Chakras as Part of the Subtle Energy Anatomy
Have you ever gotten up at daybreak and looked out the window to see a ten-inch blanket of snow, the uniformity of the white glistening waves covering the landscape?
Dr. C. Michael Scroggins
Dr. Scroggins, whom you met in the last chapter, posed these questions to me in an email in November 2013. He had much more to say in this email. That uniformity of snow, he pointed out, reveals the truth of all dimensions combined.
What most people miss is that a body of unique snowflakes creates a critical mass that is intertwined but also separated by differences. In the end, however, everything is combined and held together by the frequencies that share the crystalline structures. While the snowflakes are singular, they are a part of the whole, and so is everything within the universe. Nothing is ever exactly the same as anything else—that is an impossibility—but everything is part of the whole, bound together by the strands of frequencies across all dimensions.
Children who grow up in snowy areas understand two facts about snow. First, each crystal has a unique design. Even if it exists only for a moment on a pane of glass, it is an original, a call to “ooh” and “aah.” Second, all flakes added together create more than the simple beauty of one fragment. Whether they create a snowman, a landscape, or a backbreaking reason to shovel, there is a uniformity that gives us pause and makes us appreciate the singular snowflake all the more.
Chakras are individuated vortexes of energy, but each operates like a prism to receive and reflect greater forces. By whatever name a culture may assign them—sephiroth in Jewish Kabbalism, spheres in a Kamitic spirituality, acupoints in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or lataif in Sufism—these psychospiritual centers are part of a larger system, a family within a greater tribe. The main members of this clan are energy channels, energy fields, and energy centers, including but not limited to the chakras.
In this chapter we will explore the energetic landscape in which chakras operate. While you have been introduced to many of these concepts earlier in the book, here you will learn much more about the interplay of subtle energies in and around the body.
The Big Picture: Meet the Family of Subtle Energy Structures
There are three categories of subtle energy structures:
- • Energy channels
- • Energy fields
- • Energy bodies
Energy channels are like rivers that flow through the body, transporting various types of subtle energy. Their main objective is to manage and direct the distribution of subtle energy, connecting the energy bodies anchored within the physical body with the energy fields emanating from and located around the body. Personally, I picture the subtle energy within these channels as ships bobbing along, with a main destination being the chakras. Pulling up to shore, the ships unload their precious cargo and wait there long enough for the crates to be unpacked and then filled again with treasures destined for other sites. Off go the ships again.
Energy fields are vibrational sheaths that surround everyone and everything that pulses with life. Electricity, magnetism, EMF, sound, and subtle forces all generate fields, which serve multiple functions such as to protect, filter, and invite communication. These fields don’t exist in a vacuum any more than energy channels and bodies exist in a vacuum. The energy channels known as the meridians exchange energy with the human energy field at locations on the skin called acupoints.
Each human energy field is paired with an energy body—a chakra—and some people believe these auric fields are actually extensions of the chakras.
As we examine the energetic anatomy in which the chakras are imbedded, keep in mind that there are many versions of these various systems, several of which you will find featured in upcoming parts of this book.
The Subtle Channels
There are two basic types of subtle energetic channels, which might even be one and the same, simply given different names by different cultures: meridians and nadis. The first term is Eastern in orientation and the second stems from Indian philosophy. Chakras, or chakra-like energy bodies, are featured in both cultures.
Subtle Channels: The Nadis
Drawn from ancient writings, traditional Hindu and tantric energetic models depict a series of energy channels called nadis that run throughout the body. Even Plato knew about the two winding nadis that travel along the spine and, conjoined with the central spinal nadi, form the shape of a serpent.1 This is the origin of the symbol of the medical profession, the caduceus.
The word nadi (which is pronounced “nardi”) comes from the word nad, meaning movement. In the Rig Veda the term means “stream,” and that’s exactly what the nadis are: streams of energy, both measurable and immeasurable.
Experts most typically describe two types of nadis: gross and subtle. The gross nadis are channels of subtle energy that appear as cords, tubes, or vessels. These are frequently related to meridians, nerves, and cardiovascular and lymph vessels. Experts who link the nadis to the nerves relate each of the three main nadis to parts of the nervous system, which I’ll discuss further shortly. As I will more completely define in the next chapter, the human nervous system is divided into the central and the autonomic nervous systems; the latter is then split into the parasympathetic system—often associated with the vagus nerve and kundalini—and the sympathetic nervous system, which relates to our day-to-day activity and has a left and a right side.
The subtle or nonmaterial nadis of the yogic tradition are channels of manas (mind) or chitta (the feeling self). The subtle nadis are further divided into the pranavaha nadis, which carry prana (vital force), and the manavaha nadis, which carry mental skakti (forces). Though anchored in the body, nadis are usually considered pranic in nature and are said to direct subtle, etheric, or pranic “winds,” linking the physical body with the subtle body. Their job is to nourish the chakras as well as the physical body, as is implied through this description from the Katha Upanishad:
A hundred and one are the arteries of the heart, one of them leads up to the crown of the head. Going upward through that, one becomes immortal.2
Many of the nadis originate in the kanda, a secondary chakra linked to the first chakra. From here thousands of nadis spring forth to weave a network throughout the body; some believe the network also extends beyond the body. In one tantric system it is said there are 144 chakras, each of which is served by a certain number of nadis. Ancient treatises outline anywhere from 72,000 to 350,000 nadis. Of all the thousands of them, three are considered most important. To this list is added an additional eleven nadis that explain subtle interactions, including those involving kundalini energy.
the three fundamental nadis
Everything from ancient scripture to modern yoga books emphasizes the three most fundamental nadis, all of which closely hug the spine. The central nadi, the sushumna, is multilayered and located within the spine itself. The other two vital nadis, the ida and the pingala, crisscross the spine and interact with the chakras. These were depicted visually in illustration 4, and here is further description:
Sushumna: A three-part nadi in the center of the spine, the sushumna runs between the first and seventh chakras, dividing into an anterior and posterior branch before reaching the sixth chakra. It is bright red and associated with the tamas guna, which relates to the law of inertia and is considered both void and subtle. As a result, this nadi is believed to be located outside the parameters of time. The sushumna is often considered to manifest the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls our involuntary activities such as heartbeat. It is only activated when the breath comes through both nostrils, which typically occurs during ten breaths an hour, when our breathing shifts from one nostril to the other and at dawn and dusk. As shall become clear in the next chapter, it is at these moments that the kundalini is able to rise through the center of the sushumna. Because the sushumna invites relaxation in the body, dawn and dusk are considered ideal times to meditate; this is when we can best take advantage of the tamas guna. The sushumna is often linked to the Sarasvati River in India.
Ida: Actually a continuation of the vajrini nadi described further on, the ida is considered the channel of the moon and is situated on the left side of the spine. Starting and ending to the left of the sushumna, it terminates in the left nostril, stimulating the right side of the brain. Pale-moon colored, it flows with the nectar of life, amrita, which nourishes the body. It is considered a feminine nadi in that it passes negative, cool, and female energy and relates to the guna of tamas. It also governs feelings, emotions, thoughts, memories, and intelligence. It is sometimes called Ganga in tantric scriptures, named for the Ganges River; unlike the sushumna, it is considered timebound. This nadi is often considered core to the function of the left sympathetic nervous system, although some experts believe it is only a mental channel and most influential when we are breathing through the left nostril. It is also symbolized by the left eye—often considered the “soul” eye, the one that can look into the world with love—as well as the entire left hand.
Pingala: Sometimes considered a continuation of the chitrini nadi, this masculine-oriented nadi is the channel of the sun and is situated at the right side of the spine, starting and ending on the right side of the sushumna and related to the rajas guna. It ends at the right nostril, from where it stimulates the left side of the brain. Golden-red in color, it contains a deadly poison, visam, which is destructive in nature. Through the pingala runs energy that governs vitality, prana, temperament, action, willpower, and artistry. It is linked to the Yamuna River in India. Like the ida, the pingala is also bound by time. The pingala is the main force in the right sympathetic nervous system, but there is disagreement about this. Experts do agree that it is dominant when we are breathing through the right nostril. The pingala also relates to the right eye, through which we examine the world logically and rationally, and the right hand.
eleven supportive nadis
Along with the sushumna, ida, and pingala are eleven other nadis that enable a fully functioning energetic system:
Gandhari: Stretching from the corner of the left eye to the left big toe, the gandhari runs alongside the ida. Its job is to support the ida.
Hastajihva: Running from below the corner of the right eye to the big toe of the left foot, this nadi complements the ida. Together, the ida, gandhari, and hastajihva form the left channel, the three nadis that operate the left sympathetic nervous system; the ida anchors this system.
Yashasvini: Stretching from the right big toe to the left ear, this nadi complements the pingala.
Pusha: This nadi moves from the left big toe to the right ear and supports the pingala. Along with the yashasvini and pingala, it forms the right channel, the entirety of the right sympathetic nervous system that is affixed in the pingala.
Alambusha: Starting at the anus, this nadi ends at the mouth.
Kuhu: Originating in the throat and terminating at the genitals, the kuhu helps the chitrini nadi carry bindu, the essence of seminal fluid, to cause ejaculation in men. (Many esoterics, including Plato, believe that semen is the core of kundalini.)
Shankhini: Starting in the throat, this nadi moves between the sarasvati and gandhari nadis on the left side of the sushumna, ending in the anus.
Sarasvati: Along with the ida, pingala, and sushumna, this nadi starts in the kanda and ends in the tongue. It is said that upon maturity, this nadi enables all that is said to come true. It is also a complementary channel to the sushumna.
Payasvini: Flowing between the pusha and sarasvati, the payasvini terminates in the right ear. The reason that many iconic Hindu figures, including deities and angels, are often depicted with earrings is that a part of the earlobe is linked to the cranial nerves. When a pure metal earring is inserted at this point, this nadi is activated by ions and static electricity from the environment.
Varuni: Between the yashasvini and kuhu nadis, the varuni purifies the toxins in the lower trunk of the body. It ends at the anus.
Vishvodara: Flowing between the kuhu and hastajihva nadis, the vishvodara resides in the naval and is involved with digestive processes, adrenal glands, and the pancreas. Along with the varuni nadi, it distributes prana throughout the body.
The first ten of these nadis are linked to the ten gates (orifices) of the body as well. The associations are as follows:
- • The sushumna with the tenth gate (fontanel) and the brahmarandhra
- • The ida with the ninth gate and left nostril
- • The pingala with the eighth gate and right nostril
- • The gandhari with seventh gate and left eye
- • The hastajihva with the sixth gate and right eye
- • The yashasvina with the fifth gate and left ear
- • The pusha with the fourth gate and right ear
- • The alambusha with the third gate and the mouth
- • The kuhu with the second gate and the genitals
- • The shankhini with first gate and the anus
According to tantric theory, at death the soul or vital force exits from one of these ten gates.
opening up the sushumna
Inside the sushumna is the vajrini or vajra nadi, which relates to the sun. It starts at the sixth chakra and ends at the gonads. Colored gold, it is linked to the rajas guna. The vajrini nadi contains flowing nectar, sometimes believed poisonous. The vajrini is considered a sun nadi, whose masculine energy works outside the sushumna through the pingala and inside as the vajrini.
Inside the vajrini nadi is the chitrini or chitra nadi, kin to the moon. It starts in the bindu chakra and ends in the svayambhu lingam in the first chakra. Silver-white, it relates to the sattva guna, which is illuminating, and serves as a channel for kundalini. It is also responsible for dreams, hallucinations, and visions. Since the moon is usually considered a feminine energy, this nadi is sometimes seen as the conveyer of moon or feminine energy inside the sushumna, with the ida fulfilling this role external to the sushumna.
Within the chitrini is the Brahma nadi, which is entered through the Brahma dvara, or door of Brahma. This is the opening for the kundalini to enter the “royal road,” or kula marga, on its way to the crown chakra. The Brahma nadi leads directly to the brahmarandhra. It is not always thought of as a separate nadi but rather as a hollow passage for the rise of kundalini energy (see Illustration 43).
Illustration 43—Nadis within the Sushumna: There are three nadis within the sushumna: the vajra, the chitrini (within the vajra), and the brahma (within the chitrini). The Brahma nadi, sometimes called “the nerve of God,” ends in the brahmarandhra. Considered the haven of the soul, the brahmarandhra is frequently believed to be located in the fontanelle. There are actually several fontanelles open in a child’s head. The last one to close is at the top of the head and is called the anterior fontanelle. The brahmarandhra is often affiliated with this fontanelle, often considered the exit portal for the soul at death. Sometimes it is associated with the posterior fontanelle at the back of the head. illustration by llewellyn art department
chakras and the nadis
The chakras and nadis are thoroughly intertwined; in fact, it could be said that the nadis exist to serve the chakras, the storage centers for information activated during a kundalini rising.
As I will more completely explain in chapter 22, the three most important nadis involved in the kundalini rising are the sushumna, ida, and pingala. Once kundalini is activated in the first chakra, kundalini begins to rise up along the spine through these three nadis. The ida and pingala actually cross five times, surrounding and stimulating the chakras through this serpentine undulation, until they meet in the sixth chakra and then adjoin with the kundalini in the sushumna, forming the mukta triveni, or threefold knot of liberation. Now entering the sushumna, they separate and proceed into different nostrils while the kundalini, through the sushumna, continues into the crown chakra. The kundalini can take other pathways, however, traveling through the vajra and sarasvati nadis. As is typical of nearly everything in life, there is more than one way to accomplish a kundalini rising.3
Subtle Channels: The Meridians
The meridians are energy channels that were first described more than five thousand years ago in China. Knowledge of these channels is the basis for medicine in many parts of the Eastern world and, more recently, the Western world.
Meridians form a circulatory system that carries subtle energy (often called chi or ki) around the body, connecting hundreds of reservoirs of subtle energy known as acupuncture points, or acupoints, located on the surface of the skin. The meridians also travel deep into the body, nourishing organs and related body systems.
There are twelve major meridians, which pass energy from one to another in a cyclical manner. While the “brain” of a meridian lies within a physical organ, meridians flow throughout the body and into one another; thus, meridians are truly streaming energies of light.
Each of these meridians is either yin (feminine) or yang (masculine) and enables the body’s use of natural elements. If a meridian becomes congested with waste or fails to receive required sustenance, it becomes imbalanced. We then experience difficulties in the corresponding parts of the body, which also relate to emotions and beliefs.
A quick outline of the major meridians, with a few words on functionality, follows:
Liver Meridian: Power plant of the body
Heart Meridian: Development of personality within cosmic order
Spleen Meridian: Distributes energy to achieve tasks
Lung Meridian: Connects to rhythms of the surrounding world
Kidney Meridian: Contains physical and spiritual inheritance
Pericardium Meridian: Collection and release of joy
Gallbladder Meridian: Enables decision making
Small Intestine Meridian: Absorbs and transforms energies within the body
Stomach Meridian: Processes energies received in the body
Large Intestine Meridian: Transmits energies and releases wastes
Urinary Bladder Meridian: Keeps body’s energy in motion
The Triple Warmer (or Burner) Meridian: Creates and dissolves energies;
responsible for overall vitality
There are two other meridians that are often considered as important as the first twelve. The conception vessel collects and regulates the body’s yin energy, and the Governor Vessel does the same for the yang energy.8
Exciting research has substantiated the existence of the meridians. North Korean researcher Kim Bonghan (his name is also spelled Bong Han) published papers in the 1960s that revealed the meridians as tubular structures that contain liquids such as hyaluronic acid and a cushioning fluid, as well as small DNA granules. Some of these DNA micro-cells seem to grow into adult stem cells, which can be programmed for bodily repair.9
In 1991 Russian researchers found that light enters and exits the body at acupuncture points, also running through the body along the meridians. It doesn’t do this in other bodily areas. This discovery led researchers to theorize that our body is like a light transferal system, with the meridians similar to optical fibers.10
Additional substantiation of the meridian system includes research by French scientists including Pierre deVernejoul, who injected radioactive isotopes into the acupoints of humans and then followed the movements of these isotopes with a special camera. The isotopes traveled twelve inches along the meridians. When the isotopes were injected into blood vessels, there was no movement. The conclusion was that meridians do, in fact, constitute their own system in the body.11 Even more recent research is showing that the insertion of an acupuncture needle into the skin disrupts the branching of nerves called “C fibers,” which alert the body to pain via the neurotransmitter glutamate (neurotransmitters are discussed in the next chapter). These fibers send sensory information over vast distances via Merkel cells, touch receptors near sensory nerve endings that transmit information electrically.12
As we shall see in the next chapter, chakras are affiliated with both the chemical and electrical types of signaling that appear to be involved with the meridians. Is it possible that nadis and meridians are linked—that the Indian system at least partially correlates with the Traditional Chinese Medicine system? Several researchers believe so.
Subtle Channels: Parallels Between Nadis and Meridians
Several experts believe that nadis and meridians are the same. One reason for this is the many correspondences between the chakra system and the meridian-based theories found in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In both approaches, life force, by whatever name, is carried through the human body along a complex network of pathways, designated as masculine (yang) or feminine (yin). Problems result from disturbances of this energy flow, which affect the rest of the organism.13
More definitely relating the nadis and meridians is Hiroshi Motoyama, a well-known researcher in the energetic sciences and a Shinto priest. Part of his assessment involves discrediting the traditional link between the nadis and the nervous system; Motoyama asserts that this association is anatomically impossible. Instead, he identifies many of the nadis with the meridians, and chakras with acupuncture points.
To substantiate his assertion, Motoyama underscores that in ancient scripture, the ida and pingala originate at either side of the first chakra and end at the nostrils. The sympathetic nervous trunks do not start in these locations; however, the secondary lines of the Urinary Bladder meridian do: this meridian initiates in the perineum and ends at the root of the nose. As well, Motoyama identifies the sushumna with the Governor Vessel meridian, which starts at the tip of the coccyx, ascends the spine, and reaches a specific acupoint at the top of the head (a point referred to as GV20) before flowing downward to the navel area.
He also compares the Taoist practices of shoshuten, or “circulation of light,” to tantric yoga. The Circulation of Light practice involves raising ki (chi) from the tip of the coccyx to the top of the head. This is the same practice as is involved in raising the kundalini through the nadis from the first to the seventh chakras. In both cases, the goal involves transforming physiological energy into higher psychological or spiritual energy. The process would also substantiate that the Governor Vessel and sushumna are the same.14
Meridian aficionados might find Motoyama’s comparative analysis of the nadis and meridians interesting. To formulize this outline, Motoyama reviewed several ancient Indian treatises:
|
Nadi |
Meridian |
|
Sushumna |
Governor Vessel |
|
Ida and Pingala |
Secondary lines of Urinary Bladder meridian |
|
Gandhari |
Urinary Bladder on left side of body |
|
Hastijihva |
First line of Urinary Bladder |
|
Yashasvini |
Also first line of Urinary Bladder |
|
Pusha |
Third line of Urinary Bladder |
|
Alumbusha |
Conception vessel |
|
Kuhu |
Liver |
|
Shankhini |
Kidney |
|
Sarasvati |
Spleen |
|
Varuni |
Large |
|
Payasvini |
Gallbladder |
|
Visvodari |
Stomach 15 |
Meridian and Chakra Linkages
Motoyama also revealed possible links between certain acupuncture points and chakras, both major and minor chakras. A few of his discoveries are as follows:
second chakra
Conception vessel 3 in the lower belly is associated with yin energy, and conception vessel 4 is related to kidney reserves. It is located on the midline of the lower belly and is sometimes called “Life Gate Fire” because it can rekindle sexual energy. These two points are located in the second chakra, which is also associated with urinary functions and sensual energy.
third chakra
Conception vessel 6 (“Sea of Energy”) is two inches below the navel and adds fire to the system. Conception vessel 8, the entry point of chi, relates to a spherical region around the navel and is where prana energizes the body. Conception vessel 12 (“Sea of Nutritive Energy”) lies between the rib cage and navel and supports digestion and several digestive organs. These points are located within the third chakra region, which is also affiliated with willpower, assertiveness, and the digestive organs.
fourth chakra
Conception vessel 17 (“Sea of Tranquility”) is on the breastbone and supports the lungs and heart. The Dingchuan asthma point is found on the back of the shoulders and also nourishes the lungs. The heart chakra, in the same bodily region, serves the same functions.
seventh chakra
The energy of the cosmos enters the crown through governor vessel 20, called Bai Hui, which means “one hundred convergences.” The seventh chakra in the same area is the sahasrara, meaning “thousandfold.”16
Additional models featuring the similarities between the chakras and various types of acupoints are presented in Part 6.
The Energetic Fields
There are hundreds if not thousands of subtle and measurable energetic fields that affect us all. A few of these include morphological fields, which allow us to exchange energy between family members and like-minded species; geofields, which emanate from the earth; the universal light field, or zero-point field, made of photons that surrounds every living thing and is intertwined in the universe as a whole; L-fields and T-fields, which are electrical and magnetic in nature; and the typical character actors with which we’re typically more familiar—electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, and sound fields.17
Regarding the latter, remember that every cell, organ, and organ system, as well as the entirety of the body, pulses with electricity. Electricity produces electrical, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields, which means that our bodies generate millions if not billions of fields. These fields form their own gigantic electromagnetic field, and all of them interact with the chakras and the auric field. As well, everything animate and, frequently, inanimate either generates or can produce sound waves. In addition, we interact with the hundreds of other measurable and immeasurable fields in the world, from the earth’s magnetic field to solar flares to the electromagnetic activity of cell phones.
There are several other types of energetic fields that also function as energy bodies and sometimes levels of realities. I’ll describe a few of these in the upcoming “Energy Bodies in Addition to the Chakras” section.
For our purposes at the moment, this section will explore the auric field, composed of auric fields or auric layers, as well as a unique group of fields called “rays.” Both these types of fields have a strong relationship with the chakras and are vital components of the chakra family.
Illustration 44—The Auric Fields: There are many versions of the auric field, but the most popular is of seven fields that emanate from the body in rainbow-color progression. Each field relates to the corresponding chakra. (I believe the first auric field includes and emanates from the skin, which is why #1 encompasses two lines on the illustration.) illustration by mary ann zapalac
Energetic Fields: The Auric Fields
Auric fields exist around all living organisms, including animals and plants, and apparently objects as well. One of the first images of an auric field was captured with Kirlian photography, using a special film that reveals the energy around a subject. Kirlian photography and more modern photographic methods can potentially determine the differences between a living and nonliving subject, disease states, and emotional well-being.18
Of particular interest is the human auric field, also commonly called the auric field or auric layers. Every living being generates an auric field, and since time began, various cultures, including those found in the Americas, India, China, Siberia, and Africa, have described this field as bands of light that emanate from the body in successive frequencies, from lowest to highest.19 Some scientists, including renowned energy researcher Dr. James Oschmann, believe this field is biomagnetic in nature and, like all fields, is unbounded. The information contained within this field includes data about everything occurring inside the body as well as on the skin, although the field itself starts in or next to the skin.20
The human auric field has long been associated with the chakras. Because Western society believes there are seven chakras, most models of the aura assert the same, linking each chakra with its own associated auric field. Each auric field operates on the same frequency band as does its correlated chakra and provides energetic protection, filters information, and emits psychic messages. Programs in the related chakra determine how well its sister auric field functions; in turn, the environment affects the auric field, which then transfers energy into the related chakra. Illustration 44 shows each of the seven layers, which deliver the following functions:
First Auric Layer: Protects and attracts life-supporting energies
Second Auric Layer: Screens and communicates feelings and emotions
Third Auric Layer: Filters and disseminates ideas and beliefs
Fourth Auric Layer: Attracts and repels relationships; communicates about love
Fifth Auric Layer: Attracts, repels, and sends guidance
Sixth Auric Layer: Receives choices and visualizes decisions
Seventh Auric Layer: Connects with spirits and the Greater Spirit; conduit for our personal spirit
Energetic Fields: The Seven Rays
The occult concept of the seven rays appeared in India and the West beginning at least as long ago as the sixth century bce. Its roots are linked to Vedic and post-Vedic scripture; Gnosticism, which related seven magical letters to seven rays of creative planetary powers and their rulers; the Roman Mithraic mysteries; and even the Catholic Church, which often depicted the dove of the Holy Spirit with an emanation of seven rays.21 You can see my depiction in Illustration 45.
The best-known introduction to the seven rays was initiated by the Theosophical Society through a series of books published between 1888 and 1952, with Alice Bailey being one of the chief authors about the subject. Other significant contributors include Manly Hall, Madame Blavatsky, and C. W. Leadbeater. Various Native American tribes, however, also carry their own tradition of the seven rays, and the subject now appears in chakra-inclusive practices including Reiki and esoteric astrology.
At the most basic level a ray is a particular force, or type of energy. At another level rays are fields of energy often seen to intersect with or enter the chakras in order to influence our energetic bodies and the physical, emotional, and mental levels of reality or energy bodies described in the next section, “Energy Bodies in Addition to the Chakras.”22
Many models state that the seven major rays are emanations of the Divine and are governed by higher beings; sometimes these beings are depicted as living rays. Each ray represents a certain quality that produces a specific state of consciousness.
Alice Bailey believed she was in contact with a group of otherworldly masters called the Hierarchy. Bailey maintained that the seven rays are the sum total of divine consciousness—seven radiant qualities enabling evolution. She perceived the rays as living entities but also as patterns, streams of energy, archetypes, goals, and lights. She saw them as interacting with the chakras and, in fact, influencing the lotus petals within them, each of which she believed was an expression of divine forces. Her outline of the rays is as follows:
|
Ray |
Quality |
Color |
|
One |
Will or power |
Red |
|
Two |
Love-wisdom |
Blue |
|
Three |
Active intelligence |
Yellow |
|
Four |
Harmony |
Green |
|
Five |
Concrete knowledge |
Orange |
|
Six |
Devotion or Idealism |
Violet |
|
Seven |
Ceremonial magic |
Indigo 23 |
There have been several theories about how the rays correspond to chakras, an idea generated by esoteric leaders including Madame Blavatsky, who maintained that the seven rays are generated by the seven nerve plexuses, or chakras.24 One of the more commonly accepted renderings, based on Theosophical writings, is as follows (Illustration 45 reflects this):
|
First Chakra |
Fourth Ray |
|
Second Chakra |
Seventh Ray |
|
Third Chakra |
Sixth Ray |
|
Fourth Chakra |
Second Ray |
|
Fifth Chakra |
Third Ray |
|
Sixth Chakra |
Fifth Ray |
|
Seventh Chakra |
First Ray 25 |
Zachary Landsdowne, former president of the Theosophical Society, analyzed modern theories such as Bailey’s against concepts presented in the Rig Veda. Seven is a popular number in this scripture, used to describe seven mares or streams of consciousness, seven rays of the sun or beings that deliver knowledge, seven sisters, seven rivers, and more. His conclusion was that many Theosophical beliefs mirror those in the Rig Veda and that the seven rays reflect these attributes:
- • They are divine qualities “stepped down” to purify human beings
- • They are seven sequences of ideas assisting our mental well-being
- • They affect us on three different planes or worlds
- • They divide humanity in seven communities, each directed by a specific invisible guide that governs the related ray 26
Another interesting presentation is the one offered by Robert Ghost Wolf. From the Lakota and Iroquois lineage himself, Wolf has also learned from several other North American tribes and teaches about our light bodies and matters of ascension. (Light bodies are discussed in the next section.) He asserts that there are seven rays of rainbows, which influence consciousness and spin the dream called life. Wolf believes that at the end times, equated with our entry into the fifth world (we are now in the fourth), these seven rays will be divided into twelve rays, each of which will relate to one of twelve chakras, seven of which are placed within the body. This multiplication of rays occurs as Spirit becomes active in our physical bodies.27
I have created the following chart based on Wolf’s work:
|
Ray |
Quality |
Color |
Chakra |
Function |
|
First |
Leadership |
Red |
First |
Holds vibration of earth |
|
Second |
Understanding |
Sky blue |
Sixth |
Unites knowledge of the Father and wisdom of earth |
|
Third |
Healing ray |
Green |
Fourth |
Vibrates all memories |
|
Fourth |
Sun radiation |
Yellow |
Third |
Stimulates growth |
|
Fifth |
Scientific understanding |
Cobalt blue |
Fifth |
Embraces order and cycles |
|
Sixth |
Devotion |
Rose |
Second |
Invites oneness |
|
Seventh |
Transition |
Violet |
Seventh |
Enables transformation28 |
Energy Bodies in Addition to the Chakras
Chakras aren’t the only game in town. While this book emphasizes chakras and chakra medicine, chakras interact with many other types of energy bodies. As well, besides the existence of several out-of-body and minor chakras, there are realms of reality that feature their own unique set of chakras.
The purpose of this section is to present a few of these energy bodies and concepts; further explorations are presented in part 8.
Energy Bodies from the Ground Up
Almost every deep dive into subtle energy will pull up a treasure chest of energetic bodies that serve multiple purposes. Like the koshas, these energy bodies serve three different functions. Each performs three key roles:
- • Functions as an energetic field
- • Operates as a level of reality
- • Interfaces with the body-based chakras, often through chakras specific to the energy bodies
As will become apparent elsewhere in this book, various subtle energy experts outline different energy bodies and ascribe varying roles to them. (I explore the chakras related to these subtle energy bodies in chapter 21’s section “Chakras in Multiplex: Ladders of Light.”) I believe the variations of these energetic descriptions will make more sense if you have a feeling for how these bodies function. Therefore, the discussions about these energetic bodies in this chapter and the following ones are meant to introduce you to the most oft-told versions of the story. This groundwork will enable you to better understand the systems explored later, especially in part 8, which illuminates these multidimensional cosmologies in context of their authors.
In general, a person’s subtle energy bodies actually surround the physical body, also called the “gross body,” appearing very much like an auric field. Each is linked to one or more spatial dimensions or layers of reality. These domains of consciousness enable us to reach higher and higher toward an enlightened state, with each layer instructing the one beneath it.
The seven Hindu chakras (or the chakras related to any chakra system) penetrate the energetic layers, yet these energy bodies or domains might also contain major or secondary chakras of their own. Illustration 46 showcases the most basic presentation of these energetic bodies, the layers of which can be described this way:
Etheric Body: This layer, sometimes called the vital body, operates in humans right outside the physical body, interrelating with it and with all energetic systems such as the nadis, meridians, chakras, and fields. It is frequently affiliated with two auric layers and three spatial dimensions. It responds to the physical body but also programs it. The etheric body is often said to have seven energy centers of its own, twenty-one minor energy centers, and several smaller ones.
Emotional Body: This layer is also called the astral body and relates to the emotional or astral planes, which are dreamlike in orientation. This domain runs an individual’s desires, imagination, and psychic abilities, relates to various sensations, and links us to an array of astral or otherworldly beings. It is frequently linked with four spatial dimensions and is organized into seven energy centers, twenty-one minor energy centers, and several smaller ones.
Mental Body: Also called the intellectual body (among other terms), the mental body facilitates thinking, intelligence, and discernment. In some systems it is part of the Manasic Universe or Universal Mind. It is full of light, containing the mental replica of the higher universes. This body covers five spatial dimensions and includes seven major energy centers, twenty-one minor energy centers, and several small ones. There are also several layers to the mental body, which extend from the ability to create individual thoughts to the capacity to grasp great and abstract truths.
Causal Body: Also called the soul body, this body originates our true personality, which incarnates lifetime after lifetime. It also absorbs our essence back into itself after we die. This body has existed for millions of years in each of us and individuates as the soul. As a depository for what we are learning, it is our vehicle for immortality. It occupies five spatial dimensions and looks like a flower with twelve petals.
Buddhic Body: The buddhic body, sometimes called the intuitional body, enables us to transcend the functions of the mind and comprehend the essence of a thought rather than only the thought itself. Through it we are able to distinguish real from unreal. As life is illuminated as a living dream, we are better able to enjoy peace and compassion. We only gain the related state of consciousness once we have made significant progress on our spiritual path, which begins with accessing our intuition. This vehicle has its own five senses: comprehension, healing, divine vision, intuition, and idealism. Residing within are golden light, white light, and swirling mandalas of groups of light-beings. It holds six spatial dimensions and is elastic in nature, expanding to enable travel beyond the speed of light.
There are dozens of other terms for these and additional subtle energy bodies and planes. For instance, many systems add an atmic body atop the buddhic, which extends in seven spatial dimensions and enables us to incarnate the will of God. Beyond this is sometimes described a monadic body. With eight dimensions, this body focuses on the source of all awareness. The logoic aspect on top of this encompasses the life and activity of billions of beings in our solar system and involves nine spatial dimensions. The specific chakras become less and less organized or necessary as we move into these layers of reality.29
The section below describes in simple terms the energy body closest to the physical. Reading this information will help you understand how these energetic layers work, a topic further discussed in the next chapter. And the upcoming section called “Do Subtle Bodies Instruct the Physical Body?” presents a proposal and a discussion that we will further in the next chapter: the idea that the subtle might actually predate, or inform, the physical.
Do Subtle Bodies Instruct the Physical Body?
The idea that the subtle bodies such as the subtle anatomy, the etheric layer, and so on serve as a physical blueprint can be substantiated by some fascinating science that concentrates on the fertilized egg and asks what instructs the developing embryo: physical or subtle programs?
Korean scientist Kim Bonghan, whom I mentioned earlier, published research in the 1960s proving the existence of the meridians, revealing them as four distinct but interrelated ductal systems or tubules present in all living organisms. He also showed that these tubules develop before other systems in a developing fetus, assisting with the morphological differentiation and specialization of the organism. These subtle energy structures might tell a cell to become a hair rather than a liver cell, for example.33
In a talk delivered to a spiritual science organization in 2010, Dr. Grant McFetridge, founder of the Institute for the Study of Peak States, presented research indicating an even more complex relationship between the subtle worlds and the physical body. His research suggests that just after the fourth cell division, a fertilized egg consolidates into a single “primary cell,” merging biological and spiritual functions. Many of the traumas or illnesses that appear later in life are actually caused by epigenetic damage in the primary cell. The epigenetic material is a chemical soup that contains, among other factors, our ancestors’ memories and ancestral occurrences. These can be triggered by internal and external events—and, in turn, trigger changes in our regular genes.
Within McFetridge’s analysis is a proposal mirroring Bonghan’s: meridians are primary cell microtubules. They attach to the cell membrane but also to the chakras, which at this embryonic level are structures found on the nuclear membranes at the junction of the sperm and egg. At this level there is one chakra per triune brain, a three-part concentric structure of the brain. McFedridge also works with additional primal brains, but there are three main ones. Moving from the most developed and outer layer to the inner and most basic, these layers are the neomammilian brain, which includes the neocortex and functions as the seat of thought and most voluntary movement (mind); the paleomammalian brain, which encompasses the limbic system and governs emotions and the autonomic nervous system (heart); and the reptilian brain, which includes the brain stem, midbrain, basal ganglia, and other structures and serves our survival desires (of the body). However, one or more of the chakras might be missing or damaged, which leads to problems.
If the chakras are only partially developed, the chakras inherited from the sperm and the egg fail to join. If they are fully developed, these chakras fuse. At optimum levels, the chakras consolidate.34 According to McFetridge, the chakras described in the Hindu yogic texts do exist but aren’t understood in connection to the triune brain; therefore, most current chakra theories lack an understanding of the intelligence that runs the chakras. As well, if one heals an aspect of the brain independent of the related chakras or vice versa, the chakra and the physical system will always be out of sync. In other words, subtle troubles lead to physical and emotional struggles.
McFetridge’s understanding of in-utero chakric development is quite specific and unusual. For instance, he sees the egg and sperm as having different chakra configurations. And the fully developed chakra system, according to McFetridge, appears differently than it is usually shown. Rather than seven disks emanating from the spine, the mature chakra system should fuse together in a single disk-like shape in the solar plexus area. Two-thirds of the chakra lies below the plexus and about one-third lies above. It is smooth on the edges. We’ll take a closer look at McFetridge’s system in the next chapter.35
Energy Bodies: The Light Body
There are many subtle energy systems that profess a “light body” structured of energy from a higher dimension. Also called the “body of light,” this energy body is usually perceived as a layer of the aura and an entire subtle body system that operates at a soul level. Its basic function is to enable a person to hold more light or energy and thereby achieve a higher state of consciousness. Most contemporary light body systems incorporate chakras, the kundalini process, and the energetic bodies we have just explored.
There is historical evidence legitimizing what has recently become a mainly New Age concept. In pre-Christian times, the Pythagoreans wrote about the “Luminous Light Body.”36 This notion has also been attributed to Proclus, a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher who lived around 450 ce. Proclus argued that there is a luminous body that mediates between the soul and the body. Because of this luminous body, the soul can descend into and ascend from the physical body.37
Western tradition is replete with additional references to a body of light, a concept that appears in Gnostic literature in the first century. It is found even earlier in Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, and Tibetan literature and has influenced the development of Hermetics, the Kabbalah, and alchemical philosophies and energetic systems.38
One well-known esoteric proponent of this body of light was Aleister Crowley, an English occultist who lived between 1875 and 1947. Embracing Western esotericism, and after studying yogic subtle systems inclusive of the chakras, Crowley described the human journey as involving the passage through a veil of the exterior world to create a subtle body or instrument called the body of light. As one learns how to develop and control this body one gains new abilities, until the entirety of one’s life could be called a Body of Light.39 These days, this body of light is often called the light body, rainbow body, or diamond body.
In a paper titled “Body of Light in the Western Esoteric Tradition,” Mark Stavish explains this ancient body through many viewpoints, first by summarizing an esoteric author of the early twentieth century, G. R. S. Mead, and then by comparing them to Jewish Kabbalah ideas. The basic understanding is that there are three levels of light regarding the subtle body. The spirit-body is aligned with the physical body and is similar to the nephesch, or vegetative-animal soul in the Kabbalah. The radiant body allows us to experience the “Vision of Beauty Triumphant” while we are still flesh and blood so we may perceive and live in a higher state. Finally, we become pure enough to achieve the resurrection body, through which we live in a glorious and ascended state.40 Achieving these bodies of light often involves going through complicated purification rituals using altars, symbols, and ceremony.
The more contemporary systems describe the light body as being composed of the chakras, an interdimensional column of light, and the Merkabah, an advanced geometric shape that allows connection to other dimensions. Typically this light body is considered linked to the astral body, although it is much larger than this and therefore located around and above it.
Our light body “turns on” and over time our astral body fully matures. Past life issues carried within our astral body now activate within our physical body, and we find ourselves struggling with karmic issues. At this point the astral body and chitta, which were previously ephemeral, become structured and crystalize, blocking the light body from shining through. While it is more grounded than when we were young, it is also blocked by our ego. Through meditation and other practices we can dissolve the blocks and clear the astral body. We can now start to manifest our “true selves” within the light body.41
Within this system chakras operate as gateways to the light body. They spin freely between lifetimes, which means we can access the light body when dwelling on the nonphysical planes, but they become blocked when we return to a body. However, the Higher Self is considered able to access our “lower self” through the chakras and hence direct our consciousness and activities toward higher things. Eventually the chakras become drawn into the astral body, which in turn incarnates through the etheric body. The astral and etheric bodies include centers of energy similar to the chakras, and these must be clear so the main chakras can function properly.42 I have met many practitioners who believe that once our light body becomes more active, we begin to develop new chakras. In the subtle energy realm, anything is possible.
Energy Bodies: The Dantians
Grabbing our chakra research passport once more, we find it necessary to return to the Eastern world, where energy bodies similar to the chakras are called the dantians. Yet another word often used interchangeably with this term is hara. We will examine these energy bodies because the details about them teach us much about the chakras. We will also discuss why they are similar to the chakras; you can find more information about the dantian and hara in chapter 25.
The dantians are another multipurpose subtle energy mechanism. This three-part energetic structure can be seen as both energy bodies and energy fields. The word dantian variously translates as “elixir field,” “sea of chi,” or “energy center,” and is also variously spelled da tien, dan t’ian, and tan t’ien. Taoist and Buddhist teachers often incorporate these centers of energy in their practices. Specific modalities using these bodies include qigong, t’ai chi, and TCM.43
The dantians are considered the most important energy centers in qigong literature. There are three of them (see Illustration 47).
The lower dantian, located in the lower abdomen, midway between the navel and public bone, is the body’s center of gravity. It is also associated with sexuality. The middle dantian, level with the heart, stores chi and helps regulate respiration and the internal organs. The upper dantian, between the eyebrows, holds shen, the energy of consciousness. It relates to the brain. When the term dantian is used solo, it typically refers to the lower dantian, considered the foundational energy center.44
The Taoist dantians are energetic storage centers. Their yogic counterparts, the chakras, store energy for the nadis. However, the Hindu chakras also act like intake and export valves.
A practice called “microcosmic orbit” involves circulating energy through the chakras as well as the dantians. You will find it in chapter 25, which also showcases Illustration 69, which compares the dantians to the major and minor chakras. Also shown are comparisons between the chakras and the danqiaos, “mini” dantians that compare with the chakras. There are many similar practices, however, conducted in kundalini-based modalities and Eastern approaches, including t’ai chi. For instance, in the latter, practitioners visualize a pearl of chi moving upward from the lower dantians to the higher dantian, in the third eye or pineal gland. At this site of consciousness the pearl is transformed into spirit. After additional years of practice, the “100 meridians” will finally meet at the crown and the spirit is liberated. This is a similar procedure to the raising of the kundalini in yogic literature, with the final goal being moksha, or freedom.45
A Snapshot of the Energetic Anatomy
Let’s return to Dr. Motoyama to construct a picture of the basic components of subtle energy anatomy. While his view doesn’t include all the energetic structures mentioned in this chapter, I have added to his ideas in order to present a quick snapshot.
According to Motoyama, who draws upon tantric theory as well as meridian-based theories, there are three basic energetic bodies, each with its own mind. Motoyama limits his list to the physical body and its related mind, which controls body consciousness; the astral or subtle body and its mind, which controls emotions and feelings; and the causal body and its mind, expressed through intelligence. Only the physical body and physical mind operate in the concrete world; the others occupy different dimensions.
To Motoyama’s understanding of these three energetic bodies we can add others, as well as related dimensions and specific chakras. Each correlates to a site around the body that is also surrounded by the auric fields, in addition to other energetic fields. According to Motoyama, each body-mind holds energy centers and energy channels that manage the flow of prana. The channels are called nadis, which are the same as the meridians of TCM, and the centers are called chakras. Under Motoyama’s theory, the bodies in the physical realm are the cardiovascular, lymphatic, and meridian systems, and the centers are the brain, nervous plexuses, and acupuncture points. In any dimension a chakra is a control center that runs the exchange between the physical, astral, causal, and other dimensions. Chakras also enable passage between the different koshas, or sheaths of consciousness, and they interact with the physical body via the nadis, which number anywhere from 72,000 to 350,000. Motoyama acknowledges, however, as do most texts, that there are fourteen vital nadis and meridian points that relate to specific acupoints.46
As I’ve covered in this chapter, there are additional energetic structures that enter into a full portraiture of the subtle anatomy. Once we have achieved a certain level of clarity, which usually involves a kundalini rising, our higher light-body is activated. The seven rays, or qualities of divinity, interpenetrate with the chakras to assist us with this achievement. The dantians also enable the storage of information that supports this process. Critical to all matters of being human is the fact that all of the major energetic structures—chakras, meridians/nadis, and fields—are present at conception, actually assisting with the design of the body. From the moment the life energy activates our humanity, it is all there: “we” are all “here.”
In this chapter you’ve learned that, as powerful and transformative as they are, chakras function within an even greater subtle anatomy. One partner set is the energy channels, riverways of subtle energy. Amongst hundreds of meridians there are fourteen main ones; amongst hundreds of thousands of nadis there are fourteen main nadis. Some theorize the meridians and nadis are equivalent; some insist they are different systems.
Also associated with the chakras are energetic fields, which include the human auric field. Every auric layer is partnered with a chakra, and together they exchange energy inside and outside of the body. There are thousands if not millions of other energetic fields that affect our chakras, however, including the seven rays made famous by several esoteric circles. We are truly made of field upon field of oscillating energy, our own swirling dramas interacting with those of others.
And while the famous chakra might like to portray itself as a solo act, there are dozens of other subtle energy bodies composing the self. These often function as various planes of reality as well as energetic fields. In addition, there are energy bodies proposed by other cultures, such as the three dantians of Taoism. As you can see, the lovely analogy that began this chapter—with chakras as individuated as snowflakes glowing together amid an intricate field of shimmering snow—is one way to illustrate the complexity and interconnectedness of the energetic anatomy.
With all the intricacies we have explored in this chapter, I believe that one of the clearest messages to emerge is that we are each a mini universe—a beautifully choreographed composite of subtle structures. Whether we call them bodies, energy layers, channels, tubules, or any other names, each constellation points us toward the heavens, our birthplace. As you turn to the next chapter, prepare to discover equally dazzling truths about the chakras themselves, mirrors of the stars above.