The chakras

A Course in Metaphysics

Introduction

About the Course

Metaphysical do's and don'ts

Personal Transformation

Grounding and groundedness

Presence in the "now"

Aligning yourself with divinity

Chi, Prana, the Human Energy Field, and the Universal Energy Field

The chakras

The chakras as subpersonalities

Healing yourself and others

Protecting yourself and your spirit

Questions to ponder about life

Sayings and thoughts

Spirit Guides and receiving guidance

Interesting Bible Verses

Glossary

The Chakra system is part of the human energy field, and is widely discussed in many resources. The word is Sanskrit, meaning "wheel", and comes from the Hindu mystic teachings discussing the structure of the human energy field. It is interesting that in the equivalent map of the human energy field given by Traditional Chinese Medicine, the meridian system on which acupuncture is based, they do not discuss chakras.

What are chakras?

Chakras are a part of your human energy field (HEF or aura), rather than the physical body. They serve a role in the HEF of bring Chi and other information from the world outside you, into your subtle body (aura). They also serve as a link between the physical, and non-physical (or spiritual) states of consciousness.

There are seven chakras which have special recognition as the "main" chakras. Most teachers only talk of these seven main chakras, but lets make it clear that there are many chakras in the HEF. They serve less significant roles than the main seven chakras, but they still exist nonetheless. These minor chakras occur in the cheeks, ears, hands, other joints, and places where muscles, veins, ligaments and bones join together in the physical body. The points where these minor chakras are located play a large role in interfacing the subtle body with the physical body.

According to Barbara Brennan a chakra forms wherever 5 or more meridian lines cross, and the larger the number of meridian lines which cross the larger or more significant is the chakra at that point. I don't think this claim is given in her books, but is part of the verbal teaching given in class sessions at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing.

Here is a chart that likely shows you too much information about the chakra's.

Shape or form of chakras

The Hindu-oriented texts speak of each chakra having a specific number of "petals". Each petal has a sound associated with it, and these sounds correspond to phonemes in the Sanskrit language. There are 50 phonemes in the Sanskrit language, and 50 petals in chakras 1-6. Note that the above chart shows a discrepancy between different sources, these Hindu-oriented sources say the Ajna chakra has 2 petals meaning the total number of petals in chakras 1-6 is 50. Barbara Brennan, on the other hand, in Hands of Light, claims there are 96 vortices in the 6th chakra, which is coincidentally twice the sum of vortices in chakras 1-5.

The clearest description, based on clairvoyant observation, of the chakras which I've is in Barbara Brennan's books, Hands of Light and Light Emerging.

What this picture shows is two stages of development and the typical shape of the Chakra's (Hands of Light page 65). Essentially each chakra is made of a cluster of vortices, that is essentially the same shape as you get when water is swirling down a drain, or in a tornado. The number of vortices correlates with the number of "petals" reported in the Hindu texts. Looking at the picture, you see the overall shape of the chakra, and of the individual vortices, has a striking resemblance to some types of flowers who have trumpet-like blossoms. Hence, Barbara and the ancient Hindu mystics are most likely discussing the same thing, just with different word/language choices.

Now, remember the analogy of these vortices being the same shape as you get when draining water from a sink or tub. Well, it is observed that the general purpose of the chakras is to draw energy and information from the outside world into the persons inner world. Hence, this analogy of water draining into a tub is very apt, the universal chi is "draining" into the personal space. What is most interesting is the direction of the spin, and how the direction correlates with the laws of physics. Specifically:

Right Hand Rule #1: Straight Conductors (see here)
The direction of the magnetic flux around a straight conductor may be determine as follows:

1. Point the thumb of your right hand in the direction of the current through the conductor.
2. The fingers of your right hand will now curl in the direction of the magnetic flux.

That is, when you have electrical current flowing through a wire a rotating magnetic field is formed around the wire. Physicists have developed this Right Hand Rule as a convenient memory device to remember the direction of that rotation. What's intriguing here is that the direction of rotation for the vortices in a chakra is the same as this right hand rule of electromagnetics.

Let's review this point carefully:

• Chakra's are made of vortices of spinning energy
• The vortices bear a resemblance to the "tornado" shape you get when draining water in a sink
• Energy moves into the persons body through the chakra
• If you face into the chakra, vortices spin (usually) in a clockwise manner
• If you take your right hand, point the thumb into a chakra, then curl your fingers, you see the curl is in a clockwise direction

Now, isn't this interesting that Chi apparently follows some or all aspects of the laws of electromagnetics?

Here is a view of the whole system of the major chakra's, as described by Barbara Brennan. Her teaching is rather unique among the spiritual teachers in showing that chakras 2-6 are actually each a pair of chakra's, one facing frontward, the other facing rearward.