The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit for wheel, a fitting name for a center of energy that turns about itself, and it is often pictured as a lotus, its petals radiating from the center like the spokes of a wheel. The understanding that such centers lie within the body is far older than any one philosophy. Hindu texts more than a thousand years old describe them along the spine, joined by channels of subtle energy, with a coiled power at the base, the kundalini, that rises through them. The Buddhist traditions of India and Tibet describe a similar system, most often with four or five chakras rather than seven. Chinese medicine, built on different foundations, traces the body’s energy along meridians and points of pressure.
The system most familiar today, six chakras along the spine with a seventh at the crown, was set down in a Sanskrit text of the sixteenth century and reached the West in the early twentieth century. There, writers assigned the chakras a rainbow sequence of colors that the older texts do not contain.
Each of these traditions has seen part of the same truth from its own vantage point, and the Universal Understanding of the God Consciousness shares much with them: seven chakras, the kundalini that rises from the base of the spine, and channels that carry energy between the centers. It also differs from them in important ways, in the colors of the chakras, in where several of them lie, and in how they are opened. Those differences are set out in what follows.
Within the physical form lie seven spiritual centers, the major chakras. They have been called the seven universes of human consciousness or the seven kingdoms, and each holds a power placed at our disposal. They are the connecting link between the physical and spiritual aspects of our being, and through them the soul’s influence reaches the body it inhabits. The chakras correspond to states of consciousness far beyond the physical, and their nature cannot be understood apart from them.
Beyond the consciousness of the Wheel of Life and the mental realms lie the Seven Realms of Immensity, the higher realms that a soul arrives at once it has finished most of its karma with the physical plane. These are known as the spiritual states of consciousness. From each Realm is sent forth a vibration of color and sound, and from that vibration comes a light; these are the Seven Rays of Light. The Rays filter down through the lower states of consciousness, bringing light and energy to those who are striving to experience the consciousness of the soul.
The pattern of seven runs throughout creation, and the chakras carry it into the body the soul inhabits. Each chakra holds the same relationship to the spiritual development of the individual that its corresponding Realm holds within the astral. The first chakra corresponds to the First Realm of Immensity, the second to the Second, and so on through the Seventh, each chakra vibrating in like vibration with its Realm and its Ray. Whatever exterior form the soul takes on, whether upon the physical plane or in the astral, that body contains within it the seven chakras.
Color and Vibration
Each chakra has a color, a vibration, and a tonal sound, and when these are brought into unison, the chakra is prepared to open. Each also has a mantra, a sound spoken or sung that corresponds to its tone. The mantra does not open a chakra by itself; it is used together with concentration upon the chakra’s color and its location in the body. The mantras must be heard and pronounced correctly, for a mantra sounded incorrectly can throw the vibration of the physical being out of balance, and for that reason they cannot be conveyed in writing and are taught only by voice. Without the mantra, the concentration on color and location alone can still open a chakra. The chakras can also open and close on their own as the soul directs.
Each chakra carries the same color as its corresponding Realm and Ray. One who opens a chakra will have a vision of color, and it may include other colors besides the one given for that chakra, for each person’s experience of an opening can differ.
A chakra does not radiate in one direction only. Many believe that an opened chakra sends its energy outward from the front of the body, yet the energy runs through the body both forward and back. It is more noticeable in front, where it can be seen and felt most strongly.
The Kundalini
Each chakra is a vortex of energy unto itself. Within that vortex lies a power, and the power needs a spark to come forth properly. That spark is the kundalini, the fire serpent, which rests at the base of the spine. As it rises, it opens each chakra in turn, and no chakra can truly open unless the kundalini has risen to meet it.
The kundalini does not climb straight up the spine. The first and third chakras sit in alignment with one another, while the second and fourth lie slightly to the left of center, so the rising current must swing to the side and back again. The path it traces is a spiral that begins as a single point at the base of the spine and widens with each turn until it passes out through the crown. The serpent so often pictured coiled around the spine is only an image, chosen because it is easy to visualize; the kundalini itself is a current of energy. Seen from directly above, the seventh chakra and the seat of the kundalini lie on a single straight line.
The serpent earned its name, for an energy this strong can strike back. Instead of rising, it can drop down through the legs. When it does, the energy is grounded into the earth rather than released, and a person in that condition tends to be drawn toward the more negative sides of life. This can be a temporary condition; even the most spiritual of individuals may rise from bed some morning with that heavy, draining feeling. One might ask why the soul would give us something capable of striking back. The answer is the same as for the ego: we must learn to control it.
Because the kundalini begins at the base of the spine, the chakras are counted from the base upward, and they are opened in that same order, always beginning with the first. Some traditions count from the crown down, but the kundalini cannot reach the crown without passing through every center along the way.
The First Chakra
The first chakra sits at the coccyx, the seat of man, and its color is red-orange, vibrant and warm. It is the base chakra in both senses of the word, the center of base emotion, and it corresponds to the First Realm of Immensity, the realm of awareness, the first unfoldment in the true spiritual revelation of the soul. The opening of the chakras begins here, and this center must be opened and experienced before any other.
The Second Chakra
The second chakra lies below the navel and slightly to the left of center, and is known as the spleen chakra. Its purpose is the cleansing of the physical being. Its color is pink, though not a true pink; it falls between red and white and may lean toward either, for here the red of the first chakra is carried into the white, which is a cleansing sphere. This center corresponds to the Second Realm of Immensity, the realm of duality and of health. When our energy runs low, quiet concentration upon this center can release renewed energy into the whole being.
Because it sits off center, the second chakra is one of two centers, along with the fourth, that people most often find difficult to open, and many find that the kundalini will not readily rise past it when they are consciously trying to raise it.
The Third Chakra
The third chakra is the solar plexus, known as the house of the soul. It lies about an inch and a half below where the rib cage comes together, between the ribs and the navel. Its color is green, which is also a cleansing color. Many systems taught today reverse the colors of the third and fourth chakras, placing yellow at the solar plexus and green at the heart. The colors given here are not a misprint. The third chakra is green, and the fourth is golden yellow. The two centers lie close together, and their positions are sometimes confused with one another.
Here the soul houses itself within the physical body. This center corresponds to the Third Realm of Immensity, the realm of abundance, and it reflects the balance of the mental, the physical, and the spiritual within the physical expression. When the soul stirs in quiet moments, it often draws the kundalini up toward the third chakra, and the stirring is felt in the pit of the stomach. Concentration upon this center brings a relaxed and mellow state, and it can lull a mind burdened with the day’s worries into sleep.
The Fourth Chakra
The heart chakra sits slightly to the left of center. Its color is golden yellow, and so we speak of a kind and generous person as having a heart of gold. It is the middle point of the seven, the point of balance between the three lower centers and the three higher. Emotional matters come with the fourth chakra, and when someone passes through an emotional period, this is often the center that becomes clouded. It is also the giving chakra, and it corresponds to the Fourth Realm of Immensity, where the masters work diligently in giving their knowledge to the realms below them. Smaller centers known as minor chakras lie in the wrists and palms, and these are joined to the heart, for when we give, we give outward through the hands. Like the second, it is a center many find difficult to open.
The Fifth Chakra
The throat chakra is the chakra of communication. It does not sit on the Adam’s apple, as it is so often pictured, but between the chin and the base of the throat, slightly to the left of center. Its color is sky blue. The three higher chakras together govern the communication of our being, and the fifth is the voice; when we communicate from this center, we communicate on a higher level. This center corresponds to the Fifth Realm of Immensity, and it reflects the clear communication of the higher self and peace with the expression of the self.
The Sixth Chakra
The brow chakra lies in the middle of the forehead, and its color is indigo. It corresponds to the Sixth Realm of Immensity, the realm of total conscious awareness and of the ability to use the creative source using the power of true sight. The sixth is the all-seeing eye, the seat of clairvoyant sight. That sight is not the physical eyes seeing more finely. It is closer to seeing a thin film or haze in the air, and out of that haze the etheric form of a teacher or a loved one could take shape, should the soul deem it an experience one needs to have. An open sixth chakra does not by itself make a person spiritual. Many who can see and hear into the astral worlds are no further along their path than anyone else, though they may still bring forth truth.
The Seventh Chakra
The crown chakra sits at the top of the head, and its color is purple. The seventh is the chakra of entering and exiting and of spiritual light coming through. It corresponds to the Seventh Realm of Immensity, and through this center the light and vibration of the higher realms are received. When the soul leaves the body, whether in astral projection or in the sleep state each night, it most often leaves through the crown. A tingling at the crown does not necessarily mean the chakra has opened. More often it means one is absorbing a vibration being sent from the astral, or that the spiritual mind is being stimulated.
The Meridians
The seven major chakras are joined to a far larger network. Minor chakras lie throughout the body, numbering in the hundreds, at points such as the wrists and palms. Wherever a pulse can be felt, there is a minor chakra, though the minor chakras are not limited to the pulse points. A meridian is the channel between these centers. It carries energy from the minor chakras to the major ones, and from one minor chakra to another. The path of the kundalini itself, from the first chakra to the crown, is the principal meridian, the one that joins all seven.
Picture the meridians as highways and the chakras as the cities they serve. When a highway is blocked, like a freeway at rush hour with an accident ahead, energy cannot reach its destination, and the chakra waiting at the far end begins to suffer for want of it. A pain in the body is often the signal of such a blockage. Bringing the chakras and meridians back into balance addresses the cause from which the symptom arises. It is the natural companion to whatever care the body itself may need.
What we think and do reaches these centers as well. A passing thought creates no karma. We become responsible when we entertain a thought, allowing it to remain and dwell within our consciousness, or when we act upon it. When we entertain or act upon a negative thought, the karma we create brings about a change within our chakras, our vibration becomes clouded, and in time our physical body is affected. A balanced vibration in the chakras helps maintain a healthy body.
Why the Chakras Are Opened
The chakras open and close on their own throughout the day. This is a natural process, both physiological and spiritual, and it requires no thought from us. Why, then, would anyone seek to open them deliberately?
The answer lies in what the chakras are. Each is a spiritual center through which an ability of the soul is expressed in the physical form. Upon incarnating, the soul places a veil of light, so to speak, between itself and the exterior being, and the knowledge of the soul is not plainly seen. Yet the soul is infinitely intelligent and can come through that veil, transcending the bounds of the physical and letting the Spark of Divinity come forth. Each of us can allow this to happen. We start by understanding the chakras and the purpose of them. We must become aware of that which we are at this moment, for only through this can we then transcend into the next level.
When a chakra is truly opened, one comes into tune with the vibration of its corresponding Realm and Ray, and that vibration and light flow from the chakra. Everyone carries a certain cloudiness within their consciousness, things that no longer serve them, and through the opening of the chakras we begin to transcend it. As we do, our understanding broadens, and what we once understood remains true while blossoming into something fuller. To come into clear consciousness in this way is to move from what we believe into what is, transcending a mortal consciousness while still living within a physical body.
As the chakras are cleansed and unfold, a person sends out a light that draws a greater Universal Flow, and the teachers who work with that person find it easier to work with them and through them for the development of the soul. The heart, the solar plexus, the brow, and the crown are also the centers through which etheric energy is brought into the physical for healing.
None of this is achieved by mortal desire or will alone. The kundalini rises and the chakras open when the exterior self is ready to give over to the consciousness of the soul. Spiritual growth unfolds whether or not the chakras are deliberately opened. When the exterior self reaches a passive and receptive state, the chakras correspond directly with the desire of the soul on their own. The opening of the chakras is a discipline some choose to take up, and it serves the same unfoldment the soul is already bringing about.
Opening the Chakras
Before any chakra is opened, it must first be cleansed every day for about a month. The method of cleansing is described in the companion discourse Cleansing the Chakras. The importance of this step cannot be overstated. Read Cleansing the Chakras and complete the month of cleansing before attempting to open any chakra.
When the centers have been cleansed, a chakra is opened through concentration upon its color and its location, beginning always with the first chakra. As the concentration deepens, visualize the kundalini rising from its seat below the first chakra to meet the chakra being opened. Initially, to help hold the attention, the index finger of the right hand may rest lightly upon the chakra as a point of focus. When the seventh chakra is reached, the kundalini has risen to its highest point.
The chakras are etheric energy centers, and once a chakra is opened, the opening produces a physical manifestation to the aware individual. A person may feel lighter, as though floating upward, or notice a tingling or warmth in the area of a chakra. Some feel exhilarated and some feel tired. These are all experiences of transcending. They differ from person to person, and to feel little or nothing at first says nothing about one’s development compared with another’s. It is best not to set out expecting any particular experience, for the mortal mind readily produces what it expects.
The most important caution regarding the chakras is this: they are to be opened one at a time. Opening more than one chakra at a time throws open several of the body’s power sources at once and leaves a person vulnerable to negative energy. Each chakra is to be opened and closed again before the next is approached. This closing is done through concentration and visualization. Picture an aperture at the center of the chakra slowly drawing closed, so that the light coming forth from it grows smaller and smaller, much as the pupil of the eye narrows in bright light.
Care is needed in what one reads and from whom one learns. A great deal of misinformation about the cleansing and opening of the chakras has been written and taught. Some individuals, and even established schools of practice, teach methods that can harm both the physical body and the mental and spiritual state of those who follow them. To open a center before the nervous system and the consciousness have been prepared can be a frightening experience and one that is not easily undone. This is a discipline to be approached slowly and with discernment.
Closing the Chakras
At the end of any meditation in which the chakras have been worked with, and whenever one believes a chakra may have been opened, a final closing ensures that none has been left open. This final closing differs from the closing done between chakras, for here a hand is placed upon each chakra. It proceeds from the top down. Begin at the crown, rest a hand upon it, and close it as before, picturing the aperture drawing in until its light has been gathered. Then gently draw the kundalini down from the highest point it has reached, closing each chakra in turn, until the first chakra has been closed and the kundalini rests once more at the base of the spine. Because the first chakra lies at the coccyx, the hand is placed upon the lower back for this last step.
The power within the chakras is our own power. It is the expression of a playful, joyful spirit that lives within us, the Spark of Divinity itself. Each of us possesses infinite intelligence and an infinite ability, and we begin to show it the moment we become aware that we are more than what we touch, hear, and see. Whatever level of consciousness we stand upon at this moment, that awareness is open to us. When we allow this joyful spirit to come forth in the way we live, there is no limit to what we may become.
Go in light and grow in peace.
