Wheels of Light

Have you ever heard the term “Chakra” and wondered what that means? You may have an idea of what the Chakra System is, but the intention of this summary is to impart a deeper understanding of what it means in daily life: Why are the colors of the rainbow specific to individual Chakras, and why this system is so integral to our healing?

Chakra, derived from the root word “cakra,” means “wheel” or “disk.” The Chakras, in most traditions, number at least seven and are spinning energy centers, or wheels, located along the spine that govern the resonance of energy vibrations as they flow in, out and around our physical bodies. This energy is often perceived as light of varying colors. Many ancient cultures globally have mapped similar energy systems throughout our bodies. We are energetic beings! The Chakra system manages energy vibrations from the very macro at the base of the spine, to the super subtle at the crown of the head. In all the different ways you interact with the world around, from digestion and creation to expressing connection, joy and love with another, the chakras are at play. Much like the way the pupil expands and contracts to manage the flow of light into our vision, so the Chakras manage the way we use energy to connect with the world. Among the vast leagues of information discovered and collected over the past 2,000-5,000 years about this system, the following is an offering of some of the most widely accepted, simplified concepts.

1. Muladhara – red
2. Syadhisthana – orange
3. Manipura – yellow
4. Anahata – green
5. Vishuddha – blue
6. Ajna – indigo
7. Sahasrara – white/violet

The first Chakra is known as the Muladhara and is the only chakra to open downward. Mula, meaning “root,” is thought to be responsible for grounding or rooting our light body or spirit/soul into our physical bodies as we are joining this physical world. As such, the Muladhara governs our most primal survival energies: to be safe, secure and nourished. The Muladhara resonates in the vibrant spectrum of the color red, just like the primordial resonance of the life churning energy at the center of the earth.

The Svadhisthana, “dwelling place,” is the second chakra. It governs the flow of creativity and pleasure and resonates just below the navel on the belly. Once settled and safe, our existence is expanded by our creative action. To create life is to guarantee our survival, and the call to create solutions, beauty, decadence and to manifest our ideas is to enrich life with sweetness. This creative energy carries the spark of vitality through the spectrum of the color orange.

Our Solar Plexus chakra governs our willpower, motivation and assertiveness. The Manipura, “city of jewels,” assists in our empowerment and our drive. Our abilities to discern justice and draw boundaries with grace also resonate here. Emanating in the radiant color yellow, much like the brilliance of the sun, the third chakra works as our own personal solar center.

The fourth Chakra is called the Anahata, meaning “unstruck sound.” Our sweet, tender heart center resonates, in essence, with the wide-open love, compassion and empathy as one who has never felt a pinch or known heartache. To love with the wide-eyed wonder of a child is the origin of heart resonance. Vibrating with the verdant green energy of abundance and harmony, the Anahata is much like a garden of the heart, to be tended and nourished with love.

As we rise through love, we arrive at the fifth chakra, the Vishuddha, meaning “purity.” Located at the throat center, this communication center enables us to express, communicate and understand communications from others through the gateway of truth. Resonating with the vast expanse of an unbound blue sky, Vishuddha chakra vibrates with the truest blue hue, and it expands our expression through voice, actualizing our needs and desires by speaking them into the world.

Vibrating in the center of the brow, sometimes referred to as our “third eye,” is the Ajna Chakra. Ajna, meaning “to perceive” or “beyond wisdom,” is our sixth chakra. Here, we are guided by our intuition, our inner knowing. The Ajna chakra, connecting with incredibly subtle energy, guides us like a flashlight illuminating our path through darkness. Through our third eye, we can see beyond what is seen, to know beyond what is known. Resonating in the deep mystical hues of indigo purple, the Ajna Chakra whispers this wisdom attained by a lifetime of experiences.

The seventh chakra brings us to the crown of the head. The only chakra to open upward, the Sahasrara, “the thousand petaled lotus,” opens us to the Divine realm. Through the crown chakra, we are connected to source, to our highest self, to that from which we came and will return. The Sahasrara is the pathway to access the higher realms of subtle energy and the vibrant, living light of consciousness. Accessing this energy through cultivation and practice, we can also rise to see our interconnectedness, our oneness with all beings. The crown chakra resonates in the warmest, brilliant clear white light of pure being.

The Chakra system is integrated with the functioning of all other body systems, and it assists them in the processing and exchange of information with the world around us. Due to this, the Chakra system can become overloaded, imbalanced or low functioning. There are many modalities of energy healing that can help bring the energy flow of this system back into alignment, which will lead the recipient to clarity of thought, feeling energized and joyous. We offer many of these modalities at Blackberry Mountain: Soundbathing, Balance the Chakras and Crystal Reiki are just a few.

– Jaia McClure, Blackberry Mountain Wellness Instructor