7
CHAKRAS
WHAT ARE CHAKRAS?
Chakras are the circular vortexes of energy that are placed in seven different points on the spinal column, and all the seven chakras are connected to the various organs and glands within the body. These chakras are responsible for disturbing the life energy, which is also known as Qi or Praana.
Whenever a chakra is disrupted or blocked, the life energy also gets blocked, leading to the onset of mental and health ailments. When the harmonious balance of the seven chakras is disrupted or damaged, it can cause several problems in our lives, including our physical health, emotional health and our mental state of mind.
SAHASRARA
The Sahasrara chakra represents the soul in its aspect of Perfect Being. It is the seat of liberation for enlightened beings. As the goal of yoga practices is samadhi or the superconscious union of the ego with the divine self, the crown chakra is the point at which the soul dissolves ego consciousness. The union may be experienced as merging with a calm inner light. In the light, one can expand one’s consciousness to infinity. The soul lets go of its delusion of being separated from the light and thus becomes the universe. Although the experience of union with the divine is full of ecstasy, at first the soul may only attain brief moments of liberation. As an analogy, the bird who has long remained imprisoned in its cage may return to its familiar cage even when the door is opened. Finally, however, it realizes that it is free to fly out of the cage; similarly, the soul realizes that its true state is in its full liberation as spirit. One can experience samadhi through meditation. The only barrier withholding one from the experience of liberation is simply the thought that one is not yet liberated. However, the great masters including Jesus Christ, Krishna, Paramhansa Yogananda, and others have shown that final emancipation comes when the seeds of karma have been destroyed. When the soul believes that it is free to the last layers of its consciousness, then it is fully free. By prolonged meditation on the spiritual eye, the soul experiences first the sixth chakra’s circular field of blue light ringed with gold and then passes through the subtle passage at the seventh chakra. When the enlightened master finally ceases all action in the world, his consciousness becomes centered in the Sahasrara chakra, and he merges with the infinite spirit in samadhi.
AJNA
The Third Eye Chakra transcends time. It is located in the brain, at the brow, above the base of the nose. The gift of this chakra is seeing – both inner and outer worlds. The energy of this chakra allows us to experience clear thought as well as gifts of spiritual contemplation and self reflection. Through the gift of seeing we can internalize the outer world and with symbolic language we can externalize the inner world. The energy of Ajna allows us to access our inner guidance that comes from the depths of our being. It allows us to cut through illusion and to access deeper truths – to see beyond the mind, beyond the words. The “way of the third eye” is seeing everything as it is from a point of “witness” or “observer”, or from simply being mindful – moment by moment. It means examining self-limiting ideas and developing wisdom that comes from a perspective that transcends the duality of good or bad, black or white. It means seeing and helping others to see the deeper meanings of the situations in their lives. Sixth chakra is holistic in nature. When this chakra is fully activated, both hemispheres of the brain function in synchrony. The right hemisphere’s creativity and synthetic thinking is integrated and balanced with left hemisphere’s logical and analytical thinking.
VISHUDHA
‘Vishuddha’ in Sanskrit and corresponds to the throat or neck area of the physical body. Vishudda is related to the Ethereal realm and the etheric body. Activation of this chakra centre brings about awareness of the inner worlds. This chakra is mainly related to communication and self expression in all forms. The energy here is related to personal creativity as a means of expressing one’s true inner self. Vishudda chakra is related to our ability to communicate in general. Issues here are related to our personal self expression and and our personal truth. The Throat chakra element is sound or ether, the non-physical space which is connected to the etheric body and the essence of communication and vibration. It is concerned with creativity and expression in all forms, including self expression of ones truth and the ability to listen and understand. It is in this space that we experience the world smbolically and through the meaning and sound in language. When the Throat chakra is clear and open then one is able to express themselves easily and communication flows more freely. Artistic creativity becomes more natural. Over-active energy in this chakra can result in talking too much and not listening to others. One may also become domineering or keep others at a distance. When the throatchakra is under-active or blocked, one may become more introverted or shy. They may speak less or not speak the truth.
ANAHATA
‘Anahata’ in Sanskrit and corresponds to the chest area and heart of the physical body. The energy here relates to one’s emotional life and relationships and is connected to the astral body. Anahata chakra represents unconditional Love and is associated with compassion and healing. When the heart chakra opens one feels more deeply connected with others and to nature. This center allows one to sense other energy fields. Anahata is related to the element of air and its free flowing nature. It is in this space the integration of opposites take place. It is the merging place for the mind and the body. Is is the essence of Anahata that allows one’s heart space to open and awaken. This allows us to live from a more heart-centered consciousness in relation to life and others, and to develop a deeper sense and appreciation of nature. The Heart chakra allows us to experience our emotions more in depth. It represents are connectedness with the heart of life and a deeper and more open acceptance and understanding of others. It gives us the ability to love unconditionally and become fully centered in profound joy and inner peace. When the Heart chakra is clear and open then Love and affection flow more easily. Kindness and compassion become more natural and one strives to create harmonious relationships with others. When this chakra centre is over active or has excessive energy, one may be suffocating or smothering others with too much affection, or motives for love can sometimes be selfish. When the heart chakra is under-active, closed or blocked, one may become cold and distant with others and have less empathy.
MANIPURA
‘Manipura’ in Sanskrit and corresponds to the navel region of the physical body. It is related to the solar plexus and is often referred to as the ‘solar chakra’ because it is one’s personal power center. The navel chakra also related to contentment, trust, willpower and motivation. The energy of Manipura allows for personal transformation and is about balance. Manipura chakra represents our ability to be confident and in-control of our personal lives and how we relate to the world around us. Its issues are related to our self-worth and self esteem and feeling accepted. The Navel or Solar Plexus chakra represents the element of fire. It rules our personal will power, energy and enthusiasm, and even our physical metabolism. This chakra brings us personal sense of power and is our energy center that fuels our spontaneity, determination and effectiveness in the world. It is through this chakra we get are sense of self-empowerment. When the Navel chakra is clear and open one has healthy self-esteem. Being able to feel comfortable and in control, and being able to assert themselves in a group become natural. Excessive or over-active energy in the navel chakra can cause one to become too domineering or even agressive. Under-active or blocked Navel chakra can result in being passive or indecisive. One may become timid or unable to achieve their goals.
SWADHISTANA
Swadhisthana’ in Sanskrit and corresponds to the pelvis and genital region of the physical body. Swadhisthana is mainly related to emotional and sexual energy. This is the space connected to deep feelings and creative enthusiasm, as well as emotional security. The Sacral chakra energy allows us to encounter the energy of change and growth. Swadhisthana chakra is related to issues concerning our ability to accept other people and be open to new experiences in life. It is about our sense of abundance and general well being, and also relating to pleasure ans sensuality. The Sacral chakra represents the element of water and this is why it is connected to the flowing and changing nature of our emotions and to the active and receptive nature of our sexuality. It helps us connect to others through desire, sensation and movement. This chakra allows us to experience depth of feeling, physical pleasure and fulfillment, and gives us the ability to accept change in its many forms. When the Sacral chakra is clear and open, feeling flows more freely and one is able to express feelings without being over-emotional. Passion and intimacy come more naturally. Over-active sacral chakra energy may result in becoming too emotional and cause unhealthy attachments to people or sexuality. When the Sacral chakra is closed or blocked then one becomes unemotional and detached from others and feelings get repressed.
MULADHARA
Muladhara’ in Sanskrit and corresponds to the base of the spine/tailbone area of the physical body; also the legs and feet. Muladhara chakra represents our root connection to the earth, our physical body as a whole, and our ancestral roots as well. It is associated with survival insticts and physical security. This is the space where the Kundalini energy is coiled waiting to be awakened and ascend through the other chakras towards the crown chakra. Muladhara chakra represents our personal foundation in life and our feelings of being Grounded. It is also related to issues of money and financial independance, as well as the basic needs for survival such as food and shelter. Muladhara/Root Chakra represents the element of earth and this is why it related to our survival insticts and our connection to or physical bodies and to the earth, and the physical plane in general. This chakra allows us to have health, prosperity and a firm foundation for our life and a feeling of belonging and having a secure place in this world. When the Root chakra is clear and open then one feels more grounded, stable and secure. Feelings of trust and being present in the here and now becomes more natural. When this chakra is over-active with energy one may become more materialistic or even greedy. This can result in too much focus on security and survival and be resistant to change. When the root chakra is energy is blocke or under-active one may feel unwelcome or insecure and may be fearful or nervous.
THE
EIGHT CLAIR SENSES
CLAIRVOYANCE
(CLEAR SEEING)
A clairvoyant (clear seeing) receives extrasensory impressions and symbols in the form of mental images through their mind’s eye (third eye). You may be clairvoyant if you experience vivid dreams, visions, mental images and mini-movies that ash into your inner awareness. You may be able to see the colors of the energy elds (auras) around people, plants, and animals, or perhaps you are able to see angels, ghosts, or other beings. You may have a propensity for clairvoyance if you are a “visual” person, can easily visualize solutions to problems, have a great sense of direction, or are very good with visual-spatial problems, like rearranging furniture or loading and arranging the items in the dishwasher. A clairvoyant may have the ability to see the future(precognition), to clarify and illuminate the present (most common) and see the past (postcognition).
CLAIRCOGNIZANCE
(CLEAR KNOWING)
CLAIRCOGNIZANCE (CLEAR KNOWING) You experience claircognizance (clear knowing) when you just suddenly know something to be true, even though you didn’t see it, hear it or feel it. You just know it. It’s a stroke of instant insight or a download of information that needs no processing or interpretation. Claircognizance can be experienced as a nagging idea or unrelenting thought, much like the persistant awareness that someone is lying to you when you have no physical evidenceof it. Many individuals confuse claircognizance (clear knowing) with clairempathy (clear emotion) or clairsentience (clear physical feeling) because their “knowing” is quickly followed by either a personal emotional or physical reaction to the insight. Overtime, paying attention to how the insight comes into your awareness will help you distinguish the difference.
CLAIRAUDIENCE
(CLEAR HEARING)
If you are clairaudient (clear hearing), you are able to perceive sounds, words or noise from the spiritual or etherealrealm. Someone is clairaudient if they mainly receive theirintuitive information with their inner or outer hearing. Yes, we are talking about hearing voices (either outside of yourself orin your head)! An example is that you’re driving to work and suddenly hear “Take the next exit.” There is no one in the vehicle with you. However, the message was clear, and seemed to come from outside of yourself. You take the next exit instead of driving your usual route. When you arrive at work, you learn you avoided a five car pile up, which would have made you miss a very important meeting. You might lean towards clairaudience if you are naturally attuned to sounds, tones, rhythm and music. If you sing, play music, have an easy time remembering voices, or can easily hear it in someone’s voice when they are lying to you.
CLAIREMPATHY
(CLEAR EMOTIONAL FEELING)
You have clairempathy (clear emotion) if you sense other people’s emotions, thoughts and symptoms. It is the awareness or perception of emotional energy. You don’t necessarily experience the feeling in your body, but you are aware of the feeling. Think of Troy from Star Trek the Next Generation. She could sense other people’s emotions. Ever walk into a room after a couple was arguing and sensed the anger and hurt in the room? If so, you are clairempathic. Empaths need self-care and psychic protection techniques to successfully manage their empathic nature and shield themselves from energetic overload. A skilled empath knows how to maintain spiritual boundaries, replenish energy and clear unwanted negative energy from their auric eld. The difference between clairempathy and clairsentience is that empaths sense the emotion whereas sentients experience the emotion. Empaths sense the energy, but sentients feel the energy.
CLAIRSENTIENCE
(CLEAR PHYSICAL FEELING)
CLAIRSENTIENCE (CLEAR PHYSICAL FEELING) A clairsentient (clear physical feeling) obtains intuitive insight by way of a physical experience in their body. You have a “gut feeling” or “something doesn’t feel right,” and you experience it viscerally, as a physical sensation, in your body. Clairsentient’s feel (not just sense) the experience of other people’s emotions, ailments or injuries. They can also feel the physical and emotional pain of a land or a place where tragic events have occurred such as fear, jealousy, insecurity, hatred, and pain. An example of this is that a friend of mine, a gifted psychic medium, gets an upset stomach when negative entities are nearby or pestering one of her clients. The difference between clairempathy and clairsentience is that empaths sense the emotion whereas sentients experience the emotion. Empaths sense the energy, but sentients feel the energy.
CLAIRTANGENCY
(CLEAR TOUCHING)
You may have clairtangency (clear touching) if you have the ability to perceive facts about an event or person by contact with or proximity to the object or person. This is also commonly known as psychometry. You may be clairtangent if you quickly gain formerly unknown insights when you hold someone’s watch, touch their hand, when you pick up an old antique at a ea market, or touch an old building.
CLAIRSALIENCE
(CLEAR SMELLING)
For those with clairsalience (clear smelling), insights come through the perception of smell, such as smelling a fragrance or odor of a substance, person, place, or animal that is not in your immediate surroundings. These odors are perceived without the use of your physical nose. Other names for this are clairscent andclairscentency. An example of this ability is: you are cleaning the house when all of a sudden you get a strong smell of the perfume your deceased grandmother used to wear. No one wears that fragrance in your home. Your grandmother is reaching out from the spirit world to communicate with you. Or, maybe lately everywhere you go, you keep smelling lilacs. Lilacs are your Mom’s favorite ower. It’s a nudge to call your Mom as she may need your support right now. Experiencing scents might trigger the other senses to “see”, “hear” or “feel” what a spirit is trying to communicate.
CLAIRGUSTANCE
(CLEAR TASTING)
An individual with clairgustance (clear tasting) receives psychic information through their sense of taste, without having any physical source of that taste in their mouth. People sometimes report tasting a favorite food or drink from a loved one who has passed away. Others report that when they are problem-solving they receive helpful information through an extrasensory taste in their mouths. For instance, police detectives investigating crimes sometimes get an unexplained taste in their mouths, such as blood or a certain chemical that relates to a speci c type of drug, which gives them the guidance they need to nd out what really happened.