Energy is everything. Everything is energy. Every object, person, thought, or sound is giving off an energetic vibration. As science evolves, it understands more and more that everything we see, when looked at on a quantum level, is a collection of particles in sympathetic vibration.
Understanding this can allow us to perceive and enjoy life on a whole other level. Of course, this isn’t new information. Spiritual disciplines from across the ages have long known and taught the intricacies of the energetic Universe. One such tradition that has stood the test of time is Vedic tradition, which originated in India around 1000 B.C., and its teachings on the Chakra system.
In Sanskrit, Chakra means “wheel”, so the chakras are envisioned as wheels or circles of light that correspond to different points in the body. There are 7 primary chakras and up to 140 secondary ones. Each primary chakra is associated with a specific color, musical pitch, and relates to different parts of our being.
The reason why learning about the chakras can be so beneficial, is in understanding how energy flow within our bodies takes place. Sometimes a chakra can get blocked or stuck, depending on past traumas, unhelpful beliefs and patterns of thought, negative emotions, etc. By becoming conscious of this flow of energy, we can approach these blocks and obstacles from different angles, allowing us to find, work through, and ultimately release these energetic traffic jams.
There’s also ways to build, expand, and share incredible energy by working with chakras. This is where Tantra comes in. We are endowed, as humans, with all sorts of supplies of energy from the Universe around us. The most potent and powerful of these is sexual energy. It is the creative energy that runs through all living beings and entices us with evolution. Using Tantra, you can learn to harness and transmute this energy into amazing health, sex, and creative endeavors. Through deepened Tantric practice, your emotional life becomes much more balanced and rich, your physical world expands in strength, power, and pleasure, and your spiritual life will reach higher and higher dimensions.
In later chapters we will be learning how to do all of this, but for now, it’s essential to get a basic working knowledge of the chakras, and how to work within this framework to make massive, rapid, positive change.
The Chakras
First - Muludhara - The Root Chakra
Color - Red
Location - perineum, between your anus and genitals
Pitch - C
The root chakra grounds you to the earth. It is concerned primarily with safety, survival, and the basic elements of life.
A strong root chakra is associated with a strong immune system, a powerful connection to home, family, and tribe, and a comfortable relationship to money (especially what is needed for basic safety and comfort.)
A weak root chakra manifests in chronic sickness, a fear of homelessness or poverty, a feeling of over possessiveness of your lovers and/or relationships, and a habit of not taking action on your ideas and plans.
Second - Svadhistana - The Sacral Chakra
Color - Orange
Location - lower abdomen, just below the navel
Pitch - D
The sacral chakra is considered your sex center. This is where the desire for not only procreation originates, but also the fulfilling of your plans, idea, and creative desires.
A strong sacral chakra indicates a feeling of power and balance in relationships, money, and control of one’s self. Strong physical health and solid personal boundaries are also
characteristics.
Weaknesses in this chakra manifest as impotence, reproductive problems, controlling behaviors, and emotions like guilt and shame. An imbalance here is common with people who continually cross others’ boundaries, like authoritarians and rapists. Sexual inadequacies, addictions, and perversions stem from imbalances in this chakra.
Third - Manipura - The Solar Plexus Chakra
Color - Yellow
Location - solar plexus, in the center jus below the rib cage
Pitch - E
The solar plexus chakra is associated with bravery, courage, and trust.
When this chakra is balanced and strong, we have the courage to face our fears and act accordingly. We feel safe to express our emotions fully, and have plenty of self-confidence. Strong intuition (especially in the realms of moving safely through the world) and the ability to follow it are characteristics of a strong third chakra.
Imbalances here result from not fully expressing our emotions. If you grew up in an environment that wasn’t safe for expression, you may have blockages here. When people feel something in the “pit of their stomach”, “butterflies”, they are relating to the solar plexus. A lack of bravery, honesty, trust, and self-esteem show signs of a weakened Manipura.
Fourth - Anahata - The Heart Chakra
Color - Green
Location - Center of the chest, above the breast
Pitch - F
The heart chakra is the center of compassion, forgiveness, and love. It associated with having an open heart, following your passion, and expressing and empathizing deeply.
Someone with a strong and balanced heart chakra is always “following their bliss”, caring deeply for others without sacrificing their own happiness and health, and feeling loved and loving. A strong heart chakra also allows someone to extend forgiveness and compassion, even though they may have been badly hurt, abandoned, or betrayed.
Imbalances here produce emotions such as resentment, guilt, and grief. People who are closed down emotionally, have lost the ability to be empathetic, and battle chronic bouts of sadness are suffering from a weekend heart energy. This often results in physical ailments such as heart attacks, breast cancers, and lung problems.
Fifth - Vishuddha - The Throat Chakra
Color - Blue
Location - The Throat
Pitch - G
The Throat chakra is the center for creative expression in the upper chakras. It is responsible for creativity, spoken word and communication, action, and choices.
When the throat chakra is vibrating with health, we have a open flow between our head and heart. Our choices and actions correlate with our desires and principles. We speak our truth clearly and powerfully, and we are able to express ourself with love and understanding.
An unbalanced or blocked throat chakra will manifest in judgement, exceeding criticism, and illness. Addiction, resulting in the lost control of our choices, is a clear sign of a problem here. Indecision, a loss of power in our own destiny, and a lack of faith manifest are also symptoms.
Sixth - Ajna - Third Eye Chakra
Color - Purple
Location - in the middle of the forehead, just above the eyes
Pitch - A
The third eye chakra is the home your highest spirit calling, insights, intuition, and visions. This is where you embrace your uniqueness, nature, and destiny.
A healthy third eye chakra constitutes a healthy balance between your soul’s intuition and your mental capacities. Not overly analytical, not relying completely on intuition, but balanced and existing in between. You have the ability to follow your ideas and dreams with purpose and confidence. Tapping into the powers of your subconscious mind is the result of creating a strong and powerful third eye chakra.
Energetic imbalances in this chakra allow the mind to take over the processes. When you feel that something is right, but you “think” yourself out of it, only to realize later you made the wrong choice, then you had a weakened Ajna. A lack of vision, purpose, and imagination is also a result for third eye imbalance.
Seventh - Sahasrara - The Crown Chakra
Color - White
Location - top of the head
Pitch - B
The crown chakra is the home of the intergalactic orgasm. Birth, death, and all transformations through spirit and dimension occur here. It is the connection to the Universal Spirit, God, or Source Energy, whatever you may call it.
A healthy and vibrating crown chakra means you are at peace and in connection with All There Is. You are comfortable with death, and with letting your ego die as you move into self-transformation. You trust in the process and the opening of the flower of life. A healthy crown chakra provides extremely powerful self-confidence because you are open, at peace, and believe that everything will ultimately be ok.
Imbalances in the crown chakra are often hard to diagnose and determine. Usually this manifests as disturbances in the energetic body, rather than physical ailments. Long term depression, a lack of energy and motivation, a disinterest in life, and a continuous sense of worry and anxiety are symptoms. Suicides are a common result of crown chakra imbalance.
As you dive deeper into understanding your chakras, and how energy flow moves through and between them, then you are really setting out on your Tantric journey. In the next chapters, we will learn how to breathe and move in a way that creates, attracts, cultivates, and manipulates these energetic forces for beneficial purposes. This will result in more strength, energy, attraction, vibrancy, and creativity.
Understanding this system is the foundational knowledge of Tantra. Everything else builds upon this wisdom of energy. So dive in, look deeper, and you will start to notice different realities happening around you. We often aren’t responsible for the traumas and blockages which have built up over time, but once you become aware of them and how to change, then it’s on you to make the necessary adjustments. No one will do this for you. No one is coming to save you. Take control of your destiny now!
