My newest book is an exploration of all aspects of the chakras and like-minded organs, including the science, spirituality, and history of these stellar centers; practices involving them; and hundreds of pages featuring energy systems from various cultures across time.
A few years ago, Llewellyn, the publisher of my book The Complete Book of Chakra Healing (2009), asked me to gather into a single volume as much material as possible on chakras, the energy bodies that constitute the heart of our subtle energy anatomy. I immersed myself in the assignment and I’m pleased to report it’s as complete as such a book can be, given that it is more than 1,150 pages.
Now I’m excited to share my wisdom from this book, Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras (Llewellyn Publications, 2016), and this article showcases a set of excerpts from the manuscript. I include a brief introduction to the chakras and their three main functions; a summary snapshot of the science of chakras; a brief description of their place within the subtle energetic constellation; and an overview of one of the dozens of energetic systems featured in the book—along with an exercise you can use to explore this Yorubic system.
Meet Your Chakras
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors didn’t have machines to substantiate someone’s claim that they felt sick. They didn’t look up sketches of the body in Gray’s Anatomy to track the flow of fluids. It would not occur to them to mock someone who had heard from Spirit in a dream. They trusted their spiritual senses as much as—if not more than—their physical ones, and their understanding of the human body, mind, and soul reflected this advanced consciousness.
Our ancestors believed there were energy bodies associated with their physical bodies—subtler dimensions of the miraculous gift of life. East Indian culture called these energy bodies cakras or chakras. This is only one of the chakras’ many names, as they appear in different forms in cultures around the world. Yet no matter how such descriptions differ, chakras are defined in the same way: as a system of subtle energy “transformers”—similar to the common electrical devices that control electrical energy—operating within a network of systems that compose our energetic anatomy. In other words, they constitute a vital part of us that can and does influence both subtle—or psychic—energy and physical energy.
The Three Main Functions of the Chakras
All chakras or similar energy bodies perform three vital functions:
1. Physical processing: Many chakras have a bodily location, including an attachment to a nerve plexus and/or endocrine gland, and they all manage a certain part of the body. They can also be described as colors and sounds, which are related to the vibratory bands they operate within and emanate, so they relate to our physical senses as well.
2. Psychological processing: Each chakra interacts with—and creates—psychological constructs that affect our well-being. This processing takes place in the realm of beliefs and feelings.
3. Spiritual processing: Each chakra contributes to our spiritual well-being and development, adding a layer of consciousness to our maturing sense of self. Every chakra also serves as a channel for a specific psychic ability.
What Does Science Say?
Science explains chakras in many different ways. The most basic level is biological. Chakras interact with our nervous system, and each chakra is associated with an endocrine gland. Chakras are therefore involved with our electromagnetic functions and our biochemistry—aspects of us that control everything from our bodily functions to our moods.
Another scientific perspective involves electromagnetic fields, which are composed of all the different speeds and wavelengths of light. We are actually a collection of oscillating fields of light—as are our chakras. Chakras express the magnificence of this fact, each operating on a differently colored band of frequencies. This is one of the reasons most experts typically perceive the seven in-body chakras as particular colors—rainbow colors, in fact. The lowest in-body chakra is red and the highest is white. The other colors of the rainbow lie in between. For this reason, chakras are often referred to as a “rainbow bridge.”
Then there is the aspect of sound. Most ancient cultures also ascribed sounds to the chakras. In fact, there are often several sounds associated with each one. In the Hindu tradition, the chakra tones are called bija or “seed sounds,” and the 50 sounds within the Sanskrit language are spread out among all seven chakras. Some of these sounds are the seed, or core, tones of the chakras, while others are sounds associated with the petals that make up the lotus shapes of the chakras.1
So far, we’ve been explaining the science of chakras through the lens of classical physics, which explains that energy is the force that makes things happen. This limited definition brings us to the doorstep of the chakras, but doesn’t invite us into the room. For that, we have to pass through the gate of quantum physics, the study of the subatomic ingredients that compose the universe. Quantum physics explains the “weirdness” of the chakras—their ability to transcend time and space, alert us to psychic information, and evolve us spiritually.
Quantum physics also explains why subtle energy structures such as chakras connect us to one another across distances. According to quantum theory, a particle can sense the activity of another particle close to it or millions of light-years away.2 The nature of this interconnectivity has led quantum physicists to call all of reality nonlocal, or unbound within time and space, rather than local, or only located in one place.
The ultimate implication of nonlocality is that everyone and everything is inseparable. We exist within an ocean of oneness. There is no distinction between communicator and recipient. We play a dualistic role of observing our own actions and participating in them. And a vortex—one of the definitions of a chakra—has a nonlocal origin and expression, even though it can be, at one level, located in time and space.3
Because of nonlocality, a chakra can be both here and everywhere at the same time. Nonlocality also explains why some chakra systems present dozens, if not hundreds, of chakras.
Chakras as Part of a Greater Family
As powerful and transformative as they are, chakras function within an even greater subtle anatomy. One partner set is the energy channels, or riverways of subtle energy. These are known as meridians in traditional Chinese medicine and nadis in traditional Indian medicine. Among the thousands of meridians and hundreds of thousands of nadis, there are 14 main meridians and 14 main nadis. This has led some to theorize that meridians and nadis are equivalent; others 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. However, there are thousands, if not millions, of other energetic fields that affect our chakras. These include 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.
Ultimately, the message of the chakra is this: 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 name, each constellation points us toward the heavens, our birthplace.
Featured Chakra System: The Yoruba Chakra System
Peel back the layers of time and travel deep into the African continent, and you will meet the practitioners of the Yoruba religion, originally developed among the people of Nigeria and Benin. Yoruba religious principles also apply to a medicine as comprehensive as Ayurveda, with philosophies and systems that include the chakras.
Making use of chakras is part of the medicine of the Yorubic people. The Yorubic healing system is rooted in the Ifa Corpus, a religious text revealed to the mystic Orunmilla more than 4,000 years ago. This system is still practiced widely on the African continent, the Caribbean, and South America, having traveled there with African slaves. But Yoruba medicine originates from traditions even older than the Ifa Corpus. Archeologists track it to the migration of the East African population across the trans-African route from the mid-Nile—or Egypt—to the mid-Niger between 2,000 and 500 BCE.
This area had long been settled, perhaps from as long ago as 65,000 BCE, by people from many cultures, among them people who referred to themselves as the Yoruba. They were an ancient, cultured, and mystical people who brought their knowledge into Egypt. However, their medicine and beliefs are also steeped in Egyptian philosophy, including the knowledge of herbs, divination, ritual, demonic release, and, most importantly, magic.4
The Egyptian, and therefore Yoruba, medical systems include the knowledge of two creative principles and four elements. The soul and body are not considered distinct in these systems; rather, we are one being in two aspects. These systems also include an understanding of pathological toxins and the importance of the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system, in addition to other bodily systems. The ancient Egyptians even used light therapeutically, such as to bleach the skin.
The name of the primary Yoruba god is Olodumare, who is similar to Brahma of Hinduism, respected but not approached daily. Instead, humans turn to orishas, beings that intercede between the worlds of humanity and divinity. These are similar to Catholic saints, and many are extremely human in their characteristics. Overall, despite their mixed traits, they are considered helpful and might inhabit the bodies of their worshipers, who often invoke them during dance and other rituals. The counterbalance is negative forces called ajogun, which can cause everything from accidents to depression. It is often necessary to free oneself of the ajogun to attain health and well-being and promote the flow of ashe, a vital life energy.
The primary orishas were considered angelic beings that also emanated into the physical body. The seven major orishas were each to be internalized in a specific area of the body, thus opening the body to the One, or Olodumare, and the free flow of ashe. Another goal was to free a person from any ajoguns locked in the body. Each of the orisha areas relates to one of the standard Hindu chakras.
Following is a description of the various orishas, with each orisha’s name paired with a chakra.
Obatala orisha: First chakra
Obatala is a creature of human form. White with purity, he cures illness and deformities. This orisha manages the brain, bones, and white fluids of the body.
Elegba orisha: Second chakra
The messenger of the orishas, Elegba holds ashe for his brethren and negotiates between the negative and positive forces in the body. This orisha governs the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Ogun orisha: Third chakra
The ruler of iron, Ogun clears paths, specifically in relation to blockages in the body. Ogun runs the heart, kidney, adrenal glands, tendons, and sinews.
Yemoja orisha: Fourth chakra
As the mother of waters, Yemoja represents sexuality and nurturing. She is the protective energy of the feminine. She manages the womb, liver, breasts, and buttocks.
Oshun orisha: Fifth chakra
Oshun symbolizes clarity and feminine motion. With the power to heal with cool water, she assists with childbearing and fertility. Oshun is charged with the circulatory and elimination systems, digestive organs, and female pubic hair.
Shango orisha: Sixth chakra
Kingly and virile, Shango represents the fire and lightning of a warrior. He can also transform base substances into valuable elements. Shango runs the male reproductive system, bone marrow, and ashe.
Oya orisha: Seventh chakra
The guardian of the cemetery, winds of change, and progression, Oya is usually found with Shango, who allows the old to die so they can initiate rebirth. The area served includes the lungs, bronchial passages, and mucous membranes.5
What I've learned in writing this book—this time—is that no matter the culture, chakras are portrayed as essential components of our being. They enable us to be fully human. They invite us to be divine. And they create within our soul a space in which to be both.
Exercise: Clearing Your Orishas With Poetry
How can you safely employ a bit of this ancient knowledge for yourself? Start by closing your eyes and breathing deeply before selecting a specific challenge. Ask the Divine to give you a spiritual healing guide for this process.
Ask that this healer assess your ori, the spiritual soul of your being, next revealing which orisha is most affected by the causes of your situation. What natural law has been broken? What is this ailment or challenge trying to teach you? When you feel ready to shift your consciousness, ask the healer to help you remember, write, or find a poem in the next couple of days—a poem that will both reveal your issue to you and reflect the necessary and transformational truth. Thank this being and the Divine for this personalized help and return to your day.
Notes
1. Chakra Vortex of Light, “Sounds of the Chakras,” accessed November 2015, http://home.comcast.net/~chakra_system/sound.html.
2. Robert Nadeau and Menas Kafatos, The Non-Local Universe (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001): 4.
3. F. David Peat, “Non-Locality in Nature and Cognition,” accessed November 2015, www.fdavidpeat.com/bibliography/essays/nat-cog.htm.
4. Femi Fani-Kayode, This Day Live, “Who are The Yoruba People? (III),” accessed November 2015, www.thisdaylive.com/articles/who-are-the-yoruba-people-iii-/149801.
5. Tariq Sawandi, East West School of Planetary Herbology, “Yorubic Medicine: The Art of Divine Herbology,” accessed November 2015, www.planetherbs.com/theory/yorubic-medicine-the-art-of-divine-herbology.html.
Cyndi Dale is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and intuitive consultant. Her books include Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras (Llewellyn Publications, 2016), The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy (Sounds True, 2009), The Complete Book of Chakra Healing (Llewellyn Publications, 2009), and Advanced Chakra Healing (Crossing Press, 2005). To learn more about Dale and her products, services, and classes, please visit www.cyndidale.com.