Chakra

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The chakra or chakra points are an idea appropriated from Eastern, particularly Indian, beliefs.
The basic idea is that there are a series of points along the middle of the body where energies gather. Those points then regulate those energies within you. It is possible for those points to become clogged or out of whack, and that "re-aligning" these chakra points can cure many ailments. It may appeal to this market for several reasons. For one, it is easy to extrapolate the 'functions' of the chakras to actual organs in the body, considering they are a bunch of lore trying to explain aspects of the human body. In addition, it has a low entry level; little needs to be bought in order to follow new age chakra woo except maybe embarrassing yoga outfits and a foam mat to carry around under your arm. Chakra woo also goes together with other kinds of woo very easily, because chakras seem to have to do with many other factors, such as diet and the body posture. Finally, chakras are pretty: thanks to American New-age marketing, they now sport all the colors of the visual light spectrum and look great in advertisements. Especially alongside crystals of convenient matching colors (also for sale). Throw in a double rainbow arcing over a tropical sunset or two for good measure while you're at it.
On its own, as a mystical system of enlightenment, it is no worse or better than any other. As a means of explaining treatments that seem to have some utility, it's highly dubious. As a method of diagnosis, it is bunk.
(It should be noted that most of the people in the United States and the rest of the West who go on about chakras have very little training in Indian mysticism, and thus are missing out on a great deal of the philosophy and understanding behind it.)

Contents  [hide]  1 In brief 1.1 1. Sahasrara, the Crown Chakra. 1.2 2. Ajna, the Brow Chakra. 1.3 3.Vishuddha, the Throat Chakra. 1.4 4. Anahata, the Heart Chakra. 1.5 5. Manipura, the Solar Plexus Chakra. 1.6 6. Swadhisthana, the Sacral Chakra. 1.7 7. Muladhara, the Root Chakra. 1.8 Other Chakras 2 See also 3 Footnotes

[edit] In brief

Chakras have matching colors. Arse red, elbow attached nearer blue.

There are a million names for each chakra, sub-chakras, differences in tradition, and other discrepancies. For the purposes of sanity, each here will be listed accorded to the Tantric hindu tradition. If you seriously are taken with researching more on the more complicated and detailed aspects of chakras, by all means go and check out Wikipedia's entry and related pages. Actually looking into the tradition reveals that there are far, far more specifics than the bare minimum woo-meisters use to extract money with.
Statements below can be assumed to be 'in the tradition of' this practice, so stating that a chakra 'does' something or enables something should be taken to indicate the function within the tradition. It should be fairly clear that mystical energy points don't actually control human organs or mentality.

[edit] 1. Sahasrara, the Crown Chakra.

This chakra is at the top of the head, and for some reason is often represented with violet (and on this page for readability reasons) when it's actually associated with white: a white lotus of one thousand petals to be precise. It's supposed to be the chakra of higher consciousness and awareness. For some reason people connect it to the pituitary gland in humans, though how hormones relate to higher consciousness is as mysterious as anything else. Traditionally, mastering meditating upon it bestows occult powers and at least partial omnipotence. Although the feats of many yogis are indeed amazing, it's highly unlikely that magic superpowers are the case.

[edit] 2. Ajna, the Brow Chakra.

This indigo chakra is otherwise known as the third eye and deals with visual and perceptive consciousness. It is represented by a lotus with two petals: two petals for Shakti (female) and Shiva (male) energy, two petals for two psychic channels, and various other symbolisms. It has been associated with the pineal gland, and meditating to it is suggested to give one psychic powers. The outlook for that looks... hazy.

[edit] 3.Vishuddha, the Throat Chakra.

This chakra is represented by blue, but in Tibetan Buddhism it is red. Either way, it is the chakra of expression, fluidity, independence, freedom of thought, feelings of security and all of that good stuff. It is represented with 16 petals, and it's pretty important in Dream Yoga. That is to say, meditating on it supposedly promotes lucid dreaming.

[edit] 4. Anahata, the Heart Chakra.

Represented by twelve petals and a hexagram, this green chakra mandates a whole host of things. Physically it is tied to well-being, circulation, stress, and other bodily functions, and in the nonphysical realm it covers love, compassion, devotion, and other feel-good things. It is often connected to the thymus gland. It is far more important in Tibetan Buddhism, as it in that tradition also handles reincarnation. However, meditating on it allegedly allows one to body-surf, become a master of public speaking, and be dearer than the dearest to women.'^[1] No scientific studies have so far located a reputable source of magic date-finding powers, however.

[edit] 5. Manipura, the Solar Plexus Chakra.

This ten-petaled yellow chakra is associated with the digestive system of the body, as well as all manner of growth physical and spiritual. This includes issues of growth and change, such as power, fear, and forming opinions. Mastering meditating on it is said to bestow the occult power to create and destroy the world. Thank goodness nobody's actually gotten good at meditating on it yet.^[2]

[edit] 6. Swadhisthana, the Sacral Chakra.

Associated with the testes or ovaries, this six-petaled orange chakra is said to preside over adrenal hormones in general. Spiritually, it's supposed to govern things like desire, basic human needs, violence, creativity, and happiness. It is a troublesome chakra in the tradition, and many holy figures have supposedly suffered under its sexual temptations. Mastering meditating to it supposedly quells fears of drowning and allows the invoker to taste anything they want. Next to the whole 'destroy the world' power this seems a bit of a sham.^[3]

[edit] 7. Muladhara, the Root Chakra.

Located in the base of the spine, in the pelvis, is this four-petaled chakra. It is famously associated with the actual sex organs and sensuality as well as flight-or-fight response and simple survival. It competes with the Sacral Chakra for which is the sexiest chakra. This chakra doesn't exist in Tibetan Buddhism. Mastering this chakra is said to make the invoker a king of all men: knowing everything and immune to all diseases.^[4]

[edit] Other Chakras

There are many, many minor chakras and lesser chakras as well as sub-chakras and other artifacts. Not even experts are sure how many there are in total. It's safe to say that when cultures make up many congruent spiritual traditions, the result will be as numerous as there are people to claim mastery over that tradition.

[edit] See also

• Third eye
• Crystal healing
• Color therapy

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ http://www.treeoflifeyoga.net/chakraAnahata.html/
2. ↑ Chakra Nirupana: Magnum Opus on Kundalini Chakras by Purnananda
3. ↑ Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Kundalini Tantra
4. ↑ Purnananda Sawmi (c. 1577). [1]

Retrieved from "http://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Chakra&oldid=1196190"

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Dion Fortune

Born Llandudno, North Wales, as Violet Mary Firth on December 6^th 1890

1910-20:
Interest and involvement in psychoanalysis and attracted towards the occult by their apparent overlap. Studied occultism under Dr. Theodore Moriarty and joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1919, in the Alpha et Omega Lodge run by the novelist Brodie Innes.

1920-30:
Transferred to Stella Matutina Lodge of the Golden Dawn run by Moina MacGregor Mathers and developed mediumship capabilities in herself whilst continuing the occult/psychological interest. Her writings in this period reflect this: MACHINERY OF THE MIND; THE SOYA BEAN, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SERVANT PROBLEM, THE PROBLEM OF PURITY; THE ESOTERIC PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE, SANE OCCULTISM, THE ESOTERIC ORDERS AND THEIR WORK, THE TRAINING AND WORK OF AN INITIATE, THE COSMIC DOCTRINE, PSYCHIC SELF DEFENCE and the fictional works THE SECRETS OF DR. TAVERNER and THE DEMON LOVER.

Her strong magical-psychological bias was modified by a powerful vision about the need to take on board the Christian dynamic, and she joined, somewhat reluctantly, the Christian Mystic Lodge of the Theosophical Society of which she soon become President. As a result however of strong disapproval of senior figures in the Theosophical Society, and the Golden Dawn, in her view, becoming moribund, she founded the Community of the Inner Light, first at Glastonbury and soon also with a headquarters in London. In 1927 she married Dr. Thomas Penry Evans.

1930-40:
Most of her subsequent non-fiction work first saw the light of day in The Inner Light Magazine and her inner development can be followed fairly straightforwardly from their titles. AVALON OF THE HEART, SPIRITUALISM IN THE LIGHT OF OCCULT SCIENCE, THROUGH THE GATES OF DEATH, PRACTICAL OCCULTISM IN DAILY LIFE, MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS ON THE COLLECTS, THE MYSTICAL QABALAH and the novels THE WINGED BULL, THE GOAT-FOOT GOD, THE SEA PRIESTESS. The novels were an attempt to give practical exemplification to the theoretical principles given in her important textbook "THE MYSTICAL QABALAH".

1940-46:
At the outbreak of war she continued in difficult circumstances, (including being bombed out of her headquarters temporarily), to keep the Fraternity going with a series of Weekly Letters and after the restructuring of the group in 1942 in readiness for the post-war epoch by a series of Monthly Letters, paper rationing having put a stop to magazine and book publication. She also continued work on the novel MOON MAGIC. Her writings of this time have been collected and edited by Gareth Knight under the titles of THE MAGICAL BATTLE OF BRITAIN, AN INTRODUCTION TO RITUAL MAGIC, THE CIRCUIT OF FORCE, and PRINCIPLES OF HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY (which includes "Esoteric Principles of Astrology"). Teaching upon the Arthurian Tradition that she initiated at this time has been incorporated into THE SECRET TRADITION IN ARTHURIAN LEGEND by Gareth Knight.

She died of leukemia at the Middlesex Hospital, London on January 8^th 1946

The philosophical and practical line that Dion Fortune pursued right the way through her life was a three-fold balance of those elements of the Western Esoteric Tradition known as the Hermetic Path, the Green Ray Path of elemental and nature contacts, and the Mystic Path. She also had a long term interest in the practicalities of esoteric healing, and details of her work along these lines between 1921 and 1942 have been published under the title of PRINCIPLES OF ESOTERIC HEALING.

See Publications section details on how to obtain the books mentioned   Web Ref Inner Light.org

Third Eye

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For other uses, see Third eye (disambiguation).

A Cambodian Shiva head showing a third eye.

The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring to a speculative invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.^[1] In certain dharmic spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna, or brow, chakra.^[2] The third eye is referred to the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. In New Age spirituality, the third eye often symbolizes a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often associated with religious visions, clairvoyance, the ability to observe chakras and auras,^[3] precognition, and out-of-body experiences. People who are claimed to have the capacity to utilize their third eyes are sometimes known as seers.

Contents  [hide]  1 Characteristics 2 In Hinduism 3 In Taoism 4 In Christianity 5 In Gnosticism 6 In Theosophy 7 In Rosicrucianism 8 Other interpretations 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Citations 10.2 Bibliography

[edit] Characteristics

The third eye is supposedly located around the middle of the forehead, slightly above the junction of the eyebrows. In some traditions, it is believed to be connected with the pineal gland, or identical with it. Some theories posit that in far ancient times, humans had a third eye on their foreheads which provided them the ability to peer into spiritual realms. Over time, the third eye atrophied and sunk into the convolutions of the brain.^[1]

[edit] In Hinduism

Hindu tradition associates the third eye with the sahasrara, or crown, chakra.^[1] However, in the Tantra yoga system it is associated with the sound Om, and is known as the Ajna chakra. In Tantra, the crown is believed to be the Shivatic lotus of ten thousand petals.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In Taoism

In Taoism and many traditional Chinese religious sects such as Chan (a cousin to the Zen school), "third eye training" involves focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed, and while the body is in various qigong postures. The goal of this training is to allow students to tune in to the correct "vibration" of the universe and gain a solid foundation on which to reach more advanced meditation levels.
Taoism teaches that the third eye, also called the mind's eye, is situated between the two physical eyes, and expands up to the middle of the forehead when opened. Taoism claims that the third eye is one of the main energy centers of the body located at the sixth chakra, forming a part of the main meridian, the line separating left and right hemispheres of the body.^[4]

[edit] In Christianity

According to the teaching of Father Richard Rohr, the concept of the third eye is a metaphor for non-dualistic thinking; the way the mystics see. In Rhohr's concept, mystics employ the first eye (sensory input such as sight) and the second eye (the eye of reason, meditation, and reflection), "but they know not to confuse knowledge with depth, or mere correct information with the transformation of consciousness itself. The mystical gaze builds upon the first two eyes—and yet goes further."
"It happens whenever, by some wondrous “coincidence,” our heart space, our mind space, and our body awareness are all simultaneously open and nonresistant. I like to call it presence. It is experienced as a moment of deep inner connection, and it always pulls you, intensely satisfied, into the naked and undefended now, which can involve both profound joy and profound sadness at the very same time." Rohr refers to this level of awareness as "having the mind of Christ".^[5]

[edit] In Gnosticism

According to the gnostic teachings of Samael Aun Weor, the third eye is referenced symbolically and functionally several times in the Book of Revelation 3:7-13, a work which, as a whole, he believes describes Kundalini and its progression upwards through three and a half turns and seven chakras. This interpretation equates the third eye with the sixth of the seven churches of Asia detailed therein, the Church of Philadelphia.^[6]

[edit] In Theosophy

Adherents of Theosophy H.P. Blavatsky^[7] and Rick Strassman, have suggested that the third eye is in fact the partially dormant pineal gland, which resides between the two hemispheres of the brain. Various types of lower vertebrates, such as reptiles and amphibians, can actually sense light via a third parietal eye—a structure associated with the pineal gland—which serves to regulate their circadian rhythms, and for navigation, as it can sense the polarization of light.
C.W. Leadbeater claimed that by extending an "etheric tube" from the third eye, it is possible to develop microscopic and telescopic vision.^[3] It has been asserted by Stephen Phillips that the third eye's microscopic vision is capable of observing objects as small as quarks.^[8]

[edit] In Rosicrucianism

According to Max Heindel's Rosicrucian writings, called Western Wisdom Teachings, the third eye is localized in the pituitary body and the pineal gland. It was said that in the far past, when man was in touch with the inner worlds, these organs were his means of ingress thereto.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Other interpretations

The third eye is used in many meditation schools and arts, such as in yoga, qigong, Aikido.
In the esoteric discipline of Kabbalah, the Ajna chakra is attributed to the sphere of Chokmah,^[9] or Wisdom, although others regard the third eye as corresponding to the non-emanated sephirah of da'ath (knowledge).

[edit] See also

• Ajna chakra
• Parietal eye
• Pineal gland

[edit] References

[edit] Citations

1. ^ ^{a b c} Richard Cavendish, ed. (1994). Man, Myth and Magic - Volume 19. New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish. pp. 2606. ISBN 185435731.
2. ^ Saraswati, Swami Satyananda Saraswati (2001). Kundalini Tantra. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust. ISBN 978-8185787152.
3. ^ ^{a b} Leadbeater, C.W. The Chakras Wheaton, Illinois, USA:1927 Theosophical Publishing House Page 79.
4. ^ The doctrine of the elixir by R.B. Jefferson Coombe Springs Press 1982 chapter 4. The Archaic Anatomy of Individual Organs.
5. ^ Rohr, Richard "The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See", The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2009, ISBN 0-8245-2543-4, ISBN 978-0-8245-2543-9.
6. ^ "Transcriptions of gnostic lectures on the Book of Revelation". Gnosticteachings.org. http://gnosticteachings.org/courses/book-of-revelation/428-church-of-philadelphia-transcription.html/. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
7. ^ H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2, 1888, ISBN 1-55700-124-3, pp. 289-306.
8. ^ Phillips, Stephen Extrasensory Perception of Quarks Wheaton, Illinois, USA 1980 Theosophical Publishing House ISBN 978-0-8356-0227-3.
9. ^ Liber 777.

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[edit] Bibliography

• Hale, Teresa (1999). The Book of Chakra Healing. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8069-2097-1.
• Radha, Siviananda (2004). Kundalini Yoga for the West. New York: Shambhala. ISBN 1-932018-04-2.
• Sagan, Samuel, M.D. (2007). Awakening the Third Eye (3rd ed). Roseville, N.S.W., Australia: Clairvision. ISBN 0-9586700-5-6.
• Sharp, Dr. Michael (2005). Dossier of the Ascension: A Practical Guide to Chakra Activation and Kundalini Awakening. St. Albert, Alberta: Avatar Publications. ISBN 0-9735379-3-0.

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