Week Nine-Chakras and The Energy Body

Meditators and mystics have long understood that in addition to our physical bodies, we all posses an energetic anatomy. Our energy body serves many functions. It animates us, allows us to move our limbs, to speak, to think. It also moves our fluids, our blood, our lymph, etc. It supports our immune system, and keeps the body its appropriate temperature. Our energy body does some more esoteric jobs as well. It supports our psychological health, enables us to have healthy boundaries, a healthy self image, and highly effective cognitive abilities. And just as our physical body has various organs, so does our energy body. These energetic organs are called Chakras.

Chakra Fun Facts:

• Chakras exist at seven locations at the center line of our body, slighly in front of the spinal column. Some models put the seventh chakra slightly above the top of the head.
• The chakras are depicted as rainbow colored lotus flowers. The Chakra just in front of the tailbone is red, and they raise in vibration until they get to the forehead, which is violet. The Chakra above the head is usually said to be golden, or white.
• The Chakras have the same number of petals as the sanskrit alphabet. Each Petal houses a letter.
• Our Chakras are vortexes that collect, transform, and emit energy as it flows through our body.
• Chakras are each associated with different metal states, emotions, life challanges and competencies.
• Chakras also have symbolic associations with colors, Sanskrit letters (Bija Mantras), Musical Notes,Numbers, Gods and Goddesses, Animals, Elements, Sense Organs, etc...
• When a person shows competency in an area that corresponds to a particular chakra, we say that that Chakra is 'open'. When somone struggles in a particular area, we would say that the corresponding chakra is 'closed'.
• People usually have a 'chakra constitution'. Certain centers have a tendecy towards being open, and certain centers have a tendency to being closed. Through sadhana (spiritual work) one can of course make progress. Many people need to dedicate their lives to finding proper balance.