychic energy.
• Through purification and spiritual activities, innate psychic senses evolve into spiritual gifts.

THE ANCIENT HINDU SIDDHI

Ancient Hindu Siddhi

• Emphasis on awakening supernatural powers (siddhi) through chakra development
• Belief that higher human faculties are imprisoned in the body, tapped open by chakras
• Three types of siddhi powers:
  • Power of vision (drik-shakti)
  • Knowledge (jnana-shakti)
  • Action (kriya-shakti)
• Potentially activated during diksha, the transference of power from a guru
• Eight primary siddhis mentioned in Mahabharata:
  • Anima: Atomization
  • Mahima: Immensity
  • Garima: Gravity
  • Laghima: Lightness
  • Prapti: Obtainment
  • Prakamya: Willful movement
  • Ishitva: Dominion
  • Vashitva: Holding of one's power
• Other siddhis discussed by Daniélou:
  • Yatrakamavasayitva: Ability to transform at will
  • Bringing the dead back to life
  • Accessing powers through incantation and enchantment
  • Acting with the speed of thought, without fear, aging, or death
• Ten secondary siddhis mentioned in Bhagavata Purana:
  • Anurmi-Mattva: Undisturbed by anger and other bodily issues
  • Dura-Sravana: Hearing faraway sounds
  • Dura-Darsanam: Seeing faraway things
  • Manah-Java: Moving the body to follow thought
  • Kama-Rupam: Assumption of any form
  • Para-Kaya Pravesanam: Entering others’ bodies
  • Sva-Chanda Mrityuh: Dying when one desires to
  • Devanam Saha Krida Anudarsanam: Witnessing the pastimes of gods or angels
  • Yatha Sankalpa Samsiddhihih: Meeting one’s objectives
  • Ajña Apratihata Gatih: Being obeyed without hindrance
• Five siddhis related to yoga and meditation mentioned in Bhagavata Purana
• More than eight siddhis exist, according to various texts (sixty-eight in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra)
• Riddhis: Powers of achieving prosperity
• Some view siddhis as return or activation of powers already present in the universe and other beings
• Mantra om ashtashiddhipradayai namah invokes the power of the goddess who grants the eight siddhis.

AN OUTLINE OF CONTEMPORARY PSYCHIC ABILITIES

• Modern update of ancient siddhis

• Made possible through activation of chakras

• Aeromancy: Interpreting shapes of clouds

• Afterlife Communication: Connecting with deceased individuals

• Alomancy: Reading patterns of salt

• Astral Projection: Out-of-body travel

  • Lucid dreaming, soul journeying, remote viewing

• Aura Reading: Intuitive perception of auric field

• Automatic Writing: Writing message from outside intelligence

• Bibliomancy: Interpreting random passages in books

• Clairalience: ability to smell non-present items

• Clairaudience: psychic hearing

• Claircognizance: clear knowing

• Clairempathy: sensing others' emotions

• Clairgustance: tasting non-present items

• Clairsentience: sensing others' feelings or senses

• Clairtangency/Clairsensitivity: reading energy through touch or objects

• Clairvoyance: psychic seeing of non-physical realities

• Divination: Use of psychic gifts to obtain answers

• Empathy: Ability to sense others' feelings, illnesses, sensations, knowledge, etc.

• Exorcism: Release of negative entities

• Geomancy: Shifting environment to bring about desired effects (Feng Shui)

• Healing: Creating more wholeness within others

  • Includes faith healing, laying on of hands, etc.

• Horoscopy: Interpretation of astrological horoscopes

• Intuition: Managed use of psychic abilities

• Levitation: Floatation of objects or body above ground

• Mediumship: Serving as conduit for otherworldly beings

• Precognition: Ability to foretell future

• Prophecy: Knowledge of divine will

• Psychometry: Gaining knowledge through touch of objects

• Scrying: Using object to see psychically

• Telekinesis: Ability to move objects without touching them

• Telepathy: Hearing mind-to-mind information

• Transfiguration: Superimposition of face on medium

• Voodoo: Practices from Voodoo religion, including contact with spirits through possession of a medium

• Xenoglossy: Speaking in language not one's own.

PSYCHOLOGY, PERSONALITY, AND THE CHAKRAS

• Chakras and personality: Our strongest chakras align with our spiritual and life purpose

Chakra houses:

• Spiritual mission and chakra use:
  • Fulfillment requires specific psychic or spiritual attributes
  • Access to particular chakras' physical, emotional, and mental attributes

Factors influencing chakra access and use:

• Upbringing
• Past-life issues
• Inherited traits
• Experiences
• Cultural influences
• Psychological programming

• Chakra imbalances:

  • Overstimulation: Domination (character disorders)
    • Example: Child physically abused, responds with personal power and becomes pushy
  • Understimulation: Repression (character disorders)
    • Example: Child shamed for clairvoyance, suppresses visions and struggles with self-image

• Seven Hindu chakras analysis:

  • Major psychological factors influenced
  • Emotional and mental features of each chakra
  • Personality dynamics (gifted individuals)
  • Domination (character disorders from overactive chakras)
  • Repression (character disorders from underactive chakras)

• Chakra exploration:

  • Seven chapters, one for each chakra
  • Base of spine to top: Muladhara to Sahasrara
  • Stages of development and activation
  • Emotional challenges and kundalini movement
  • Psychic powers obtained through chakra development
  • Connection between chakras and psychology/personality
  • Side trip into Hindu cosmology as spiritual context.

04. THE FIRST HINDU CHAKRA: MULADHARA

First Hindu Chakra: Muladhara

• Located at the base of the spine, between the root of the reproductive organs and anus
• Home of sleeping kundalini, responsible for safety, security, survival, and basic needs
• Roots us into ancestry, daily life, and fundamental identity
• Depicted as red, represents innocence and reliance on the Divine
• Seat of human drives and desires, associated with sex and transformation

Location and Anatomy

• Found at base of spine, near sacro-coccygeal nerve plexus
• Near anus in men, back of cervix in women
• Two finger-widths above anus, two finger-widths below genitals, four fingers wide
• Associated with hips, base of spine, or groin area
• Kanda chakra: energy body located just above muladhara, covers its four petals
• Found at junction of sushumna nadi and muladhara
• Filum terminale and cauda equina originate from conus medullaris and linked to first chakra

Qualities and Characteristics

• Rules physical energies and drives for self-preservation
• Primary color: red (Shakti)
• secondary color: black (matter)
• Seat of kundalini, human drives, and desires
• Represents innocence and reliance on the Divine
• Associated with survival, safety, security, and basic needs
• Linked to family-of-origin beliefs and ancestry
• Overcoming enemies or temptations within or outside us
• Blesses us with love of the Divine Mother

Additional Information

• Other names: adhara, brahma, mulakanda, chaturdala, chatuhpatra, mula chakra, mula padma, and bhumi chakra
• Tantric texts refer to it as adhara, brahma padma, bhumichakra, chaturdala, chatuhpatra, mula chakra, and mula padma
• The Puranas use the name adhara
• Kanda chakra: energy body located just above muladhara, covers its four petals
• Filum terminale and cauda equina originate from conus medullaris and linked to first chakra.

Chakra Activation (Muladhara or Root Chakra)

• In Anodea Judith's system: activates in utero to one year
• In twelve-chakra system: awakens in the womb and during the following six months
• Hindu system: activation from years one to seven
• Self-centered and concerned with survival during this age
• Linked with adrenal glands

Adrenal Glands (Endocrine Energy)

• Two small organs atop kidneys
• "Stress glands" that emit hormones in response to stress
• Adrenal cortex: secretes steroidal hormones regulating long-term stress response
• Adrenal medulla: emits adrenaline for immediate stress response
• Important for survival and responding to change or danger
• Can malfunction due to prolonged stimulation, leading to anxiety, insomnia, low/high blood pressure, mental chatter, exhaustion, emotionalism, depression, etc.

Associated Gland and Body Parts

• Muladhara associated with adrenal glands (Illustration 8)
• Manages muscles, bones, hip joints, coccygeal vertebrae, immune system, bladder, rectum, lower extremities, elimination system, large intestine, genitals, prostate, kidneys
• Sense of smell (nose) and elimination (feet)
• Vital breath: apana, associated with exhalation, digestion, menstruation

Related Diseases

• Obesity, eating disorders, hemorrhoids, constipation, sciatica, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, leg/knee/foot problems, arthritis, skin problems, disorders of bones and teeth, bowels, anus, large intestine, base of spine, addictions, sexual dysfunctions, reproductive issues, blood deficiencies.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

• Rules feelings and beliefs related to safety and security
• Processes primal emotions: anger, sadness, fear, disgust, joy, and related survival reactions
• Belief of worthiness determines manifestation of money, love, career, health
• Earliest childhood issues and past life karma impact current happiness
• Responsible for creating prarabdha karma through controlling mind and senses
• Common traumas: abuse, addictions, financial challenges, abandonment, not wanted by parents

Emotional Disturbances

• Lack of safety, security, trust
• Inability to manifest, disconnected from relationships and societal norms
• Depression, anxiety, addictions
• Hurt, resentful, filled with hate and blame towards others

Archetypes

• Positive: Mother - nurturing, fosters growth
• Negative: Victim - potential for being used, can blame others

Personality Profile

• Physically oriented, focused on primary needs and material concerns
• Objective is to make a difference in the everyday world
• Balanced person: strong character, stamina, passionate about bettering tangible world

Deficiencies and Excesses

• Deficiency: spaciness, disconnection, fear, lack of focus, self-destructiveness, unlovable, masochistic tendencies, poor boundaries, financial lack
• Excess: overeating, greed, hoarding, excessive materiality, hypochondria, paranoia, excessive spending, laziness, fear of change, rigid boundaries

Balanced First Chakra

• Enjoys physical ease, security, and prosperity
• Grounded in reality, energetic, reliable, motivated, adventurous, able to manifest needs, calm and present.

Exercise for Grounding and Connecting with Muladhara Chakra (Muldhara or Root Chakra)

• Visualize a "grounding cord" from the top of the head to the earth's center, allowing heavenly energy and white light to enter and cleanse impurities.
• Sense which earth elements your body needs for nourishment and empowerment (water, air, fire, ether, earth, stone, wood, metal, light, star energy).
• Focus on the following promises from Hindu sacred scripture: Manana:
  • Reflect upon what you need to think about in the moment.
  • Determine actions based on newfound awareness. Sankalpa:
  • Set positive resolutions that reflect your true identity. Vikalpa:
  • Release or transform false ideas and doubts.
  • Let go of doubts about lovability, worthiness, and giftedness. Atma Chintana:
  • Be aware of your divine self.
  • Embrace and expand your true self.
• Continue accepting the cleansing flow of white light and earth's support as needed.

MULADHARA SYMBOLS: THE FIRST CHAKRA YANTRA

Muladhara Chakra Yantra

• Yellow square with four red petals and eight spears representing the directions
• Downward-pointing triangle with bija (seed symbol) and images of Brahma, Shakti Dakini, and a white elephant
• Represents dormant kundalini, female and male energies, unconsciousness to cosmic consciousness

Muladhara's Component Parts

• Gross Element: Earth
• Subtle Element: Attraction/smell
• Color: Yellow
• Sound: Lam
• Attribute: Patience and greed
• Sound Carrier: White elephant (airavata) with seven trunks, representing abundance, wisdom, and seven levels of consciousness
• Petals: Four red petals representing the compass points and developmental stages of life
• Cosmic Realm or Plane: Bhu loka, ruled by Dakini, gatekeeper of physical reality
• Ruling Goddesses: Dakini (Shakti of Brahma), Asuri Shakti (destructive influence), and Devi Shakti (uniting power)
• Ruling Gods: Brahma (creator), Ganesha (grants protection), and Lord Shiva (rules animals)
• Ruling Planet: Saturn
• Granthi (Knot): Brahma granthi, representing resistance to change and the illusion of the earth as a prison
• Intuitive Abilities siddhis: Super strength, mastery over earth, control over five senses, darduri siddhi (power to jump like a frog), clairgustance, clairtangency, cleromancy, dowsing, feng shui, psychometry, telekinesis, energetic healing, levitation, morphing, and pyrokinesis
• Subtle Body Partners: First auric layer, located just outside the skin, interpenetrating the skin and extending about an inch and a half around the body.

Exercise: Special Muladhara Mudra (Nasikagra Drishti)

• Access first chakra through this mudra and "knowing your nose"
• Also called Agochari mudra, gesture of invisibility

Performing the Exercise:

1. Sit comfortably with relaxed shoulders and palms on knees
2. Gaze at tip of nose (Nasikagra Drishti)
3. Hold breath during gaze, return to normal if pain
4. Repeat for as long as possible in one sitting
5. Return to practice later without straining eyes
6. Practice for several months for higher consciousness and potential enhanced sense of smell

SECONDARY CHAKRAS

Secondary Chakras (Talas)

• 14 worlds below Muladhara, descending down the leg
• Originally described various levels of existence, now compared to aspects of consciousness
• Seven talas and seven lokas

Talas and their Locations

• Atala
  • Hips
  • Fear and lust
• Vitala
  • Thighs
  • Anger and resentment
• Sutala
  • Knees
  • Jealousy
• Talatala
  • Calves
  • Prolonged confusion and willfulness
• Rasatala
  • Ankles
  • Selfishness and pure animal nature
• Mahatala
  • Feet
  • The dark realm, inner blindness
• Patala
  • Soles of feet
  • Malice, murder, torture, hatred; hell

Muladhara (First Chakra)

• Base of existence
• Awaiting the climb of Kundalini
• Regulates safety, security, and core life functions
• Colored red, hip-centered, linked to adrenals
• Relates to sense of smell and nose, active organ in feet
• Symbols: yellow square with four red petals and eight spears, responds to earth element and sound "lam"
• Holds vital breath of apana, affiliated with elephant
• Goddess: Dakini, God: Brahma, Planet: Saturn
• Related to Mother and Victim archetypes, helps work through greed, gains patience

05. THE SECOND HINDU CHAKRA: SVADHISTHANA

Second Hindu Chakra: Svadhisthana

• Inaugurates us into complex layers of feelings and individuality
• Expands self and reaches out to others
• Flows with the element of water for nourishment in life
• Symbolizes sacred waters of life and love

Name and Meaning

• Sanskrit name: svadhisthana
• Self (sva) dwelling place, seat, or residence (adhisthana)
• The abode of self

Location

• Between coccyx and sacrum, under navel
• Related to upper border of sacrum
• Nerve plexus in pelvic region

Changing Nature

• According to Hindu philosophy, kundalini energy resided in this chakra in earlier epochs
• Current epoch: de-evolving and kundalini resides in muladhara

Purpose

• Rules emotions, creativity, and sensuality

Color

• Orange: sunrise, consciousness, activity, purity, joy, faith, energy

• Second chakra activation: 6 months to 2.5 years in twelve-chakra system, 7-14 years in Hindu system
• Transition from self-absorption to bonding with family and friends
• Associated gland: Gonads (testes for men, ovaries for women)
• Manages sexual organs, pelvis, lower vertebrae, appendix, upper intestines, parts of kidneys and digestive organs
• Sense: Taste, sense organ: Tongue

Second Chakra Endocrine Energy (Men)

• Testes or testicles: Produce sperm and testosterone
• Located in scrotum behind the penis
• Prostate gland: Assists with urine flow control and creating semen
• Shared between first and second chakras, can be affected by emotional repression

Second Chakra Endocrine Energy (Women)

• Ovaries: Produce estrogen and progesterone, store eggs for fertilization
• After menopause, continue producing testosterone and androstenedione

Healthy Gonads and Second Chakra

• Testes produce appropriate testosterone levels
• Emotional stability and personality magnification
• Prevent inflexibility, stiffening, and sexual repression with age

Associations

• Adrenals, testes/ovaries, and kidney meridian line related in Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Vulnerable to excessive stress and sexual abuse

Second Chakra Problems

• Reproductive and urinary system issues
• Menstruation problems
• Sexual dysfunctions
• Chronic lower back pain, sciatica, joint problems
• Loss of sensual pleasure
• Appendicitis, diverticulitis, compulsions (carbohydrate addictions)

PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

Second Chakra (Svadhisthana)

• Initiates and sustains emotional bonds between individuals
• Accesses sensual nature and identity related to sex and emotions
• Struggles with desires, pleasure, and attachment
• Can lead to abusive behavior or shortchanging oneself

Activating Kundalini:

• Illuminates inner shadows and creates self-vigilance
• Three fundamental types of shakti:
  • Prana Shakti (vital force)
  • Dharana Shakti (power of concentration)
  • Chetana Shakti (power of consciousness)

Experience and Archetypes:

• Positive archetype: Emperor/Empress - inner ruler, brings desires to fruition
• Negative archetype: Martyr - uses suffering for control or pity

Personality Profile:

• Feeling-sensitive, emotional heart of the crowd
• Expressive and creative
• Empathic but can neglect own needs
• Balances compassion and mercy with responsibility

Deficiencies and Excesses:

• Deficiency:
  • Rigidity (emotional and physical)
  • Fear of change
  • Lack of social skills, desire, creativity
• Excess:
  • Addictions (sex, romance, shopping, substances)
  • Irresponsibility
  • Emotionalism
  • Invasiveness toward others
  • Seductive manipulation
  • Codependency
  • Obsessive attachments

Balanced Second Chakra:

• Friendliness
• Vitality
• Sensuality
• Ability to feel satisfied
• Compassion
• Sexual expression
• Bondedness

Symbols:

• Silver crescent (moon) within a white circle (water)
• Represents relationship between water and moon, procreation, and emotional fluctuations during the lunar cycle.

SVADHISTHANA’S COMPONENT PARTS

• Major components:
  • Gross Element: Water
  • Subtle Element: Attraction/taste
  • Color: Transparent, white, light blue
  • Sound: Vam
  • Attribute: Purity and attachment
• Symbols:
  • Crocodile (makara) representing emotional availability or deception
  • Six petals with vrittis (mental modifications):
    • Indulgence
    • Absence of empathy
    • Destructiveness
    • Delusion
    • Disdain
    • Suspicion
• Exercise:
  • Left Nostril Breathing to activate water and moon
  • Activates ida nadi, linked to intuition, emotion, creativity
  • Cools and alkalizes the body
  • Enhances abilities in music, gardening, charity, service, marriage, parenting, friendship
• Cosmic Realm: Bhuvar Loka, astral plane
• Ruling Goddesses:
  • Rakini (Chakini Shakti) - two-headed goddess representing the split energy of the second chakra and inspiration of art and music
  • Sarasvati - creator of knowledge as Brahma's daughter and wife, forms his consciousness into knowledge
• Ruling God:
  • Brahma (consciousness or "golden womb")
  • Vishnu (presides over preservation, sits on Garuda representing the five vayus)
• Ruling Planet: Pluto
• No granthi (kundalini lock) associated with svadhisthana.

Exercise to Increase Prana Flow to the Second Chakra

• Shape lips in a circle and push air through as if into a tube (produce "vam" sound)
• Picture the second chakra during this process
• Bija mantra for second chakra increases prana flow and removes insecurities
• Repeat "vam" with seed sounds of six petals: bam, bham, mam, yam, lam, ram
• Clears second chakra and increases overall energy.

Meditation for Clearing the Second Chakra (Svadhisthana)

• Begin with preferred meditation method
• Concentrate on:
  • Moon reflecting off water
  • Absorb feminine and psychic energies, cooling rhythms
  • Feel body fluids finding right flow
  • Connect to Milky Way for spiritual truths
• Visualize crocodile representing sensual qualities and abilities
• Absorb vermillion or orange-red of six lotus petals
• Repeat bija mantra "vam"
• Transform challenges into opportunities for compassion, peace, understanding
• Crocodile offers redemption and transformation
• Brahma opens cosmic door of consciousness
• Rakini appears with ax, mirror, drum, spear
  • Reflects all non-spiritual elements
  • Cleaves lies from soul
  • Restores natural rhythm
  • Sings freedom from lotus-petal vices
• Stare into Rakini's eyes, release fear of death
• Become spiritual warrior, wage kindness toward love
• Increase personal charisma and ability to serve as Brahma's beloved

INTUITIVE ABILITIES

• Masters this chakra are safe from enemies and liberated from ignorance
• Gain psychic powers and control over five senses
• Full knowledge of astral entities and ability to annihilate impurity
• Conquer death

Contemporary Gifts

• Emotionally oriented gifts: clairempathy, claircognizance (clear knowing), clairgustance (clear tasting), clairsentience (clear sensing), and clairtangency (reading energy of objects)

Secondary Auric Layer and Functions

• Located above the first auric field, about 4-5 inches from body's surface
• Read more about it in chapter 21

Svadhisthana Chakra

• Orange chakra for creative and emotional functions
• Linked with sacral vertebrae, testes/ovaries, tongue, and sense of taste
• Activated in childhood, runs vital breath of prana
• Associated with Emperor/Empress and Martyr archetypes
• Symbolized by a silver crescent, white or light-blue element, sound "vam"
• Six petals on lotus, affiliated with crocodile, goddess Rakini, god Brahma, and planet Pluto
• Gain insight into emotions as kundalini enters Manipura Chakra (next)

06. THE THIRD HINDU CHAKRA: MANIPURA

Third Hindu Chakra: Manipura

• Located in solar or gastric plexus, behind the stomach area
• Radiates effect 7 cm above and below navel
• Known as "city of gems" or "navel chakra"

Characteristics and Functions

• Energy center of personal power, mental activity, self-esteem, and willpower
• Incorporates wisdom and intuitive knowledge
• Strong mind-body connection
• Aligns goals with inner brilliance leads to success

Sanskrit Name and Meaning

• Mani: jewel or gem
• Pura: dwelling place
• Translation: "city of gems"

Other Names

• Nabhi: navel
• Tantric names include dashachchada, etc.

Location

• Found in solar plexus or gastric plexus
• Effect radiates above and below navel

Purpose

• Significant role in kundalini's rising
• Prana (vital forces) use manipura as a conjunction point
• Breathing exercises (pranayama) help control pranas

Kundalini Activation

• According to Buddhist theory and some tantric texts, real kundalini activation starts in manipura
• Higher consciousness begins at manipura
• Some practitioners believe it's a fail-safe environment for kundalini rising

Color

• Color is yellow, representing wisdom and intellect

Chakra Activation

• Manipura's activation: 18 months to 3 years (Anodea Judith), 2.5 to 4.5 years (twelve-chakra system), 14 to 21 years (Hindu system)
• Associated with personal power and ego development
• Can lead to selfless service or sorrow

Manipura Chakra

• Manages digestive system, skin, breath, upper abdomen, diaphragm, middle spine, small intestines, parts of kidneys and adrenals (adrenal cortex)
• Associated gland: pancreas

Pancreas

• Located near digestive organs
• Endocrine function: releases hormones into bloodstream (insulin)
• Exocrine function: produces enzymes for digestion
• Link between manipura and pancreas: problems can cause imbalances in each other
• Assess relationship by feeling pulse at navel or experiencing health issues

Sense and Sense Organ

• Manipura's sense: sight
• Sense organ: eyes

Action Organ

• Manipura's action organ: anus

Vital Breath

• Manipura's vital breath: samana, controls digestive fire

Related Diseases

• Digestive system issues
• Diabetes
• Pancreatitis
• Kidney and adrenal imbalance
• Low blood pressure
• Colon diseases
• Stomach ulcers
• Food disorders (anorexia, bulimia)
• Hepatitis
• Heartburn
• Hypoglycemia
• Chronic fatigue
• Muscular disorders
• Leaky gut syndrome caused by bodily toxicity and toxins in bloodstream

EXERCISE: SOUNDING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH YOUR MANIPURA

Manipura is associated with words and responsive to sound

• Exercise: Place thumb on navel, say a word out loud, sense vibration in navel before audible sound
• Vibration rises from navel to larynx
• Use bija mantra "ram" or "om shanti" for manipura clearance and peaceful communication
• Om is the original Divine sound, shanti means peace
• Mantra "om mani padme hum": adoration to master or jeweled city, frees inner tensions, activates manipura.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

Manipura Chakra

• Psychological functions: personal power, sense of value, ability to carry out decisions, development of personal beliefs
• Beliefs formed through thoughts and observations, cemented by inner dialogue
• Blockages: pride, anger, fear, prejudice, victimization, sensitivity to criticism, manipulation, control issues, false sense of grandeur
• Associated archetypes: Warrior (positive), Servant (negative)

Positive Traits (Warrior):

• Unsurpassable source of power for worthy causes
• Makes a difference
• Personal empowerment toward higher service

Negative Traits (Servant):

• Helps others to the exclusion of self
• Seeks recognition or praise
• Can enable personal empowerment when used beneficially

Personality Profile:

• Strong in third chakra energy: thinker, revels in ideas and information, great organizer and administrator, sets up structures for goals
• Spiritual destiny: working mindfully with knowledge to structure information processes

Deficiencies:

• Low self-esteem, low self-confidence
• Contracted energy, unhappiness with life situation
• Easily manipulated
• Poor self-discipline or poor digestion
• Victim mentality, unreliability, passivity, blaming attitude

Excesses:

• Controlling, aggressive, dominating behavior
• Need to be right, stubbornness
• Egotism, hyperactivity, pride, competition

Balanced Third Chakra:

• Healthy assertiveness, cooperation, dynamic energy
• Intelligence, decisiveness, productivity, mental focus
• Healthy digestive system and overall good physical health
• Healthy relationship with the greater world, especially in the realm of work

MANIPURA SYMBOLS

Manipura Symbols: The Third Chakra Yantra

• Focal point: Downward-pointing triangle within a circle
  • Some versions include T-shapes on each side (forming swastikas)
• Swastikas denote: Good luck, universal welfare, and the nature of fire
  • Emphasizes transformation and rising energy

Key Concepts:

• Manipura Yantra: Symbol representing the third chakra
• Downward-pointing triangle: Central focus
• Circle: Contains the triangle
• Swastikas: T-shapes on each side, symbolizing good luck and fire's transformative nature.

Exercise: Firing Up Your Manipura (Third Chakra)

• Third chakra is a center of energy bursting into being as kundalini joins prana forms.
• Use mrigi mudra for right nostril breathing to enable process and reduce danger.
• Mrigi mudra: block left nostril, inhale through right, exhale through left.
• Right nostril linked to pingala nadi, rational/logical mind, masculine activities, solar in nature.
• Emphasizes firelike chakras, such as third.
• Helps with hard work, writing, debating, spiritual practices.

Performing Right Nostril Breathing:

• Sit comfortably.
• Block left nostril with one or two fingers.
• Inhale through right nostril.
• Exhale through left nostril.
• Repeat for 1-3 minutes.

Cautions:

• Do not perform on same day as chandra bhedana.
• Avoid if have high blood pressure or heart disease.

MANIPURA’S COMPONENT PARTS

Manipura Component Parts

• Gross Element: Fire
  • Digestion through heat
  • Both food and ideas are burned to formulate vital energy
• Subtle Element: Form/sight
• Color: Fire red
• Sound: Ram
• Attribute: Achievement and supremacy
• 17 Sound Carrier: Promotes spiritual growth, imparts virtues like strength, wisdom, and bravery
• Vehicle: Fire god Agni's vehicle
• Qualities: Steadfastness, refusal to give up
• Petals: Ten blue petals
  • Both constructive and destructive
  • Indicate obstacles to reform: spiritual ignorance, treachery, jealousy, shame, delusion, disgust, fear, foolishness, thirst, sadness
• Cosmic Realm or Plane: Svar loka - celestial plane, or heaven
• Primary Goddess: Lakini Shakti (Bhadra Kali)
  • Compassionate form of Kali
  • Three faces reflecting the scope of vision employed by the third chakra
  • Holds thunderbolt, arrow, fire, and grants boons/cancels fear
• Associated God: Rudra (Old Shiva)
  • Wrathful form of Shiva
  • Represents power of destruction
  • Name means "crying," signifying lamentation of endings
  • Red with anger, also white or gray
  • Sits on tiger skin, holds trident and drum
  • Dispels fear and anger
  • Adorned with snakes.

Exercise: Pit Pose for Manipura Chakra

• Balance manipura chakra with pit pose
• Lie stomach down
• Place fists or hands under solar plexus and above navel
• Breathe deeply and press hands into navel during inhalation
• Massage abdomen with breathing
• Practice for 1 minute
• Withdraw hands and relax

Manipura Chakra: Ruled by the sun

• No granthi or kundalini knot

Intuitive Abilities (Siddhis)

• Granted patala siddhi: hidden treasures, freedom from disease, longevity, discovering cures, creating and destroying, making gold
• Contemporary abilities: claircognizance, pyrokenisis

Subtle Body Partners

• Third auric layer located atop the second, about 8-10 inches away from the body
• Two main secondary chakras associated:
  • Surya Chakra/Hrit Chakra (fire wheel)
    • Provides manipura with heat
    • Located near manipura in some systems
  • Manas Chakra/Mind Chakra (wind wheel)
    • Linked to five senses and mind or forehead
    • Six petals, black, dark green, or dark blue
    • Associated with kidneys instead of pancreas in some systems

Other Cultural Systems' Chakras Linked to Manipura

• Kabbalah chakras covered in chapter 28
• Japanese energy center hara (physical and energetic core)
• Taoist Door of Life or ming men (minor fire center, associated with kidneys)

07. THE FOURTH HINDU CHAKRA: ANAHATA

Fourth Hindu Chakra: Anahata

• Also known as the heart chakra
• Located between the breasts, in the heart region
• Aligned with the sushumna nadi
• Divides the body into lower and upper hemispheres
• Corresponds to the cardiac plexus, epicardium, vagus nerve, and sympathetic nerves
• Energy center of love and relationships

Anahata as the Seat of Jivatnam

• Jiva is the individual self that exists within all living creatures
• Founded on the heart, a spiritual one located above the physical heart
• Perceived when mind is pure and free from earthly desires
• Enables learning and expansion through three energies and five sheaths (koshas)

Types of Individual Selves (Jivas)

• Nityas: Enjoy supreme bliss, omniscient, not subject to karma or matter
• Muktas: Attain liberation in this evolution, omniscient
• Baddhas: Still subject to matter, ignorance, and karma

Characteristics of Anahata Chakra

• Transcends decisions beyond the bounds of karma
• Confronts shadows of life (lust, defiance, anxiety) through devotion to compassion and honor
• Realizes love begins and ends in the heart
• Unstruck sound or unbeaten, generated without external friction

Other Names

• Anahata-puri, dwadasha, hridaya, etc. (see text for full list)

Location

• Between the breasts, in the heart region
• Aligned with sushumna nadi
• Divides body into lower and upper hemispheres

Purpose

• Energy center of love and relationships
• Seat of jivatnam for learning and expansion through three energies and five sheaths (koshas)

Color

• Primary color: green
• Secondary color: pink

Chakra Activation

• Anahata chakra activation:
  • Judith: ages 4-7 or 21-28
  • Hindu system: ages 21-28
  • Motivating force becomes bhakti (love and devotion) for balance

Associated Glands and Body Parts

• Anahata chakra manages: heart, circulatory system, lungs, rib cage, breasts, shoulders, arms, hands, diaphragm, esophagus
• Two possible endocrine glands: heart or thymus

Heart Chakra (Anahata)

• Heart is an endocrine gland and circulatory pump
• Produces hormones and neurotransmitters, including oxytocin
• Influences nervous and endocrine systems, digestive and urinary tracts, spleen, respiratory and lymph systems, brain activities
• Positive emotions improve health and relationships; challenging emotions negatively affect all aspects of life

Thymus Gland

• Processes white blood cells into T-cells
• Helps orchestrate immune system response
• Located in upper chest, in front of backbone
• Decreases in size as we age but continues to produce hormones
• Influenced by heart chakra activity
• Bolstering thymus function: tapping gland, relaxing music, meditation, organic foods, natural clothing, positive environments

Heart and Thymus Connection

• Heart is the center of love and all good things come from love
• Thymus is a minor chakra influenced by heart chakra activity
• Key to healthy heart and thymus: love of self
• Some equate thymus with will to live, measuring hope or hopelessness

Anahata Chakra Location

• Located in the heart
• Physical, psychological, and spiritual center of the body
• Clients experiencing "heart conditions" when issues of love are paramount
• Thymus gland related to eighth chakra in some systems, located above the head.

EXERCISE: MANTRA TO CREATE PEACE INSTEAD OF FEAR

Mantra for Creating Peace

• Heart responds strongly to fear
• Shifts heartbeat and thinking pattern to negative
• Easy to worry about future, get stuck in past mistakes

Mantra: Om shante shante sarvarishta nashini swaha

• Om: Sacred One
• Shante: Toward peace
• Shante: Toward peace
• Sarva: You are the means
• Rishta: Of accomplishing
• Nashini: Removal of sufferings
• Swaha: This is the prayer we offer.

Interpretation:

• O Sacred One: Recognize the presence of the divine
• Toward peace: Focus on creating inner peace
• You are the means: Trust that the divine can help remove suffering
• Accomplishing: Belief in the power to overcome fear and find peace.

Predominant Sense and Sense Organ: Touch, Skin

• Action Organ: Sexual organ
• Vital Breath: Prana

Related Diseases:

• Heart diseases
• Lung diseases (asthma, pneumonia)
• Breast cancers
• Pericardium issues
• Thoracic spinal issues
• Issues with thymus, upper back, and shoulders

Psychological Functions:

• Center of positive emotions and virtues
• Regulates relationships (self, others, Divine)
• Balances emotional and relationship needs
• Transcends past bindings
• Balances opposites (male/female, mind/body, ego/unity)
• Confronts jealousy, envy, hatred
• Embraces spiritual identity

Associated Archetypes:

• Positive: Lover (emotion, feeling, idealism, sensuality)
• Negative: Actor (exaggerates drama, seeks attention)

Personality Profile:

• Gravitates to couples and relationships
• Core values: love, happiness
• Helping others relationally or through healing endeavors

Deficiencies and Excesses:

• Deficiencies: inability to forgive, loneliness, lack of empathy, self-love, apathy, indifference, withdrawing
• Excesses: jealousy, codependency, martyrdom, self-aggrandizement, egotism, self-centeredness, tribalism

Anahata Chakra Symbol:

• Smoke-gray lotus flower with 12 petals
• Shaktona (unification of masculine and feminine)
• Deity: Vayu (riding an antelope, holds a goad)
• Seed syllable: yam
• Bhana lingam (described in "Granthi (Knot)" section)

Ruling God: Ishana (described below)

Ruling Goddess: Kakini (described below)

ANAHATA’S COMPONENT PARTS

Anahata Chakra Components

• Gross Element: Air
• Subtle Element: Impact/touch
• Major Petals: 12, vermillion, inscribed with syllables and vrittis (turnings of the mind)
• Cosmic Realm or Plane: Mahar Loka, place of balance, home of siddhis and saints
• Ruling Goddess: Kakini Shakti, holds sword, shield, skull, trident, represents compassion
• Ruling Deity: Ishana Rudra Shiva, peaceful and benevolent, holds trident and drum, symbolizes self-knowledge
• Ruling Planet: Venus
• Granthi (Knot): Vishnu granthi, located between manipura and anahata, associated with compassion, untied to serve others
• Bhana Lingam: Symbol of subtle work, red or gold, associated with Sadashiva, eternal benefactor, and Shabda Brahma, the eternal logos
• Intuitive Abilities (Siddhis): bhuchari siddhi (travel), khechari siddhi (flight), kaya siddhi (transcendence), immeasurable knowledge, past/present/future knowledge, clairaudience/clairvoyance, perception of yoginis and adepts
• Subtle Body Partners: Fourth auric layer, hrit chakra (spiritual heart) with anandakanda lotus and kalpataru tree for manifesting desires.

Hrit Chakra

• Secondary heart chakra
• Located below the heart, near solar plexus, left-hand side of body
• Gold, white, or red petals representing emotions and superpowers
• Depicted as stain free, untouched by impurities
• Three regions: vermillion sun, white moon, deep-red fire, red wish-granting tree (kalpataru) for manifesting soul's desires.

EXERCISE: WISHING UPON THE CELESTIAL TREE

Meditation to Connect with the Celestial Wishing Tree (Kalpataru)

• Lie down in a comfortable position and relax
• Become aware of heartbeat and body's circulatory system as a tree
• Focus on a miniature tree within the hrit chakra, near the heart
• Commit to living a life of service and higher good at an altar before the tree
• Connect with deepest yearnings of your soul and send them to the kalpataru
• A bird carries your wishes to Indra for fulfillment
• Gratitude for the gift of the wishing tree

Characteristics of the Fourth Chakra (Anahata or Hrit Chakra)

• Located near heart, under ribs on left side
• Associated with love, dreams, and soul's desires
• Activated after third chakra
• Linked to sense of touch and skin
• Home to higher realm of mahar loka
• Symbolized by smoky gray lotus with twelve petals
• Enforced by Lover archetype, detracted from by Actor archetype
• Related to the element of air and external world through touch
• Carries the sound "Yam" and is associated with Kakini Shakti and Ishana Rudra Shiva
• Linked to the fourth auric field and second granthi
• Dozens of spiritual gifts become available upon transformation by kundalini, many linked to air and healing.

08. THE FIFTH HINDU CHAKRA: VISHUDDHA

• Introduced through the story of Shiva and the ocean of life's nectar and poison
• Located at the base of the throat, aligned with sushumna nadi
• Seat of communication and expression
• Color: sky blue or bright turquoise

Activation and Development

• In my system: ages 6.5 to 8.5
• Hindu system: ages 28 to 35
• Associated with the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands

Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands

• Thyroid: main endocrine gland of the fifth chakra, located in lower neck, influences metabolism, growth, development, and body temperature
• Parathyroid: secondary to thyroid, makes parathyroid hormone that controls calcium levels

Body Parts Managed

• Neck, ears, jaws, teeth, mouth, trachea, vocal cords, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, cervical vertebrae, esophagus, and upper shoulders

Main Sense and Action Organ

• Main sense: hearing
• Action organ: mouth

Vital Breath

• Udana

Related Diseases

• Asthma, bronchitis, mouth ulcers, thyroid dysfunctions, sore throat, laryngitis, ear infections, hearing issues, mouth problems, teeth and gum issues, tinnitus, tonsillitis, neck issues, upper arm pain, hay fever, and temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)

PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

Fifth Chakra (Vishuddha)

• Deals with psychological issues of faith, decision making, personal expression, creativity, and communication
• Positive archetype: Communicator - gathers and disperses information through various forms of communication
• Negative archetype: Silent Child - resists communication, suppresses emotions and needs
• Personality profile: All about communication, expressive, good listener, spiritual destiny involves communication
• Deficiencies lead to throat maladies, underactive thyroid, fear of speaking, inability to express truth, precision or overregulation
• Excesses lead to talking too much, gossiping, stuttering, loudness, overactive thyroid, lack of consideration, fragmentation, compulsive behaviors including overeating
• Balanced: Creative and expressive, communicates positively, listens consciously, experiences contentment

Symbols:

• Silver crescent within a white circle (representing the purest cosmic sound and purification)
• White moon in sky blue downward-pointing triangle
• Seated on an elephant, god Ambhara rules the bija ham
• Grants boons, dispels fear, holds noose and goad
• Within chakra, nectar amrita drips down through chitrini nadi and is divided into pure form and poison
• Practices like khechari mudra and jalandhara bandha allow nectar to reach vishuddha in a purified form, cleansing the body of poison
• Represents psychic energy, clairvoyance, ability to communicate without words, refines and dissolves lower chakras into ether or akasha.

VISHUDDHA’S COMPONENT PARTS

• Gross Element: Ether, colorless, formless
• Subtle Element: Vibration/sound, smoky purple, ham sound
• Sound Carrier: Airavata, white elephant, free-roaming, pure sound of "ng"
• Petals: 16, smoke colored or smoky purple, showcase deep red, red, or golden letters
• Bija Mantra: Ham
• Cosmic Realm: Human plane (jana loka)
• Ruling Goddess: Shakini, five-faced, three-eyed, four-armed, white or yellow, bestows higher knowledge and siddhi
• Ruling Deity: Sadashiva as Ardhanarishvara, androgynous, five-faced, three-eyed, ten-armed, encourages blending of masculine and feminine aspects
• Alternative God: Panchavaktra Shiva, camphor-blue skin, five heads, represents perfect form of lower chakra elements, continually manifests sound "aum"
• Ruling Planet: Mercury, planet of mental activity and learning
• No Granthi (knot) associated with this chakra.

Exercise: Khechari Mudra

• opens energy body to nectar, stimulates pressure points and glands, reduces hunger and thirst, increases calmness, delivers pressure in throat region and carotid sinuses, helps decrease stress and rejuvenate body

INTUITIVE ABILITIES

Vishuddha Chakra (Throat Chakra)

• Referred to as akashi-dharana in Hinduism
• Mastering qualities of this chakra is called akashi-dharana
• Yogi gains knowledge of the four Vedas and becomes trikala-jnani (knowledgeable about past, present, and future)
• Associated siddhis: clairaudience, freedom from hunger and thirst, levitation, superhearing, traveling through space, mastery of elements and senses
• Increases knowledge, eloquence, ability to persuade

Contemporary Gifts

• Afterlife communication, automatic writing, bibliomancy, channeling, clairaudience, exorcism, hypnosis, mediumship, megagnomy, telepathy, xenoglossy, clairgustance (with other chakras), transfiguration

Subtle Body Partners and Functions

• Fifth auric layer located above the fourth field, two feet from body's surface
• Secret chakras linked to higher chakras: lalana and bindu visarga
• Lalana (talu or talana) at base of nasal orifice, base of palate, behind uvula
  • Considered a secret chakra
  • Meditation upon it must be learned from a guru
  • Sixteen petals, silver crescent in white circle, ruled by Shakini and Ardhanarishvara
• Bindu visarga at top of brain, toward back of head
  • Forms a triangle with vishuddha chakra
  • Emits and drops nectar from Sahasrara chakra

Lalana Chakra

• Secondary chakra to vishuddha (fifth) chakra
• Sky blue, pulses with ether or akasha element
• Manifests as vibration or sound, forges bonds of union
• Linked with laryngeal and carotid plexuses, thyroid gland
• Activated in adulthood after anahata
• Symbolized by a silver crescent in white circle with sixteen petals and inverted triangle within the circle; makes sound "ham"
• Associated with cosmic plane jana loka, ruled by goddess Shakini, Ardhanarishvara, and planet Mercury
• Aligns with fifth auric field upon full activation, offers spiritual gifts (siddhis) related to knowledge and expression

09. THE SIXTH HINDU CHAKRA: AJÑA

Sixth Hindu Chakra: Ajña

• Associated with the mind and vision (sensory and psychic)
• Transcends duality, located at the top of the spinal column near the medulla oblongata
• Seat of vision and perception, commonly seen as violet or indigo
• Activated during adolescence in Anodea Judith's system; between ages 35-42 in Hindu systems
• Pituitary gland most frequently associated endocrine gland

Characteristics and Associations

• Three gunas (qualities) join to form the divine aum
• Blending of solar and lunar nadis (energy channels) in the sushumna
• Encourages beauty, freedom from duality, and perception of everything as sacred
• Unknotting the third granthi leads to seeing reality instead of just observing it
• Names include "command," "authority," "unlimited power," "divine eye," "eye of knowledge," and "third eye"
• Linked to the medulla plexus, located at mid-eyebrow area

Location and Function

• Sits at the top of the spinal column near the medulla oblongata
• Associated with the pituitary gland, which is involved in growth, sex hormones, and other functions
• Stores hormones produced by the hypothalamus
• Controlled by the hypothalamus through a stalklike structure
• Regulates many bodily functions and aging processes

Body Parts Managed

• Brain, eyes, pituitary gland, neurological system, sinuses, hypothalamus, aspects of the ears, nose, and pineal gland

Senses and Organs

• Neutral chakra with no predominant sense or organ
• Mind is both the sense organ and action organ

HISTORY OF THE THIRD EYE: THE GIFT OF CLAIRVOYANCE

• Clairvoyance: heightened perception, "clear vision"
  • Manifests in various ways: mental images, dreams, visual omens, precognition, etc.
  • Can be called different names: inner sight, second sight, oracle, seer, psychic, etc.
• Associated with the ajña chakra in contemporary times
• Originally not described as a third eye or associated with pineal gland
• First linked to the pineal gland by scientist Nils Holmgren in 1918
• Term "clairvoyance" coined by Marquis de Puységur in 1784
• Ancient civilizations believed in clairvoyance and third eye concept:
  • Egypt: Eye of Horus, symbol of protection and psychic sight
  • Greece: Oracle temples at Delphi, female prophets in trance states
  • China: Oracle bones, divination practices
  • India: Akashwani or Ashareera van, spiritual beings filling space
• Scholars Paracelsus and Rudolf Steiner believed in integrating clairvoyance into science
• Access to psychic abilities is a birthright and essential for understanding reality

RELATED DISEASES

• eyesight problems
• deafness
• nightmares
• dyslexia
• brain tumors
• strokes
• blindness
• seizures
• pain
• depression
• hormone imbalances
• insomnia
• neuralgia
• acute sinusitis
• dizziness
• nervous breakdowns
• growth or developmental disorders
• blood pressure issues
• learning disabilities

Psychological Functions:

• Developed ajña chakra: becomes a "true seer," gains freedom to live within society, uses cognitive, intellectual, and mental abilities wisely
• Issues: intense irritation, inability to perceive what's truly occurring, refusal to change old patterns, inability to look forward with joy, question of perception
• Associated Archetypes:
  • Positive: Intuitive (perceives reality through means beyond senses, future possibilities, unconscious, energy surrounding experiences)
  • Negative: Intellectual (cold, unfeeling, manipulative, logical, detached)
• Personality Profile: long-term planner, big-picture thinker, future oriented, processes information visually, helps create a desirable future
• Deficiencies and Excesses:
  • Deficiencies: inability to see the obvious, denial of problems, difficulty planning the future, memory loss, lack of joy, anxiety, perception issues
  • Excesses: fantasizing, hallucinations, difficulty concentrating, obsessiveness, delusions, nightmares, self-centeredness, turmoil
• Balanced Ajña Chakra: keen intellect and strong intuition, sees the big picture, perceives and influences spiritual planes, establishes goals and takes action
• Symbols:
  • Downward-pointing triangle (trikona) within a circle with two petals forming a lotus
  • Represents Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara (forms of Shiva) and the three gunas
  • Inside the yoni is a form of Shiva called Itara in his phallic form (Shiva lingam), described as red, golden, or shining white, looks like streaks of lightning
  • Holds many symbols within the pericarp: Shakti Hakini, moon-white lingam, Ardhanarishvara (hermaphrodite form of Shiva and Shakti), pranava (seed syllable aum), manas (mind tattva)
• Ajña Chakra Location: muktha triveni or Prayag (ancient name for the city where the ida, pingala, and sushumna nadis meet), located at the meeting ground of the ida, pingala, and sushumna in a red hexagonal region between the eyebrows.

Other Associations

• Gross Element: Not applicable
• Subtle Element: Transcendental, supreme element
• Color: Transparent
• Sound: Om
• Attribute: Unity, ego
• Petals:
  • Two petals inscribed with ha or ham and ksa or ksham
  • Represent ida and pingala nadis (lunar and solar energy)
  • Radiate power, sending energy to lower and higher chakras
  • Contain five vayus, five divine powers, and kundalini
• Cosmic Realm: Tapas Loka, plane of austerity and home of the blessed

Ajña Chakra Deities

• Hakini: White goddess holding moon, rosary, skull, book, and boon-granting mudra
• Shiva: God of destruction and divine dance, associated with meditation and clairvoyance
• Ardhanarishvara: Androgynous blend of Shiva and Shakti, symbolizing masculine and feminine aspects

Ajña Chakra Ruling Planet

• Neptune: Watery planet devoted to mystery and psychic activity

Granthi (Knot)

• Third granthi (kundalini knot)
• Symbol of the causal world and androgynous state
• Invites us to see everything as sacred and holy
• Once unlocked, consciousness can rise to sahasrara

Intuitive Abilities (Siddhis)

• Destroys karma from past lives
• Receives various supernatural abilities, including clairvoyance, aeromancy, alomancy, aura reading, and more
• Detachment from siddhis necessary to reach nondual state

Subtle Energy Partners

• Sixth auric layer located above fifth field
• Emitted from inside body or two and a half feet away from skin
• Featured in chapters 20 and 32.

Secondary Chakras connected to Ajña

• Ajña: Primary location in midbrain behind brows, linked to secondary chakras: soma, kameshvara, and kamadhenu.

Soma

• Location: Within Sahasrara, above ajña.
• Description: Light blue–white lotus with 12 or 16 petals and a crescent of silver. Associated with mental clarity for enlightenment.
• Components: Perceived as three individual chakras, two subchakras with a bridge, or energy centers operating through ajña.

Kamadhenu

• Description: White-faced cow goddess, known as the "cow of plenty."
• Role: Bridge between ajña and kameshvara.

Kameshvara

• Location: Above Kamadhenu.
• Description: Handsome male god, symbolizing union of enjoyment (bhoga) and detachment (yoga).
• Components: A-KA-THA Triangle formed by three main nadis: vama, jveshtha, and raudri.

Other Chakras related to Ajña

• Brahmarandhra: Dwelling house of the human soul, located at the top of the head. Part of Sahasrara.
• Manas: Mind center associated with manipura and near ajña, having six petals representing senses and the world of dreams.
• The Seven Causal Forms: Surround individual self and are the origin of causal, subtle, and gross containers of reality. Includes:
  • Moon (bindu)
  • Intellect (bodhini)
  • Causal vibration (nada)
  • Arch causal vibration (maha nada)
  • Partibility or pervasive energy (kala)
  • Undifferentiated energy (saman)
  • Dispelling of mental attachment (unmani)

Mani Pitha (Sixth Chakra):

• Located at the hrit chakra or the center of the Jeweled Altar
• Has twelve petals and a triangle holding the sacred altar of jewels (mani pitha)
• Surrounded by the Ocean of Ambrosia (amrita-arnava)
• Apex holds the bindu, where manifestation begins
• Below it is Parama Shiva, Transcendent Lord of Sleep
• Angles hold sun, moon, and lotus of life (jivana kala), totaling seventeen parts

Sahasrara (Seventh Chakra):

• Formal location is above the sixth chakra
• Unified viewpoint: ajña's secondary chakras as a four-petalled lotus above ajña
• Four petals represent mental functions: citta, manas, buddhi, and ahankara
• Citta: basic mental consciousness
• Manas: sense-mind with subjective reactions
• Buddhi: intelligence of wisdom and knowledge
• Ahankara: ego sense
• Associated with sattva, one of the three main gunas
• Manas chakra (seat of citta) is located above ajña, has six petals, and is affiliated with manas
• Indu chakra (seat of intellect and higher mind) is at the front part of the brain and associated with buddhi intelligence
• Nirvana and guru chakras are above these chakras and lead to sahasrara
• Some systems add mahanada point between indu and nirvana chakras
• Upper dantian (Crystal Palace, Heavenly Heart, or Cavity of Spirit) is linked with sixth and seventh chakras in some traditions
• Translucent element representing ajña, located in the medulla plexus and linked to pituitary
• Governs vision, perception, higher thinking, clairvoyant capabilities, and magical abilities
• Symbolized by a downward-pointing triangle within a circle with two petals associated with lotus
• Associated with Hakini (goddess) and Shiva or Ardhvanarsvara (god)
• Linked to Neptune and the third granthi
• Sixth activated chakra, opening in adulthood in Hindu system
• Kundalini enters final abode: sahasrara (seventh chakra)

10. THE SEVENTH HINDU CHAKRA: SAHASRARA

• End of yogi's journey in primary Hindu system
• Merging of Shakti and Shiva at the highest center
• Questions about essential nature, authentic lifestyle, and higher truth
• Thousand petals representing nerve endings and yoga nadis
• Imprinted with all Sanskrit alphabet letters and their permutations
• Blissful state of merging with the Absolute (brahmananda)
• Door to pure consciousness and supreme bliss (parama ananda)
• Unique subtle attributes, located above the body or at the top of the head
• Completes the final energy body (anandamaya sheath)
• Enters satya loka and achieves samadhi
• Becomes a full-blown jnani or guru
• Names: Sahasrara, Adhomukha Mahapadma, Amlana Padma, etc.
• Located at the top of the head or slightly above it
• Seat of spirituality
• Usually seen as white, sometimes violet or gold
• Activation: Early adulthood and beyond in some systems, no specific age in others
• Associated gland: Pineal gland or pituitary gland

THE PINEAL GLAND: SAHASRARA’S ENDOCRINE GLAND

• The pineal gland is a pinecone-shaped gland located in the midbrain behind the pituitary gland.
  • Developed from the roof of the diencephalon.
  • Lies between the two hemispheres of the brain, near several other glands and structures.
  • Covered by neurons from the retina of the eye.
• Composed of pinealocytes and glial cells: Pinealocytes:
  • Non-nerve cells involved in melatonin production.
  • Make the pineal gland sensitive to environmental light. Glial Cells:
  • Make up about 90% of brain cells.
  • Contribute to thought and imagination. Neuroscientist Andrew Koob suggests they might be the source of imagination.
  • Use calcium as a messenger for chemical signaling.
  • Send messages throughout the body, repairing injuries, defending against disease, healing neurons, and eradicating pathogens.
  • Maintain correct concentrations of ions and neurotransmitters in the neural environment.
  • Help decide what substances can pass through the blood-brain barrier into the brain.
  • Linked with the pituitary gland through the third cerebral ventricle.

Functions of Glial Cells Relevant to Sahasrara and Kundalini Transformation:

• Opening the higher siddhi:
  • Enabling visions and experiences related to higher consciousness.
  • Requires the use of imagination.
• Superhuman healing of disease.
• Making use of substances potentially found in the amrita, such as calcium, fluids, and ions.
• Allowing pineal gland to receive substances through the blood-brain barrier that are not allowed into other parts of the brain.
• Affecting the relationship between a dysfunctional pineal gland and an increased susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and more.
• Promoting the development of the third eye.

Pineal Gland

• Considered the "seat of the soul" by ancients and Descartes
• Endocrine gland with vital functions:
  • Regulates bodywide endocrine functions
  • Nervous system's relationship with endocrine signals
  • Circadian rhythms and sleep
  • Sexual development

Chemical Sequence

• Tryptophan (essential amino acid)
  • Used to make melatonin and serotonin
• Melatonin
  • Aids in sleep and seasonal changes
  • Acts as antioxidant and anticarcinogen
  • Studied for preventing high blood pressure, alcoholism, epilepsy, etc.
• Serotonin
  • Neurotransmitter regulating sleep, body temperature, appetite, emotions
• Pinoline
  • Involved in consciousness
  • 5-MeO-DMT and DMT (tryptamines)
    • Produced in small amounts in the body
    • Also found in certain toads, plants, seeds, bark resin
    • Used for hallucinatory effects
    • Linked with mystical experiences
      • Childbirth, sexual bliss, physical distress, near-death phenomena
      • Can create visions and spiritual contact

Balancing Chemicals

• Correct balance of all pineal gland chemicals necessary for positive mystical experiences
• Pinoline prevents serotonin breakdown but too much leads to hallucinations, depression, mania, acute psychotic breakdowns

Siddhis and Enlightenment

• All siddhis (powers) available upon activation of sahasrara chakra
• True yogi understands enlightenment isn't about using powers but recognizing inherent unity

Electromagnetic Sensor

• Sensitive to magnetic fields
• Balances earth's negative field and sun's positive force for optimal health
• Pineal gland synchronizes circadian and seasonal reactions with biological changes
• Closely affiliated with magnetic sensing materials (crystals) in the brain, mainly magnetite
  • Found in bees, birds, fish, bacteria, and humans
  • Produces more when needed
• Crystals found in most human brain tissue: single-domain crystals per gram for most tissues, over a hundred million crystals per gram for pia matter and dura matter.

Research shows that the entirety of the body is a gigantic electromagnetic frequency (EMF) generator

• The body functions as a giant electromagnetic frequency (EMF) generator due to its piezoelectrical properties
• Piezoelectric crystal lattice in the body can convert EMF oscillations to mechanical vibrations and vice versa
• External EMF fields can induce bone formation, energy production in cells, protein synthesis, etc.
• Magnetite crystals linked to pineal gland functions, including response to light and magnetism
• Most individuals' pineal glands calcify into "brain sand" by teen years, leading to decreased sense of direction and potential inhibition of all pineal gland functions
• Calcite crystals in the pineal gland support its piezoelectrical properties
• Exposure to extreme or artificial EMF fields negatively affects pineal gland function:
  • Study on individuals exposed to 60 Hz EMF for eight weeks showed decreased pineal activity (Wilson et al., Journal of Pineal Research)
  • Study on railway workers exposed to 16.6 Hz magnetic fields also showed decreased pineal secretion
• Negative effects of EMF on the body include:
  • Decline in immune resistance
  • Increase in abnormal cell development, including cancer, birth defects, infertility
  • Psychological problems such as drug addiction, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders
• Underarousal of EMF can lead to reactive depression, ADHD, chronic pain, insomnia
• Overarousal of EMF can lead to anxiety, sleep onset problems, nightmares, impulsivity, anger, aggressiveness, nerve pain
• Combination of under- and overarousal can create a blend of anxiety and depression as well as ADHD
• Factors affecting pineal gland health besides EMF include:
  • Unusual light and dark rhythms
  • Radiation
  • Nutritional imbalances
  • Temperature swings
  • Sunspots
  • Moon's rotation
  • Revolution of planets
  • High altitude
  • Daily stress
• Restoring the pineal gland through "kindling" process:
  • Entraining brain nerves with positive EMF, such as earth's magnetic fields
  • Meditation produces similar effect, cascading entire brain with alpha and theta fields
  • Alpha waves (7-13 cycles per second) encourage dreaming, creativity, deeper states of consciousness
  • Theta waves (4-7 cycles per second) associated with mystery, healing, extraordinary experiences
• Various chakra healing modalities, including shamanic dancing and drumming, help accomplish attunement to natural frequencies.

PARTNERS IN PERCEPTION: THE PINEAL AND THE PITUITARY

• The pineal and pituitary glands work together in mystical activities, including kundalini and psychism (Shri Kumarswamiji)
• Located near each other in the brain:
  • Pineal gland is situated in midbrain, behind and above pituitary
  • Contains pigment also found in eyes, connected to thalamus
  • Thalamus relays sensory information and is a center for pain perception
  • Pituitary gland is in roof of third ventricle
• Merging essences of these glands opens the third eye (third ventricle is a narrow opening near base of cerebral hemispheres)

Anatomy and Functioning

• Pineal Gland:
  • Sits in midbrain, behind and above pituitary
  • Contains pigment also found in eyes
  • Connected to thalamus
  • Receives a lot of blood (second only to kidneys)
  • Ends in oldest section of brain that regulates primal concerns
• Pituitary Gland:
  • Located in sphenoid cavity
  • Secretes hormones, including vasopressin and oxytocin
  • Receives secretions from pineal gland

Kundalini and Pineal Gland Activation

• Rising kundalini passes through nerve channels and enters medulla oblongata, pons area of brain, and pituitary gland
• Merges with pineal gland in third ventricle, leading to higher knowledge and transformation

Amrita: The Nectar Produced by Sahasrara and Received by Ajña

• Mixture of endogenous cannabinoids, enkephalins, vasopressin, Ca2+ ions, glutamate, oxytocin, and polarized water
• Endogenous cannabinoids affect mood, appetite, pain, inflammatory response, and memory
• Enkephalins suppress pain and create a "rush" in the body
• Vasopressin controls water retention and encourages bonding
• Ca2+ ions help pass information between neurons and along a neuron
• Glutamate helps pass messages along nerves
• Oxytocin helps people bond, induces optimism and self-esteem, heals wounds, relieves pain, provides stress relief, inspires generosity, serves as a diet aid, and prevents psychological and physiological problems
• Polarized water interacts with itself and forms an intermolecular network, likely generated by glial cells and neurons in cerebrospinal fluid under the pineal gland.

BODY PARTS MANAGED

• pineal gland
• skull
• brain stem
• cranial nerves
• cranial plexus
• cerebral cortex
• nervous system
• brain
• cranium bones
• top of the head
• central nervous system

Body Parts and Senses

• No sense organ or action organ.
• Beyond physical, no vital breath.
• Manages various body parts and systems.

Diseases

• Disorders of muscular and skeletal systems, skin, depression, chronic exhaustion, headaches, coordination challenges, migraines, dizziness, brain tumors, amnesia, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, learning issues, psychosis, neurosis, insomnia, sensitivity to light, sound, or environment.

Psychological Functions

• Emotional and mental relationships with higher virtues (hope, faith, awareness, consciousness, truth).
• Clearing misperceptions and conflicts between ego and higher self.
• Psychosis, learning issues, neurosis, depression, anxiety, entity possession or curses.

Archetypes

• Positive: Guru, one with Spirit, operates by spiritual laws.
• Negative: Egotist, enmeshed in physical world, takes little notice of the spiritual.

Personality Profile

• Previous personality style (heartily first chakra–based or lovingly fourth chakra–based).
• Spiritual, highly conscious, expressive of universal truths and thoughts.
• Gravitate toward sacred philosophies, able to perceive spirits, conduct in spiritual realm.

Deficiencies and Excesses

• Deficiencies: lack of purpose, ethics, joy, trust; loss of meaning or identity; apathy; materialism; selfishness; inability to put closure on unfinished business; fear of religion or spirituality; unwise decisions; spiritual cynicism; learning difficulties; fear of death; feeling alone and separate from others.
• Excesses: overly intellectual, living "in the head"; feelings of superiority; manic-depressive behavior; hysterical behavior; addiction to religion or fanatic spiritual ideas; dissociation from body.

Balanced Sahasrara

• Releases ego-driven desires.
• Increases self-trust, selflessness, and superior consciousness.
• Humanitarian nature.
• Experiences inner peace and satisfaction.
• Ability to perceive the big picture.
• All chakras begin to balance.

SAHASRARA SYMBOLS: THE SEVENTH CHAKRA YANTRA

Sahasrara Chakra Symbolism:

• Contains a thousand petals
• Yantra includes:
  • Circular moon region with brilliant rays, abode of immortality and source of bliss
  • Downward-pointing triangle (trikona) with Shiva's abode in its center
  • Abode of Shiva, also known as the supreme bindu or parama purusa
    • Manifests as infinite powers and absolute consciousness
    • Unites with Shakti to grant complete illumination and liberation

Kundalini Phases before Union:

• Expresses herself in four ways: As the ama-kala:
  • Sixteenth kala of the moon, representing the supreme goddess
  • Red, lustrous, soft, and source of abundant nectar As the nirvana-kala:
  • More excellent than excellent, subtle, and shaped like a crescent moon
  • Grants divine knowledge and manifests power of absorption As the supreme goddess:
  • Seventeenth niranjana kala, without form or stain
  • Abides within the personal god (ishtadevata) As the nirodhika-fire:
  • In her full power, called nirodhika
  • Form of power, or vahni, where sound is unmanifested
• Before entering the supreme bindu, kundalini passes through:
  • Visarga bridge (power bridge above the moon region)
    • Symbolized as two dots after the Sanskrit letter ah
    • Bridge of duality (consciousness and objective energy)
    • Shines red like red lightning
    • Contains essences of five vital airs, deities, and all knowledge
  • Emerges as Shankhini, above sahasrara and second dot of the visarga
    • United with Sakalashiva in polestar region
    • Merges into Paramashiva's infinity.

Alternative suggestion:

• Hrit (wishing tree) lies in the center of sahasrara
• Shakti and Paramashiva are united in sexual union as Ardhanarishvara.

SAHASRARA’S COMPONENT PARTS

Sahasrara Chakra

• Unlimited gross element, sometimes called Adi or Ishvara Tattva
• Subtle element: None
• Color: None
• Sound: Visarga (breathing sound)
• Attribute: Nonduality, cosmic consciousness
• Petals:
  • White lotus with a thousand petals
  • Located in supreme ether
  • Rainbow colored, arranged in twenty layers
  • Each linked to a different nadi, total of a thousand nadis
  • Sanskrit alphabet and its permutations inscribed on petals
• Shiva and Shakti in union:
  • Shiva (Surya) as light beams (rashmi)
  • Shakti as supreme sound (para nada)
  • Three edges of the triangle representing gunas in equilibrium
  • Mantras recited from A to LA and LA to A, creating a hundred mantras
• Cosmic Realm or Plane: Satya Loka
• Ruling Goddess: Shankhini (Shakti)
• Ruling God: Lord Shiva (Parama-Shiva, Adi Anadi)
• Ruling Planet: Uranus
• No granthi (kundalini lock)
• Intuitive Abilities: Jnani (wise one), access to all siddhis but no compulsion to use them
• Subtle Body Partners: Seventh auric layer, located three feet from body's surface, featured in chapters 20 and 32.

Secondary Chakras related to Sahasrara

• Some ancient texts suggest that Sahasrara functions due to a set of secondary chakras above the head.
• Here are some of the most commonly mentioned secondary chakras:

Mahanada Point

• Located between Indu and Nirvana chakra in extended tantric arrangements.
• Affiliated with the thalamus gland, enables mental and psychic performance.
• Shaped like a plough, grants boons, dispels fear, manifests intelligence, and enables accomplishment in speech.
• Place of great vibration where vayu dissolves, half of Shiva is available.
• Provides tranquility and manifests Ardhanarishvara's other half (Shakti).

Nirvana or Brahmarandhra Chakra

• Multilayered chakra located at the top of the skull, associated with Sahasrara.
• Also known as bodhini, rodhini, chitkalashakti chakra, shatapatra chakra, shatadala chakra, kala chakra, dwadashanta, parabrahma chakra, and brahmarandhra pankaja.
• Found at the upper and ending point of the chitrini nadi in the cranium.
• Has two locations: one at the top of the head, the other at the middle of the head.
• Seat of dhi (concentrated mind) and ahang (I-ness).
• Linked with the pineal gland.
• Has a hundred shining white petals.
• The "fissure of consciousness" or "hole of Brahman."
• Located at the top back of the head, known as visarga or bindu visarga.
• Considered the highest peak of the body and the main actor in Hindu stories.
• Soul passes through this chakra upon death to achieve immortality.

Guru Chakra (Jnana Chakra)

• Doorway to knowledge and guidance of the teacher within.
• Purifies the mind and steps down higher truths.
• Located in the middle of the forehead.
• Juxtaposed with Ajña, deals with higher knowledge.
• Assists those with little knowledge.
• Processes knowledge inclusive of total reality.

Supreme Bindu

• Sometimes seen as a point above the head or in the upper Sahasrara.
• Absolute void and described in "Sahasrara Symbols" section.

KUNDALINI MATURES: AN OVERVIEW

• Kundalini reaches maturity in sahasrara chakra
• Becomes Shankhini, one with Paramashiva
• Kundalini's journey summarized through Susan Shumsky's Exploring Chakras

Kundalini's Journey and Absorption of Tattvas

1. Muladhara (First Chakra)
   • Resting as svayambhu lingam
   • Absorbs earth and smell
2. Awakening in Svadhisthana (Second Chakra)
   • Becomes vahni or fire kundalini
   • Deep red, oscillating
3. Svadhisthana
   • Absorbs water and taste
4. Manipura (Third Chakra)
   • Absorbs fire and form
5. Anahata (Fourth Chakra)
   • Becomes surya or sun kundalini
   • Vermillion in color
6. Anahata to Ajña (Fifth to Sixth Chakra)
   • Absorbs air and touch
7. Vishuddha (Fifth Chakra)
   • Takes in ether and sound
8. Ajña
   • Transforms into chandra, moon kundalini
   • White and filled with nectar
9. Manas and Indu (Sixth Chakra)
   • Absorbs citta (sensory mind)
   • Absorbs buddhi (intellect)
10. Mahanda to Sahasrara (Between Sixth and Seventh Chakras)
    • Absorbs dhi (higher mind) and ahamkara (ego)
11. Sahasrara
    • Enters sahasrara chakra proper
    • Completes assumption into bindu point
    • Becomes Nirvani Shakti, beyond waking, dreaming, and sleeping

Caudate Nucleus: Modern Metaphysical Perspective

• Postulated as an eleventh step in psychic development
• A brain organ that plays a role in learning and memory
• Two caudate nuclei located in each hemisphere of the brain
• Regulates communication skills, stores memories, and transmits worry and concern inside the brain
• Dysfunction can lead to obsessive compulsive disorder

Caudate Nucleus and ESP

• Galvanizes millions of "psychic antennae" into action
• Triggers various forms of extrasensory perception (ESP)
• Operates like circuits between body and higher forms of knowing
• Supported by scientific studies, including those from the 1960s and recent research on dopamine receptor sites

Sahasrara Chakra: The Crown of the Chakra System

• Center of spirituality, linked with cerebral plexus and pineal gland
• Higher consciousness, governing many bodily functions
• Beyond everyday in nature, not associated with gross elements or true action organ
• Achieves nonduality and cosmic consciousness
• Linked with plane of satya loka (truth)
• Ruled by Shakti in all her forms (Shankhini), also associated with Lord Shiva and moon node Ketu
• Activated in adulthood, after the sixth chakra
• Enables access to all siddhi as needed

FUNDAMENTALS OF CHAKRA MEDICINE

• Modern medicine effective but leaves some feeling disconnected from their bodies
• Embracing idea that we're made of stardust and have personal celestial bodies (chakras) brings hope for holistic healing
• Chakras enable multifaceted approach to challenges: psychology, spirituality, physicality, past, present, future, divinity
• Benefits and capabilities of chakra medicine:
  • Holistic approach to health
  • Attune to spiritual insight, planetary energies, deep breathing for soul connection
• Techniques based on seven basic Hindu chakras (introduced in part 2)

Part Overview

• Bring stars closer to earth through chakra medicine
• Benefits and capabilities introduction
• Accessible techniques: Western and Eastern practices
  • Preparation techniques: assessment and healing
    • Divided into two parts
    • Familiar Western practices
  • Philosophies and exercises: more Eastern in orientation
    • Originated with people who harnessed stars for chakra wisdom
  • Variety of chakra medicine techniques
    • Sound, homeopathy, etc.
• Basic categories of chakra medicine: all beneficial and universally accessible
• Promote healthy flow of subtle energy for highest potential: body, mind, soul

Preparation Techniques

• Divided into assessment and healing
• Familiar Western practices
  • Self-assessment through intuition or observation
  • Visualization techniques
  • Affirmations and mantras
  • Crystal therapy
  • Aromatherapy
  • Dietary adjustments
  • Exercise and movement
  • Meditation and relaxation
  • Energy work (Reiki, Qi Gong)
• Assessment and healing methods for each chakra
  • Root Chakra: grounding, security, stability
  • Sacral Chakra: creativity, sexuality, emotions
  • Solar Plexus Chakra: personal power, self-esteem, willpower
  • Heart Chakra: love, compassion, forgiveness
  • Throat Chakra: communication, truth, self-expression
  • Third Eye Chakra: intuition, perception, inner wisdom
  • Crown Chakra: connection to higher consciousness, spiritual growth

11. THE BENEFITS OF CHAKRA MEDICINE

Chakra Medicine: healing activity leading to health, satisfaction, and harmony; interconnected, rapid transformation; benefits physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of life.

Benefits of Chakra Medicine:

• Increase Clarity: Chakras store memories and energies; clearing out old energies leads to clear thinking.
• Clear Out Negative Beliefs and Emotions: Destructive beliefs and harmful emotions can cause physical and emotional issues, clearing them out improves wellbeing.
• Clear Out Trauma: Unaddressed trauma affects mental and physical health; dealing with it leads to healing.
• Access Insights: Chakras provide avenues for spiritual guidance.
• Reduce Stress: Chakras boost ability to handle life's challenges, reducing stress and related illnesses.
• Strengthen Immunity and Boundaries: Chakras interact with the auric field to provide protection and prevent negative energies from entering.
• Clear and Keep Out Others’ Energies: Up to 80% of problems caused by others' energies; clearing them out maintains healthy energetic boundaries.

Chakra Consciousness Profile: quick look at the benefits of learning to work with chakras.

Terms in Chakra Circles:

• Healing: restoring balance and harmony.
• Manifesting: bringing desires into reality.
• Ego: false self, separate from true self.
• True Self: authentic, inner self.
• Opening: expanding awareness.
• Balancing: restoring equilibrium.
• Clearing: removing blockages.
• Blocks: energy disruptions.
• Attuning: aligning with higher consciousness.
• Aligning: bringing elements into harmony.

CHAKRAS INCREASE CLARITY

Chakras and Clarity

• Chakras are organs of storage for memories, traumas, misperceptions, emotions, and conclusions
• Stored energy from past blocks clarity and makes it hard to see present or plan future
• Chakras store not only personal energy but also energies collected from others
• Absorbed energies cloud perceptions and cause confusion
• Energy blockages can damage energetic fields and meridians
• Clarity is essential for decision making based on inner integrity

Why We Take In Others' Energies

• Empaths absorb subtle energy from others, which can lead to physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual issues
• Absorbed energies can be released through chakra work
• Two main reasons for absorbing others' energies: love and safety
  • Love: taking on others' negative emotions to alleviate their suffering
  • Safety: assuming others' energies to create safety for oneself

Chakras and Negative Beliefs/Emotions

• Chakras store both positive and negative beliefs and emotions
• Negative thoughts and beliefs produce negative effects on physical and mental health
• Importance of releasing negative emotions and accessing positive ones
• Research shows that negative emotions cause stress, immune challenges, mood issues, cognitive problems, and physiological dysfunctions
• Chakras are ideal vehicles for psychological healing by releasing negative emotions and opening to positive ones.

CHAKRAS RELEASE TRAUMA

• Trauma: distressing or disturbing experiences with lingering effects
• Causes: physical accidents, illnesses, abuse, addictions, emotional/mental abuse, neglect, stressors, past-life trauma, energetic attacks
• Chakras as reservoirs: interdimensional, access energy from all time periods and genealogical roots
• Trauma clearing: clear related situations and energies at once, powerful due to subtle energy component

Subtle Energy Component of Trauma

• Physical force + subtle energies
• Examples: emotionally charged events, mean words, cursory glances
• Subtle forces enter and can become stored in the body

Effects of Stored Subtle Forces

• Force travels through body, leaving entrance and exit wounds: issues in related chakras
• Force enters and gets stuck: issues at entrance wound, stuck spot, related chakras
• Force hits a part of body or issue-infested area, bounces out off-kilter: problems in entrance and exit wounds, place of impact, related chakras
• Force bounces off, leaves problem in auric field and related chakra

Healing Trauma through Chakras

• Exercises in Part 3 effective for resolving trauma
• Chakras enable access to physical, psychological, and spiritual energies
• Ideal working sites for healing trauma

CHAKRAS ACCESS INSIGHT

• Psychic centers for communication with subtle or psychic information
• Receive, hold, interpret, and send energy that moves faster than the speed of light
• Each chakra has a specialty: managing physical, emotional, or spiritual information
• Born with core abilities, but may need development to expand and optimize
• Transform into full spiritual gifts (siddhi powers) upon self-realization

Chakras and Stress:

• Chronic stress causes physical issues, health disorders, and can lead to life-threatening diseases
• Every major chakra interacts with the nervous system and hormone glands
• Healing through chakras can effect physical change as well as subtle change
• Chakras hold the ability to change perception and transform stress

Chakras and Immunities:

• Express themselves outward into the world in three main ways: swirling vortexes, auric layers, and electromagnetic fields
• Shifting chakra energy can strengthen physical, psychological, and spiritual selves and provide better boundaries
• Chakras program our auric and electromagnetic fields with information that instructs how to handle stressors and attract or deflect energies.

Chakras and Absorbing Others' Energies

• Reasons for absorbing others' energies:
  • Adapt to family systems
  • Fit in with person, school, culture, race, religion
  • Stabilize unstable situations
  • Love and compassion

Motives for Absorbing Others' Energies

• Survival and fitting in
• Love and sparing pain

Chakra-based Healing Work

• Identify source of energy and reason for absorption
• Release reason to release energy
• No self-blame
• Forgiveness is key

Locating Trapped Energy

• Every chakra regulates a bodily area
• Energy can be trapped in fields as well as chakras
• Identify affected chakra and age of development
• Focus healing work there

Chakras and Healing Process

• Develop at different ages
• Ideal organs for healing process
• Locate and eradicate trapped energy
• Rebuild affected parts of body, chakra, and energy field

Chakra Medicine: Key Concepts

• Chakra medicine: using chakra knowledge for healing, raising consciousness, addressing needs, improving relationships
• Healing: making whole, recognizing innate wholeness, shifting into greater joy and acceptance, transforming energy from subtle to physical state
• Manifesting: bringing desires into physical existence, transforming subtle energy into physical state
• Ego
  • Part of us that develops to adapt to external environment
  • Acquired identity infused with subtle energy
  • May have multiple ego-based selves based on childhood or past lives
  • Healing and manifesting involve releasing subtle energy from these selves
• True Self
  • Immortal spirit, essential self
  • Knows connection to Divine
  • Contains germs of ego selves and accesses entirety of true self
  • Distinguished from soul and mind

Opening the Chakras

• Keeping chakras operational
• A closed chakra is contracted and inhibited by issues stored within it
• An open chakra has wide vortex swing and interacts interdimensionally

Unblocking the Chakras

• Releasing subtle energy blocks physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually
• Freeing true self to operate through corresponding chakra

Balancing the Chakras

• Putting a chakra into working order
• Making sure front and back sides mirror each other, swing is wide and circular
• Working with multiple chakras for optimal interaction

Attunements

• Energetically calling a chakra or all chakras into optimum state
• Clearing, balancing, activating, and amplifying chakric energies
• Adding subtle energies to improve operation

Chakra Practice

• Improves lives physically, psychologically, and spiritually
• Increases clarity, clears negative beliefs and emotions
• Releases trauma, opens insights
• Reduces stress, strengthens immunity and boundaries
• Frees from energies of others
• Transforms physical reality, opens to spiritual realms

12. CHAKRA MEDICINE METHODS: PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS

• Techniques for healing and positive change based on chakras from various cultures
• Emphasis on seven Hindu chakras explored in Part 2
• Practices can be applied to other energy systems, such as Kabbalistic sephiroth or acupoints
• Techniques presented are universally adaptable

Chapter Overview:

1. Familiarizing with Chakra Healing Techniques:

   • Cross-functional methods for issue assessment and healing
   • Basic techniques that form the foundation for chakra healing
   • Can be used in conjunction with other practices in this book

2. Grounding:

   • Five steps for grounding: Connect, Breathe, Sense, Visualize, and Intend
   • Helps establish a strong connection to the earth and self

3. Spirit-to-Spirit:

   • Technique for connecting with higher consciousness or spirit guides
   • Enhances intuition and spiritual growth

4. Physical Tools:

   • Crystals, essential oils, and other items used to support chakra healing
   • Can be used in conjunction with other techniques for enhanced results

5. Intuition:

   • Trusting and developing inner wisdom
   • Important tool for assessing chakric state of affairs

Chakra Assessment:

1. Locating the Chakras:

   • Procedures to help identify the location and position of each chakra

2. Evaluating Chakric State of Affairs:

   • Techniques for assessing the health and balance of each chakra
   • Establishing a baseline for healing and growth

Chapter Takeaways:

• Familiarize yourself with several chakra healing techniques
• Grounding, Spirit-to-Spirit, physical tools, and intuition are essential practices
• Techniques presented can be used in conjunction with other energy systems
• Locating and evaluating the chakras is crucial for effective healing.

EXERCISE: THE FIVE STEPS FOR GROUNDING

Grounding: Five Steps

1. Ground:

   • Sense the extension of your soul from head to feet and beyond.
   • Absorb natural elements (earth, air, fire, water, metal, wood, stone, light, ether, star) for physical and energetic health.
   • Connect with nature or ask for elemental energy to enter your body.

2. Center:

   • Establish yourself in the internal meeting ground (heart or solar plexus).

3. Protect:

   • Clear and repair electrical, magnetic, EMF, and auric bodies around skin.
   • Allow inner spirit to establish necessary energetic boundaries.

4. Open:

   • Open front and back sides of chakras safely.
   • Energetic boundaries surround vulnerable parts.

5. Close:

   • Close chakras after healing method.
   • Ask inner spirit or Divine to reestablish correct energetic protection.
   • Center and ground again.

EXERCISE: SPIRIT-TO-SPIRIT

• Directly connects you with the Divine for spiritual boundaries and highest good in chakra medicine practices
• Can be used before or after grounding exercise

Three steps:

1. Affirm your spiritual being and core essence of love:
   • Recognize yourself as a spiritual entity
   • Understand that love is your fundamental nature
2. Affirm the presence of other spiritual beings:
   • Acknowledge those involved in chakra work (person, group, etc.)
   • Invite the presence of invisible spiritual helpers if alone
3. Call upon and surrender to the greater Spirit:
   • Invoke the Divine presence
   • Allow it to instruct, guide, teach, heal, protect, and help with your focus

PHYSICAL TOOLS FOR CHAKRA MEDICINE

Three primary tools: pendulum, applied kinesiology, hands-on practices

Pendulum

• Weight suspended from a string or chain
• Detects energy swings of chakras
• Helps locate and analyze issues
• Swings in various directions based on chakra condition
• Measures outer wheel of each chakra

Exercise: Finding Chakras with a Pendulum

• Hold pendulum over potential chakra location
• Slightly move pendulum until it begins to swing
• Can find primary or secondary chakras

Applied Kinesiology (Muscle Testing)

• Uses body's instinctive response to healthy energies
• Yes = muscle strength, No = muscle weakness for most people
• Establish polarity baseline by testing true and false statements

Exercise: Establishing a Polarity Baseline Using Muscle Testing

• Ask subject to stand or sit, hold arm out
• Make true statement, push down on arm
• Make false statement, push down on arm
• Determine yes (muscle strength) and no (muscle weakness) responses

Hands-on Interaction

• Comparable to healing "wands" in chakra medicine
• Sending hand pours energy into others or self
• Receiving hand absorbs energy from outside
• Dominant hand is usually sending, recessive hand receiving but can vary

Exercise: Establishing Your Sending and Receiving Hands

• Shake hands, take deep breaths, rub hands together
• Separate hands, sense energy flow between them
• Evaluate intensity of sensation and ease of sending/receiving energy from each hand.

THE INTUITION BUILDING BLOCK

• Chakra medicine involves accessing intuition through subtle energy communication
• Intuition can be categorized into four styles: physical, mental, spiritual, and empathic
• Understanding your intuitive style is helpful for performing chakra medicine and dealing with issues related to intuition

Four Intuitive Styles

• Two kinesthetic/empathic styles:

Physical Intuition:

• Sense subtle energy as physical sensations
• Empathy: Physical, feeling, mental, relational, and natural
• Force empathy: Sensing natural and supernatural forces

Spiritual Intuition:

• Read or comprehend subtle energy through spiritual knowing
• Prophecy, shamanism, other mystical senses
• Difference between physical and spiritual intuitives: Physical intuitives gain all intuition through five senses, while spiritual intuitives sense information in their bodies from a place of consciousness

Two mental styles:

• Verbal Intuition:
  • Hear words, tones, or spiritual guidance
  • Write, sing, use auditory or musical mediums for receiving/sharing intuitive info
• Visual Intuition:
  • Receive (and/or send) psychic images
  • Visions, pictures, colors, shapes, slideshows
  • Available through dreams, daydreams, and everyday life

LOCATING THE CHAKRAS

• Simple ways to locate chakras: select a system that resonates, pendulum method, applied kinesiology, hands-on interaction, intuition

Locating Chakras with Applied Kinesiology

• Use yes and no response on another person
• Place hand on or over area corresponding to chakra
• Make statement "This is chakra number ____"
• Move hands until you find the chakra
• Repeat for all desired chakras

Locating Your Own Chakras with Applied Kinesiology

• Touch, think about, or label body part where chakra might be
• Use hand kinesiology to confirm location

Locating Chakras with Hands-On Interaction

• Easiest on someone else's body
• Flick hands, rub them together, create energy flow between palms
• Hold receiving hand above potential chakra site and move in gentle circles
• Sense strong pulse of energy emanating from the body
• Double-check with sending hand
• Return own system to balance by flicking hands away

Locating Your Own Chakras with Hands-On Interaction

• Only locate front chakras you can reach

Locating Chakras Intuitively

• Access four forms of intuition: Physical, Spiritual, Verbal, Visual
• Open psychically via Spirit-to-Spirit connection
• For Physical Intuitive: Sense in own body where chakras are (even if in someone else)
• For Spiritual Intuitive: Align with spiritual wisdom to know location
• For Verbal Intuitive: Hear tones or be told location by higher guide
• For Visual Intuitive: Receive image or set of pictures to pinpoint chakras

EVALUATING ISSUES THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

Chakra Evaluation through the Chakras

• Identify the causal chakra for presenting problems or blocks.
• Blocks are congested energy preventing full flow of subtle and physical energies.
• Origins of blocks: repressed feelings, dysfunctional beliefs, traumas, missing energy.
• Determine causal chakra to heal issues and uncover hidden gems.

Backgrounder: Blocks

• Energy congestion or buildup in chakras.
• Can be physical (microbes, inflammation), emotional (repressed feelings), mental (dysfunctional beliefs), or spiritual (missing energy).
• Untie the knot to invite a restorative flow.
• Most blocks start with a program creating a pattern.

Types of Strongholds

1. Feeling-Based Stronghold

• Five basic feelings: fear, anger, sadness, happiness, disgust.
  • Missing or inappropriate feelings can create blocks.
• Five constellations of feelings: fear (danger), anger (boundary violation), sadness (loss), happiness (want more), disgust (something bad). 2. Belief-Based Stronghold
• A belief is a proposition accepted as true.
• Six categories of dysfunctional beliefs:
  • worthless
  • undeserving
  • lack value
  • powerless
  • bad or evil
  • unwanted.
• Healing: embrace connectedness.

3. Emotional Stronghold

• An emotion is a belief partnered with a feeling.
• Helpful emotional strongholds save lives; harmful ones create negative patterns.

4. Physical Stronghold

• Physical reactions or sensations linked to feelings, beliefs, or emotions.
• Commonly occur following injury, wounding, or illness.

5. Spiritual Stronghold

• Beliefs related to our relationship with the Divine or Higher Power.
• Negative spiritual strongholds alter ability to receive love and grace.
• Attract negative entities, curses, attachments, adverse group energies.

Types of Negative Entities and Attachments

• Entities: disembodied souls that prey on the living.
• Ghosts: souls remaining on earth plane to complete a task.
• Ancestral hauntings: ancestors adversely affecting their lineage.
• Group consciousness: network of entities controlled by a leader.
• Life energy cords: link person with a part of their soul.
• Codependent contracts: cause person to lose energy and take in toxic energy of others.
• Curses: dark filaments passed among many people enacting negative wish.
• Energy markers: program that tells others to mistreat the person who has the marker.
• Holds: energy restraints keeping a part of one's life dysfunctional.
• Miasms: energetic fields surrounding a group of souls creating patterns.
• Filaments: energy strands making someone susceptible to negative influences from different dimensions or consciousness groups.
• Implants: began as electrical or technological control mechanisms in one life, may transfer as energetic implants in later lives.

CHAKRA ASSESSMENT USING A CHAKRA CHART

• Use logic in addition to intuition to identify blocked chakras by analyzing symptoms and their relation to chakra themes.
• Hip problem => First Chakra (Safety and security, financial issues)
• Identify developmental or activation time periods for each chakra to determine which one is involved.
• Questions to ask for a more in-depth assessment:
  • Why did this issue develop?
  • What occurred during the related period of a person's life?
  • What beliefs, feelings, or perspectives are causing a misfire?
  • Is there a physical component contributing to the issue?

Chakra Medicine "Cheat Sheet"

• Traditional seven Hindu chakras and five additional chakras in a twelve-chakra system.
• Chakra/Color Location/Issues Managed/Activation Dates

First Chakra (Red)

• Hips, safety and security
• Womb to 6 months
• Issues: Hip problems, fear-based issues, major addictions, sexual and money issues

Second Chakra (Orange)

• Abdomen, creativity and feelings
• 6 months to 2.5 years
• Issues: Lower intestines, repressed emotions, creativity desires or blocks

Third Chakra (Yellow)

• Solar Plexus, belief system and willpower
• 2.5 to 4.5 years
• Issues: Digestive issues, dysfunctional beliefs, work and self-esteem issues

Fourth Chakra (Green)

• Chest, love and relationships
• 4.5 to 6.5 years
• Issues: Heart problems, love and relationship issues

Fifth Chakra (Blue)

• Throat, communication
• 6.5 to 8.5 years
• Issues: Expression and communication problems

Sixth Chakra (Purple)

• Forehead, vision, self-identity
• 8.5 to 14 years
• Issues: Eye problems, self-identity challenges

Seventh Chakra (White)

• Top of head, spirituality, purpose
• 14 to 21 years
• Issues: Higher learning, anxiety, depression, entity attachment issues

Eighth Chakra (Black)

• Over the head, mysticism, shamanism
• 21 to 28 years
• Issues: Thymus and autoimmune issues, challenges with time, karma, entities

Ninth Chakra (Gold)

• Over the eighth, idealism, harmony
• 28 to 35 years
• Issues: Diaphragm and breathing issues, challenges with being overly idealistic

Tenth Chakra (Brown)

• Under the feet, link to nature, ancestors
• Preconception; also 35 to 42 years
• Issues: Problems with bones and feet, allergies to inorganic substances, challenges with nature

Eleventh Chakra (Pink)

• Around the body, commanding of forces
• 42 to 49 years
• Issues: Connective tissue, hands, and feet problems, difficulties with power and self-leadership

Twelfth Chakra (Clear)

• Around the eleventh, unique to each person
• 49 to 56 years
• Issues: Unique to the individual

ASSESSING CHAKRA HEALTH WITH PENDULUM TESTING

Assessing Chakra Health

• Use pendulum testing to assess chakra health:
  • Clockwise swing: balanced
  • Counterclockwise swing: releasing energy or losing energy
  • Even pace with wide swing: healthy and open
  • Too wide: taking in too much information
  • Stops: closed
  • Uneven, disturbed, or tight: can't decide whether to be open or closed
  • Mainly vertical: reflecting spiritual potential but lacking practical application
  • Mainly horizontal: focused on practical functions but overlooking spiritual perspective
  • Swings towards upper right (feminine side): overemphasizing masculine concerns, requires feminine perspective
  • Swings towards upper left (masculine side): overemphasizing feminine concerns, requires masculine perspective
  • Too fast and to the right: reflecting anxiety or fear of the future
  • Too slow and counterclockwise: reflects a depressed state or issue mired in the past
• About 10% of individuals (heyoke) have reversed chakra spin
• Test for natural chakra spin using pendulum and yes/no questions
• Use applied kinesiology to assess causal chakra and issues within it
• Hands-on assessment useful for figuring out someone else's causal chakra and contributing issues
• Evaluate energetic issues in chakras: slight circular movement, dip, bulge, tingling, cold, heat, holes, slits, rips, tears, thin areas, leaks, blotches, fuzziness, or muddiness.

EXERCISE: ASSESSING WITH INTUITION—FOUR STYLES

Assessing Chakras with Intuition: Four Styles

• Intuition plays a crucial role in chakra assessment

Physical Intuition:

• Sense bodily sensations related to other people's chakras
  • Heat, congestion, pain, or emotions
  • Intuitively sense which chakras to focus on
• Use these skills for self-assessment and issue identification

Spiritual Intuition:

• Seek spiritual insights through questions
  • What does higher guidance indicate?
  • What clues does the Divine provide?
  • What might spiritual guidance reveal?
• Utilize prayer, meditation, and contemplation for assessment

Verbal Intuition:

• Connect with a source for accurate and ethical verbal information
• Request the core imbalanced chakra to be revealed
  • Hear a sentence, word, statement, or tonal quality
• Ask for a full explanation of reasons for imbalance
• Speak answers aloud or write them down
• Verbal intuitives can sing the answers

Visual Intuition:

• Seek inner or higher guidance for images or colors
• Determine most disturbed chakra
• Request visions to understand underlying issues

Chakra Assessment Summary:

• Universal tools for chakra analysis and healing
  • Five steps to grounding
  • Spirit-to-Spirit
  • Applied kinesiology
  • Use of pendulum and intuition
• Locate and assess chakras
• Techniques for restoring balance (next chapter)
• Additional techniques (following chapter)

13. CHAKRA MEDICINE METHODS II: HEALING

Chakra Medicine Methods II: Healing

• Desire for healing comes from deep within, chakras are portals for health, prosperity, and happiness
• Central theme: chakra balancing - clearing imbalances, diseases, blockages, coordinating efforts, sharing energies
• Chakra cleansing/clearing/cleaning: releasing congested subtle energy, improving well-being, freeing up stuck energy
• Can cleanse one or all chakras, shift one chakra detoxifies others

Chakra Cleansing

• Popular treatment for chakras
• Purpose: release congested subtle energy, improve well-being, plug holes and rips
• Methods: hands-on interaction or natural elements

Exercise: Chakra Clearing with Hands-On Interaction

• Rub hands together, set intention, decide on goal, work on one or both sides of chakras
• Hold pulling hand near chakra, activate goal, draw out undesirable energies, ask for positive forces to take it away
• Hold sending hand in same area, transmit healing energy, hold both hands over area for balance and integration
• Alternative: work on both sides at once, pull negative energy through front side, send healing energy through back side
• Shake hands at end of session, ask Divine to take extra energy away

Natural Elements in Chakra Cleansing

• Water: shower/bathtub, bowl for someone else, outdoor work
• Gemstones, wooden implements, natural substances, sound or color

Chakra Repair and Alignment

• Coordinating chakras' efforts, sharing negative and positive energies
• Includes sewing up rips and tears, releasing blockages, sealing boundaries for safety
• Aligning chakras, spreading joy of healthy chakra, making sure they bolster each other's activities.

EXERCISE: CHAKRA CLEARING WITH INTUITIVE MEDITATION

• Bring yourself into a relaxed state
• Focus on each chakra and visualize its unnecessary energy as a different color
• Ask the Divine or inner spirit to pull out undesirable energy, transforming it
• Activate natural chakra color through intention
• Concentrate on the color until it connects with the first auric field
• Repeat for all chakras
• Ask that your chakras align like a rainbow

Healing Chakra Blocks:

Define the Nature of the Stronghold:

• Review "Backgrounder: A Word About Blocks" and "Beliefs and Your Chakra Anatomy"

Return to the Causal Situation:

• Calm body and mind, allow inner self to return to causal event
• Ask questions about the situation and its effects on chakras and beliefs

Transform the Causal Situation:

• Embrace feelings and mature them into higher truths
• Forgive self and others, forgive the Divine if necessary

Activate Chakra Energy:

• Tap hidden reservoirs of truth, love, and giftedness in each chakra.

PULLING OUT OR MOVING CHAKRA ENERGY

Using Healing Streams of Grace to Manipulate Chakra Energy

• Healing streams of grace: unique, malleable and mobile energy streams reflecting Divine love and generating from the Source.
• Pulling or moving chakra energy: necessary when dealing with congested or blotchy areas or attachments.
• Relieving congestion in a chakra:
  • Concentrate on affected area.
  • Decide if energy needs removal or relocation.
  • Use intuition, hands, or Spirit to remove blockage.
  • Send healing streams of grace to affected area or new location.
• Energizing or charging chakras:
  • Chakras can be deficient in energy.
  • Reasons for low energy: blocked chakra, attachments, holes, or rips.
  • Clear the source of problem before charging.
  • Charging a tired chakra is also an option.
• Benefits of using healing streams of grace:
  • Release attachments and ancestral entities.
  • Ensure safe disposal and appropriate filling of empty spaces.
  • Cleanse energy being moved and maintain balance.

EXERCISE: CHARGING A CHAKRA

Charging a Chakra:

• Use intuition and hands to charge chakras
• Can be done on self or others
• Prepare hands, ask subject to lie down or stand
• Work on front or back side, absorb energy from atmosphere or heavenly spheres
• Send energy into dilapidated chakra until it's fully charged
• Exercise can also help seal chakras

The Light Wand:

• Energy conduit for sound and electromagnetic energy
• Acts as a focus for healing streams of grace
• Can move, empty, and add energy
• Repair rips, shift congested energy, and close off external intrusions
• Managed with inner spirit or divine power

Using a Light Wand:

• Assume existence of wand and ability to hold it
• Open to universal energy or stream of grace
• Send sound and light through the wand into chakra
• Participate in healing activities as led by intuition
• Remove unnecessary energies through the wand
• Cleanse the wand before putting it away.

ALIGNING THE CHAKRAS

• Important after working on chakras for relaxation, decreasing pain, relieving anxiety, and encouraging stability
• Two approaches: aligning another's chakras and aligning one's own chakras

Aligning Another's Chakras

• Use hands to assist subject in lying down
• Establish intention to align chakras
• Stand at feet, hold feet with palms on soles
• Repeat for other foot
• Move to left side, touch knees with right hand and feet with left hand
• Shift to position perpendicular to thighs, place right hand above first chakra area and left hand on knee
• Continue moving up body, touching each chakra with one hand until reaching crown
• At crown, place both hands on either side of skull for "brain balancing"
• Move down opposite side of body, continuing pattern until returning to feet
• Finish by placing both hands on top of feet

Aligning Your Own Chakras

• Sit in chair and touch parts of body you can reach
• Meditate upon areas you can't reach and ask higher self for energy delivery

BELIEFS AND YOUR CHAKRA ANATOMY

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SYSTEMS

• Muscular: Willpower, connected to goals and soft tissue
• Reproductive: Fertility, creativity
• Digestive: Ideas, ideals
• Respiratory: Expression of personal spirit, relationship with Spirit
• Excretory: Release, waste management
• Circulatory: Flow of love
• Nervous: Communication, flow of vital energy
• Skeletal: Foundation, fundamental

Exercise: Seven Steps to Healing with Chakras

1. Identify a discomfort or stressful situation.
2. Relax and focus on the issue using deep breathing.
3. Activate conscious mind/higher self.
4. Locate the body part related to the issue.
5. Explore the meaning of the body part and its connection to chakra.
6. Dive into the connected chakra, allowing it to hold and heal the issue.
7. Allow healing energy to flow to other parts of the body.
8. Reconnect with reality when ready.

Western Chakra Healing Techniques:

• Evaluate chakras
• Cleanse chakras
• Heal blocks
• Pull out undesirable energy
• Repair and align chakras
• Use belief system list to identify affected chakra based on symptoms

Eastern Chakra Medicine Techniques: (To be explored in the next section)

14. CHAKRA MEDICINE PRACTICES: EASTERN METHODS

Chakra Medicine Practices: Eastern Methods

• Ancient spiritual practices that clear and balance chakras
• Blend physical practices with historical power of chakra medicine
• Yamas and Niyamas: Foundation for all practices in the book

The Yamas and Niyamas

Part of Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga for enlightenment

The Five Yamas

1. Ahimsa: Nonviolence
2. Asteya: Not stealing
3. Satya: Honesty
4. Brahmacharya: Seeking God or worthy conduct
5. Aparigraha: Nongrasping, nonpossessiveness

Supporting Practices for the Yamas

• Take deep breaths to hold temper
• Clear chakras to address blockages and imbalances
• Eat mindfully to contemplate Spirit's presence
• Practice mudras to foster aparigraha

The Five Niyamas

1. Shaucha: Purity of body and mind
2. Santosha: Contentment
3. Tapah: Training of the senses, austerity
4. Svadhyaya: Self-study, reflecting on sacred words
5. Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to God

Practicing Eastern Chakra Medicine

• Eating healthy food: Shaucha
• Creating yantras or mantras: Svadhyaya
• Ultimate goal: Ishvara Pranidhana
• Journey toward a life immersed in love

PRANAYAMA: THE BREATH OF SPIRIT

• Important in chakra medicine and enlightenment since ancient times
• Focuses on the vital force or energy (prana) of the universe, which is manifested through breath
• Benefits body, mind, and soul by directing cosmic energies, cultivating kundalini energy, balancing chakras, regulating energy flow, and linking to the divine
• Breathing practices vary in yoga modalities and cultural perspectives
• Important in spiritual traditions of the West, such as certain Christian denominations and Jewish meditation
• Effective tool for preventing and managing disease, reducing stress, increasing well-being, and alleviating hypertension
• Simple pranayama practice: taking full, slow, deep breaths through the nose and focusing on inhalation, exhalation, and pause
• Long-term benefits include emptying lungs completely, breaking unconscious breathing patterns, filtering and warming air, and self-regulation
• Thousands of pranayama practices described in ancient texts with guidelines related to place, time, and number of breaths
• Modern practices are less complex but common guidelines still apply, such as practicing on an empty stomach

Importance of Pranayama Today:

• Reduced oxygen intake due to deforestation and increased carbon dioxide levels
• Infections, physical and emotional stress, and toxic stress deplete available oxygen in the body
• Pranayama helps increase oxygen intake, cleanse lymph system, strengthen immune system, bathe cells in nutrients, and alleviate "flight, fight, or freeze" responses.

Pranayama Exercises and Their Benefits

• Ujjayi Pranayama:
  • Sit comfortably.
  • Inhale slowly through both nostrils.
  • Hold breath.
  • Exhale slowly, making an audible sound.
  • Strengthens vocal cords, stimulates thyroid, improves circulation, eases tension in lungs, chest, and throat. Not for those with heart problems.
• Bhramari Pranayama:
  • Sit in a meditative position.
  • Close ears, raise elbows, inhale deeply.
  • Hold breath.
  • Exhale making the sound "m-m-m-m-m".
  • Calms and relaxes, relieves stress, increases concentration, strengthens vocal cords, ideal for fifth and sixth chakra cleansing. Best practiced at night or early morning.
• Bhastrika Pranayama:
  • Sit in a meditative position.
  • Inhale and exhale through one nostril, then the other.
  • Hold breath.
  • Aids detoxification, enhances digestion, regulates nervous system, acts as a blood purifier. Not for those with high blood pressure, hernia, heart or lung problems. Beneficial for third chakra and advancing sixth chakra.
• Anulom Vilom (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
  • Sit in a meditative pose.
  • Breathe in and out through alternate nostrils.
  • Balances all chakras, normalizes body temperature, relieves stress, cleans nadis, improves circulation, has anti-aging effects.
• Udgeeth Pranayama:
  • Sit in a meditative pose.
  • Inhale deeply and exhale while chanting "om".
  • Relieves insomnia and depression, increases concentration, clears fourth chakra, pulls energy up through all chakras.

Seated Meditation Poses

• Sukhasana Pose:
  • Sit on a flat base, cross legs, keep spine straight, relax feet, hands on knees.
  • Produces serenity, reduces stress, broadens chest, lengthens spine, promotes alignment, reduces fatigue, stretches legs, ankles, and knees.
• Padmasana Pose (Lotus Position):
  • Sit on the ground, put one foot on the other thigh, place hands on knees.
  • Ideal for pranayama, improves concentration, assists with flow of vital fluids, prevents abdominal and reproductive issues, encourages peace and longevity.

MUDRAS: SIGNS OF THE SOUL

Mudras: movements or gestures that create psychic powers and spiritual emotions, often used during meditation and spiritual practices, can promote physical health and awaken chakras, involve pratyahara (withdrawal from senses), affect subconscious, union of individual soul and Supreme Consciousness.

Fingers Meaning:

• Thumb: Paramatma or Supreme Consciousness
• Index Finger: Our jivatman or individual soul
• Middle Finger: Sattva, purity
• Ring Finger: Rajas, passion
• Little Finger: Tamas, inertia

Basic Mudras:

1. Jnana and Chin Mudra:
   • Touch index finger to thumb, keep other fingers straight
   • Palms down for Jnana, palms up for Chin
   • Preserves bodily vitality during meditation
2. Shambhavi Mudra:
   • Gaze at fixed point, then upward between eyebrows
   • Concentrate on connection to Supreme Consciousness
   • Transcends mind and ego, awakens ajña chakra
3. Ashvini Mudra:
   • Contract anal sphincter muscles, inhale and contract, exhale and release
   • Beneficial for first chakra, conserves energy, helps with anal issues
4. Navamukhi Mudra:
   • Closes bodily openings to enable spirit passage into sahasrara
   • Works with mula and vajroli mudras

Jnana and Chin Mudras:

• Sit in meditation pose, bend index finger and touch thumb
• Keep other fingers straight, place hands on knees or rest palms up
• Prana flows to thumbs instead of discharging from body, preserves vitality

Shambhavi Mudra:

• Gaze at fixed point, then upward between eyebrows
• Concentrate on connection to Supreme Consciousness
• Transcends mind and ego, awakens ajña chakra

Ashvini Mudra:

• Contract anal sphincter muscles, inhale and contract, exhale and release
• Beneficial for first chakra, conserves energy, helps with anal issues

Navamukhi Mudra:

• Close bodily openings to enable spirit passage into sahasrara
• Works with mula and vajroli mudras
• Use fingers to cover ears, eyes, nostrils, lips.

ELEVEN BUDDHIST MUDRAS TO ACCOMPLISH ANY GOAL

Dhyani (Samadhi) Mudra

• Rest back of right hand on left palm, thumbs touching
• Promotes deep meditation and cleanses impurities

Vitarka Mudra

• Palms facing forward, thumbs and index fingers forming circles
• Transmits teachings

Dharmachakra Mudra

• Left palm to body, right palm away, touching thumbs and index fingers
• Evokes wheel of dharma or cosmic order

Bhumisparsha (Touching the Earth) Mudra

• Left hand on lap, right hand hanging over knee
• Depicts Buddha's hand gestures upon enlightenment

Abhaya Mudra

• Right hand at shoulder height with fingers extended
• Creates fearlessness and provides protection

Varada Mudra

• Right hand forward, palm out, fingers pointed down
• Bestows energy of compassion and liberation

Uttarabodhi Mudra

• Both hands to chest, index fingers touching
• Cross other fingers and fold them down
• Mudra of enlightenment

Mudra of Supreme Wisdom

• Left hand grasps right index finger
• Encourages access to divine wisdom and unity

Anjali (Namaskara) Mudra

• Palms together at chest
• Greet the Divine in everyone

Vajrapradama Mudra

• Fingertips of both hands crossed
• Grants unshakeable confidence

Karana Mudra

• Right hand at shoulder level, middle finger and thumb touching
• Wards off evil by keeping ring finger next to middle finger and slightly raising little and index fingers.

MAKING USE OF THE EYES

Making Use of the Eyes in Chakra Medicine

• Mudras may involve the eyes, which play a special role in enlightenment and are related to the physical body and sixth chakra.
• The eyes enable us to see reality and beyond (into the heavens).

Secret of the Golden Flower

• Ancient spiritual text rooted in Zoroastrianism, Egyptian Hermeticism, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
• Outlines a path to illumination through silent meditation techniques and circulation of essential breath energy.
• The eyes are considered crucial as they can receive negative thoughts, acting as a "heavenly heart."
• Practitioners cultivate the appearance of a bright image between their eyes (mandala, original essence, golden flower, or original light).

Activating the Eyes

• Sit upright and comfortable.
• Half-close eyes, looking down nose (yellow middle or center in midst of conditions).
• Allow light to stream into eyes without forcing it.
• Suspend thoughts and forget concerns.
• Allow light to shift downward.

Trataka (Eye Gazing)

• Buddhist practice for cultivating the power of the eyes, stimulating ajña and opening pineal gland.
• Two types: outer (gazing at an object) and inner (visualizing chakras).
• Beneficial for insomnia, mental disarray, eye problems, and stress relief.

The Four Bandhas

• Yoga moves to regulate internal systems and release energy blocks.
• Meaning "lock," "hold," or "tighten."
• Three primary bandhas: mula (root lock), uddiyana (fly up or rise up), jalandhara (throat lock).
• Maha Bandha (great lock) combines all three.

CHAKRA-FOCUSED ASANAS

• Asanas are essential in yoga practice, each affecting a specific chakra differently
• Laura Barat recommends certain asanas for rebalancing and opening chakras
• All asanas come from Hatha yoga, which aims to raise kundalini for enlightenment

EXERCISE: First Chakra (Muladhara): Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)

• Creates heat, opens hips, and strengthens legs
• Boosts confidence and connects to the earth
• Instructions for performing Warrior I
  • Start in mountain pose
  • Move left foot back, turn it at a 45-degree angle
  • Bend right knee, keeping thigh parallel to mat
  • Root left foot, rotate hips forward
  • Extend arms above head, keep shoulders wide open
  • Engage core muscles and tilt hip forward
  • Press outer left heel into the floor for added stability
• Benefits: Strengthens shoulders, arms, thighs, ankles, back muscles; expands chest, increases core stamina, improves balance, stimulates abdominal organs
• Cautions: Heart problems, high blood pressure, or balance issues may require modifications. Shoulder pain can be alleviated by keeping hands open and arms parallel to avoid compression. Neck discomfort should be addressed by looking forward with chin parallel to the ground.

EXERCISE: SECOND CHAKRA POSE: PARIVRTTA TRIKONASANA (TWISTING TRIANGLE POSE)

Second Chakra Pose: Parivrtta Trikonasana (Twisting Triangle Pose)

• Stand in Mountain Pose
  • Feet wide apart (about 4 feet)
  • Raise arms parallel to the floor, palms down

Left Side:

• Turn left foot inward (45-60 degrees)
• Right foot turned outward (90 degrees)
• Align right heel with left heel
• Extend right thigh outward
• Lean over right leg
• Reach left hand down: on foot, shin, block, or floor
• Stretch right arm up
• Keep head neutral or gaze at right hand
• Breathe deeply, increasing stretch on exhale
• Hold for 30 seconds to a minute
• Come out on inhale

Benefits:

• Relieves digestive problems, lower backache, and sciatica
• Reduces stress and anxiety

Cautions:

• Avoid if you have migraines, low blood pressure, headaches, diarrhea, insomnia, or spinal conditions.

EXERCISE: THIRD CHAKRA POSE: USTRASANA (CAMEL POSE)

• Backbend pose that assists the third chakra and several others

Preparation:

• Warm up back, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs
• Kneel on floor with hip-width apart knees, thighs perpendicular to the floor, soles of feet facing upward
• Place palms on lower back and breathe deeply

Execution:

• Lean backward while keeping hips forward
• Tuck toes and move hands to heels or head (optional)
• Remain in pose for 30 seconds to a minute
• Exit by bringing hands to hip bones, lifting torso up, and resting

Benefits:

• Tones limbs, strengthens chest, abdomen, and thighs
• Improves digestive, endocrine systems, asthma, bronchitis, diabetes, thyroid and parathyroid disorders, intestinal and genitourinary disorders
• Reduces fat on thighs, loosens vertebrae, releases tension in genital glands

Cautions:

• Do not do if you have high or low blood pressure, migraines, insomnia, or serious low back or neck injuries.

EXERCISE: FOURTH CHAKRA POSE: BHUJANGASANA (COBRA POSE)

• Increases love flow, heals grievances and heart disorders

Performing Cobra Pose:

1. Lie face down on floor or mat with legs and feet resting.
2. Use back muscles to lift torso, place hands palms down under shoulders.
3. Keep forearms on the floor, hug elbows towards sides (Sphinx Pose).
4. Exhale, press feet, thighs, and pubic area into the floor.
5. Inhale, straighten arms, lift chest off the floor while keeping pubic bone on it.
6. Press tailbone towards pubic area, lift pubis towards navel, firm shoulder blades towards spine, expand ribs, and lift top of body.
7. Hold for 15-30 seconds, release with an exhalation.

Benefits:

• Opens chest, strengthens spine, firms buttocks
• Good for sciatica, asthma, increases bodily heat, awakens kundalini, eliminates disease

Cautions:

• Avoid if you have an injured back, carpal tunnel syndrome, or headaches.

EXERCISE: FIFTH CHAKRA POSE: DHANURASANA (BOW POSE)

• Lie face down on mat with hips width apart
• Bend knees and grasp ankles with hands
• Inhale and lift chest off floor, pulling legs up
• Keep legs together, squeeze inner thighs
• To release, lower legs and torso slowly

Benefits:

• Strengthens legs and hips
• Massages spine
• Opens heart
• Improves blood circulation
• Regulates sexual glands
• Directs oxygen to upper body
• Rejuvenates entire body

Cautions:

• Do not do if you have kidney issues
• Neck injuries, cervical spondylitis, arteriosclerosis, or glaucoma.

EXERCISE: SIXTH CHAKRA POSE: ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA (DOWNWARD FACING DOG)

• Uses push-pull dynamics of yoga
• Steps:
  • Come to the floor on hands and knees
  • Exhale and lift knees, lengthening tailbone and pressing heels back
  • Straighten knees, firm outer thighs and roll upper thighs inward
  • Press bases of index fingers into the floor and lift up along inner arms
  • Keep head between upper arms
• Benefits:
  • Relieves stress, energizes body
  • Menstrual symptoms, osteoporosis prevention
  • Improves digestion, relieves headaches, insomnia, back pain, high blood pressure, sinusitis, etc.
• Contraindications:
  • Pregnancy
  • Diarrhea
  • Ear or eye infections
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • High blood pressure
  • Headache

EXERCISE: SEVENTH CHAKRA POSE: SAVASANA (CORPSE POSE)

• Calms and balances the body and mind
• Practiced at end of yoga session for relaxation and integration
• Directions:
  • Lie on back, legs spread comfortably
  • Tilt chin towards chest, then relax
  • Let arms fall by sides in comfortable position
  • Visualize seventh chakra pulsing
• Benefits:
  • Calms brain and body
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Reduces fatigue and insomnia
• Contraindications:
  • Discomfort
  • Back injury
  • Pregnancy

Chakra Healing and Balancing Practices

• Borrowed and updated techniques from Eastern chakra medicine
• Included practices such as:
  • Yamas and niyamas (moral and ethical guidelines)
  • Pranayama (breathing exercises)
  • Mudras (hand gestures)
  • Eye exercises
  • Yoga bandhas (internal body locks)
• Added special twist with asanas (yoga postures)
• Bring time-tested chakra medicine practices into modern life.

15. CHAKRA TECHNIQUES

Embracing Eastern and Western approaches to chakra medicine

• Exploring various ways to work with chakras: mantras, shapes, Reiki, archetypes, etc.

Mantras and More: The Music of the Spheres

Mantras

• Sacred verbal formulas for spiritual practice
• Complex rituals in ancient texts
• Receiving mantra from a guru
• Comparing syllables in name and mantra
• Purifying mantra

Seed Syllables

• Simple way to perform mantra for chakra transformation
• Hindu seed syllable for each chakra
• Using octave notes instead
• Expand toning with music or instruments

Mantra Recitation

• Deciding how to obtain or use a mantra
  • Select or write own or receive from guru/teacher
  • Frequency of use, time of day, repetitions, etc.
  • Using other practices or elements
  • Repeating mantra aloud, in whisper, mentally
  • Using visualizations (yantras)
  • Concentrating on a chakra while chanting
• Forms of mantra recitation: intoning each syllable, writing and sprinkling with holy water or flower petals, repeating secretly

Seed Syllables for Each Chakra

• Chakra
• Hindu seed syllable/pronunciation
• Octave note
  • First: Lam “lum”, C
  • Second: Vam “vum”, D
  • Third: Ram “rum”, E
  • Fourth: Yam “yum”, F
  • Fifth: Ham “hum”, G
  • Sixth: Om / long O sound, A
  • Seventh: None, B

YANTRAS: THE SHAPES AND COLORS OF LIGHT

Yantras:

• Visual tools for meditative focus and receiving transmissions
• Represent form of a deity or spiritual concept from Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, Asian, Greek, Egyptian, Mayan, Hebrew, and contemporary traditions
• Four types: deity yantras, astrological yantras, architectural yantras, numerical yantras
• Yantras specific to each chakra

Employing a Yantra:

• Prepare: select based on intention, need, color, shape, chakra, astrological sign, and event
• Infuse: charge with spiritual energy through intention, holy water, blessing, or prayer
• Use: hold as focus during meditation, place in environment, or wear as jewelry

Important Properties of Yantras:

• Shapes and colors determine their energy
• Sacred geometry: shapes have been used in religious structures, healing instruments, etc.
• Platonic solids: five shapes linked to lower five chakras
• Colors are powerful healing tools and can be used for chakra medicine

Shapes:

• Hexahedron (cube): solidarity and foundation, Earth
• Icosahedron: transformation, Water
• Tetrahedron: manifestation, Fire
• Octahedron: integration and love, Air
• Dodecahedron: ascension and mystery, Ether
• Merkaba: interdimensional travel, None
• Sphere: wholeness and oneness, None

Colors:

• Red: power, passion, energy
• Orange: enthusiasm, stamina, adventure
• Yellow: inspires, awakens, adds optimism and intelligence
• Green: beauty, nature, healing capabilities
• Blue: cools, calms, integrates higher knowing
• Purple: visual intuition, powerful transformation
• White: purity and transcendence
• Pink: love, empowerment, affection
• Silver: receptivity, deflects negativity
• Gold: enlightenment, divine protection, highest good
• Black: draws in energy and transforms it
• Earth colors: represents the wealth of nature.

REIKI SYMBOLS FOR YOUR CHAKRAS: ANOTHER FORM OF YANTRAS

Reiki: Japanese healing technique using symbols and hand placement

• Comparable to Hindu yantras as energetic channels
• Focused on acknowledging life force or subtle energy
• Chakras are a core aspect
• Healing art based on attunements from Reiki master
• Symbols hold healer's intention
• Can be used mentally, drawn on body, or sketched

Three Main Reiki Symbols:

• Cho Ku Rei (Power Symbol):
  • Acts as a light switch for healing energy
  • Clockwise: Manifestation and adding energy
  • Counterclockwise: Decreasing power and releasing
  • Ideal for beginning a Reiki chakra healing
• Sei Hei Ki (Harmony Symbol):
  • Cleansing, purifying, mental and emotional healing
  • Repels negative energy
  • Uplifts and inspires
  • Part of chakra cleanse
• Raku (Completion Symbol):
  • Grounds and completes
  • Participates in kundalini healing and chakra alignment
  • Seals newly activated energies
  • Often used in final stage of attunement

Reiki Chakra Practice:

1. Relax and breathe deeply
2. Draw Power symbol on related chakra, deciding on direction (clockwise or counterclockwise)
3. Set intention for cleaning or empowering the chakra
4. Draw Harmony symbol to purify and harmonize chakra energies
5. Use Completion symbol to seal in healing and add protection
6. Relax and complete session

ARCHETYPE HEALING THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

• Chakra medicine includes archetypes as symbols holding vibration
• Our psyches are transpersonal, extending beyond individual level
• Positive archetypes exalt chakra abilities and are life enhancing
• Negative archetypes indicate undeveloped aspects, may be stages of development
• Negative archetypes have a silver lining, enabling growth into constructive archetype
• Exercise to shift negative archetype into positive one:
  • Identify imbalanced chakra and associated negative archetype
  • Meditate, concentrate on negative archetype
  • Ask negative archetype about its origin and development
  • Discover the truth and positive quality within it
  • Ask what it requires to illuminate positive quality
  • Invite positive archetype, ask for teaching and instruction
  • Merge positive and negative archetypes back into chakra

Chakras' Positive and Negative Archetypes

• First Chakra:
  • Victim (Positive: First Mother)
  • Martyr (Negative)
• Second Chakra:
  • Second Emperor/Empress (Positive)
  • Martyr (Negative)
• Third Chakra:
  • Warrior (Positive)
  • Servant (Negative)
• Fourth Chakra:
  • Lover (Positive)
  • Actor (Negative)
• Fifth Chakra:
  • Communicator (Positive)
  • Silent Child (Negative)
• Sixth Chakra:
  • Intuitive (Positive)
  • Intellectual (Negative)
• Seventh Chakra:
  • Guru (Positive)
  • Egotist (Negative)

HOMEOPATHY AS CHAKRA MEDICINE

Homeopathy as Chakra Medicine

• Homeopathy: treating individuals with highly diluted substances to trigger natural immunity based on "like with like" principle
• Homeopathic remedies vibrate and release miasms, which can affect chakras and related auric fields

Miasm and Chakra Connection

• Miasm: a force causing disease or imbalance, can emanate from chakras
• Shifting chakra through homeopathy shifts related miasms

First Chakra Homeopathy

• Lycopodium, Silica: corrects values in the face of materialism
• Sulphur: becoming embodied, being fully present
• Sulphur, Oak: grounding and healing adrenal overdrive

Second Chakra Homeopathy

• Syphilinum, Ayahuasca, Syphilinum: invading entities and external energies
• Thuja: sexual issues, victim issues

Third Chakra Homeopathy

• Bay Leaf: victim issues leading to shyness, anger, depression
• Ceanothus, Caesium: carrying out desires
• Nux Vomica: individuating within a constraining society

Fourth Chakra Homeopathy

• Hornbeam, Berlin Wall, Thymus Gland: damage to the thymus (e.g., from vaccines)
• Ayahuasca, Chalice Well: dealing with the abyss (dark night of the soul)
• Syphilinum, Holly Berry, Moonstone: freeing self from entities

Fifth Chakra Homeopathy

• Natrum Mur: uniting upper three chakras to dispel fear and illusion
• Japanese Oleander (White): expressing quality truths
• Lachesis: desire to control others

Sixth Chakra Homeopathy

• Orange: opening the sixth eye when ready
• Thuja Occidentalis: perceiving the nature of miasms in physical world
• Copper Beech: supporting Kundalini

Seventh Chakra Homeopathy

• Frankincense: capacity to receive sacred guidance
• Hornbeam: opening to light, raising spiritual awareness
• Purple: converting negative karma

To use homeopathic remedies: obtain from holistic stores or online, use as directed. Can be used externally if uncomfortable taking internally.

THE POWER OF FLOWERS

The Power of Flowers in Hinduism and Vedic tradition:

• Flowers represent light, hope, and harmony with nature.
• Chakras are represented by lotus flowers.
• Ancient texts like the Puranas describe ways to use specific flowers for spiritual growth and protection.
• Flowers used as offerings in Hindu temples and rituals.
• Specific flowers associated with certain deities and days of the week.

Flowers Related to Days of the Week:

• Monday: Lily, jasmine (family unity)
• Tuesday: Arali (nerium oleander), champangi (safety, protection)
• Wednesday: Pavizhamalli (coral jasmine) (memory)
• Thursday: Chamandi (financial success)
• Friday: Ramabhana (picchi; red) (conception)
• Saturday: Purple flowers (success, friendship)
• Sunday: Pink and maroon flowers (friendship, enhancing personality)

Flowers for Specific Results:

• Sunflower (business success)
• Drumstick Flower (wise decision in purchasing a vehicle)
• Thazhamboo Flower (buying gold, courtship)
• Mango Flower (safe travels)
• Chamandhi Flower (medical treatment)
• Neem Flower (freedom from debt and loans)
• Magizham Flower (release from black magic)
• Arali (buying property)
• White Lotus (alleviates shortage of clothing)
• Asoka (for matrimony)

Flower Essences:

• Subtle energy of flowers can be accessed through intention.
• Flower essences are herbal infusions used therapeutically for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits.
• Bach Flower Remedies and Australian Bush Flower Essences are popular types.

The Lotus:

• Symbolizes eternity, purity, life, creation, youthfulness, feminine beauty, enlightenment.
• Many lotus colors provide different subtle energies.
• Lotus meditation using lotus colors for chakras:
  • Pink: History of Buddha and Buddhism
  • Red: Compassion and love
  • White: Purity of mind and spirit
  • Blue: Common sense, wisdom, and logic
  • Purple: Spirituality and mysticism
  • Gold: Achievement of enlightenment
  • Three stages of lotus development:
    • In the mud: The world into which we are born, full of suffering
    • Closed lotus flower: The time before enlightenment
    • Fully bloomed flower: Full enlightenment.

EXERCISE: LOTUS MEDITATION

Lotus Meditation:

• Settle into a comfortable position, breathe deeply
• Imagine self as unopened lotus with roots in mud (foundation of reality)
• Forgive and make peace with underdeveloped aspects of self
• Divine breathes six colors for healing and transformation:
  • Pink: grounded in Buddha's care
  • Red: empowered by unconditional love
  • White: purified and cleansed
  • Blue: comforted, logical nature actualized
  • Purple: psychic powers sweetened
  • Gold: maturation of worldly self
• Pull up wisdom from roots to heart
• Connect with closed lotus self and allow Divine to breathe colors into heart
• Grow in joy and creativity with each color
• Transformed selves rise to crown, meet fully actualized self
• Divine encircles enlightened self with lotus colors
• Breathe deeply and remain in illuminated state
• End meditation by chanting "om mani padme hum" (hail, the jewel in the lotus)

ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential Oils for Chakra Medicine:

• Used for healing, cleansing, ritual, beautification, emotional clearing, and spiritual awareness
• Can be diffused, inhaled, applied topically, or included in massage
• Vibrational medicine, each oil interacts physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually
• Match chakras, administer health to specific chakras
• List of essential oils for different chakras in "Chakra Flower Essences, Gemstones, and Oils" section
• Professional opinions vary about effects, recommend further research

Using Essential Oils:

• Add a few drops to a base oil for topical use
• Create a spray as a freshener
• Place a drop in hot wax of burning candle
• Add to potpourri
• Add to steaming water for aromatherapy
• Use cotton balls with essential oils as room fresheners or in cupboards
• Put drops on decorative padded clothes hangers

CHAKRA STONE THERAPY

• Chakra Stone Therapy:

  • Stones used therapeutically in various traditions for centuries
  • Believed to carry the vibration of their part of the earth
  • Each stone group has unique chemical composition and crystalline structures
  • Crystals can store and convey information, affect light, vibrate, and conduct electricity
  • Used for healing, absorbing negative energy, producing positive energy, and storing divine energy

• Hindu Beliefs about Stones:

  • Linked to subtle energy, planets, body parts, and deities
  • Used in Vedic astrology, ayurveda, and alchemy
  • Assigned medical properties and administered as pastes or powders
  • Granted alchemical powers and considered astrological transmitters

• Using Gemstones for Chakra Healing:

  • Determine chakra imbalance using techniques in chapter 12
  • Select a gemstone based on planet, Bali's Body of Stones chart, or other sources
  • Clear the stone by soaking it in saltwater, moonlight, or praying over it
  • Charge the stone through physical contact or prayer
  • Employ the stone during meditation, wearing it as jewelry, creating a chakra layout, or making a gemstone essence
  • Use with chakra oils and store in a special space

• Bali's Body of Stones:

  • Nine gems linked to different planets representing chakras
  • Planets and their meanings: Venus (love, beauty, feminine energy), Moon (feminine energy, emotions), Sun (masculine energy, self-expression), Mercury (communication), Saturn (primal energy), Ketu (blocks to karma), Rahu (working through karma), Jupiter (wealth, success), and Mars (action, passion)
  • Gemstones correspond to body parts: Diamond (bones), Pearl (teeth), Ruby (blood), Emerald (sound), Blue Sapphire (eyes), Cat's-eye (sight), Quartz (fats), Agate (remainder of the body)
  • Yellow and White Sapphires (skin), Hessonite (semen), Lapis lazuli (radiance, jaundice), Tourmaline (nails)

CHAKRA FLOWER ESSENCES, GEMSTONES, AND OILS

Chakra Medicine: Flower essences, gemstones, and oils have been used for centuries.

Chakra Flower Essences:

• First Chakra:
  • Clematis (BF): Daydreaming
  • Macrocarpa (AB): Adrenals
  • Red Lily (AB): Grounding
  • Star of Bethlehem (BF): Flow between body and soul
  • Hematite: Protection and healing
• Second Chakra:
  • Billy Goat Plum (AB): Releases shame
  • Mimulus (BF): Emotional fear
  • Rock Rose (BF): Extreme panic
  • She Oak (AB): Hormone balancing
  • Bloodstone: Transmutes, clears emotional negativity
• Third Chakra:
  • Citrine: Luck and success
  • Orange Calcite: Energizes and cleanses
  • Tiger's Eye: Respond, not react
• Fourth Chakra:
  • Agrimony (BF): Mental torture
  • Flannel Flower (AB): Intimacy
  • Holly (BF): Blocked love
  • Gorse (BF): Despair
  • Walnut (BF): Protection from change
  • Chrysocolla: Unresolved grief, shut-down heart
  • Emerald: Unblocks fear, lucky for love
  • Jade: Attracts love and money
  • Malachite: Reflects truth of the soul
  • Rose Quartz: Anchors love
• Fifth Chakra:
  • Cognis Essence (AB): Clarity to speak truth
  • Paw Paw (AB): Assimilating new data
  • Mustard (BF): Helps face problems
  • Olive (BF): Exhaustion
  • Wild Rose (BF): Apathy
• Sixth Chakra:
  • Beech (BF): Intolerance
  • Chicory (BF): Selfish love
  • Isopogon (AB): Memory
  • Vervain (BF): Overenthusiasm
  • Vine (BF): Inflexibility
  • Adventurine: Clears fear of unknown
  • Azurite: Opens third eye
  • Moldavite: Opens potential
  • Sugilite: Opens to spiritual support
• Seventh Chakra:
  • Heather (BF): Self-centeredness
  • Impatiens (BF): Impatience
  • Sundew (AB): For decisiveness
  • Water Violet (BF): Pride
  • Amethyst: Guards against darkness, opens dreams, heals insomnia
  • Diamond: Innocence and constancy
  • Kunzite: Integrating spiritual into everyday
  • White Calcite: Cleansing and healing
  • White Topaz: Promotes spiritual truth

Gemstones:

• Hematite: Protection and healing
• Garnet: Success
• Pyrite: Solidifies identity
• Ruby: Resolves survival issues
• Rhodochrosite: Releases bodily pain
• Smoky Quartz: Transmutes negativity
• Black Pepper:
• Cinnamon:
• Cypress:
• Grapefruit:
• Lemongrass:
• Sandalwood:

Essential Oils:

• Angelica Root
• Cedarwood
• Frankincense
• Myrrh
• Patchouli
• Bergamot
• Cardamom
• Clary Sage
• Neroli
• Orange
• Ylang-Ylang
• Chamomile
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Basil
• Bay Laurel
• Elemi
• Juniper
• Rosemary
• Vetiver

SPIKENARD FEEDING YOUR SPIRIT WITH FOOD

Chakra-Based Foods and Spices

First Chakra:

• Root vegetables
• Proteins: meat, tofu, soy products, peanuts
• Red fruits
• Cayenne, pepper

Second Chakra:

• Tropical fruits: mango, coconut
• Orange fruits and vegetables
• Honey, almonds
• Vanilla, carob, wheat, high-glycemic carbohydrates
• Sesame seeds

Third Chakra:

• Whole grains: corn, rice, flax seed
• Yogurt
• Yellow and tan foods
• Ginger, turmeric, fennel

Fourth Chakra:

• Green leafy vegetables
• Air vegetables: broccoli
• Green teas
• Sage, thyme, parsley

Fifth Chakra:

• Sea plants
• High water content fruits: lemons, limes, grapefruit
• Tree-growing fruits: pears
• Salt
• Lemongrass

Sixth Chakra:

• Red grapes
• Blackberries
• Chocolate
• Lavender
• Poppy seed

Seventh Chakra:

• Pure food of any kind
• Fasting and detoxing
• Nourishment from the sun
• Use of incense and smudging herbs

Chakra Allergens:

• First Chakra: Dairy, meat, highly addictive substances like high-proof alcohol
• Second: Wheat and other gluten grains: barley, oats
• Third: Corn, squashes, beer, nightshades: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes
• Fourth: Chocolate, wine, green vegetables
• Sixth: Vision-inducing substances: wine, chocolate, cocoa
• Seventh: Fish and "clean" alcohol: vodka

Individualizing Chakra Practices:

• Make practices your own
• Select and adapt to personal preferences
• Each chakra is unique

Chakra Activation:

• Gain in all areas of life with chakras as energy organs
• Met kundalini and seven Hindu chakras
• Acquired chakra medicine tools for acute, chronic concerns or relaxation.