Chakras: Systems and Correspondences
SEMINAR II
Practices for Directing the Breath for Healing
Practices for Rhythm in the Breath
► Chakras: Systems and Correspondences
Each chakra constitutes one part of the whole interrelated and interdependent chakra system. This system is the subtle instrument for incarnation and transformation. Each chakra has a particular and complex relationship with the other centres.
Each chakra is associated with:
- An element and direction of movement (applies to the lower 5 chakras).
- A colour.
- A sense organ and sense.
- An endocrine gland associated.
- Life qualities.
- Resources.
- Behavioural characteristics and challenges.
- Archetypal symbols etc.
Meaning in sanscrit: Muladhara: Mul means 'base', adhara means 'support'
- Element: earth.
- Shape: square.
- Direction of movement: horizontal.
- Colour: red/yellow (different systems).
- Sense: smell.
- Organ: nose.
- Gland: adrenals.
The mould of the physical body, template within which the physical body is formed and reformed: the foundation of our material existence. Higher levels of being are dormant, numb, until the physical body can act as a conduit.
Qualities: stability, security, solidity, persistence, urge for survival. Grounding. Belonging. Existing. Cohesiveness. Inertia.
Resources: A well developed first chakra gives physical strength, muscle power, endurance, self control, patience, a disciplined life. Gives ability to filter own and others' negativity.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Drive to incarnate and survive or: tendency to avoid incarnating or staying here. Dominated by the need to find security and shelter. Will support the institutions in which they live and work; attachment to race, nation, army, school, religion. Love: of tribe, country, etc.
Weak Base chakra: fear and insecurity plus perhaps strategies to suppress awareness of the fear; not incarnating fully.
Meaning in sanscrit: one's own abode, dwelling place of the self.
- Element: water.
- Direction of movement: flows downward.
- Colour: orange or salmon colour.
- Sense: taste.
- Sense Organ: the tongue.
- Organs of activity: sex organs and kidneys.
- Gland: gonads.
- Governs prana, the vital breath (Chinese Medicine: Kidneys source of Ancestral Qi and 'grab' the breath).
Qualities: The seat of power for procreation, metabolism and ego. Energy, drive, force to protect what one considers is one's own Self‑confidence, personal magnetism. Well‑being, longevity Sexual passion and erotic love. This centre has 2 important faculties for evolution:
- It keeps us in the world, reacting to things.
- It takes us towards the intellect: orange to yellow.
Resources: A well‑developed Sacral Centre gives individual power associated with blood, and reproduction and all its cycles. Physically: drives the physical functions eg digestion, circulation, immune system. Emotionally: gives the resources to process emotions (otherwise their energy moves up and congests the Solar Plexus). Creativity (procreation, enterprise, artistic). The connection between water, moon, emotions, psyche.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Centred on 'sex, power, money' (Caroline Myss). The expansion of personality ‑ 1st Chakra concerned with survival; 2nd Chakra establishes family as a power base, network of friends, work & social projects, attracts members of the opposite sex. Relates strongly to family and family responsibilities as an expression of the ego Desires, fantasies (eg identifies with being a hero/heroine), creativity (art, music, poetry), seeks amusement.
Weak Sacral chakra: cannot process emotions; when thwarted may resort to anger and violence, or depression, guilt and blame. The image of ‘top dog’ and ‘under dog’.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'filled with jewels', or 'City of Jewels; it is also called the chakra of the Sun.
- Element: fire, which is closely related to Shakti and the awakening of kundalini. 'Fire is the form in which Kundalini remains in the body.'
- Direction of movement: upwards.
- Colour: yellow/red (different traditions).
- Sense: sight.
- Sense Organ: eyes.
- Active organ: feet and legs.
- Gland: pancreas.
Qualities: Rational mind (‘lower mind’), power to express ideas. Organization: of sense of self and self‑image; ability to design and organize one’s environment. Emotions become richer and more controllable, sensitivity increases, sympathy with others. Personal spiritual consciousness is awakening.
Resources: It is the centre of vitality in physical and psychic bodies as the sun is the source of life in the solar system. Fire: purifies and nourishes aids in the digestion and absorption of food and of the psychological food of our life, and the intellect.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: A place of evolution: the ego develops in this chakra: the desire to be recognized, to be powerful and authoritative. Care about what people think of us.
Sun ‑ intellect ‑ organizational ability (cf fantasies of 2nd chakra). Power to express ideas effectively, power to command. Can be manipulative, wanting others to conform to our concepts and plans. The rational mind brings a different attitude to the collective: eg playing and controlling stock markets instead of making war. Charity, atonement for one's errors, selfless service, dharma.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'unbeaten (sound)', a non‑physical sound which continues without beginning or end. The primordial sound, source of all sound, which issues from beyond the material world. Manifests in the heart: eternal, unborn, undying vibrations, the pulse of the universe.
- Element: air.
- Direction of movement: moves in all 4 directions as well as upward and downward.
- Colour: variously: gold (PVK ‑ the colour of divine Love), green (theosophists).
- Sense: touch 'in the form of subtle air'.
- Sense Organ: skin.
- Active organ: hands.
- Gland: thymus.
Qualities: Unconditional love, compassion, empathy, devotion, faith, the desire for sharing.
Resources: The place where matter and spirit are united. Expansion of awareness. The plane of sanctity in this chakra brings the perception of the divine in all existence. Cosmic consciousness. ‘The altar of God’. Experience Unity and universality as reality.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Clarity of consciousness, centred, concentration, meditation. Aware of one’s life goal, aware of the truth beyond words. Dedication, devotion, faith, self‑confidence. Gain full control of sense and work organs. Become master of own self. Evolve beyond circumstantial and environmental influences to become independent and self‑emanating. Worship with love and find love as God everywhere and in everything. Faith in self and in the divine makes one a source of faith for others. Harmless: everyone feels secure in their presence. Free from anger, lust, jealousy, etc Movement is graceful, rhythmic, love flows through their whole being.
Meaning in sanscrit: shuddhi means 'to purify': this is considered the chakra of purification (ajna purificaties karma; manipura purifies thought): vishuddhi purifies poison.
- Element: ether or space or air or akasha.
- Colour: green (PVK); blue (theosophists).
- Sense: hearing.
- Sense Organ: ears.
- Active organ: vocal cords.
- Gland: thyroid.
Qualities: Purity, higher level of creativity ie giving expression to inspiration.
Resources: Communication, creativity. Spoken words give expression to the emotions within the heart. The voice penetrates to the heart of a listener. It affects the listener by changing the space (akasha) of her/his mind and being. Prayers and devotional songs arise in the heart and are expressed by the vocal chords in the Visshuddha Chakra; mantras bring our divine energies and give form to the formless.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Spiritual rebirth. No distinct worldly characteristics in this chakra. Main problem: doubt or negative intellect when knowledge is used unwisely. This is dispelled when all is verified through meditation and experience.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'to command', from the roots meaning 'to know' and 'to follow'
- Element: we have gone beyond consciousness of elements.
- Location: where the nadis Ida, Pingala and Sushumna merge ‑ Sushumna continues up to the Sahasrara chakra, Ida terminates on the left nostril, Pingala on the right.
- Colour: often violet or indigo.
- Faculties in the body: eyes and two halves of the brain.
- Gland: pituitary.
Qualities: Power in thought and action derived from spiritual power and higher wisdom. Personal agendas completely obliterated in spiritual realization.
Resources: Coordinates all: 'Controls the various states of concentration used in meditation. Commands the whole personality. Is associated with the cognitive faculties of the mind, both mental images and abstract ideas. ‘For the first time undivided individual existence manifests for the sake of creation as two.' (Mookerjee). All faculties of the mind are stimulated: higher intelligence, will power, memory, concentration. Telepathic communications. Clairvoyant perceptions. Transformation involves: spiritual vision: communication through the higher self. Come into contact with higher consciousness.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'thousandfold'
- Colour: white, all colours.
- Faculties in the body: brain, the whole body.
- Gland: pineal.
- In overall control of every aspect of body and mind, encompassing all senses, all functions. It is all‑pervading in its power. Regarded as the crossover point between human and divine evolution.
SEMINAR II
Practices for Directing the Breath for Healing
Practices for Rhythm in the Breath
► Chakras: Systems and Correspondences
Tools for Living Well
Practice of Five Magnetisms
Each chakra constitutes one part of the whole interrelated and interdependent chakra system. This system is the subtle instrument for incarnation and transformation. Each chakra has a particular and complex relationship with the other centres.
Each chakra is associated with:
- An element and direction of movement (applies to the lower 5 chakras).
- A colour.
- A sense organ and sense.
- An endocrine gland associated.
- Life qualities.
- Resources.
- Behavioural characteristics and challenges.
- Archetypal symbols etc.
Meaning in sanscrit: Muladhara: Mul means 'base', adhara means 'support'
- Element: earth.
- Shape: square.
- Direction of movement: horizontal.
- Colour: red/yellow (different systems).
- Sense: smell.
- Organ: nose.
- Gland: adrenals.
The mould of the physical body, template within which the physical body is formed and reformed: the foundation of our material existence. Higher levels of being are dormant, numb, until the physical body can act as a conduit.
Qualities: stability, security, solidity, persistence, urge for survival. Grounding. Belonging. Existing. Cohesiveness. Inertia.
Resources: A well developed first chakra gives physical strength, muscle power, endurance, self control, patience, a disciplined life. Gives ability to filter own and others' negativity.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Drive to incarnate and survive or: tendency to avoid incarnating or staying here. Dominated by the need to find security and shelter. Will support the institutions in which they live and work; attachment to race, nation, army, school, religion. Love: of tribe, country, etc.
Weak Base chakra: fear and insecurity plus perhaps strategies to suppress awareness of the fear; not incarnating fully.
Meaning in sanscrit: one's own abode, dwelling place of the self.
- Element: water.
- Direction of movement: flows downward.
- Colour: orange or salmon colour.
- Sense: taste.
- Sense Organ: the tongue.
- Organs of activity: sex organs and kidneys.
- Gland: gonads.
- Governs prana, the vital breath (Chinese Medicine: Kidneys source of Ancestral Qi and 'grab' the breath).
Qualities: The seat of power for procreation, metabolism and ego. Energy, drive, force to protect what one considers is one's own Self‑confidence, personal magnetism. Well‑being, longevity Sexual passion and erotic love. This centre has 2 important faculties for evolution:
- It keeps us in the world, reacting to things.
- It takes us towards the intellect: orange to yellow.
Resources: A well‑developed Sacral Centre gives individual power associated with blood, and reproduction and all its cycles. Physically: drives the physical functions eg digestion, circulation, immune system. Emotionally: gives the resources to process emotions (otherwise their energy moves up and congests the Solar Plexus). Creativity (procreation, enterprise, artistic). The connection between water, moon, emotions, psyche.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Centred on 'sex, power, money' (Caroline Myss). The expansion of personality ‑ 1st Chakra concerned with survival; 2nd Chakra establishes family as a power base, network of friends, work & social projects, attracts members of the opposite sex. Relates strongly to family and family responsibilities as an expression of the ego Desires, fantasies (eg identifies with being a hero/heroine), creativity (art, music, poetry), seeks amusement.
Weak Sacral chakra: cannot process emotions; when thwarted may resort to anger and violence, or depression, guilt and blame. The image of ‘top dog’ and ‘under dog’.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'filled with jewels', or 'City of Jewels; it is also called the chakra of the Sun.
- Element: fire, which is closely related to Shakti and the awakening of kundalini. 'Fire is the form in which Kundalini remains in the body.'
- Direction of movement: upwards.
- Colour: yellow/red (different traditions).
- Sense: sight.
- Sense Organ: eyes.
- Active organ: feet and legs.
- Gland: pancreas.
Qualities: Rational mind (‘lower mind’), power to express ideas. Organization: of sense of self and self‑image; ability to design and organize one’s environment. Emotions become richer and more controllable, sensitivity increases, sympathy with others. Personal spiritual consciousness is awakening.
Resources: It is the centre of vitality in physical and psychic bodies as the sun is the source of life in the solar system. Fire: purifies and nourishes aids in the digestion and absorption of food and of the psychological food of our life, and the intellect.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: A place of evolution: the ego develops in this chakra: the desire to be recognized, to be powerful and authoritative. Care about what people think of us.
Sun ‑ intellect ‑ organizational ability (cf fantasies of 2nd chakra). Power to express ideas effectively, power to command. Can be manipulative, wanting others to conform to our concepts and plans. The rational mind brings a different attitude to the collective: eg playing and controlling stock markets instead of making war. Charity, atonement for one's errors, selfless service, dharma.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'unbeaten (sound)', a non‑physical sound which continues without beginning or end. The primordial sound, source of all sound, which issues from beyond the material world. Manifests in the heart: eternal, unborn, undying vibrations, the pulse of the universe.
- Element: air.
- Direction of movement: moves in all 4 directions as well as upward and downward.
- Colour: variously: gold (PVK ‑ the colour of divine Love), green (theosophists).
- Sense: touch 'in the form of subtle air'.
- Sense Organ: skin.
- Active organ: hands.
- Gland: thymus.
Qualities: Unconditional love, compassion, empathy, devotion, faith, the desire for sharing.
Resources: The place where matter and spirit are united. Expansion of awareness. The plane of sanctity in this chakra brings the perception of the divine in all existence. Cosmic consciousness. ‘The altar of God’. Experience Unity and universality as reality.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Clarity of consciousness, centred, concentration, meditation. Aware of one’s life goal, aware of the truth beyond words. Dedication, devotion, faith, self‑confidence. Gain full control of sense and work organs. Become master of own self. Evolve beyond circumstantial and environmental influences to become independent and self‑emanating. Worship with love and find love as God everywhere and in everything. Faith in self and in the divine makes one a source of faith for others. Harmless: everyone feels secure in their presence. Free from anger, lust, jealousy, etc Movement is graceful, rhythmic, love flows through their whole being.
Meaning in sanscrit: shuddhi means 'to purify': this is considered the chakra of purification (ajna purificaties karma; manipura purifies thought): vishuddhi purifies poison.
- Element: ether or space or air or akasha.
- Colour: green (PVK); blue (theosophists).
- Sense: hearing.
- Sense Organ: ears.
- Active organ: vocal cords.
- Gland: thyroid.
Qualities: Purity, higher level of creativity ie giving expression to inspiration.
Resources: Communication, creativity. Spoken words give expression to the emotions within the heart. The voice penetrates to the heart of a listener. It affects the listener by changing the space (akasha) of her/his mind and being. Prayers and devotional songs arise in the heart and are expressed by the vocal chords in the Visshuddha Chakra; mantras bring our divine energies and give form to the formless.
Behavioural characteristics, challenges: Spiritual rebirth. No distinct worldly characteristics in this chakra. Main problem: doubt or negative intellect when knowledge is used unwisely. This is dispelled when all is verified through meditation and experience.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'to command', from the roots meaning 'to know' and 'to follow'
- Element: we have gone beyond consciousness of elements.
- Location: where the nadis Ida, Pingala and Sushumna merge ‑ Sushumna continues up to the Sahasrara chakra, Ida terminates on the left nostril, Pingala on the right.
- Colour: often violet or indigo.
- Faculties in the body: eyes and two halves of the brain.
- Gland: pituitary.
Qualities: Power in thought and action derived from spiritual power and higher wisdom. Personal agendas completely obliterated in spiritual realization.
Resources: Coordinates all: 'Controls the various states of concentration used in meditation. Commands the whole personality. Is associated with the cognitive faculties of the mind, both mental images and abstract ideas. ‘For the first time undivided individual existence manifests for the sake of creation as two.' (Mookerjee). All faculties of the mind are stimulated: higher intelligence, will power, memory, concentration. Telepathic communications. Clairvoyant perceptions. Transformation involves: spiritual vision: communication through the higher self. Come into contact with higher consciousness.
Meaning in sanscrit: 'thousandfold'
- Colour: white, all colours.
- Faculties in the body: brain, the whole body.
- Gland: pineal.
- In overall control of every aspect of body and mind, encompassing all senses, all functions. It is all‑pervading in its power. Regarded as the crossover point between human and divine evolution.