My friend, don’t bother with that excursion.
Inside your body there are flowers.
One flower has a thousand petals.
That will do for a place to sit.
Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty
Inside the body and out of it,
Before gardens and after gardens.
- Kabir (Version by Robert Bly)
The chakras are centers of psychic energy within our subtle bodies. As such they are not material objects in any sense. You can’t find them by dissecting a corpse, nor can they be directly measured by any of our current scientific instruments. They can be known however through personal experience developed through the practice of inner yoga.
To better understand the chakras we must look into the yogic idea of the subtle body. From this ancient perspective each of us is composed of three concurrent bodies: the physical, or shtula sharira, the subtle, or linga sharira and the causal, or karana sharira. The yogic path of awakening and liberation is to move from an exclusive fixation with the physical dimension of our beings into awareness of the subtle dimension and from there into the even subtler dimension of the causal body. Eventually the enlightened and liberated yogi transcends all three bodies to realize his or her true being as pure consciousness, Atman.
The three bodies, or dimensions of our beings, need not be an abstract, esoteric concept. We live in and through them constantly. We experience the physical body when we are awake in the relative sense, the subtle body is experienced through dreams and the causal is experienced in deep, dreamless sleep. When we are able to develop an uninterrupted awareness through all of these states we awaken to the Self, the intrinsic awareness within and beyond the three states.
We can understand these dimensions of being in terms of modern physics and the holonomic theory of physicist David Bohm. Bohm posited the existence of an “implicate order” beneath the material universe. The world as we experience it is known as the “explicate order.” The implicate order is the subtle, hidden structure out of which the physical reality unfolds. Beyond the implicate is also a supra-implicate order which we can equate with the causal dimension of being. Bohm developed this theory to explain the apparent randomness of quantum physics.
Both Bohm’s and Yogic theory agree that the physical form is based in a more subtle dimension or being. It is the expression of deeper unconscious patterns of energy. As we develop awareness of this hidden dimension through chakra awareness we can bring about psychosomatic transformation, healing and begin to transcend the physical dimension to realize ourselves as eternal, blissful spiritual beings.
Symbols of the Chakras
There are many different interpretations of the science of the chakras. Of course, the differences are not that great, but they are there. The thinkers of the Theosophical movements and their predecessors have their own interpretations of the chakras, their location points, their colours and so on. The Rosicrucians and others may say something completely different and the tantric texts may also present entirely different concepts.
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Within the tradition of Tantra Yoga the chakras are often described as lotus flowers with varying numbers of petals and colors. The petals are inscribed with the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. Within the lotuses are various symbols as well, of the elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether,) representative animals, presiding deities, etc. These symbols comprise a language for talking about energetic structures which are not directly observable or measureable, i.e. “subtle.” The symbols are valuable but it is important not to become too attached to them. We do not want to intellectualize the whole system to the exclusion of the direct inner experience of the chakras.
The term “chakra” means “wheel.” The chakras are described most basically as rotating and vibratory vortices of psychic energy. The concept of chakras has become quite popular these days and it is not uncommon for people to talk about their chakras. From the Yogic perspective this is a little suspect. It actually takes some time and consistent yoga practice to activate the chakras. Generally they are quite dormant and buried within the deep levels of the unconscious mind. “In ordinary persons,” writes Lillian Silburn, “these wheels neither revolve nor vibrate, they form inextricable tangles of coils, called accordingly “knots” (granthi), because they “knot” spirit and matter, thus strengthening the sense of ego. . . . Together they constitute the unconscious complexes (samskara) woven by illusion, and the weight and rigidity of the past offers a strong opposition to the passage of the spiritual force.”
The chakras can be experienced in different ways. Within the physical body they are associated with the various plexuses along the spinal column as well as the endocrine glands in those general areas of the body. The figure below gives an indication of the physical “location” of the chakras.
The chakras are also associated with different parts of the brain. Swami Satyananda stated that the physical chakra locations are actually “switches” for circuits within the brain. As we awaken the spiritual energy of the chakras, the kundalini, we supply power to dormant brain circuits enabling us to awaken higher psychic and spiritual capacities.
The chakras can also be experienced within the psychic dimension as symbols in dreams or meditation, intuitive or psychic experiences or unusual sensations such as heat or tingling within the body. They are also experienced as situations, relationships and events in daily life.
The Chakras and the Evolution of Consciousness
The chakras can also be understood as stages on a developmental or evolutionary path. They represent the stages of development that we have passed through and higher states and stages which are potential within us. As Swami Satyananda wrote,
All life is evolving and man is no exception. Human evolution, the evolution which we are undergoing relentlessly, both as individuals and as a race, is a journey through the different chakras. Mooladhara is the most basic, fundamental chakra from where we commence our evolution, and sahasrara is where our evolution is completed. As we evolve towards sahasrara, outer experiences come our way in life, and inner experiences come to us in meditation, as different capacities and centers awaken progressively within the nervous system. This occurs as energy flows at higher voltages and rates of vibration through the different nadis in the psychic body. (Kundalini Tantra)
The Yogic view corresponds to the scientific view of the universe as going through an evolutionary process. The Yogic view however sees this as primarily an evolution of consciousness. Material evolution is simply the most basic and apparent aspect. Consciousness evolves in and through material forms until it is released back into its true nature as timeless, formless essence. As human beings we have divine potential within us as well as the potential for destruction. Yoga offers us a means to overcome our lower and to awaken our higher nature. This has been corroborated by studies which show that meditation can enhance ego-development in adults. The Yoga tradition tells us though that we can develop beyond the ordinary levels of ego-development.
Human beings have evolved to a level of consciousness wherein we can either engage in our spiritual evolution or stagnate in a quagmire of self-indulgence, addiction, neurosis, aggression and self-destruction. The spiritual path necessitates overcoming our instinctual, unconscious natures. It requires transcendence of our narrow self-centered egos. Engaging in consciousness evolution essentially means doing inner work: self-observation, meditation and spiritual devotion. It also means behaving ethically in the world, developing a healthy lifestyle and disconnecting to some extent from the ubiquitous digital electronic world that tends to absorb our attention.
Chakra awareness requires a meditative attitude – the ability to become quiet and open to inner experience. As you meditate on the chakras you may come up with your own symbols. You will discover your inner power, creativity, intent, love, wisdom, psychic and spiritual connections. You will begin to untie the knots, the limiting beliefs and conflicted emotions which bind you and realize your potential as a spiritual being who is having a temporary human experience.
UPCOMING EVENT:
Experiencing the Chakras:
A Meditation Workshop with Michael Garrity (Swami Turiyananda)
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
The Spiritual Treatment Center
602 Church Street, Redlands, CA
The cost for this workshop is $20.00 but no one is excluded due to lack of funds. Please RSVP by Thurs. Sept. 8, 2011 by calling (909) 793-4003.
(Vegetarian lunch will be provided following the workshop.)
