From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A chakra is an energy node in the human body as taught in Hinduism and its spiritual systems of Yoga and some related cultures. The human body has 7 major chakras and countless minor ones. The pathways along which prana (life energy) flows to and from the chakras are called nadirs. Traditional Chinese medicine relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system. Chakras are also believed in by some New Age adherents. Chakra means 'wheel' insanskrit.
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General Information
A chakra is a locus of life energy. There are seven chakras in the body - each is an interface for the flow of life energy. A chakra vitalises a physical body and is associated with interactions of a physical, mental nature. Current technology is not capable of measuring life energy or chakras.
The seven main chakras are described as being present in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element and other correspondences.
| chakra | color | primary functions | associated element |
| Root chakra | red | instinct, sexual energy | earth |
| Navel chakra (Hara) | orange | emotion | water |
| Solar plexus chakra | yellow | intellect | fire |
| Heart/lung chakra | emerald green or pink | devotion, love, compassion, healing | air |
| Throat chakra | cyan | speech, self-expression | ether |
| Third eye | indigo | intuition, ESP | time |
| Crown chakra (just above the head) | silvery-white; may assume color of dominant chakra | connection to god | space |
The author Peter Kjaerulff in his book The Ringbearers Diary describes the chakras in great detail, including why they look as they do and what their exact function is.
Origin
The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the late Upanishads (including, specifically, the Brahma Upanishadand the Yogatattva Upanishad). These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras.
Variant models
Chakrology (from the Sanskrit Chakra=wheel and the Greek Logos->logy) is a modern word (neologism), some times used by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers, for the study of chakras.
There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Hindu Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, Western occult analyzations etc. There are some references for ancient Greek and Christian chakrologies too.
As the Croatian esoteric philosopher and physicist Arvan Harvat states, it is very difficult to develop a unified coherent chakra science that would integrate all the elements of present chakrologies.
The Tantric Chakras
Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes seven primary inner chakras:
Hesychastic centres of prayer
It is alleged by modern mystics that in Hesychasm, the centres of prayer were points of concentration or meditationon the body, used during the hesychastic prayer. Compare with the Tantric chakras and similar doctrines in Tibetan Buddhism. This terminology is not used in Orthodox Christianity and it is not part of Hesychasm as practiced within the Orthodox Churches.
Four centres were specified (source: Kheper.net article):
- Cerebrofrontal centre: Positioned between the eyebrows (compare with Ajna).
- Buccolaryngeal centre.
- Pectoral centre: Positioned in the upper and median region of the chest.
- Cardiac centre: Positioned near the upper part of the heart (compare with Anahata).
It is interesting here to refer to Tibetan Buddhism where the centres' sequence is very similar with the hesychast one. The sequence begins with the eyebrows and goes down to the heart, which symbolizes the highest consciousness.
See also