A deep dive into the wheels of light: the chakra system

Chakras are spirals of energy that, in part, contain our biographical data, and from there, sort of like portals that allow us to connect to our emotional, physical. mental, template, past conditions, and future probabilities. It also governs our endocrine system, working directly with 33 hormones, organs, and tissues of the body. When we are healing, we are activating the chakras that can be imbalanced, sometimes through over stimulation (too much energy being pulled), or under stimulated (blocks, or moving very slow).

In some ways, it helps to envision the chakras as wheels of light oscillating in a clockwise fashion, running through the prana within the spinal column. Each wheel of light vibrates which gives it it's color. This is what is referred to as the aura. Auras are the color illuminating from how fast the wheels are oscillating. The lower the spin, for example, the lower the frequency and it's corresponding color.

One way to understand the chakra or energy system is to have a direct experience. Place your hands in a prayer position. Start rubbing your hands together vigorously for about 30 seconds. Now gently pull your hands apart, about 4-6 inches. Feel the tingly sensation, and if your practice a bit, it will feel like your pulling and expanding a rubber band. This is your energy field pulsating through your hands, just a small sample of how powerful our field is, and what it feels like. All the chakras connect through your hands, and this is why we can provide healing to self and others.

I'll provide just a brief view of each chakra and encourage anyone who wants to explore further, as it is a brilliant system, and works closely with our energy meridians. Chakras are like rooms in your house, and the meridians are the wiring that brings the electric current to each room.

The first chakra, called the root, is reddish in color and represent physical matter in the world. It is located just behind the genital area, circulating on the inside of the body. The root reflects issues in our lives related to self preservation, our physical survival, fears of abandonment, loss and alienation. The root is a survival based chakra and governs our relationships with family, are biological history, ancestral influences. On a larger scale, the root is related to religion, cultural views of what it means to be successful in the world, and general world views. Questions we might ask from this chakra are, "Whom is it okay to love?" "What kind of work is acceptable for me to do?"

This is the chakra that involves wars over religion, challenging family belief systems, and the idea that one is either with the group, or not. This is one of the reasons most humans fear not being liked, or not going along with the program. The price of not being included can be costly from a survival perspective. The root is effected by our early experiences of security in the sense that we all received some level of warmth, food, shelter, love and some kind of physical, and emotional support. A person may experience an imbalance within this chakra expressed through phobias (fear of the dark, fear of the unknown), anxieties, insomnia, an existential angst, etc. The main theme: Honoring all life, learning to stand firm on the ground of your existence. Establishing truth from lie (from the survival center).

Questions connected to the first chakra: How much influence does the past have on your current behavior? Is there unfinished business that needs healing from your family of origin? Where are you playing a victim role?

The second chakra's energetic work relates to the dynamic of self and other, such as out intimate relationships, and our relationship to sensuality, sexuality, money and power. It is referred to the sacral chakra (the flow of water). It is located within the lower abdomen toward the navel area. This is the area of empowerment (still from a survival perspective). In other words, what did you need to do to feel in charge, and in control of your environment? Did you push your younger sibling around intellectually, or physically? Did you make and keep friends? Did you stay loyal? and use the skills of trust to maintain, sustain, and grow relationships? The second chakra is the area os early exploration that teaches autonomy over doubt, so it's a big area of feeling secure. The challenge is managing boundaries, working with authority figures, dealing with social conformity and social expectations (outside the family). The color is orange. This chakra is also our vitality, area of creation, the birthing of new ideas, birthing of children, and being creative, in general.

When this chakra is imbalanced we may experience the need for distance from our own emotions, or engage in pleasure based distractions (the production of dopamine), such as gambling, over-eating, increased impulsive sexual encounters. The reason we do this is to attempt to nourish the emotional vacuum.

Where the first chakra as "I Am," whereas the second is "I feel." It's a highly emotionally charged center where we learn "gentle is the new strong." You will learn to balance this chakra through the acts of giving and receiving, to regulate emotions of fear, anger, self-doubt, and work with the energy of being creative, playful and liberated. The chakra shuts down when we are dominated by rules, external boundaries, and power over our infinite energy, that is not for sale. This chakra wants to heal and dwell in deeply, meaningful relationships, but, in the early maturation, it's the part of the energy development in which we choose right vs wrong, black vs right, etc. It's our first awakening to dark and light ideology. Many times in this chakra, we will investigate the occult, or sometimes metaphysics, or even paranormal. The point of this chakra is choice decision making, and learning to work with external forces.

Questions to ask within the sacral chakra: Do you consider yourself creative? What blocks your talents, dreams and goals? Where do you notice that you compromise your ethics? What decisions are difficult to make? how much are you controlled by money, or a relationship? Where do you stay hidden? What is missing from your creativity?

The third chakra is the solar plexus. A beautiful, bright yellow located in the abdomen area. The primary focus is the sense of "Who Ami I." The focus is on one's ego in relation to identity, or the conscious self. The solar plexus is also a type of mind, as it can envision what you want, where you want to go, and how you want to be, so it is capable of "sight." Seeing through the mind. This is also where we develop clairsentient, the feeling that you can see through the gut. This is slightly different then a gut feeling, it's really a sense of knowing. The solar plexus also manages our digestion of food, and knowledge. We also digest ideas, so this is the chakra that assimilates information, and uses it to compare self to another. It's almost like we realize that there is contrast in the world, and we see this contrast as competition, so we end up focusing on physical appearance, where we are liked and approved of, and where we belong within the area of social esteem. This charka also gives us an idea of not just our esteem, but can we truly love thy self? As we are comparing and contrasting our differences, which we can thin of this as value. What is my worth and value? The crucible of the solar plexus is what do we invest our time, energy and money into? Am I financing the physical world, the world fo appearance or am I financing my spiritual worth? How do I honor my spiritual self while in a human body?

Questions to ask within the solar plexus? Do I like myself? How often am I criticizing myself? Putting myself down, and keeping my self "safe" from trying new things? Am I open to feedback? Do I blame others in order to protect myself? Can I keep commitments? Do I embrace responsibility?

The fourth chakra is the heart center, and is located within the heart itself, including the thymus gland. The heart governs our deepest love of self, other, and the universe. This is where our deep compassion and need for connection is very strong. The heart has its own brain, and can extend about 30 feet from the body. This chakra houses our true power, and the ability to transform ourselves in to a higher, vibrational loving being. It's the threshold in which we are motivated to thrive, not just survive. Humans have learned that our consciousness thrives off the energy of divine connection, human love, and a deep need to feel useful. We have a choice to surrender our second charka will to survive center and marry it with the spiritual side of what calls us to heal, lead, be creative, feel committed, abandon ourselves to love, and live with trust, hope and seeing that good things are always happening for you.

This is not devoid of pain, as we feel loss, abandonment, anger, grief, and the heaviness of the burden of the 3 dimensional universe, the heaviness of matter. While our true form is that of spirit, the heart center allows us to calibrate a frequency beyond the physical realms. The greatest gift we learn about our power center is the infinite and unconditional grace of love. We ooze love and fear the hold that it has over us simultaneously. We are vulnerable, and fear that vulnerability will be abused, exploited, misused, or stripped from us. Loving oneself in spite of the external world we live in, becomes the ultimate goals. It means that we have to demonstrate courage fo face the shadows from emotional wounding that takes up residence with all of us. Some of these shadows reflect a wounded heart and show up as a fear of failure, anorexia, substance abuses, fear of failure.

The key is forgiveness and letting go of blame.

Each chakra contains vital infomration that tells us how we can wield our power in the world in both healthy, and soul directed ways. Within the heart region it's best to get to know the wounds that control you, and to acknowledge how , where, and with whom their authority takes over. Ask yourself questions, such as "Where do you play the victim role? " Or "How do you gain power form your wounds?" Does it justify anger, over eating, or an addiction? What stories are you hearing in your narrative story? Are you hanging on to old wounds to avoid uncertainty ? What void do these wounds create within you?

The next phase of your wound relationship is to also permit wounds to assist you in seeing the positive and good outcomes they have created. Every day practice saying out loud what you appreciate and are grateful for. This has been the most powerful practice for me. Gratitude will help chase the tormented negative thoughts away like of pull of the wind. Go with it! Get in the habit of freeing yourself from your past, and the way your life clings to old habits of being and staying wounded. Practice loving intention, and invite change in to your life. This is a significant way to move beyond past events.

Live in the present and understand that characters and events from the past have been messengers serving you for the work you are here to do. Forgive and release the hurt so that you and others can move on.

The fifth chakra or the throat. The color is a brilliant blue, and it governs our communication, expressing and speaking our truth. The greatest challenge to speaking our truth is sorting through belief systems that may or may not serve our true calling. This is the area that is in alignment with our divine truth, What are you hear to focus on, and to bring forth through divine design. Heeding the many calls that you will receive in your lifetime is not accidental. A thought, followed by an inspirational feeling is how we receive these invitations to stay on our path and to build and create your path. Listening to the voices of the external world, like parents, or whomever you deem to be an admired influence, may not know what is dwelling in your inner sanctuary. They may see the surface you, or might try to direct you in ways that guarantee financial success, and that's wonderful. If there is alignment in that, great, if you don't feel an alignment, then the throat chakra will tell you. It will give you a softer voice, it will feel stuck, or you will cough when around this kind of influence.

The true gift of the 5th chakra is to realize that you ultimately have power over yourself. In fact, you were sent here to wield that power into existence. The fear here is that we think we could be wrong, or that someone else has the answer. This is when some people start seeking psychics, oracle cards, etc., to attempt to tap into a unique identity or calling. However, only you can really discover this, as you were born with this knowledge. A good intuitive may help you see what you couldn't see, and. you can take that additional information, sift through it, and see if it adds or detracts from your path.

In the fifth chakra we gain energy when we speak the truth, and your own truth, engage in the power of choice and will that is connected beyond the individual self, and when we keep our word. Your word, in the 5th, is your command. This is the home of the "I will" and how we live our purpose. The lower will center is in the second chakra, where we learn to make choices, and many of those choices are based on serving the self for survival, In the 5th chakra, the will is connected to our divine intention, and the spiritual invitation is to live Examine your beliefs around the will to live and the will to meaning. When and under conditions have your noticed a feeling of vacuum, as if you can't find your way back to your self.? What situations and people have or had control over your voice and thoughts? When have you noticed that you shut down, closed yourself for fear of not being heard?

The sixth chakra often referred to as the 3rd eye or the brow chakra is located deep within the small cone shaped pineal gland. It is indigo in color, like the night sky. This is the intuitive, visionary and psychic knowing center. This is our center of knowing or sensing the higher self, receiving inspirational messages as well as just being opened to new ideas. When opened and healthy, we can observe the world from a place of detachment, while we are deeply connected to the world around us, the laws of the universe, and seeing humanity as a whole.

Our lives are influenced from a host of personal experiences, grounded in ego attachment, and insight gained from intuitive guidance. In the wisdom energy center, we are challenged to lift the illusionary veil of false truths (our mind) and surrender to the bigger picture. This is also the realization that all we have is the moment.

Cultural programs want us to believe that our minds are weak, and that other authority figures, colleges, institutions of learning, and other external influences know "better" than our own inner guidance. Going into the wisdom center, in deep inner trance, awakens our true self., and despite many obstacles (family beliefs, and pressure to fulfill roles and responsibilities that others place on us). The challenge is to find your higher truth center, and create the rules for which you need to live your life by.

Some ways to begin opening and balancing this chakra is by reflecting on questions. What ideas and beliefs do you continue to invest in, even though you know aren't true? For instance, the food industry is wrought with over crowded animal factory farms. We know the conditions create disease, yet we still buy these foods at our local food stores. This type of dissonance becomes a normal way to live, even though, for many the insanity makes no sense. Ponder, and ask what areas of your life to feel discord? Where there is a contradiction in your beliefs, values and actions.

What negative patterns do you carry with you that shows up in your intimate relationships, such as a need to be dominant, judgmental, withdrawing, or avoiding conflict?

The seventh major chakra is referred to as the crown, and it's color can be a mix of violet and white. It is located just above the top of the head, again circulating in a clockwise manner, when healthy. The crown informs us of higher self energy, and the cord to which all life unites. The message from this unified center is that "here and now" is the most precious experience we can have. In this experience, we discover our union with great SPIRIT, God, the Universe, or however you want to see what this divine connection is named. It really doesn't care what you call it. This differs from the first chakra, in which religious tribal membership is the focus.

It is a critical part of our human experience to devote our lives toward a connection beyond the ego state, and truly live with meaning and purpose. The source intelligence is our way to understand that we are infinite beings have a physical experience. Our lives become more energetic, vital, alive as we can literally see the particles, or molecular level in all beings we can see, and many that we cannot. Everything is alive, and we begin to place matter in perspective. The absence of developing this path, or seeing through the veil, is a life of separation and isolation on a spiritual level. Grappling with a sense of self while dancing with the mystical divine contribute to yearnings of "there must be something more than this job, relationship, or life or routine? " What we risk is the avoidance of being still, as stillness opens the heart and our higher spiritual center. Instead, many distract, shop, overwork, control, etc. It's important to find the still point, and be in silence.

The 7th chakra is the unification, or the all is ONE sense of knowing. We have glimpses here and there of that deep feeling of this oneness. This can be seen at births, and funerals, as these main transitions are pivotal in this deep knowing. This chakra also calls in your helpers and guides, and helps you tune into information at the highest level of informations possible.

When this is opened and expanded, we can take in new information without resistance to it (such as uncomfortable ideas, or different versions of spirituality, or what it means to have this human experience). We simply know that there are one thousand ways to kneel and co-create this reality, as we undeerstand life's eternal pulse.

When this are is shut down, then we are convinced of only one way to see and experience reality, and our mind and hearts will

accept anything else. This happens when we are protective of a religion, a cult or world view that we think explains everything in one little nugget!

Spend some time working with your chakras, and where you sense they need energy, wear the colors that can vibrate this field. For instance, if you are having trouble feeling like you want to be heard, and aren't, then wear blue, the color of communication. If you feel sad and lonely, then wear the color pink. It's self nourishment.