New to the Craft
Our Energy Centers, the Chakras
Merry Meet and welcome! I am so glad to have each of you as readers to this column and as promised we are going to discuss the chakras in this edition. I must admit that after a great deal of thought after writing the first portion of this (Grounding and Centering) that I found myself debating about whether or not I should have included this portion in that posting. Ultimately, I am not sure if I left people confused or not, but I didn’t get any e-mails either so that may mean that things are alright! If you are a reader I would love to hear from you as input is always a wonderful thing and suggestions are always welcome as well! However, we shall move on with the topic at hand and get into some greater detail on each of the seven chakras as well as the colors associated with each.
Oddly enough we do not start with the chakras at the top of the head and rather at what is referred to as the “root” and move on from there. Since there are seven chakras to cover, perhaps we should first develop and understanding what a chakra is. A chakra is most clearly defined as an energy center that runs from the root of your spine (sacrum) out the top of your head. In the Hindu belief system, the Kundalini works directly with these energy centers and produces a powerful type of sensation. I highly recommend that some time is dedicated to researching this aspect of using the energies of the chakra centers as well as it is not only quite informative, but exhilarating as well the first time you experience it! Since Kundalini is a bit more complicated, we are going to focus on the chakras as this is less complicated and above all less complicated energy work.
The first chakra that we are going to focus on is going to be what is known as the “root chakra” or muludhara. Generally, this is the first chakra opened, but this is of course open to discussion among many groups and I often elect to open this chakra last. However, I also open them all and then work toward grounding and centering with the energies running upward toward my crown chakra. Since (as far as I know) there is no specific sequence to this, go ahead and start in whatever order you feel most comfortable with. This particular chakra is usually visualized as a deep red color as it is being opened. As you gain experience with your chakras you will be able to tell if they are glowing, dim, and even harboring some negative energies. This will all come in time of course, but useful when trying to meditate and clear out those pesky energies that we don’t want! I prefer to visualize a spinning spiral of sorts when opening the chakras, but there are many other ways to do this as well. Two that I can think of are: an opening door and a blooming flower. I have used both and actually use a spiral to open my own and a closing door to close the chakra. Now, since I have rambled so much on this topic…lets get down to what this chakra symbolizes. The most basic of needs such as food, water, and shelter are often needed for this chakra to feel balanced. However, there are other “needs” that do not include these physical things that this chakra represents like balance within our own lives. An example of this would be that this chakra represents vitality, courage, and self-confidence. Delving deeper we find that this energy center also helps with the kidneys and bladder, the vertebral column, and hips and legs. Many issues that we have medically in regards to these areas can also be focused upon with meditation and the use of this particular chakra. In the end, this chakra helps represent the balance within yourself as well as a connection to the earth.
Our second chakra energy center is known as the “sacral” chakra and is generally symbolized with the color orange. This chakra can be found in our lower abdomen just below the navel and is symbolic of sexuality, health, feelings, and balance within our own lives. It is when this chakra is balanced that we truly feel that we are enjoying our lives and getting all the things that we deserve. Through this recognition of the ability to express emotion, we find not only our mental health, but physical health improving as we work toward a better relationship with this chakra center. Going along with this chakra we will move onto the third chakra, the solar plexus. This particular center is viewed as a yellow ball of fire and is symbolic of our growing personal power. What makes this chakra the most important is that this center is where we learn about ourselves and continue to develop into the person that we wish to become. Through the energy in this chakra we discover that we as people possess the energy to make our dreams a reality and all the tools that we need are actually deep within us. As with most things we must learn to use this energy and practice awakening the gifts that we have deep inside us.
The fourth chakra is known as the heart chakra and is usually viewed as being a green center of light and is synonymous with our own internal balance more than any of the others. What is important about this chakra is that we must first learn to love ourselves and then we can actually learn to love others. Where I found this difficult is that this chakra also takes the brunt of many things that occur emotionally in our lives. If you take a little bit of time you can view this chakra and see if it is glowing bright green or a dulled color. This can be representative of negativity lingering and a simple clearing of this chakra can not only help resolve the problem, but strengthen your understanding of this energy center as well. One unique fact about this chakra is that as the heart it not only provides us with life, but can also help in the strengthening of our immune system as well.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh chakras are all located in the region from out neck to the crown of our head. We will first take a look at the throat chakra (5th) and what some of the attributes are with this particular energy center. Since we use this area in our physical lives, it is logical to assume that this center would be directly connected to our use of speech and how we address others. The goal here would be to not only speak wisely, but to also keep in mind that which is being said and the effect that it may have on others. Master this technique and you are well on your way to dealing with this chakra that tends to store up words that are not said to others. Our sixth chakra is known as our third eye and is located within the area of our forehead and symbolized by the color violet or purple (depending on what you read). It is during the times where we are most uncertain about the clarity necessary in the decision making process that we can turn to this chakra. After all, all the answers that we seek are inside of us and all the wisdom necessary to make a decision has been there all along. The challenge is learning to listen to it! Our last chakra (crown) is generally symbolized by bright white light. However, as mentioned with the other chakra I have also seen this described as being violet or indigo in color. Make the choice that feels the best for you as in the end you are the one seeking internal balance and wisdom. With this chakra we find ourselves learning to attune to the energies that are all around us and much like the heart chakra, we can learn to project those energies of love and light to not only ourselves, but others as well who may be in need of our help.
While I have provided an overview of these wonderful tools that we have at our disposal, please keep in mind that this is only a generalized description. There are many wonderful books out there that will not only discuss the chakras in great detail, but will also provide some wonderful meditations to go along with the text. In my opinion this is a great way to learn and through practice the results will come flowing to you and the surprise will be not only wonderful, but appreciated.