What is it?
The word 'chakra' is derived from the sanskrit word meaning 'wheel' translated from Hindi it means 'Wheel of spinning Energy'. A chakra is like a whirling, vortex-like, powerhouse of energy BUT they must be re-charged through cosmic energy (external energy or life energy that animates all life and is believed to keep everything in balance). The Chakras run vertical, from the top of your head (where your spin starts) to the base of your spine.
There is believed to be 7 Chakras in the Western world however in other parts of the world in different time periods there is/was believed to be anywhere from 114 to 44,000.
How Do They Work:
Each Chakra has different associations, Chakras can become blocked which may cause physical or emotional harm to your body as when one gets blocked everything else will be thrown out of balance. So it's important to keep them in balance and recharged.
Chakra 1- (The Base, The Root, Muladhara)
Its colour is red and it is located at the perineum, base of your spine. It is the Chakra closest to the earth. Its function is concerned with earthly grounding and physical survival. This Chakra is associated with your legs, feet, bones, large intestine and adrenal glands. It controls your fight or flight response. Blockage may manifest as paranoia, fear, procrastination and defensiveness.
Chakra 2- (The Sacral, The Navel, Svadhishthana)
Its colour is orange and it is located between the base of your spine and your navel. It is associated with your lower abdomen, kidneys, bladder, circulatory system and your reproductive organs and glands. It is concerned with emotion. This chakra represents desire, pleasure, sexuality, procreation and creativity. Blockage may manifest as emotional problems, compulsive or obsessive behaviour and sexual guilt.
Chakra 3- (The Solar Plexus, Manipura)
Its colour is yellow and it is located a few inches above the navel in the solar plexus area. This chakra is concerned with your digestive system, muscles, pancreas and adrenals. It is the seat of your emotional life. Feelings of personal power, laughter, joy and anger are associated with this centre. Your sensitivity, ambition and ability to achieve are stored here. Blockage may manifest as anger, frustration, lack of direction or a sense of victimisation.
Chakra 4-(The Heart, Anahata)
Its colour is green and it is located within your heart. It is the centre of love, compassion, harmony and peace. The Asians say that this is the house of the soul. This Chakra is Associate with your lungs, heart, arms hands and thymus gland. We fall in love through our heart Chakra, then that feeling of unconditional love moves to the emotional centre commonly known as the solar plexus. After that it moves into the sexual centre or Base Chakra where strong feelings of attraction can be released. When these energies move into the Base Chakra we may have the desire to marry and settle down. Blockage can show itself as immune system, lung and heart problems, or manifest as inhumanity, lack of compassion or unprincipled behaviour.
Chakra 5-(The Throat, Vishuddha)
Its colour is blue or turquoise and it is located within the throat. It is the Chakra of communication, creativity, self-expression and judgement. It is associated with your Neck, shoulders, arms, hands, thyroid and parathyroid glands. It is concerned with the senses of inner and outer hearing, the synthesising of ideas, healing, transformation and purification. Blockage can show up as creative blocks, dishonesty or general problems in communicating ones needs to others.
Chakra 6-(The Third Eye, The Brow, Ajna)
Its colour is Indigo (a combination of red and blue). It is located at the centre of your forehead at eye level or slightly above. This Chakra is used to question the spiritual nature of our life. It is the Chakra of question, perception and knowing. It is concerned with inner vision, intuition and wisdom. Your dreams for this life and recollections of other lifetimes are held in this Chakra. Blockage may manifest as problems like lack of foresight, mental rigidity, 'selective' memory and depression.
Chakra 7-(The Crown, Sahasrara)
Its colour is violet and it is located at the top of your head. It is associated with the cerebral cortex, central nervous system and the pituitary gland. It is concerned with information, understanding, acceptance and bliss. It is said to be your own place of connection to God, the Chakra of Divine purpose and personal destiny. Blockage can manifest as psychological problems.
How do you balance your blocked Chakras?
Chakras are all interconnected and interact energetically, when balancing it's important not to just focus on the one Chakras that is blocked but all of them as a whole since the whole system is off balance because of a blockage in one. There is 3 different ways to balance your Chakras: physically, introspective or transmission of energy from someone else or your own.
Common ways of balancing Chakras:
• energy healing
• meditation
• yoga (pranayama)
• holistic medicine
• Reiki
• Craniosacral therapy
• Pranic healing (cosmic energy healing)
• using chakra stones/crystals
Balancing your Chakras will improve your energy levels, past experiences may have been creating a long lasting heaviness in you but after balancing your Chakras it should be lifted.
Wicca & Chakras:
Chakras are our soul within our bodies, knowing what chakras are and how to keep them balances brings about self consciousness. The chakras are part of our connection to the Devine; by opening, closing and thus expanding Chakras, you are increasing your physic & magical abilities.
How to open and close thus expand Chakras?
Chakras are like a muscle, the more you open and close them the stronger they get, thus they expand as a muscle would. The most common form of opening and closing Chakras is going through each starting at the Base Chakra and visualizing the colour of each, and the energy as a ball spinning around.