Introduction to chakras- 1, 2, 3
October 22nd, 2009 by info
Understanding Chakras
Chakras are spirals of energy that house biographical information within our bodies. In some ways they can be visualized as wheels of light roating like petals on a flower around seven areas of our bodies. Each of the seven chakras manifest energy through color. This is what people often refer to as an aura. Auras are just light reflecting from the chakra centers and luminate our health as well as our depleted energy. In reiki, the energy centers radiate imbalances through coldness, excess heat, and other sensations. A reiki session aims to realign centers to a person’s highest potential.
One way to understand chakra is to have a direct experence with your energy field. Place your hands together in a prayer position. Star rubbing your hands together vigoriously. Now, move them apart between 4”-6.” You will start to feel a tingling feeling and a slight resistance between the space of your hands. This is your energy field pulsating through your hands. All the chakras connect through your palms. You can try this experience with a friend and see the difference in how energy pulsates from one person to the next.
I’ll provide just a brief view of each chakra, and ecourage to continue exploring each energy field as it resonates within your life.
The first chakra, called the root, is red in color and represents physical matter in the world. It is located just below the genital area. This means everything from self-perseveration, our physcial survival, fears of abandonment, loss and alienation. The root is a survival based chakra and relates to our family, community, and general sense of tribe (social, political, religious) on a larger scale. When the root chakra is mature and healthy it recognizes that all life is sacred, and “we are all one.” We will glow with self-acceptance. It is, however, highly influenced over family beliefs, such as
“Whom is it okay to love?” “What kind of work is accetpable for me to do?”
This is the chakra that involves wars over religion, challenging family belief systems. The root is effected by our early experiences of security in the sense we all received adequate warmth, food, shelter, and love. A person may experience an imbalanced root through phobias (fear of the dark fear of failing), anxieties, insomnia, etc. Main theme: All are one honoring all life. Issues around one’s personal honor code, standing up for one’s self live here.
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 palying a victim role?
The second chakra’s energetic work relates to the dynamic of self and other, such as our intimate relationships, and our relationship to sex, money and power. It is referred to as the sacral chakra. It’s location is the lower abdomen toward the navel area. This is the area of empowerment, and it is subject to our early explorations of our boundaries with authority, social conformity, and social expectations. The color is orange. This is also the chakra we associate with passion, creativity, and procreation. When imbalanced, we may distance ourselves from emotions, or engage in pleasure seeking themes to nourish our emotional vaccuum. We may distance ourselves from the physcial world through obesity, substance abuse, and sexual dysfunction.
Where the first chakra’s statement is “I am,” the second is “I feel.” The primary focus of the sacral chakra is the need for relationships, and the need to control one’s environment. This is a chakra that is involved in seeing dichotomies, such as right andwrong, good and evil, just and unjust. It is where we harbor our ethical focus. Issues around fear of losing control live here. Main theme, Honor the sacred union with others.
Questions to consider around the second chakra are, Do you consider yourself creative? What blocks your talents, dreams, and goals? Do you compromise your ethics? How much are you controlled by money?
The third chakra’s color is yellow and it is referred to as the solar plexus as this is it’s location. The primary focus is the conscious self; the self that seeks its’ own identity separate from the tribe. The primary fears that are connected to our self esteem is rejection, criticism, fears related to our physical appearance, fear of becoming fat, etc. This the chakra where we evaluate ourelves against an external construct. The sacred truth of the thrid chakra is learning to honor and love our self. This self understanding is a necessary crucible to navigate the passage from childhood to adulthood.
We have a choice in how we invest energy in all chakras, and in the third we can either invest toward the physical world of material illusion (how much I am worth, possession of goods, beauty), or we can infuse energy toward the power of spirit.
The questions most associated with the third chakra to ask yourself are, Do I like myself? Am I open to feedback from others? Do I blame others in order to protect myself? Can you stick to your commitments? Are you afraid of responsibility?