lesson 7
Energy Anatomy
Human beings spend most of their lives identifying with the physical body. We identify the face with the person and personality. We equate the brain with the mind. We equate the body with our only self-image. This is untrue. We are more than our physical body.
As you may have noticed, a basic premise of witchcraft, and almost any metaphysical discipline, is the belief there is more to reality than the physical. Humanity is well versed on the physical body. Less well-known is information on our nonphysical bodies, our energy anatomy. Some information survives in the form of ancient texts and disciplines. Other wisdom is being recorded as modern nontraditional healers chart unknown territory.
The Aura
What’s on the inside counts, but what’s on the outside is just as important. I am not referring to the physical body as being all important, but the energy field that interpenetrates and surrounds the body. This field of energy has many names, but is most often referred to as the aura. The kundalini yoga tradition calls is it a “psycho-electric field.” I love that name because it implies the relationship between your psyche and this energy. Your thoughts and intentions directly influence it, consciously or unconsciously. If you learn to be more conscious, you have greater control of the aura and your physical and psychic health.
This auric field draws to you the thoughts and vibrations you put out. It plays a very important part in magick. If you have strong energy in this field, it can reach out and bring to you whatever experience you desire. If your energy is weak, you are not going to attract the resources and vibrations you need to manifest your desires. Even worse, if you unconsciously put out harmful thoughts, you will manifest harm in your life.
The aura is generated through the interaction of your physical body’s energy with other forms of personal energy, called subtle bodies. They are subtle because they are not necessarily physically visible, but they can be felt. The different layers of the aura correspond to the energies of your mind, your emotions, and spirit. When you did exercise 4: Feeling the Aura, you probably felt different levels in your partner’s aura, some denser than others. Without even knowing it, you were instinctively feeling the various energy bodies. Repeat this exercise later, and look for more subtle information. You may feel the different levels more distinctly.
Many people can see the aura and receive information about a person from looking at the aura. Some see it naturally, and have since childhood, never realizing that others couldn’t. Most of us forgot how to see auras if we were able to do so as children. We conditioned our mind to function only in the logical world, and didn’t allow this “imaginative” experience to be ours. And that is exactly how it feels at first, like a burst of creative imagination. Like many meditations and exercises, it does not seem “real.” You can’t “prove” it. But once you start to have experiences that are meaningful for you, you won’t need any physical proof.
When you start this exercise, don’t expect too much and you will be pleasantly surprised. If you are looking for Star Wars special effects, you will probably be disappointed. If you are aware and open for a subtle experience, you will be amazed. We all have some unrealistic expectations about the aura. Due to Kirlian photography, and other forms of aura photography, available at many New Age centers and psychic fairs, we expect to see bright and vibrant colors like in the photographs. Some people do see that, but often it is more of a ghostlike image overlaying the physical reality, at least at first. When I first discovered auras, I could see plant auras really well. I felt I was really seeing the energy of newly growing leaves in the springtime, but I struggled to see the energy of people. Then after letting go of my desire and frustration, it just happened and I could see people’s auras. This is a skill that comes with a combination of practice and relaxation. Have fun with it. Over months the abilities can develop even more, though some forget about aura viewing until it is needed for healing work or psychic readings.
Aura Gazing
For this exercise, find a partner and take turns guiding one another. If you can do this in a small group, that is even better. Dress in solid colors, no flashy patterns. Blacks, whites, and dark blues are the best. A black cloth will also help, in a size roughly that of a napkin. Have a few plants on hand. You will also need a taper candle and a sentimental or power object, like something charged on your altar. Everything has an aura, not just living things.
1. Light a candle and place it somewhere in easy view. If you can have it up against a neutral background, like a white wall, do so. Such backgrounds make the exercise easier. If you find using a white background difficult, hang a black cloth behind the candle. Do your instant magick trigger. Take a few deep breaths. Stare at the candle flame. Do not focus on the flame or wick, but on the glow of light like a halo around the flame. Focus on this glow until you can see it. This is the first step of aura viewing. Blink as needed so you don’t stress your eyes. Remember, you’ll be looking with your spiritual eyes, not your physical ones, but we are giving your physical body a point of focus. Act like you are looking “through” the flame. Your eyes may go into a soft focus, or feel like they are crossing. That’s fine. Do not force it.
2. Gently bring the halo of light down to the base of the candle. See and feel the light at the edge of the candle, below the flame. As you gaze, slowly bring this glow around the edge down the candle. If you lose it at any point, go back up at the flame and start again.
3. Bring the glow not only around the candle itself, but also around the candlestick holder. This will probably be fainter than the candle, which was fainter than the flame. This glow may come in flashes and not hold continuously. That is normal. Close your eyes and rest for a few moments.
4. Now pick an object of power, something you have consecrated. Place it where the candle is, up against the neutral background. Let your soft gaze fall on the new object, and look for the same glow or halo around it. I usually see it as a fuzzy white outline a half inch above the physical object.
5. When that feels comfortable, repeat step 4, but with a plant. My first experience with a plant felt like I was looking into its cells as patterns of energy.
6. Now take the black cloth in your lap and hold your hands over it. Rub your hands together and perform exercise 2: Feeling Energy, and exercise 3: Ball of Energy. Let your soft focus fall between your hands. You may see wisps of smokelike energy trails. Others describe it as cotton candy. The black background makes it easier to see the energy, and the more practiced you get, the less you will need the cloth.
7. Finally, have your partner stand up against the neutral background. Start by looking at the crown and allowing the soft halo to come into focus. As if the crown is the candle flame, bring that halo down along the head and shoulders, and around the entire body. Again, it will probably appear as a haze an inch or so away from the physical outline. Allow that experience to happen, even if only for a moment. Get comfortable with it.
8. As you continue your aura gazing, you may start to notice more than just the first layer of the aura, what is called the etheric body. You may see a whole egg or sphere shape around the person. At first it will probably be the edge of it, but you may see an overlay of color, from very faint to very vibrant. Think about the colors of light and what they mean to you as you gaze. You may be drawn to a particular location in the body and notice some imbalance there. Ask your partner if there was an injury or upset in that body part. The injury does not have to be recent. You will be surprised at how many “hits” you get, letting your intuition and gaze naturally take you to the part of the body needing attention.
9. Ask your partner to think of very specific things while you aura gaze, in order to notice the differences. Try thinking about “home” first. The word home is charged with many emotional meanings, and could be a childhood home or the current living space. Take note, and then ask your partner how he or she feels about home, and match your observations with his or her thoughts. Try again with thoughts of “mother,” “father,” “job,” and “someone with whom you have strong feelings,” and see what reactions you get. Happy and unhappy associations may cause different color shifts in the aura.
10. Switch roles and guide your partner through this exercise.
When you start gazing at the entire aura, the colors you perceive give you certain clues as to the person’s energetic condition. Remember your own personal color associations. In general, the warmer colors indicate energy levels. The green range is often about emotional well-being. The blues and purples are about the mind and spirituality. Dominant colors give an indication as to personality, awareness, and current issues the individual is dealing with. Some colors remain stationary, while others change over time. Students usually see my aura as a mix of green and purple, which also happen to be two of my favorite colors; no wonder I am attracted to them. Yellow, gold, and blue have occasionally drifted through my aura as certain issues surfaced.
Different shades or intensities give us different indications. A bright yellow may mean a strong mind and will. A pale, sickly yellow may mean low metabolism and energy. Emerald green may indicate good physical health and vitality, while olive green may not. It all depends on your associations with colors. Unlike aura photography, two gazers may see different colors and come up with the same conclusion. They are seeing spiritual light and energy, not physical light, so it is open to interpretation, but in general, most will see similar colors. I may see blue and feel the person is very mental. To another, yellow and orange might be the colors of the mind, and he or she would see those brighter colors, but come to the same conclusion.
As you continue with aura gazing, the information you get will be more detailed. Some people see little homemade “movies,” what we will later discuss as thoughtforms, playing in the aura, usually around the head level. In these movies, the gazer sees or hears events in the past that still influence the person in the present. Some practitioners can see the images of current loved ones and family members in the aura. Others can see images from past lives in the aura. Healers focus on seeing the energetic state of the aura—if it is healthy and whole, or damaged. Your psychic mind will speak to you in the language of symbols that is most comfortable to you.
Auric Cleansing
Care and maintenance are essential if we want anything to work properly, including the aura. As you can see, the aura contains a lot of important information for us, and aids in our magick. Knowing how to control and heal it is a very important step in self-empowerment. You have already begun exercising control over your energy body. The affirmations help program your energy field to manifest your intentions. When you created a protection shield, you were programming your aura with the intention of protection. When you work with color and light, you are infusing these new vibrations into your aura. Try repeating the aura-gazing experience just described after your partner fills his or her aura with a different color of light. Also try it after exercise 6: Earth Walking. By changing your energy, you’ll change the way others perceive your energy.
We do not learn how to keep our aura healthy in our traditional education. In fact, our society does not even promote energetic health. The edge of our aura is like a sphere or egg. The energy of thoughts, intentions, words, and arguments, our own and those directed at us, can damage this edge, allowing in unwanted vibration (figure 20A). With colorful phrases, we often refer to our relationships in terms of war: “She cut me to the quick.” “His words are abrasive.” “They stabbed me in the back.” All of these images are truer than you know. We rip and tear our auric field, and through the cracks come unwanted vibrations. If you are easily overwhelmed by the energy of other people and places, your auric field may be letting in too much energy. You may not have a strong boundary, energetically or personally. This damage heals over time, but can heal much more quickly with our intentions.
Another sign of an unhealthy auric field is an abundance of unhealthy thoughtforms. Thoughtforms are basically constructs of energy we create with our thoughts and intents. Thoughtforms are neither good nor bad. Like any piece of equipment, the label depends on how they are used. These constructs are like little computers we create that broadcast certain thoughts and vibrations. When we do a spell, or an act of instant magick, in many cases we are creating a small thoughtform with our intent and releasing it to fulfill its programming. In a detrimental sense, we create thoughtforms all the time and reinforce them with our “negative” self-programming. When you feel shame, anger, hate, or fear, and reflect that back on yourself, or accept judgments about yourself from other people, you create harmful programs, or heavy energy. These programs are often worded in such terms as, “I am not good enough,” “I am not happy,” “I am not pretty,” and “I am not smart.” These statements create thoughtforms in your aura. They replay these harmful tapes, like a broken record, subconsciously speaking these messages, even when the situation does not warrant them. The use of affirmations creates helpful thoughtforms and programs. Neutralizing keeps us from creating new unwanted programs, but it does not remove the unwanted programs from years of living. Some even feel that our programs stay with us between lifetimes. If so, imagine how many old issues you are dealing with from these programs.
Harmful thoughtforms often appear as gray or black masses, little blobs floating in your auric field. If you are feeling the aura, they are usually experienced as packets of density. If the aura is a globe of water, the unwanted thoughtforms would be the murky sludge. Self-created thoughtforms lie on the inside of the field. Ones we accept from others might cling to the outside, unless they enter through the holes in the aura.
The last main issue of auric imbalance is unhealthy energy cords. A cord is an energetic connection, a circuit, that connects you to something else in an inappropriate way. Think of the cord as a straw, and you are either letting something or someone drain your energy, sucking it through the straw, or you are sucking energy from something else. The cord can act like a chain, preventing you from letting go and moving on.
Most cords tie us to someone in our lives with whom we have unresolved issues, and often an inappropriate relationship. By inappropriate, I mean no moral judgment, but a relationship that was not based in your own heartfelt joy. These people can be friends, family members, coworkers, or past lovers. You may even have some cords to current friends and lovers with whom things are great. But in the past, there was probably an issue that created the cord. They naturally dissolve, much like how scar tissue eventually goes away, but you can speed up the process yourself, with no scarring!
Cords can also be formed to places in your life, or moments in the past where you released a lot of energy. If you dwell on a certain location or time, you lose energy to it, because you are not using that energy for your present time. Memories and nostalgia are fine, but not if they prevent you from creating new memories. Some cords are connected to places of past abuse or violence.
In any case, the gentle dissolution of the cords and healing any damage they have created is paramount in living a responsible magickal life. When you heal them, you may know what the cord is connecting you to, or you may not. Usually knowledge brings awareness, but sometimes we don’t know. The cord still heals. For particularly old or strong cords, the process may be repeated several times. You will only be guided to clear the cords you need to work on now. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean that there aren’t more there. The first time I did this meditation, I had three cords, and I thought to myself, “Hey, that’s not bad at all.” I did not do this exercise as regularly as I should have, and when I did it again over a year later, I had eighteen cords. They were there before. I didn’t create all eighteen in a year’s time, but each one represented a different issue I was ready to handle at that moment. I wasn’t ready when I first did the exercise.
Aura Clearing
This meditation may bring up some difficult feelings for you to process and clear as you continue on your magickal path. You may have an emotional release. It is not uncommon to find people crying tears of pain or joy, making noises and tones, giggling, or feeling light headed. During the meditation, you may feel like toning or making some type of noise as a form of release. Please do so. Follow your intuition. Some blank out the experience entirely and wonder if they fell asleep. I truly feel that as we have guardian spirits, we have healing spirits as well, coming to help us in these situations, through events that are difficult to bear at this time. Sleep indicates that they are working with us on a deep level. Spirit guides will be explored in detail in chapters 13 and 14.
If this experience is difficult for you, please seek healing facilitation from a qualified practitioner. Your journal work and daily meditations can be very therapeutic, but sometimes we need outside assistance.
1. Start exercise 9: Counting Down to a Meditative State to get into your magickal mindset.
2. Be aware of your own aura, an egg or sphere shape around your body. Everyone perceives it differently. You can feel the energy of the aura moving around you, particularly in terms of temperature or magnetic resistance. You may psychically see it around you even with your eyes closed. What color is it, and what does that color mean to you? Do you notice any unusual patterns of color, or places that seem out of balance? Allow the information to come. Be aware of the energy around you.
3. Ground yourself by visualizing a beam of light, any color that feels right to you, descending down from your spine and into the center of the Earth. Your aura will look like a balloon being tied down, preventing it from going far. This sense of grounding is very important before doing the rest of this meditation.
4. Put out the intention that you wish to “completely cleanse the aura of any harm,” and ask that this cleansing come with “ease, grace, and gentleness.” Ask your healing guides to aid you. Ask for the love and guidance of the Goddess and God.
5. Look closely at the aura. Scan it from top to bottom, sensing any rips or tears. Look for leaks in the aura where you are releasing vital life force or allowing other energies to come in to infect you. They may feel like cold or “windy” spots. The event that created this hole might pop into your mind, allowing you to deal with the feelings associated with it. When you find this area, imagine it filling with a ball of white light. The white light fills the space like plaster over a hole in the wall. Allow the white light to change to whatever color is appropriate for that section of your aura. Continue this process until you have sealed all the holes in the aura.
6. Again scan the aura from top to bottom, this time searching for any unwanted thoughtforms. They will appear as areas of density, dark unhealthy-looking masses floating in the auric field, like garbage floating in water. When you find one, psychically reach out and “grab” it. When you do, the program, or thought creating it, becomes apparent, allowing you to mentally and emotionally release it. Fill the thoughtform with white light, push it out of the aura, and dissolve it in a burst of energy. Intend and order the thoughtforms outside of your aura as they dissolve. Continue this process until you have cleared all the harmful thoughtforms in the aura.
7. For the last step of the auric cleansing, scan the aura and body for any cords, beams of energy connecting you to someone or someplace else. Psychically reach out and “grab” the cord, and the connection is often revealed to you. Notice where the cord is in the aura. The location will be a clue to the type of harm it is doing to you. Cords in the heart indicate emotions. Cords in the belly are often fear or sexuality. Cords in the throat are communication issues. Cords in the back mean trust issues. When they are on the right side, it indicates masculine issues, and the left, feminine issues. When you find a cord, pull it out gently. The cord may be lodged in your body or in the aura, in the space around your body. Bless and release whatever is attached to the cord. Do this in love and healing, not anger or malice. Resentment is a common feeling, particularly when disconnecting from an abusive relationship, but you are coming into your power now. Let it go as much as you can. Pull the cord out, and send white light down the tube, dissolving it safely, causing no harm to you or anyone at the other end. Release them by saying, “Blessed be.” Fill in any holes created in your body or aura with white light, allowing it to change to the appropriate color. Continue this process until you have cleared all cords. The cords revealed to you now are the issues you are prepared to clear. Check on all sides, above and below you.
8. Change your aura’s color through intention, choosing a color with qualities you desire. Do whatever feels good to you. You can even arrange colors in layers. Many people put a violet layer on the outside, for additional protection. If your aura is tight around your body and contracted, expand it to a comfortable size. If your aura is large and diffuse, bring your boundaries into a comfortable space, roughly a bit wider than arm’s length.
9. Reaffirm your protection shield: “I charge my protection shield to protect me from all harm on any level, and reflect love back on the source of the harm.” Repeat this three times and end with “So mote it be.”
10. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, and giving yourself clearance and balance. Do any necessary grounding.
The days after the meditation may be difficult. As we flush out these emotions and energetic toxins, their physical correspondences release from our body as well. Just as fasts and cleansing diets can bring up emotional issues, this meditation is the same process, starting with the subtle body rather than the physical. Drink plenty of pure water to flush the toxins out of your system and try to take it easy until you feel better.
Chakras
Chakra is Sanskrit for “spinning wheel,” referring to the spinning wheels of light within the energy body. As your physical body has physical organs, your spiritual bodies have spiritual, or energetic, organs, points of light, that process energy in much the same way physical organs process food, water, and oxygen. Each works on a different level of reality. The word chakra is used universally in the New Age movement, although it is believed that many ancient cultures in addition to the Hindu knew of these energy centers. Unfortunately, their names for these energy centers were lost. Hopi dolls have been found with markings where each of the seven chakras exists. Myths of halos, “fire in the head,” “wheels within wheels,” and “tongues of flame” descending on the brow are possibly references to chakras.
Although there are many adaptations to the chakra system, the most commonly accepted model contains seven points running along the axis of the spine (Figure 21). Each chakra contains one of the main colors of the spectrum, starting at the bottom of the spine and ascending. They are connected through a “central core channel,” like a tube, through which energy flows, as well as spiraling kundalini channels. Each chakra is associated with a different function of consciousness as well as particular body systems, glands, subtle bodies, and gemstones. Consecrating and carrying the associated gemstones, or laying them on the chakra, will help alleviate any imbalances or issues you have with each.
Root
The root chakra is found at the base of the spine, often visualized as a ball of red light at the perineum point, between the sexual organs and the anus. In Hindu traditions, the root is called Muladhara. The root is considered the first chakra because it deals with our most basic functions and earthly needs, “rooting” us in the physical world. Our physical bodies relate to the root, because its function is to keep us alive. Our survival instinct, our sense of grounding or being “in the body,” and the desire to procreate and carry on our genetic identity are related to this chakra. Because of this genetic identity, the root also relates to our immediate family or tribe, the people from which we originate. The glands associated with the root are the sexual glands, the gonads in men and the ovaries in women. It is also related to the excretory system, purging physical toxins out of the body to allow us to live. Dysfunctions of the root chakra can manifest as illness in those systems, sexual dysfunction, lack of pleasure and enjoyment in life, particularly from any physical sensations, ungrounded feelings, depression, or suicidal impulses. Betrayals from immediate family/tribe members, especially sexual abuse, create dysfunction in the root. Red stones, such as rubies and garnets, are associated with the root.
The root stores the energy of kundalini, which means “coiled serpent.” Kundalini is part of our personal energy, our life force that lies dormant at the root chakra. It spirals up the body through the kundalini channels, the ida and pingala, as a double helix, through the seven chakras. The helix looks like the symbol of the modern medical associations: the caduceus, or staff with two coiled serpents. It also looks like our DNA (Figure 22).
In many Western magickal traditions, the root chakra is not at the base of the spine, as in the Sanskrit literature, but between the feet. This variation comes from the different executions of Eastern and Western magick. In Eastern mysticism, meditation with the chakras is usually done sitting down with the base of the spine touching the ground. In Western magickal traditions, particularly in ceremonial magick, the practitioner is usually standing. To me, both examples further testify to the fact that energy will take form in any way we intend and perceive it to.
Belly
The belly chakra is also called the sacral chakra, relating it to the lower sacral spine, abdominal chakra, or Svadisthana in the Eastern texts. As there are many names, the location tends to vary according to the tradition and teacher. Possibilities include slightly below, above, or at the naval point. Personally I think it is because people have different body types. Certain individuals have longer arms, bigger heads, or smaller feet. Some have a lower or higher naval point, and these differences reflect the range of possibilities. When you activate the chakras in the next exercise, you will be able to feel where this point is for you, and visualize it as a ball of orange light in the belly area. Carnelian is the stone associated with the belly chakra.
As the second chakra, it moves beyond the physical needs of the root and into the realm of primal instincts and emotions. This energy relates to our basic need to reach out and commune with another being. While the root is our relationship to self, the belly is the relationship to others, symbolizing our recognition that there is more than just “me.” Sexual and social relationships and one-on-one relationships are related to the belly. When you follow your instincts about a certain person, to trust or not to trust, many say you “follow your gut.” That is why there is almost a physical sensation to our instincts. We are, in reality, following our own body’s wisdom. Also, our ability to trust ourselves and relax relates to the belly. Inhibitions and freedom, tension and relaxation, are the tides of the orange chakra.
Physically, the belly chakra relates to the kidneys, intestines, lower digestive system, spleen, and pancreas. I have heard it referred to as the spleen chakra. The skeletal system could be connected, too. The etheric body, the energetic template to the physical body, relates to the belly. This level of the energy body holds our shape. The material of the physical body is regenerated every seven years, but illness and scars can last longer because the physical matter is filling in the associated damaged sections of the etheric body.
Disorders of the second chakra include digestive disorders, particularly ulcers, hypertension, mood swings, an inability to trust one’s instincts, and difficulties communicating and relating to others as individuals.
Solar Plexus
The solar plexus is located right below the diaphragm muscle, beneath the rib cage. This yellow chakra is called Manipura and relates to a basic human desire to exercise control over the things that are beyond us. With the belly, we reach out to others, and now we seek to exercise our will on the outside world. Our sense of power, on all levels, from physical power, health, metabolism, and energy to our strength of will, mental control, and even spiritual energy, is tied to the solar plexus. The lesson of this chakra is to learn about our power and our fear.
Our self-image is related to the solar plexus. How do you view yourself? Through the lens of fear, or through self-control and trust? A healthy self-image relates to your sense of security in the world. The astral body, the next of the subtle energy bodies, is linked with the solar plexus, as are the powers of astral travel and psychokinesis, the ability to move matter with your mind, the ultimate act of willpower and control.
The musculature system, the power to move, is the main body system associated with the solar plexus, but it also relates to the stomach, liver, gall bladder, and adrenal glands. When you feel fear, these glands activate to give you a boost of adrenaline. We also say “butterflies in the stomach” when feeling fearful. The liver cleanses and stores toxins from the body, and harmful feelings are the biggest toxins we have. In Chinese medicine, the liver is called the “throne of anger” because our anger is stored there. Cleansing the liver releases old angers and pains. Imbalances in any of these organs, including hyperactivity or chronic fatigue, indicators of energy level, are signs of solar-plexus issues. Issues with power, control, and addiction are in the realm of the third chakra. Citrine is the healing stone of the solar plexus.
Heart
The heart, called Anahata, is located at the sternum and is usually viewed as green, sometimes with a pink center. The heart is the middle chakra and, as such, the bridge between our lower and higher selves. Associated with emotion, the heart chakra’s true purpose is to bring us to a state of unconditional love, or perfect divine love. The purpose of our emotions is to bring us spiritual awareness through the connections we feel to our family, friends, community, and eventually the entire human tribe and all of nature. Our sense of balance between our needs and desires and our feelings of compassion are associated with the heart. Any green or pink stones are associated with healing and opening the heart chakra, including emerald and rose quartz.
Energetically, the emotional body is linked to us through the heart space. Physically, this chakra is naturally associated with the heart muscle and circulatory system. The skin, immune system, and thymus gland, often called the high heart, are also related to the heart chakra. When you suffer from heart and circulatory disorders, the heart chakra is in need of healing. An inability to form loving relationships, to trust others, to express your emotions freely, and feelings of guilt and shame are other signs of dysfunction. Love must start with the self before it can move out to others. Although anyone can suffer from a heart attack for a variety of reasons, the Western world tends to associate heart attacks with older men in a society that generally does not encourage them to be emotionally open, available, and affectionate, because it at one time clashed with society’s expectations of men. Hopefully, as we change our expectations, heart disease, both physical and emotional, will decline.
Throat
The blue sphere at the base of the neck is the throat chakra and relates to the ability to express ourselves and communicate. Through the heart we have learned trust and compassion, to relate to others without a need for control. The throat chakra encourages us to express these higher thoughts and feelings to others. Strangely enough, the throat chakra represents not only expression, but also its opposite, listening. One must be able to take in and understand the expressions of another as well as send them out. The throat chakra is like a message-relaying system, taking in and sending out signals on all levels, for the throat chakra also relates to our spiritual and psychic hearing��listening to the inner voice, nature, the song of the universe, and our spirit guides. Psychic hearing is called clairaudience, and many people receive information this way. On this psychic level, the throat chakra rules our higher willpower. As the solar plexus is our need to control what is already there, our throat helps us manifest our will. Spells are often spoken. The ability to speak up and state what you desire to happen is part of your magickal abilities. Magick words have a long tradition because they manifest our will, and we use the energy of the throat chakra to send them off into the universe to return to us what we desire. Because of its relationship to our thoughts, words, intentions, and communications, the throat chakra relates to the mental body, the mind. The mind is not located solely in your brain, but throughout your entire body and energy field.
Physically, the respiratory system, including the vocal chords, larynx, tonsils, and thyroid, is related to the throat chakra. Our ability to take in breath is directly connected to our mind. Panic attacks and hyperventilation are triggered by thoughts that manifest as these immediate problems. Think of the people you know who have a thyroid condition—hyper being overactive, and hypo being underactive. It has been my experience that they have had some form of communication problem, usually speaking out too much and not listening, or not speaking up enough. Communication issues are all imbalances of the throat, including sarcasm, gossip, and a fear of speaking up.
The throat chakra is called Vishuddi, and its stones are turquoise, sapphire, and lapis lazuli.
Brow
This chakra is located between and slightly above the eyes. The Hindu texts call it Anja, although most refer to it as the third eye. The gland of this chakra is the pineal gland, found in the brain, and some evidence suggests that the structure of this gland is much like an eye that never fully developed. Although located within the brain, the pineal gland can sense light, which influences its ability to produce hormones. Metaphysicians feel that this eye is “looking” at the invisible spiritual light connecting us all.
The brow chakra relates to the function of seeing: physical seeing, seeing situations clearly, and seeing things psychically, our sixth sense. Through this chakra we learn to see things as they really are, to learn the spiritual reality that interacts with our physical reality. When we use our “mind’s eye” to visualize something, we are using our brow chakra. Our powers of intuition, clairvoyance (psychic seeing), and most visually related tasks come from the third eye, relating to the psychic body. The psychic body brings us information and knowledge. In European traditions of witchcraft, particularly Celtic, this is called “the sight,” and many people are naturally gifted with it, though anyone can learn to use it.
Besides the pineal gland, the brow chakra is associated with the lower brain and nervous system, how information is relayed to the entire body. Migraine headaches and nervous disorders are signs of imbalance, along with a “lack of vision” for yourself, or surrounding yourself with illusions and falsehoods about your life situations. Many metaphysical students suffer from what is now known as the “third eye headache” when opening to new abilities and energies. Classes with a lot of energies, such as crystal workshops or psychic development, tend to bring them on. They are temporary. Ground yourself and the troublesome energies and headache should dissipate. Indigo is the color of Anja, and indigo and purple stones like amethyst are used to help open this chakra.
Crown
The crown chakra sits not in the body, but at the top of the head, at the crown. Known as Sahasrara, it is visualized as violet, lavender, or dazzling white. It is the culmination of the chakra system, expressing our innate connection to the divine and all life. The crown chakra is the source of inspiration and divine wisdom. It opens the gates to spiritual epiphanies and insights, giving us greater spiritual understanding. This divine perspective, this spiritual sense of knowing, can be called the seventh sense, moving us beyond the simple intuitive and psychic flashes of the sixth sense. This chakra is our connection to the Great Mother Goddess and Father God, the Great Spirit and source of all that is. Our sense of divine love and a higher power springs from the well of the crown chakra and flows through to the energy centers below.
The crown relates to the pituitary gland. This is the master gland of the endocrine system, controlling hormonal levels throughout the body, though some traditions associate the pineal gland with the crown. The higher brain is also linked to the crown, our higher realms of consciousness. As the heart and love are connected to the immune system, so is the crown. In fact, body-wide disorders or illnesses are often related to the upper chakras.
The opal, diamond, and clear/white quartz are the stones of the crown.
Notice how the chakras, from one to seven, demonstrate a developmental cycle of consciousness, from simple physical needs to the spiritual.
Now that you have an overview of the chakra system, remember where your cords were in the aura-clearing meditation. Does knowledge of the chakras help refine the lesson learned when removing each cord? Illness in a certain area of the body indicates a problem with the associated chakra. Be open to the message. The colors of the chakras may also play a part in your light magick.
If you have been keeping up with the exercises and homework, you have already been working with the chakras without even knowing it. Just as you can breathe, digest, and metabolize without understanding anatomy, you use your chakras with or without knowledge of them. Although we are focusing on the seven major chakras, there are also points of energy in the hands, feet, and major nerve clusters in the body. All the energy exercises have involved some form of chakra work. Connecting to the Earth and sky ran energy through your central channel. You may have intuitively felt the chakras activating and aligning. Now you have the conscious information.
Chakra Opening and Balancing
The following meditation opens and clears all seven chakras and can be used prior to any deep magickal work. Ideally the whole exercise should be done regularly. You can break the meditation into two parts. The first part works with opening and cleansing the chakras. The second part is the Earth and Sky meditation, as in exercise 16, but instead of letting the energy flow up and down, we will focus attention on each chakra point for a moment. I try to do the second half of this meditation every day to keep myself open, connected, and clear.
Prior to exercise 25, you must choose a symbol to represent balance. You will be visualizing this symbol over the chakras. Some possible symbols are shown in figure 24.
1. Start exercise 9: Counting Down to a Meditative State to get into your magickal mindset.
2. Be aware of the energy around you, your aura, and the flow of energy up and down the spine.
3. Focus your attention on the base of the spine, the root chakra. Be aware of this bright red disc. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate as you inhale. Feel it spin open, cleansing any blocks you have to the physical world and to your sense of community. Release any anger you have for anyone or anything in the world. The chakra spins open like a red water lily or lotus flower revealing a fiery ruby within it, clear and energized.
4. With the next inhale, focus your attention on your naval area, at the belly or sacral chakra. Be aware of this glowing orange wheel of light. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it spin open and cleanse any blocks you have to your instincts and your relationships. Release any sense of betrayal. The chakra spins open like an orange lotus flower revealing an orange carnelian stone within it, clear and energized.
5. With the next inhale, focus your attention below the diaphragm muscle, at the solar-plexus chakra. Be aware of this shining yellow disc. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it spin open and cleanse any blocks you have to your personal power and will. Release any fear you have. The chakra spins open like a yellow lotus flower revealing a yellow citrine stone within it, clear and energized.
6. With the next inhale, focus your attention on the sternum bone, at the heart chakra. Be aware of this pulsing green wheel. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it spin open and cleanse any blocks you have to unconditional love, perfect love, and perfect trust. Release any grudges and forgive. The chakra spins open like a green lotus flower revealing an emerald within it, clear and energized.
7. With the next inhale, focus your attention on the thorax, at the throat chakra. Be aware of this spinning blue light. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it spin open and cleanse any blocks you have to communication, including psychic communication. Release any judgments you hold. The chakra spins open like a blue lotus flower revealing a blue sapphire within it, clear and energized.
8. With the next inhale, focus your attention on the brow, at the third-eye chakra. Be aware of this deep-indigo point of light. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it spin open and cleanse any blocks you have to your psychic and magickal gifts. Release any blinders you have to the truth. The chakra spins open like a purple lotus flower revealing an amethyst within it, clear and energized.
9. With the next inhale, focus your attention on the top of the head, at the crown chakra. Be aware of this dazzling light, violet or white in color. Feel the chakra start to spin open and activate. Feel it open and cleanse any blocks you have to your connection to the divine, the Goddess and God. Come into your joy. The chakra spins open like a white lotus flower revealing a dazzling diamond within it, clear and energized.
10. With all seven chakras open and cleared, visualize your symbol of balance above the crown. Intend that it balance the energies of the crown chakra. Hold it there. Let it descend to the third eye with the same intention. Bring it down to the throat. Then bring it to the heart, solar plexus, belly, and root. When you are done balancing all the chakras, let the symbol descend from the base of your spine, down into the Earth, creating your grounding cord, a beam of light grounding you to the center of the planet.
11. Ask Mother Earth to send you this energy, and feel it ascend through this grounding “straw” or taproot to the root chakra as you inhale. Feel it energize the root, and with each breath, feel it move up through the belly, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown, rising out of the crown and connecting you to the sky.
12. Ask the Sky Father to send his energy down, and feel it descend down through the crown like water, flowing down through the seven chakras and into the earth. Pause a moment at each of these points to feel the energy flow through. Feel the balance in each chakra and in your entire body.
13. When done, slow down the energy flow with your intent, and then stop it, allowing the remaining earth energy to flow upward and out, and the remaining sky energy to flow down and out into the Earth, helping ground you.
14. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, and giving yourself clearance and balance. Do any necessary grounding.
Scan your aura and chakras often. As your awareness of the energy anatomy grows, you will perceive the location and reason for imbalances. Such information will help you pinpoint problem areas in your life that need to be addressed.
New Assignments
• Exercises 23 through 25—Complete and record your experiences in your Book of Shadows. Notice changes in yourself after the aura-clearing exercise and repeat as needed.
• Try aura gazing in your daily life, looking at the energy of people, plants, objects, and areas.
Continuing Assignments
• Daily journal—Write three pages a day.
• Focus on a regular meditation practice, at least three times a week if not daily.
• Honor and recognize your intuition. Continue to ask it questions.
• Use instant magick in your daily life.
• Neutralize unwanted thoughts and intentions.
• Continue using light in your life and meditations.
Tips
• If you have difficulty perceiving the aura, pick a point six to twelve inches above the crown of your partner. Look at your partner only through your peripheral vision.
• If you want a physical exercise to improve your visualization, stare at your third eye or brow. Look up at the brow, between the eyes, and count to twelve. Release and relax for a minute and then repeat. Practice it in moderation. This eye exercise improves your visualization skills.
• Remember that not everybody gets their information visually. I tried this experiment with two other magickal friends of mine. I taught them about seeing the aura, but neither really saw it. One “heard” the color in his head when he looked—no visual involved. The other “knew” the color, but did not “hear” or “see” it. She just knew. Most of the time we had the same color, and every time we had the same general interpretation. You could experience tastes, sensations, or smells when exploring the aura and chakras, each with specific associations. Find your own way.
• Be gentle with yourself, particularly when it comes to aura and chakra clearing. Don’t push yourself too far too fast. Magickal training is much like physical training. You must build your strength slowly, even if you have natural talent. Honor your own limits and do not compare your experiences to others. Your experience is perfect for you.
Recommended Reading
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith (Llewellyn Publications).
Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss (Three Rivers Press).