A chakra is literally, from the Sanskrit language, a spinning wheel. Although typically represented as a vertical row of rainbow dots along the front center of the body, each of the in-body chakras is much more than a colored dot. Viewed front on, each chakra is actually a spinning wheel of color – a vortex. Each of the 7 main chakras is an interdependent and interconnected energy center within the chakra system in the human body’s energy system through which Universal life-force energy is received and where we store and process energy and energy patterns. Energy is received and transmitted to the chakras from the various layers of the aura. Energy is also transmitted from the chakras to the aura and to the physical body through a network of channels called “nadis” that feed the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine glands that connect with the internal organs and other parts of the physical body. People who have developed the ability to sense subtle energies (energy not perceived with the five physical senses), describe the chakras as spinning wheels. Always in motion, they spin, pulse and vibrate in harmony with one another in order for a person to experience an overall sense of well-being in body, mind and spirit.
In addition to receiving universal life-force energy, the chakras also process and store other energy (both positive and negative) and energy patterns from events that happen to us today, yesterday as well as from many years ago or lifetimes ago. Some of these patterns will be happy memories and some of them will be not so happy, unpleasant and painful memories of something that happened to us. Sometimes we store them away deep into some recess in our chakras and in our auras and try to forget about them, but they don’t really go away. And, throughout our lives, we pick up negative forms of energy, such as fear, doubt, anger, judgment, criticism, blame and others.
While many ancient cultures described their own versions of chakras, the modern system, developed from the ancient Indian tradition, is integral to healing the entire physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being.