The Chakras
“The chakras are in the astral body, even after the disintegration of the physical organism to death. These have corresponding centers in the spinal cord and the nerve-plexuses in the gross body. Each chakra has control and function over a particular center in the gross body.”
–Swami Sivananda
“The chakras are active at all times, whether we are conscious of them or not. Energy moves through the chakras, producing different psychic states. These changes are understood by neurobiologists as chemical changes produced by the endocrine glands.”
-Harish Johari, The Chakras: Energetic Centers of Transformation
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel. As part of our esoteric anatomy and physiology, these wheels function as energetic gates that may be opened or closed.
The chakras work primarily on the physical, vital, and astral levels. The physical-vital level manifests in the endocrine glands and their associated faculties, and the astral level manifests in the psychological states.
The chakras can be perceived clairvoyantly and also felt and intuited within ourselves, especially when we understand their psychological and physiological correspondences.
Psychology and Spirituality
“The objective of Initiation is the development of the seven magnetic centers called seven Churches or seven angels. The Initiate, through aspiration, respiration and concentration can produce the hollowness in his vertebral column for the creative energy to unseal the seven seals of the Revelation of St. John, until his body becomes the Holy City that descended from heaven.”
-Jorge Adoum, The Keys of the Inner Kingdom
Psychology is from the Greek word psyche which means soul. Psychology is meant to be the study of the soul. Psychology in ancient cultures was always integrated in a balanced way with religion, science, art, and philosophy. The highest application of psychology is to know ourselves as essence and to work with the vital energies within.
Each chakra corresponds to a certain level of the vertebral spine and to an endocrine gland. Each chakra has a superior power or sense, and a psychological defect which blocks it. Once the psychological defect is eliminated then the superior spiritual sense can be utilized.
Balancing the Chakras
“The chakras or force-centers are points of connection at which energy flows from one vehicle or body of a person to another. Anyone who possesses a slight degree of clairvoyance may easily see them in the etheric double, where they show themselves as saucers-like depressions or vortices in its surface. When quite undeveloped they appear as small circles about two inches in diameter, glowing dully in the ordinary person; but when awakened and vivified they are seen as blazing, coruscating whirlpools, much increase in size and resembling miniature suns.”
-C.W. Leadbeater, The Chakras
The chakra-wheels are in movement when they are functioning properly in accordance with our physical and emotional health. When the chakras are blocked their movement may slow down, stop, reverse, or otherwise present in an unbalanced way.
Practices such as mantras help to balance the chakras, but only temporarily unless the psychological aspect is also worked on. Even then, as long as the ego still exists there will always be an inherent imbalance of the chakras. The only permanent way to keep these energy centers balanced and totally healed is with the complete awakening of the kundalini in accordance with the merits of the heart, and the total elimination of the ego.
Samael Aun Weor and the Synthesis of Practical Work with the Chakras
Samael Aun Weor taught about the chakras in a practical way to bring energetic healing, psychological balance, and spiritual preparation for the work with the kundalini. Samael drew on the works of Swami Sivananda, a master for whom he had deep respect, as well as his own internal comprehensions.
Samael taught the work with the chakras as integrated with the greater gnostic path, unlike a school of yoga that only emphasizes the chakras themselves.
“Let us remember that in the beginning was the Verb and that the Verb was with God and that the Verb was God. In ancient times, the seven vowels of nature resounded in the entire human organism from head to toes, and it is now necessary to restore the seven notes in the marvelous harp of our organism, in order to restore the lost powers.
The vowel I causes the Pineal and Pituitary glands to vibrate; these two small glands are united by a small extremely subtle canal or capillary, which has already disappeared in cadavers. The Pineal gland is located in the superior part of the cerebrum and the Pituitary gland, in the cavernous plexus between the two eyebrows. Each of these two small glands has its Vital Aura and when these two auras blend, the Spatial Sense is developed and we see the ultra of all things.
The vowel E causes the thyroid gland which secretes the biological iodine to vibrate. This gland is located in the throat and in it resides the chakra of the magical ear. The vowel O causes the heart chakra, the center of Intuition and all types of powers to travel in the Astral, Jinns state, etc., to vibrate. The vowel U causes the solar plexus, located in the umbilical region, to vibrate. This solar plexus is the Telepathic Center and the Emotional Cerebrum. The vowel A causes the pulmonary chakras, which permit us to remember our past lives, to vibrate. The vowel M, profanely held as a consonant, is vocalized with the lips closed, without opening the mouth, and the sound that then comes out through the nose is the M. The vowel M causes the Ens Seminis, the waters of life, the Mercury of secret philosophy, to vibrate. The vowel S is a sweet and gentle hissing which causes the fire inside of us to vibrate.
Seated in a comfortable armchair, we have to vocalize I. E. O. U. A. M. S., carrying the sound of each of these seven vowels from the head to the feet. It is necessary to inhale, then exhaling the air together with the well prolonged vowel sound, until exhausting the exhalation. This exercise has to be done daily in order to develop the internal magical powers.”
-Samael Aun Weor, Esoteric Treatise of Hermetic Astrology
Meditations and Practices with the Chakras
“To focus the attention on any object in front of one is safer than, but not as effective, concentrating the mind on a particular spot within the body. Focusing the attention on any part within the body will produce extraordinary and some time astonishing results. A specific physical experience will always be brought forth by concentrating on a specific body center.
For instance, concentrating on the point between the eyebrows will produce the experience of “light,” and concentrating on the navel-center that of blissfulness. When the concentration is on the heart-center, the positive and negative forces of the body will soon become united and will thus, in time, produce the “Illuminating-Void” or “blissful-void” experience. Those who follow tantrism assert that each of the five main centers of the body has its special functions and preferential applications.”
-Chang Chen Chi, The Practice of Zen