CHAKRAS

Chakras are energy or spiritual gateways within the etheric body. The etheric body is a supposed vital body propounded in esoteric philosophies as the first or lowest layer in the "human energy field" or aura. The word "chakra" means "spinning wheel". Just as the physical body has vital and minor organs, the etheric body has major, minor and mini chakras. Clairvoyants see the major chakras as rotating discs about four to six inches in diameter. Minor chakras are about one and a half inches in diameter, and mini chakras an inch or less in diameter. Just as the physical body has veins and arteries for blood to flow through, the etheric body has meridians or "nadis", which pranic energy flows through. (Prana or pranic energy is the vital life force in the air we breathe.) It is via the meridians, and the mini and minor chakras that acupuncture changes the flow of our energy life force, or frees trapped and blocked energy.
The major chakras acting as energy gateways control and energize the vital organs of our visible physical body. When these invisible gateways are dwindling in energy or are faulty then our physical body and vital organs become diseased, as they do not have enough pranic energy. The major chakras have several important purposes:

1)The chakras are carriers and receivers of pranic energy that control the physical body, and its organs.
2) The major chakras are co-located with the endocrine glandular system, (also the nerve plexuses) and being located near major organs, each chakra's quality or depletion of energy is the cause of health or illness in relation to its surrounding organs.
3) Physical, mental, emotional, and psychosomatic illness are the result of pranic deficiency.
4) Over- or under-development of the chakras can also create mental or emotional imbalances.

SEVEN MAJOR CHAKRAS INFLUENCING CONSCIOUSNESS

BASE CHAKRA (Adrenal glands and sex glands) Sanskrit - Muladhara
The base chakra controls the adrenal glands, and affects the sex glands. It is located at the base of the spine. Some say this is the real occult centre within the body as it holds the secret dormant energy of the kundalini, known as the sleeping serpent. All divine and miraculous spiritual phenomena originate from the rising of this kundalini energy through the spine into the brain. It can take years to learn how to activate and raise the kundalini energy safely, or it may occur for some quite easily. The base chakra also controls your general vitality. It energizes the whole physical body, muscles, bones, blood, and internal organs. It is the centre of self-preservation and survival instincts. Feelings of fight or flight are generated from the base chakra and its key is stability. The colour associated with the base chakra is red.

SACRAL CHAKRA (Small and large intestines; Spleen) Sanskrit - Svadisthana
The sacral chakra is located around the lower abdomen. It is a major entry point for pranic energy, and energizes the other major chakras. It is responsible for the giving and receiving of the lower emotions of passionate and sexual love.
If you are having sexual or lustful thoughts, these are coming from your sacral chakra. Its functions include the control of the small and large intestines, the assimilation of food and general vitality. It controls the kidneys, and energizes other internal organs to a certain degree. The colour associated with it is orange.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA (Pancreas) Sanskrit - Manipura
If you put a bet on a horse and know nothing about horse racing you will use your gut feeling; this feeling comes from your solar plexus chakra. This chakra is the main energy-clearing house within the etheric body.
All the lower emotions come from this area within the body: fear, anger, bitterness, greed, and the hundreds and thousands of other negative emotions. It is the key point to the astral body, the main and most important emotional transmitter and receiver. Physically it controls the stomach, intestines, liver, and to a certain extent other major organs in the body.
The solar plexus chakra and that gut feeling, which some people may think is intuition, is in fact the instinctive mind, part of the lower mind. The colour associated to this chakra is yellow.
It is these three centres below the diaphragm that are the most potent, alive and active in the average human being. Over-stimulation of the sacral chakra produces sexual perversions, and over-stimulation of the solar plexus chakra brings emotionalism or over-sensitivity leading to neurosis.
In the older traditions of Taoism there is only a five chakra’s the first being in the region of the manipura, and it is thought that it is here that the kundalini energy lies. This is why it is sometimes suggested to meditate on the belly button.
We will now briefly discuss the four centres above the diaphragm, which very much relate to the higher mind.

HEART CHAKRA (Thymus gland) Sanskrit - Anahata
If you have just held a new-born baby in your arms, your feeling of love has come from your heart chakra. Physically the heart chakra controls the heart and the lungs.
It is the heart that is so underdeveloped in man. It is for this reason that you find people in life that may be intelligent and materially successful, but their interaction with other people is bad, and because of this they have few or no friends. The heart is the centre of the higher emotions of love and compassion and goodwill.
Until man stops neglecting his heart, world peace will be impossible. Not only is the heart the higher centre of emotion, and the centre of love, it is the "heart" of the human being, the key area. Love heals everything. God is love. Love is God. Although different religions differ in their dogmas they all agree that God is love. One day as evolution progresses there will be only one religion and that will be love. From the activation of the heart chakra using esoteric meditations you start to develop (E.S.P.) extra-sensory perception. Your higher emotions and feelings become more sensitive. You start to know what other people are thinking, and a whole new world opens up to you.
The heart controls the thymus gland and the circulatory system. The colour associated to this chakra is green. However, the psychic or esoteric colour is a dazzling translucent pink.

THROAT CHAKRA (Thyroid and parathyroid glands) Sanskrit - Vishuddha
The throat is the avenue of expression, and also creativity. The throat chakra is again one of the centres of higher emotion, and from esoteric practices it is the centre from which advanced sidhi (Sanskrit for "psychic or spiritual") powers, can be developed by meditation techniques, pranayama, and the use of mystical formulas and mantras.
Its functions are, of course, speech and communication. The colour associated with it is blue.

BROW CHAKRA (Pituitary gland) Sanskrit - Ajana
Coming up into the head we then have the ajna chakra. It is this area, which is commonly called "the third eye" and is the location of our reasoning power and intellect. It is the seat of the personality, and to a certain extent energizes the brain, and also affects the eyes, ears and nose.
It is the main controlling chakra, the master chakra, and controls the secretions of the rest of the endocrine glands, and their corresponding chakras. Schools of esoterics agree that meditation upon this area, and the activation of the ajna chakra will light up and illumine the other major chakras in a definite, safe sequence. The colour associated with it is indigo.

CROWN CHAKRA (Pineal gland) Sanskrit - Sahasrara
Finally we have the crown chakra, which is better known as the thousand-petalled Lotus. Clairvoyants who can see chakras say they look like the Lotus flower, and sometimes the different chakras are referred to by the number of petals they have.
The crown chakra energizes the brain and the pineal gland. The pineal gland is connected to our higher selves, the spiritual mind.
Scientists have had the view until recently that the pineal gland becomes dormant after puberty. However, in esoterics it has always been believed that the pineal gland is activated through meditation techniques and from focusing on mystical formulas. It is from this region of the brain that supernatural powers and a direct line of connection to divinity stems from.
The colour associated with it is violet, (and also gold and white.)

These seven major chakras of course are the colour of the light spectrum. These seven major chakras are also the "seven stars and seven churches" mentioned by St John in the Bible's little-understood book of Revelation.
Part of the make-up of our consciousness are the chakras. Not only are these chakras powerful energy carriers and receivers, but they are also gateways, or entry points allowing spiritual, psychic and other outside influences to enter into our consciousness. When the kundalini energy rises from the Muladhara to the Sahasrara, then illumination occurs and one enters into a state of consciousness known as Samadhi.