Welcome dear reader to the ninth and final post in the Chakra Series for Beginners. It has most definitely been a labor of love and admittedly sometimes arduous. Delivering information for this series meant that I had to do a lot of research and reading and seek out many sources. It’s been like a treasure hunt and along the way I truly found some absolute gems - many things I never knew. What I have come away with, is that chakras are like onions with many layers to peel back.
I deliberately wrote this series for people who are genuinely interested in studying the chakras, but who consider themselves a beginner. I also tackled some information which may have seemed beyond beginner comprehension. To that I say, this series is geared toward a beginner who wants to go deep from the get go. It is also geared toward people who have known about chakras for a while, or even a long time, but who have never really sunk their teeth into these complex energy centers.
A Review of the Chakra System
“The chakra system offers a framework for understanding human energy in a way that integrates mind, body and spirit. “Chakra,” the Sanskrit word for “wheel,” refers to energy vortices in the human body first described over 4000 years ago in India. Chakras may be conceptualized as organizing centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life energies (Judith, Wheels of Life). Most schools of yoga distinguish seven major chakras, each with a specific location in the “subtle” or nonphysical body and associated with specific physical, psychological and spiritual issues.” (*)
“According to the chakra system, prana, literally “breathing forth”, is the universal life force accessed through the breath. It circulates in five different forms through a complex system of 72,000 nadis, or channels. The most significant of these is the central column of energy, the sushumna, also called the “way to liberation” (Feuerstein). The ida and pingala channels, feminine and masculine in quality, originate to the left and right, respectively, of the sushumna nadi and coil around it from the base of the spine to the third eye in a serpentine pattern, ending at the nostrils. The six lower chakras are located at the intersections of the ida and pingala, while the seventh is located at the crown of the head. Although the chakras exist in the “subtle” rather than physical body, they also correspond to seven major nerve ganglia of the spinal column (Feuerstein). Disturbances, imbalances and blocks in the flow of energy within and between the chakras are created by and mirror disturbances in the life of an individual. Restoration of balance and flow—whether through yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, massage, medicine, psychotherapy, or other means—leads to improved health and well-being.” (*)
“The flow of energy from the base chakra up through the crown chakra is described as the Liberating Current because it represents the flow of energy from physical reality (prakriti) to limitless consciousness (samadhi) (Judith, Wheels of Life). In the Tantric texts, Kundalini-shakti refers to the “serpent 2 power” that resides in a state of potency at the root chakra. Through various practices, one can achieve a state of purification in which the kundalini-shakti ascends up to and through the crown chakra, awakening consciousness and leading to the immortal condition of “self-realization.” [An alternative interpretation is that the serpent coiled at the root chakra represents the obstacle that must be destroyed in order for prana to rise up the sushumna. (Desikachar).]” (*)
“In addition to the Liberating Current that flows upward from the root chakra through the crown chakra, there is a Manifesting Current that flows downward from the crown chakra through the root chakra (Judith, Wheels of Life). The latter takes us from consciousness, through inspiration, to the concrete manifestation of our unique life purpose. Together the Liberating and Manifesting Currents offer a system of energetic balance between body and spirit, or matter and consciousness. By allowing the free flow of energy through both currents, we can have a life of both presence and transcendence.” (*Source)
Chakras Around The World
“The spiritual traditions of the Hopi, Cherokee, Tibetan, Hindu, and other cultures teach us that there are vibratory centers within the human body. All describe spinning wheels of energy called chakras, lying along the spine. There are seven major chakras situated along the vertical spinal axis from the genital region to the crown of the head… Chakras function much like electrical junction boxes, mediating spiritual energy throughout the entire mind-body system. They are the interface among the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of one's being. Imbalances in chakras lead to imbalances in body, mind, and spirit.” (Source)
The Egyptians were also very aware of the chakras and endocrine system as well. One of the most notable symbols to come out of Egypt besides the ankh is The Eye of Horus. It represents the pineal gland found in the crown chakra. It is also the logo for this website. Of equal interest is that contemporary scholars are bringing attention to the fact that there are symbolic teachings of the chakras in the Bible as well. Jesus spent time in Egypt and also in the Himalayas learning, studying and practicing these occult teachings.
From Misperception to Clarity (defining the word “occult”)
I know the word occult makes some people cringe, because they misunderstand it, and for that reason I am providing a definition. Occult can mean hidden - as in hidden teachings. Usually hidden teachings are esoteric in nature. Teachings are hidden or secret, because they are only meant to be taught by someone who has mastered the teachings and can properly initiate (to introduce in a formal and responsible way) the student or aspirant (one who aspires to learn). Occult is also defined as: of, involving, or relating to supernatural or mystical beliefs. It is also defined as “beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or experience”.
People who fear things they know nothing about tend to spread misinformation. That misinformation then becomes accepted as reality by other people who are also either not informed or who are misinformed. So now you know, not everyone studying and practicing occult teachings and esoteric sciences has a voodoo doll under their bed. Spiritual science is knowledge of body, mind and spirit that is used for evolution (soul growth), the betterment of self, and optimal well-being. It should not under any circumstances be confused with black magic and the misuse and manipulation of energy and power to harm or control other people.
Chakras of Mother Earth
As you can see on this map, even Mother Earth has her own chakras, indicating once again that we are merely a microcosm of the macrocosm. Many people believe that our chakras are changing and evolving. Some people say that the crown chakra has moved from Tibet to Peru. What is very interesting to me, is that even in my 20’s when there was no internet to look up such things, I remember thinking to myself that earth must have its own chakras, just as we have chakras. No one ever told me about it, nor had I read about such an idea in any book. I just inherently knew.
You Are Energy, Frequency and Vibration!
Without a doubt, studying and working with the chakras is a life long path ( many lifetimes even) that never really ends until complete awakening. Many of you know that Nikola Tesla said “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration ”. Everything in the known universe is made up of energy, frequency and vibration - and that includes you.
Life In an Energetic Nutshell
“Every living and nonliving creature on the planet vibrates at its own special frequency. Different cells within our bodies vibrate at different frequencies to create our own ‘special song’ ”. (Source) You may have seen those Plant Wave devices that you can connect to a plant, so that you can hear their sound. There is also a device called Plant Choir that allows you to create music using only your house plants - but I digress.
“Our body is made up of a multitude of energies, frequencies and vibrations. We all vibrate energetically at a particular frequency. Your 'vibration' is a fancy way of describing your overall state of being. Everything in the universe is made up of energy vibrating at various frequencies. Even things that look solid are made up of vibrational energy fields at the quantum level. From a scientific and metaphysical perspective, we can say that ‘beings’ are comprised of different energy levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Each of these levels has its own unique vibrational frequency, which combines to create your overall vibration of being”. (Source)
Note: This entire section is taken from a pdf whose source is given below.
The lower the frequency, the denser your energy and the heavier your problems may be. Here, you may experience pain and discomfort in your physical body and experience heavy emotions and mental confusion. Psychically, your energy is darker. You need to exert a great deal of effort to accomplish your goals.
Overall, your life tends to take on a negative quality. The higher the frequency of your energy or vibration, the lighter you may feel in your physical, emotional, and mental bodies. You experience greater personal power, clarity, peace, love, and joy. You have little, if any, discomfort or pain in your physical body and emotions are easily dealt with. It is in this stage your energy is full of light! Your life flows with synchronicity, and you manifest what you desire with ease. Overall, your life takes on a positive quality.
There is agreement among science, medicine, and metaphysics that certain frequencies can repel disease and specific frequencies can destroy disease. Herein lies the link between frequency (vibration) and health. Everything in nature vibrates at different frequencies. Quantum physics describes the universe as nothing more than vibrating strings of energy! Scientific research has shown that different parts of our bodies have their own sonic signature. In other words, the frequency of the cells of your heart differs from the sound of the cells of your lungs.
When parts of the body become stressed or diseased, they are no longer producing the correct sound wave. In other words, they are not vibrating at their optimal resonant frequency. To re-establish your frequency, you need to understand how lower and higher vibrations affect your energy and health. Humans have an optimal frequency, as does everything else in the universe, that occurs when each of the cells in our body vibrates at the frequency it was designed to.
Bacteria, viruses, and various diseases each have their own frequency that influences the body’s energy field. As your frequency drops due to environmental and physiological factors, your immune system is compromised, and opportunistic bacteria and viruses can wreak havoc on your body thus making you more susceptible to disease.
Trapped emotions stored in our organs, muscles, and tissues act as pockets of electromagnetic energy and leave a negative influence on our wellbeing. Disharmony and imbalance in the body's energy field show up long before they turn into physical problems. It is also found that human vibrational frequency declines with age by up to about two percent per year until old age and then sees a sudden increase.
Ideally, you want to be a high vibrational being to maintain optimal health and wellness for the mind, body, and soul. So, what can you do to raise your vibration? First, let us think about everything you come into contact with, ingest, listen to, think, etc. Each of these things has its vibrational frequency that affects your energy field! The good news is, we can actively make changes to raise or maintain a high vibration. (Source)
I wanted to share this with you, because everything you just read encompasses the entire chakra system. A balanced and vital chakra system works together as a harmonious symphony, which in concert allow you to live the song of your soul’s blueprint.
Frequency & Perception
Working with the chakras is a way to increase our frequency, so that we can move out of the density of the lower frequencies and the perceptions and realities that reside there - or that “we reside in” when we are at a lower frequency. Due to our sense perception, we are only able to perceive a fraction of the world of sound and color. As we refine our energy and change our body chemistry, our mind and body literally change, and hence our perception of reality changes. We become aware of things beyond our limited five senses.
This is often what makes some people seem crazy to other people. People who have a heightened sense of reality (or who vibrate at a higher frequency), have the ability to experience things that people not at their level of perception (or frequency) can perceive. In truth, though we may think that we are all having a similar experience in relation to the senses, indeed we are not! Just because we both see blue, does not mean we see the exact same shade and just because we agree what citrus fruit tastes like, does not mean it tastes the same to each of us. To some people cilantro tastes delicious and to others it tastes like soap.
FUN FACT: “They found that those people who said cilantro tastes like soap share a common smell-receptor gene cluster called OR6A2. This gene cluster picks up the scent of aldehyde chemicals. Natural aldehyde chemicals are found in cilantro leaves, and those chemicals are also used during soapmaking.”
My point here is that the deeper we go into exploring the possibility that we are living in illusion, the more comfortable we need to get with having those illusions dispelled.
Toning, Sound & Vibration
Saying the bija mantras is a form of toning. Toning is the use of sound with the intent of bringing harmony and balance to the body. Toning has been used by many cultures throughout ourstory (formerly called “history) and especially in medicinal qi gong. Energy medicine is making a huge comeback and incorporates sound, vibration, frequency and color as healing modalities.
Like our bodies and as part of our bodies, chakras respond to sound. Bija mantras (also known seed syllables) are sounds that said in repetition have the power to activate the corresponding chakra. { Note: The a in the seed syllables depicted above is pronounced like the u in rum.} If you want to get even more specific and dynamic, you can say the bija mantra in the corresponding note. The notes and their corresponding chakras are - from root to crown: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. However many sound healers find that the order G, A, B, C, D, E, F is more effective.
“In the Indian system, the notes of the scale are paired with the following syllables: SA, RE, GA, MA, PA, DHA, NI. Thus, the chakras and musical notes in this system would be: SA (root), RE (sacral), GA (solar plexus), MA (heart), PA (throat chakra), DHA (third eye chakra) and NI (crown chakra).”(Source)
In addition to bijas and musical notes, chakras are also affected by musical instruments, vowel sounds, and more. Explore each of these areas in the following articles: Chakra Sounds and Chakras and Vowel Sounds. (Source)
Do, Re, Mi & The Chakras (from root to crown)
DO: Unmanifest Potential
RE: Felt Potential
MI: Gathering Energy
FA: Devotional Energy
SOL: Fearlessness
LA: Intuition
TI: Merging
DO (next octave): Unification
Chakras and Vowel Sounds (a,e,i,o,u) from Root to crown: uh/huh, ooo, oh, ah, ey, aye, eee. Notice these vowels are more akin to how vowels sound in Spanish rather than english.
What a Chakra Looks Like
As you can see, chakras emanate from both the front and the back of the body. You can see why they are associated with a lotus, as they resemble flower blossoms. Their energy extends beyond the physical body into our toroidal field and form our aura. You can see an example of a toroidal field below.
Chakra Melange
Chakra Statements from Root to Crown: I am, I feel, I do, I love, I speak, I see, I understand.
Chakras and the Senses: root (smell), sacral (taste), solar (sight), heart (touch), throat (hearing), third eye (inner sight, insight, intuition), crown (empathy).
Chakras and the associated endocrine gland from root to crown: Adrenals and reproductive organs), Testes and Ovaries, pancreas (both an organ and an endocrine gland), Thymus, Thyroid and Parathyroid, Pituitary, Pineal.
The Seven Graces of Each Chakra from Root to Crown: trust, faith, diligence, compassion, courage, patience, gratitude.
Ages of Development for Each Chakra from Root to Crown : 0 to 7 years, 8 to 14 years, 15 to 21 years, 22 to 28 years, 29 years to 35, 36 to 42 years, 43 to 49 years. Notice the seven year cycles - seven chakras, seven year cycles.
Chakras and the Elements from Root to Crown: earth, water, fire, air, ether(space), light, cosmic energy.
Chakras and their Corresponding Planets from Root to Crown: Mars, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter. It should be noted that different sources say different things about which planet corresponds to which chakra. In an entirely different system of Taoist teachings, - the Tao (the all and the nothing) is the crown chakra, while the North star and the 28 constellations are associated with the third eye. The Sun and planets refer to the chest, while the Earth corresponds to the abdomen and the moon to the lower abdomen.
Chakras and musical notes: Chakras and musical notes were mentioned when we spoke about sound and the bija mantras. It should be noted that, like planets, different sources have varying ideas and information. It is best to play around and see which chakras seem to react to which notes.
Chakras and their corresponding frequencies from root to crown:
396 Hz – This smooth tone is associated with the root chakra and can release feelings of guilt, fear, and trauma.
417 Hz – This solfeggio frequency corresponds to the sacral chakra and helps bring positive change and increase creativity.
528 Hz – This is known as the transformational frequency as it affects the cellular processes, rewiring neural pathways in the brain to create miracles in our lives. It is connected to the solar plexus chakra.
639 Hz – The love frequency is connected with the heart chakra, healing, intimacy, and vulnerability. Modern research has shown that this frequency enhances love and positive energy.
741 Hz – This solfeggio frequency corresponds to the throat chakra as it can raise self-confidence and self-belief around communicating ideas.
852 Hz – This frequency is associated with the third eye chakra as it breaks down illusions, increases mental clarity, and can prompt astral projections.
963 Hz – This solfeggio frequency is associated with the crown chakra as it connects us to universal wisdom, higher realms, and other dimensions.
I find it interesting that Nikola Tesla said, “If you only knew the magnificence of the numbers 3, 6, and 9, then you would have a key to the universe”. Note that the root chakra frequency is 396hz, while the crown chakra frequency is 963hz. The root and the crown are connected and unite in the heart chakra (as do all chakras) - which has the frequency of 639hz.
Chakras, Colors, Sound & Frequency
Light is energy that is released from matter, while sound is caused by the movement or vibration of matter. Colors are essentially wavelengths of light. Sound is also made of wavelengths. Sound has greater wavelength compared to light. Because of it’s shorter wavelengths, light travels faster than sound.
As with sound, colors also have frequency and vibration. Red (root chakra) has the lowest frequency and vibration and a longer wavelength, while violet ( crown chakra - also sometimes white) has the shortest wavelength of visible light. As with color, different sounds also have shorter or longer wavelengths. Low pitch sounds have longer wavelengths, while high pitched sounds have higher wavelengths.
Colors of Chakras from Root to Crown: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo or purple, violet or white
I found a great one page description of colors, sounds, notes, wavelengths and frequencies with some great charts and helpful information for the use of color as a healing modality. It is a helpful way to view the interrelationship between sound and color. You can find it here.
Wrapping it Up with a Rainbow
Well dear reader, I can hardly, believe it , but after a little over two months I have finally completed this Nine Part Chakra Series for Beginners. I had no idea that in this last and final part of the series, I would delve so deep into sound and color, but it makes sense. The entire universe is made of energy, frequency and vibration. The world is perceptible to us mainly through sound and color. Though people may not care to delve deeper into the world of chakras, everyone can easily use sound, color and vibration to work with their energy centers.
I created this series so that people can have a free resource for studying chakras. Instead of having to go in search of the information yourself, I bring it right to you. I define in classical Sanskrit terms, basic concepts like nadis, prana and other yogic and vedic terms pertinent to the study of chakras. I introduce two of the most important facets of the chakras called Koshas (our 5 bodies) & Vayus (our 5 types of prana) and offer tools and resources for learning about them and working with them.
In each part of the series, I give the reader an overview of the chakra as it pertains to our life and being. I break down the importance of each Yantra ( chakra symbol) and explain each Bija or seed syllable. I incorporate classical information as well as pertinent non classical information to get you thinking outside the box and broaden your horizons. Each portion of the series offers a toolkit and links for working specifically with that chakra - including shadow prompts.
I discuss the importance and correspondence of each endocrine gland to each of the chakras, and discuss the hormones they produce and how they affect us mentally and physically. I also offer a library of what I consider to be some of the best online resources for studying the chakras. In this series you have access to the breathwork, yoga poses, mudras, stones, essential oils, foods, colors and sounds and journal prompts that can lead you deeper into a relationship with your chakras and ultimately yourself.
Working with your mind, breath and physical body will teach you that you are much more than any single one of those things. Through working with the chakras you can activate your siddhis (supernatural powers) and become the ultimate alchemist of spirit and matter. By merging the two, you bring heaven to earth inside your mind and body - to your life and hence to the Earth. This my friends is the greatest and most generous gift you could possibly give to yourself, humanity and all sentient beings.
It has been my pleasure to go on this journey with you. I pray this series is a tool that you will return to often over time as you deepen your study and practice. And PLEASE, by all means share, share, share! Generosity is a form of gratitude. May all who find this receive great benefit! And so it is! To read and enjoy the series in its entirety, you can visit the website here. If you are more of an audio learner than a reader, I just so happen to have an entire playlist of the seven chakras on my YouTube channel. There are seven videos total in which my mentor and I discuss the seven chakras. Here is a link to the playlist.