Many metaphysicians believe that the earth is a sentient being, a living organism that has its own spirit, soul, and mind. When the earth is angry, there is an earthquake; when it’s happy, it smiles in rainbows.
These same people assure us that the earth is also interactive. Of course, we know this to be true from a scientific point of view. Do we not eat the earth’s food, drink its waters, and return to its dust upon our death? But people and cultures across time have also determined a more romanticized relationship, describing the planet as our mother and ourselves as her children, as are all the living beings of the world, including the animals. In addition, the stars and skies above interact with the earth, forming a multifaceted cosmology that seemingly lives and breathes.
Most of this chapter is about the earth, which many of us perceive as a living being, whether we are conscious of it or not. When mud swallows our shoes, she is slowing us down. When flowers bloom, we are invited to laugh along with her, decked out for the occasion in our own colors.
Serious scientists usually scoff at this simple thought—that the earth is a being—although our ancestors assumed hers was a living presence. It is telling that many contemporary individuals and groups are revisiting the age-old belief that the earth is alive—that, in fact, she exhibits a subtle energy anatomy, pervasive and intricate, comparable to our own.
Over the last few hundred years, many individuals have created earth-based chakra systems. Some believe these energy centers exist because the planet is conscious. Others point to a fact we are sure of: everything is made of energy—why, then, wouldn’t the earth have energy centers as we do? Either perspective describes an earth replete with energetic grids, many of which can be measured; for the purpose of our study, we observe that earth chakras often develop at some of the grid’s intersecting lines.
The view that this planet we call home contains vortexes of subtle energy, as we do, is so widespread that there are dozens of earth-based chakra systems, too many to cover in one chapter, so here I will feature a few of the more popular ones. I’ll also include topics that often pop up in relation to earth-based chakras, including various mythologies and plot lines that relate to some of the sacred sites often associated with earthly chakra points.
We will also delve into a discussion encompassing many important questions: What does the potential existence of earth-based chakras mean to you? What might you accomplish if you recognized these chakra points, those found around the world and those near where you live? Can earth chakras become blocked the way human chakras can? If so, what happens if you clear them? What occurs if you conduct your own chakra medicine work via an earth-based chakra? Two short exercises are seeded in this chapter to help you attune to greater as well as local earth energies.
In addition to exploring the chakra system of the earth, our home, we will also take a brief journey into the sky—into the heavens above, where we’ll examine the energetic connections between the planets and the earth through the insights of Rudolf Steiner, esoteric extraordinaire, whom we met in chapter 32. And we’ll also knock on the door of our best friends, the animals, exploring their chakra system.
In the end, you might find yourself deliberately looking for chakras in your area or perhaps deciding to travel to a famous chakra site. You might examine the skies for chakra openings or want to perform chakra medicine for your precious companion animal. No matter what you end up concluding or doing, educating yourself about chakras in the natural world will increase your awareness of the energy beneath your feet and how it affects you.
Chakras and the Earth’s Songlines
Whether they called them dragon lines, songlines, ley lines, or vortexes, our ancestors spoke of energies in the earth that were sacred to their cultures, pointing to invisible lines of energy or matrixes that often converged around special natural areas or sacred sites.
To the indigenous Australian aboriginals these were songlines: tracks on the land—or sometimes in the sky—that traced the route of the creators. Many of these lines emerged from the rainbow serpent we discussed in chapter 2, who even now sings her own song, the one describing her original journey across the land as she formed rivers, mountains, and sacred sites.1
To the Irish the invisible journey ways were fairy paths, while the Incans called their sacred pathways spirit lines, or ceques. Often connected by stones and springs, spirit lines usually terminated at the tops of holy mountains.
In ancient Germany these invisible paths—often marked by sacred sites, structures, and natural objects—were called holy lines. In Japan, China, India, and Tibet they were referred to as dragon lines in deference to kundalini, which can appear in the form of a dragon as well as a serpent. In fact, tracking the dragon lines is an honorable art among the Chinese, who use the term lung-mei or “dragon currents” to describe these invisible natural forces. Even today the ancient Chinese art of feng shui is employed to determine the flow of the dragon currents, which are set in place by the sun, moon, and important planets. A feng shui practitioner assesses the dragon currents and places rocks and other objects in the correct positions to help a person or structure align with these invisible lines of energy.
In North and South America the original inhabitants knew about these invisible lines. Fragments of ancient tracks can still be found in Mexico, New Mexico, and elsewhere. In contemporary America these lines are often called energy lines or electromagnetic lines, with their intersections termed vortexes. By far, however, the most typical label assigned these invisible lines, which are associated with visible power sites and earth markers (such as stones and springs), is ley lines.
“Ley line” was a term first conceived in 1929 by Alfred Watkins, an English businessman and amateur archeologist (although he also used the labels “old straight tracks” or “archaic tracks”). His term is now the most popular one used to describe the invisible straight and geometric alignments that run across the landscape, often linked with places of geographical interest such as sacred sites, ancient monuments, megaliths, and even water markers such as moats. These “ley markers,” as they are called, often show the location of a ley line, which, according to Watkins, must start or finish on a hill.
More recent scholars have distinguished one type of ley line from another. There are ley lines based on astronomy, meaning they mirror constellations in the sky; funerary usage, or tracks to help spirits move to the heavens after death; magnetic lines, which are beneficial for growing plants and, many believe, for psychic activity; and geometric alignments, the obvious appearance of geometric forms between ley markers. The use of ley lines in the creation of pre-pagan and pagan sites seems to have started between 7000 and 6000 bce, and many post-pagan sites, such as churches and castles, were simply rebuilt over these powerful areas.2 Ley lines are not the only grids originating in the earth. There are several other types of earth-based lines, usually considered electromagnetic in nature. The appearance of various electromagnetic vibrations and frequencies, however, can be related to a number of factors, such as earth metals, stones, waters, and more.
There are several other types of grid lines, which can affect us positively or negatively. They might enhance our immune system, physical health, and mental and emotional states, and nourish our subtle energy anatomy. Conversely, negative earth energies can cause what is called geopathic stress. Correlated disturbances in our physical and energetic systems have been shown to cause everything from insomnia to cancer, to lock us into destructive emotional imprints, and to attach a geographical area or a person to negative spirits or entities.3 There are many naturally occurring earth grids that can affect us. Typically we know they exist because our body reacts. We feel tingly, chilled, or hot. Some people find these grid lines with divination or dowsing rods. Made of wood or metal, these rods are held by a talented intuitive and usually point downward when a site is detected. Sometimes these areas can also be detected with equipment that shows increased magnetic, electrical, or electromagnetic activity.
Here are brief descriptions of a few of these grids:
The Hartmann Grid: A network of naturally occurring charged lines that can send energy upward to six hundred feet. Harmful radiation is intensified at the intersections of these lines.
The Benker Cubical System: Composed of energy tracks that are polarized alternately and can negatively affect our immune system.
The Curry Grid: A mystical force field composed of crisscrossing lines. The intersections produce radiation that can be beneficial or harmful.
Black Lines: Natural earth energies that don’t run in lines but are localized and quite dangerous. Sometimes caused by subterranean running water and geological fault lines, their negative effects increase during solar and lightning storms, and can even carry upward through steel girders and buildings.4
How Earth Grids Are Formed
How are the earth’s grids actually created? One theory is based on electrical science. The story begins on the sun, which discharges large numbers of charged particles from its upper atmosphere. These particles, consisting of high-energy electrons and protons, form the solar wind.
The solar wind blows onto the earth at speeds of up to 900 kilometers per second. Meanwhile, the earth is emanating its own energy field. Consisting mainly of molten iron, the earth’s core generates a strong north-south magnetic field. The flux lines of this field revolve continually around its polar axis every twenty-four hours or so. When the solar wind interacts with this field, the result is the creation of an enormous generator. Power literally emanates from the planet’s core, creating currents that flow and wind around the earth.
These currents are often called earth energy or telluric currents. They are electrical currents that are extremely low frequency and can, in turn, produce magnetic or electromagnetic waves.5 These waves cycle in one direction for twelve hours and then in the opposite direction for another twelve hours each day. The vectors of these currents are relatively consistent, although they can vary in regions because of topography.6 The exact time of the shifts in direction also depends on the time of year in different regions and factors such as ionospheric conditions, latitude, local geology, or human sources of electrical interference.7 In general, however, the time changes are the result of the relationship between the earth and the sun. Over millions of years, however, these cycles have settled into patterns or grooves that appear like grids of low frequency longitudinal electrical waves, which generate magnetic fields.
The different types of grids, such as the Hartmann and Curry grids or the Benker Cubical System, are composed of what can be called polarized synchronized standing waves. If an energy conductor, such as a huge standing stone, is placed within the grid, the stone begins to resonate with the grid’s energy. Move the stone and you change the energy reflected through and from it. When a conductor is within two intersecting gridlines, it will produce an even more powerful emanation.8
How Earth Chakras Are Formed
Many experts believe that earth-based chakras are formed at intersections of grid lines, just as human chakras are created at the intersections of the nadis or meridians. Does every intersection form a chakra? No. But there are hundreds or even thousands of minor earth chakras and at least seven major ones. Many experts assert that there are twelve major chakras and 144 minor chakras located across the globe in seas and oceans, atop mountains and hills, in caves and grottos, and even in sites of ancient civilizations or sacred sites.
No matter what number there are, the vortexes or spiraling energies found at the earth’s energetic intersections might be electrical, magnetic, or electromagnetic and could be called mini chakras. They appear frequently in areas such as Sedona, Arizona, which have high concentrations of iron oxide and other metals and minerals such as magnetite. Areas of this type are especially susceptible to the formation of chakras and vortexes because these elements are crystalline in organization. As the outer core of the earth churns and produces the magnetic north and south poles, called dipole magnetism, a portion of the earth’s energy reaches the crystalline areas and creates a non-dipole effect, or vortex, which spirals.9
While some experts theorize that the earth, in conjunction with stellar forces, forms its own matrixes that result in chakras and vortexes, others assert that the earth was first formed from a universal matrix, one that imbedded a subtle energetic anatomy within and around the earth. It would be natural to build sacred sites at chakra or vortex points, as these points are the strongest gateways for tapping into a front-loaded universal consciousness and its heavenly powers.
There is yet another theory about the earth’s chakras: that the chakras themselves might form at least some of the planet’s grid lines. In this line of thinking, earth chakras are considered doorways between the physical and spiritual worlds. Earth energy—or earth kundalini—travels from one earth chakra to another. As the kundalini, sometimes called the plumed serpent or rainbow serpent, links chakra point to chakra point, energetic pathways are secondarily formed. These energy lines are so intense that people often gravitate toward them, building sacred sites upon them. This attraction is frequently unconscious, but the truth is that our subtle anatomy, therefore all aspects of us, resonates with positive earth energies and buildings constructed in alignment with them. In fact, structures built on negative natural lines or designed incoherently (“against the grain”) will drain us of subtle energies, therefore creating undesirable effects such as exhaustion, irritability, and even illness. Poorly constructed buildings or the like suck these earth energies parasitically, diverting the earth’s natural energy flow. Fortunately, such energy distortions can be cleared and healed using techniques covered in Part 3.10
So far, we’ve examined several of the main theories about how earth chakras are formed—but there is another idea. It is one that is not always taken seriously by mainstream science, even though thousands of scholars, archeologists, and lay researchers, as well as dozens of cultures, believe there is ample evidence to support its existence.
What Do Earth Chakras Look Like?
Like bodily chakras, earth chakras have a defined appearance. They are either spherical or saucerlike in shape, have depth and width, and expand three-dimensionally in a spiraling motion, which can be clockwise or counterclockwise. Their patterns of transmissions often correspond to the shapes of the chakras.
An earth chakra also has a widespread reach, its radius extending for hundreds of miles. Says expert Robert Coon, whose earth chakra system is featured in this chapter, a chakra operating at its optimum level radiates a distance of 777 miles.25
Coon’s philosophy is similar to that of many earth chakra experts: that there is an earth chakra on every continent except Antarctica (although Coon believes that Antarctica is the home of other subtle organs). As well, there is at least one major sacred site at the center of every earth chakra. Coon is a proponent of the belief that the energy emanating from one earth chakra is passed to the next one. The pathway between these major chakras, or even minor ones, often generates geometric forms and moves in cyclical waves. Linking these chakras are gateways that serve as doorways between physical and spiritual energies.26
Not every earth chakra has been plotted on a map—chakras and other vortexes appear in every land and sea. Your own house or dwelling might have been built on a vortex or minor chakra, one that is either supportive or harmful, or at least affiliated with one or more earth lines. It’s important to recognize the earth’s energetics in your own life since they may affect you, and it is equally important to know how to address any disparate energies so you can improve your health and well-being, and do the same for the earth.
The Effects of Earth Chakras
As I have already suggested in relation to earth lines in general, some of the intersections along the earth’s energetic field assert positive impact, and others, negative. The Himalayan and Peruvian areas are considered positive, while areas like the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil’s Sea or Dragon’s Triangle (east of Japan) are called “vile vortexes.”
There are at least ten “vile vortexes” or chakra-like energy sites that have caused ill effects to journeyers or people living near these sites. For instance, planes and ships have disappeared in a green fog in the Bermuda Triangle, as well as in the Devil’s Sea. There are also many positive healing vortexes, which include the main earth chakra areas as well as Findhorn, Scotland; Lake Baikal in Siberia; and Kiev, Ukraine.27
Some of the negative chakras might be harmful because they are blocked or holding dysfunctional energy—just like their human counterparts. If it is poisoned by toxic energy of any sort, including that collected from human beings, an earth chakra will warp in size and shape and distort the life around it.
The good news is that earth chakras and vortexes can be cleared. Whether you are physically near the chakra or not, you can help rebalance an earth chakra by using intention, prayer, and crystals and other instruments.
Most of us don’t live near a major chakra such as the Grand Canyon and others outlined in the next section. Yet because we are nonlocal beings, a concept we first explored in chapter 1, we can still be affected by distant chakras. We might have been previously associated with a certain locale in a different lifetime and retained an energetic attachment. We might know people who live near a certain chakra or we might have a strong affiliation because of an interest in a particular place. These links can work against us or for us, making it all the more important to learn some of the techniques I presented in Part 3.
It’s equally important to use these techniques in your own home, yard, or other nearby areas. Chances are that most of us live on or near ley lines, if not a “mini chakra” or vortex. Whatever has been experienced on a piece of land or a corresponding ley marker—which might be a house, fountain, or statue—can affect our energetics and therefore our health, mood, relationships, and more. One of the reasons we are so vulnerable is that we are linked to the earth through several smaller chakras, the earth star chakra, and the hara line, concepts explored in chapter 32.28 Added to our list of important tasks is knowing how to clear and rebuild our own chakras, the topic of several exercises in Part 3.
Exercise: Is There a Vortex in Your Area?
Many of us have vortexes in our home, on our land, or nearby but haven’t stopped to label them as such. These mini chakras can affect us positively or negatively. Before we can use the exercises in Part 3 to access beneficial vortex energy or clear harmful energy, we must first discover them.
Think about any areas in your environment that typically “grab you”—that shift your emotions, thoughts, physical energy, or even your spiritual well-being—on a consistent basis. If the vortex is destructive, you will recall a downward shift in mood, negative thinking, loss of vitality, or a sense of dark presences or energies zapping your strength. If the area is uplifting, you will remember an increase in optimism, joy, or peacefulness, increased vim and vigor, a sense of unity or appreciation, or the presence of loving spiritual guidance.
You can also walk around your home, your land, or an area near you to sense these same energies. It is easiest to spot a vortex at dusk or dawn, as this is the time when the veil between the worlds becomes weaker and you are best able to sense the energetic or spiritual. You will sense a distinct difference in energy, whether it is moving downward or upward.
You can also use a pendulum, the tool I described in chapter 12. The weighted object will flow with spiraling electromagnetic energy and make it easier to detect a vortex. Taking your pendulum, first stand close by a suspected vortex but not in it. Hold your pendulum level with the potential vortex. If the vortex is in the ground, hold it above the ground. If it is up in a tree, raise the pendulum as high over your head as possible. Now test the region near the vortex to see if you pick up any movement.
Next, move near the vortex. Spin and grasp the pendulum near or in the area you are testing. Does it start moving in broader or wider circles as compared to the first spot? Does it swing clockwise or counterclockwise? If there is a significant shift in the movement of the pendulum, you have probably discovered a vortex.
Earth Chakra Systems
As I mentioned, there are dozens of contemporary systems that feature chakras in the earth, or vortexes that function on the planet as do chakras in the human body. This section discusses three systems so you can get a sense of earth-based chakra systems overall and how different types are assessed.
Erickson’s Contemporary Earth System
Well-known spiritual blogger and healer Lisa Erickson has researched a variety of available earth chakra systems to arrive at a synthesis, also using her intuition to zero in on the most likely spots. She highlights the chakras that appear on most maps most frequently and represent each of the major continents, excluding Antarctica, as follows:
chakra one: grand canyon (north america)
The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona and southern Utah and incorporates areas with vortexes and the ancient lands of the Hopi mesas.
The Hopis in particular are a spiritual and ancient tribe, as their chakra system and beliefs, featured in chapter 29, indicate. Could it be that they drew upon the chakra energies of their area for guidance, power, and wisdom? On the other side of the world is the seventh chakra point, Mount Kailash, a Himalayan mountain sacred to cultures including the Tibetans. Because they share many traits, it’s been suggested that the people of these two regions are descended from the same ancestors.
chakra two: machu picchu (south america)
Peru’s Machu Picchu is often called the “lost city of the Incas.” Situated on a mountain ridge overlooking the Urubamba Valley, it represents the emotive and sensual beauty of the second chakra.
chakra three: uluru (australia)
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a large red rock formation in central Australia. Sacred to the Aborigines of this area, it is linked with self-definition and personal power.
chakra four: glastonbury tor (europe)
Tor means “conical hill,” and that is exactly what this chakra location looks like: a gigantic cone. Located in England, the Tor area has been linked to the Celts, Druids, and Arthurian legends. Many believe it is the location of the mystical isle of Avalon, discussed in the upcoming “Legends Linked to Earth Chakras” section. The story of the Holy Grail, a significant aspect of the Arthurian legends, is also described in that section.
chakra five: giza (africa)
Egypt appears in nearly every earth chakra mapping, almost always representing the dreaming, expression, language, science, and religion associated with the throat chakra. Giza, replete with pyramids, is one of the most revered areas in this part of the world.
chakra six: mount fuji (asia)
This Japanese mountain is famous among Zen masters and is often associated with the clarity and insight of the third eye.
chakra seven: mount kailash (asia)
Located in Tibet, this Himalayan peak is sacred among followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Bonism. It is associated with the meditative and mystical experiences aligned with the crown chakra.29
Coon’s Earth Chakra System
Modern spiritual author Robert Coon, whose theories combine sacred geometry, cross-cultural spirituality, astrology, and more, testifies that the earth is a living being that is constantly evolving. It therefore employs earth-based chakras to maintain its own health and transmit information. All chakras pass energy to one another, forming their own pathways for the rainbow and plumed serpents, or kundalini. Each plays a role in supporting the planet and the life upon it.
Following is a brief summary of the main seven earth chakras:
chakra one: mount shasta (north america)
This Northern California mountain has been the subject of many UFO sightings; it introduces biological life energy into the world.
chakra two: lake titicaca (south america)
At the border of Peru and Bolivia is Lake Titicaca, a representative of the second chakra, advancing new species and enabling advances within existing species.
chakra three: uluru and kata tjuta (australia)
Twin sites in northern Australia, these two regions conjoin to form the solar plexus chakra. Globally, this chakra ensures the health and vigor of all living species and holds the energy of Dreamtime, featured in the “Legends Linked to Earth Chakras” section, below.
chakra four: glastonbury and shaftesbury (europe)
These two sites, located in England, merge two grand ideas. Glastonbury signifies the legend of the Holy Grail, which offers immortality, and Shaftesbury represents willpower through the symbol of the Spear of Purpose or Destiny.
chakra five: the great pyramid, mount sinai,
and the mount of olives (middle east)
These sites within Egypt and the Middle East compose a sphere of fifth chakra energies intermingling with four vortexes that regulate fire, air, water, and earth. It is through this planetary chakra that the earth speaks, begging us to ask the question, “Are we listening?”
chakra six: aeon activation center (mobile)
Every aeon (or eon), this center moves one-twelfth of the way around the world, always to the west, as determined by the revolution of the earth’s axis. It is labeled according to the zodiac age. (We are now leaving the Age of Pisces and entering the Age of Aquarius.)
chakra seven: mount kailash (asia)
This sacred mountain in the Himalayas reflects the earth’s purpose or will. It is related to the legend about the Lost Chord of Creation (described below).30
The Keys of Enoch: Chakras and the Egyptian Mysteries
The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch is a unique work synthesizing Eastern and Western religions and science, spirituality, and metaphysics.40 Its author, J. J. Hurtak, a double PhD, claims to have psychically received the information he presents in his book through revelation from Enoch, the principal architect of the Great Pyramid. In the book Hurtak links the Great Pyramid with the Belt of Orion, showcasing the chakras as relating to the Egypt sites. These chakras are considered tools for linking us with a higher structure of universal consciousness in order to help us evolve.
Hurtak explains that the chakras link us to higher wisdom, and he calls them by two labels: “seals,” according to Western tradition (such as in the book of Revelation), and chakras, alluding to Eastern tradition. He recommends transforming the chakras through intonation and visualization, and by getting beyond our locked-in memories. These activities enable us to link to a cosmic “Tree of Life,” or higher order, finally bonding us with the “One,” or the “I Am.” Living flames of color and sound can be found within various “Keys,” or principles, that unlock the Divine Mind inside.
As we find in tantric traditions, Hurtak also says we must experience this means of enlightenment on all levels—subatomic, molecular, genetic, mathematical, musical, paraphysical, and superluminal—to open to the Shekinah, or the feminine aspects of God.41 Shekinah is a Hebrew word for the feminine Hebrew blessing of God and is comparable to Shakti in the tantric traditions.
Yet another proponent of this ancient Egyptian system, Sylvia Sharama Shanti, points out that Hurtak’s system is part of the Melchizedek awakening, referring to a king noted in the Bible and a key figure in various Western mystery schools. According to one of the many Orders of Melchizedek, humans came from the stars; Osiris was an early visitor from the Orion constellation. Through the Egyptian pyramids and constructions, which were built according to sacred geometry, he and other cosmic guides formulated a “way back” to the stars—at least, a way to reactivate our luminescent abilities and lineage. The pyramidal shape is critical in this process, for it is aligned to Orion and the “Lords of the Light” who can help us evolve.42
Following is a description of Hurtak’s chakra system as relating to the Nile, which he depicts as comparable to a spinal column connecting eight pyramidal temple areas with eight human chakras. (Hurtak’s eighth human chakra is located about twelve inches above the crown; the others are located in the same places as in the Hindu seven-chakra system.) Thus we are provided an electrochemical blueprint in stone that mirrors our own electrochemistry through the ancient cities linked to the chakras.
- • First chakra—Abu Dis—the human blueprint of primal energy
- • Second chakra—Abu Simbel—ensures fertility
- • Third chakra—Thebes—processes functions of life and death
- • Fourth chakra—Karnak—links us to heaven’s heartbeat
- • Fifth chakra—Abydos—opens our true voice
- • Sixth chakra—Memphis—awakens our third eye vision
- • Seventh chakra—the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Sphinx—enables evolution
- • Eight chakra—the Academy of On, an ancient site—links us to our oversoul and accesses a ninth chakra field that admits living light 43
Crop Circles and Other Metaphysical Earth Art:
Images from the Stars or…?
Crop circles are patterns that appear in farm fields overnight. Imagine your surprise if, when the sun set, the grain you tended was a lush, smooth field waving in the wind, and when you visited your fields the next morning, a geometrical form had appeared in your crops! Over the last few decades this phenomena, whose shapes are often compared to chakras, has raised several questions as to its origin and meaning.
Crop circles are not simply circular images; rather, they are composed of many shapes. The most basic is of a single circle with internal designs, although the circles also come in doubles, quadruples, or more. Typically bent into a swirling pattern, the grain may spin clockwise or counterclockwise or be mixed. The circles range from a few inches to several hundred feet across, and what were first discovered as fairly simple diagrams now often appear as elaborate masterpieces, at least since 1990 onward. Often reflecting ancient motifs, several apply mathematical proportions, typically based on Euclidean geometry.
Most crop circles are found in the south of England, but others have been discovered in North America, Australia, Japan, India, and elsewhere. The big question is who—or what—is making these circles? Theories include UFOs and aliens, winds, aircraft, earth energy (such as electromagnetic radiation), and humans. One interesting note is that in August 2001, two witnesses in Holland saw tubes of light descend into a string bean field, leaving behind a new crop formation.44
One particular crop circle was called the Bythorn Mandala. Formed in Cambridgeshire, England, and appearing in 1993, it resembled images of the third Hindu chakra; see page 798 for a photo and chakra comparison. Subsequent comparisons between crop circles and chakras suggest that many crop circles relate to the chakras, as well as the chakras’ kissing cousins, yantras and swastikas. Even the esoteric symbol of the kali yuga has also appeared.45
Metaphysical earth art isn’t new. Centuries-old geoglyphs called the Nazca lines in Peru form figures that can only be seen in their entirety from the sky, as they are fifty to twelve hundred feet in length (as large as the Empire State Building). It is believed that a long-forgotten people called the Nazca formed them between 200 bce and 500 ce by brushing away the dark top layer of the barren desert, leaving the lighter soil underneath. The windless climate has preserved these hundreds of figures, mainly animal shapes and geometric designs, into the present day.
It has been suggested that these figures are communiqués with the gods, although two archeologists, Clive Ruggles and Timothy Ingold, discovered by walking around several of the figures that they might have served as paths, such as are found in a labyrinth. Many ancient cultures, such as the Hopi and the Egyptians, used labyrinths for spiritual purposes, such as passageways for gods or spirits.46 It is noteworthy, however, that the geoglyphs occurred where shamanic tribes were present. This fact leads to the idea that these tribes, which used hallucinogens to promote “spirit flight” or out-of-body journeying, might have steered the creation of these images on the ground, given their “birds-eye view” of the area.47
Exercise: Creating Your Own Songline in Your Environment
Have you ever visited a particularly uplifting place in nature, one that so benefited you that you wished you could take it home with you? This peaceful and rejuvenating spot might have been a recognized chakra site, ley line, or natural or spiritual site, or it might have been a place that simply felt vital to you. It’s possible to re-create this space, this “songline,” in your own environment.
Start by recalling the special site. Re-create the feelings you experienced there, concentrating on your emotional response. Now sense the positive reactions in your body. Smell any related aromas; feel the soil, snow, or sand beneath your toes; hear the sounds of nature all around you; completely give yourself to the sensual memories of the locale. Now remember the sense of spiritual awareness that invited oneness, unity, and love. Put your experience into words. Keep the description short and succinct; like a poem, the words you choose need only mean something to you.
Next, decide what current environment you’d like to transform into your personal songline or earth chakra area. This can be a tranquil setting in your backyard, a park, an indoor altar space, or even a walk you take daily. In this setting sing the words that evoke your sacred site. Let the melody choose itself, and let the experience of holiness you once felt in that special place renew within you in this new space. Ask that the energy you are invoking become established in this new location. You might even want to place a new focal point, such as a rock, shell, or plant. After a few days of engaging in this process, your new songline, or spiritual chakra site, will provide you the same feelings as did the original hallowed ground.48
Of Earth and Sky: Rudolf Steiner’s Astrogeographia System
Just as the earth nurtures our bodies, so do the heavens. In one particular system, called Astrogeographia, the earth and heavens join to nurture our body-based chakras.
Astrogeographia is the study of how the stars are projected onto the earth. The analogy to the human being is this: if we have a birth chart, perhaps the earth does too.
Robert Powell and David Bowden, authors of the article “Earth Chakras”49 as well as the book Astrogeographia: Correspondences Between the Stars and Earthly Locations,50 have determined that Rudolf Steiner believed there was such an association; moreover, humans’ chakras also related to specific planets. By dint of association, Powell and Bowden link Steiner’s system, which connects specific chakras with the classical seven planets, to Robert Coon’s earth-chakra system that we discussed earlier in this chapter.
Combining these systems, we arrive at this proposal, which I have summarized in a chart that connects a human chakra with an earth chakra as well as a planet:
|
Chakra |
Continent |
Site |
Planet |
|
First |
North America |
Mount Shasta |
Moon |
|
Second |
South America |
Island of the Sun, Lake Titicaca |
Venus |
|
Third |
Australia |
Uluru and Kata Tjuta |
Mercury |
|
Fourth |
Europe |
Glastonbury and Shaftesbury |
Sun |
|
Fifth |
Asia/Africa |
Great Pyramid, Mount Sinai, Mount of Olives |
Mars |
|
Sixth |
Europe |
Aeon Activation Center (mobile) |
Jupiter |
|
Seventh |
Asia |
Mount Kailash |
Saturn 51 |
Steiner’s depictions of the heavenly bodies are similar to the descriptions of others. Following is a short rendering of Steiner’s.
Moon: The moon reflects back everything that radiates upon it, though it also contains information about our hidden selves.
Venus: Venus influences us through her ability to lovingly transform the events of earthly life into dream images.
Mercury: Increases our capacity for intellect and reason, coordinating knowledge and mental activity.
Sun: Imbues us with the warmth we need to succeed at our destiny.
Mars: Encourages us to make statements about the mysteries of the universe.
Jupiter: Sends us creative thoughts from the universe.
Saturn: Receives impulses from the universe but allows none of them to stream back. It does, however, store all of earth’s history—and maybe our own—in its cosmic memory.
Exercise: Steiner’s Planetary Energy in Your Body
You can bolster your own chakras using Steiner’s ideas about earth chakras and the planetary energies by engaging in this guided meditation.
Settle into a comfortable position and focus on your first chakra. Now imagine yourself on Mount Shasta, a volcanic mountain in Northern California in which the spiritual dimensions blend. Pull the energy of the moon into your first chakra. Allow something you’ve hidden from yourself, and that you now need to accept, to arise into your conscious awareness.
Centering on your second chakra, pretend you are enjoying the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca. On this holy island in Bolivia, an Incan sacred site, concentrate on one of your most important goals and feel what happens when Venus sends you the energy to transform it into reality.
While breathing into your third chakra, allow yourself to be transported to Australia, where you find the immense red-rock monolith of Uluru and the rock domes to the west, called Kata Tjuta. Let these spiritual centers, which are of great importance to the Aborigines, support your connection to Mercury, clearing up mental confusion and inspiring you with an important idea.
Breathe into your fourth chakra as you discover you’ve landed in Glastonbury, one of two sites in England that can connect your heart to historical legends and magic. Ask of the sun above, “What is my destiny?” Fill yourself with the response.
Then focus on your fifth chakra as you are transported to the Great Pyramid in Egypt, one of the sites linking that chakra with Mars. Let Mars shower you with insights about the mysteries of the universe, and bask in the resulting connectivity.
The activation center for your sixth chakra is mobile. Allow Jupiter to help you choose the appropriate place. Jupiter will enhance your creativity: what site is it selecting—or creating—for you? Breathe in the colorful energies of this site and feel your creative abilities expand.
Then, finally, focus on your seventh chakra and find yourself on Mount Kailash, a massive black rock in Tibet and one of the most venerated spiritual sites. Feel Saturn’s beams streaming down and awakening you to your history—your true history, that of your spirit and your soul.
Take a few deep breaths and know that you can return to any of these sites any time you wish.
Animal Chakras: The Energy of Our Earth Friends
Our closest friends, the animals, walk this world as we do. They are grounded upon the earth, they live under the skies, and they have chakras, as do all living beings.
The chakras in animals function in similar ways to ours, interfacing with auras and nadis/meridians. I admire the work of Margrit Coates, author, teacher, and animal healer and communicator, and her understanding of an animal’s chakras.
Coates explains that our companion animals often require healing, as their energetic fields can pick up on our illnesses and concerns. Animals are particularly sensitive to their caregivers’ moods and needs. She recommends techniques including hands-on healing, mental imagery, and the sensing of physical sensations or emotions to decipher an animal’s issues or to send energy. It can be especially helpful to perform evaluation and healing through an animal’s chakras, as they have even bigger and brighter chakras in relation to their body size than we do.52
Coates believes that in addition to the major seven chakras, animals have another major chakra that is unique to them. Called the brachial or key chakra, it is found on either side of the body in the shoulder area. Linked to the other chakras, it relates to animal-human interaction and is the ideal place to begin animal healing work.
A crystal shop in England called Patinkas features a thorough explanation of all animal chakras and makes its system available online, along with full-color posters you can order.53 In total, the featured system shows eight major, twenty-one minor, and six “bud” chakras for animals. I have already described the unique eighth or brachial chakra. The bud chakras are found on each foot (pad, paw, hoof, or claw), and one is also found on the skin at the base opening of each ear; they serve as subtle energy receptors.54 These are especially receptive to subtle energy vibrations such as changes in the weather. The bud chakras in the feet can sense vibrations in the ground.
The twenty-one minor chakras are sensory centers found on places like the nose, tail, and ears. While smaller than the major centers, they are vital and assist in the functionality of the major chakras. The nose chakra, for instance, is vital as it allows animals to receive information through their olfactory glands. This is an imperative way to sense the environment. For instance, dogs have 125,000–300,000 scent glands busily at work.
Each of the major chakras can be described with a location, color, purpose, and signs of imbalance. For example, the eighth animal chakra is considered black and is found between the shoulders. It enables bonding. Imbalances appear as the reluctance to bond.
The fifth chakra is found at the throat and is blue. An animal with fifth chakra problems will be uncommunicative and won’t listen. The green heart chakra, at the breast, relates to the herd mentality. A challenged fifth chakra will create sadness or possessiveness in an animal. In general, the chakras in animals and people are quite similar in terms of their tasks and colors. You can see an example of a dog chakra system, which is comparable to other animal systems, in Illustration 99.
In chapter 33 we affirmed our connection to nature. We are part of the earth and skies, and they are part of us. What an amazing truth, that so much of what comprises the human self also composes the natural world. Because of this we can live with our feet on ground and our head in the skies.
It’s now time to look to the future, the focus of our next chapter.