The Chakras are powerful philosophical and psychological concepts developed in the Vedic/ Tantric philosophy originating out of India.

Chakra translates to “Wheel”. These wheels are depicted as circular Images or Yantras (Images that embody the deeper nature of the concept) and are used in meditation to focus awareness and thoughts into a desired direction. Sometimes the Chakras are depicted as swirling vortexes. These vortexes draw in raw prana (life energy) from the universe that is changed into energy that we can sense and interact with through conciseness manifest.

Depending on the location of the Chakra, that energy is transformed into a quality that coincides with an element. The elements themselves have qualities that each Chakra embodies. The elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Consciousness, and Divine Consciousness.

The most known, in the Western World, are the 7 Chakras. We have seen these depicted as being imbued with the color of the light spectrum or rainbow colors. In the Tantric Philosophy, they are not the same colors that we use in the West, but instead hold the color of the elements they are associated with and include grey and a lot of red.

These 7 Chakras are stacked up from the base of the spine upwards to the top of the skull. They ascend from the most primal of human experiences to the most spiritual.

When we hear the phrase “Opening the Chakras” we get a sense of something possibly being wrong within us. We imagine a gateway that is closed or not fully open. Many of us assume that Chakra Opening is a magical occurrence that requires no understanding of how the chakras work in order to be effective. We search for what “Charka" might be causing us an issue. There are methods that claim that only the practitioner giving a service of “Chakra Balancing” needs to know how they work and the individual on the receiving end remain open to possibility and the chakra will become re-harmonized. This is not the appropriate approach. We must always come to understand, before using the Chakras for introspection, that we are not to be “perfect”. That the desire to become perfect is, in it self, a “Wrong View”. We are made from the universe and are beings of consciousness.

We must also understand that the Chakras serve us best as a tool when we fully comprehend what they are. They are symbols of a deeper meditative concept within a philosophy. If one does not understand the philosophy, they can not receive benefit from working with the Chakras.

To “Open a Chakra” instead should be viewed as opening a book to our inner world. We have at least 7 Volumes within us. Each one has its own positive and negative associations. To “Open” or “Unblock” a Chakra is to turn our awarensss towards the qualities held within that Chakra. To gain introspection and wisdom that lays within the contemplative mind. We enter into the chakra via a yantra or mantra vehicle because it’s easier to link the mental location with a physical, visual, or auditory marker. It doesn't get lost that way. Once we have linked up with the “chakra representative” many different experience can occur, including spontaneous connection and relaxation. I will argue that spontaneously being imbued with the energy of that charka is not something that occurs to anyone who doesn’t know about the Chakra's meaning. If they say it is having that effect, they are lying or have a wrong view of what the Chakras are.

THIS IS HARD WORK!

The Ancient Sages knew this and hence why these practices were kept secret for so long. It takes a few levels of comprehension to fully understand what fantastic and practical tools the chakras are. They, themselves, are a way to “know thyself”. To know THE HIGHEST SELF. They were never meant to be an excuse for ignorance or a magical reset button. We are meant to meditate on them. To hold their power in the palm of our hands and study it. The closer we look, the closer we are to seeing the Truth of our nature. The Chakras are a method of reaching enlightenment and awakening to Divine Consciousness. They are fantastic tools that have worked for thousands of years.to foster compassion, love, mercy, connectedness, and Self-Realization.

In the next article, I will take you to the Muladhara Chakra. This is the base charka in the 7 Chakra system and pertains to most primal instincts and our primordial origins.

Next: The Muladhara Chakra: Let’s Dive Deep (Coming Soon)

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