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Revision as of 04:55, 19 December 2003 by Optim (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A chakra is an energy centre in the human body as taught in Indian yoga and some related cultures. Chakras are also believed in by some New Age adherents. Chakra means 'wheel' in sanskrit.
Chakrology
Chakrology (from the Sanskrit Chakra=wheel and the Greek Logos->logy) is a modern word (neologism), some times used by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers, for the study of chakras.
There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, Western occult analyzations etc.
The early chakrologies include the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras, some late Upanishads (such as the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad) and Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) theories. See Early chakrologies from Kheper.net
There are references for ancient Greek and Christian chakrologies too. An example is the Hesychastic centres of prayer, .
As the Croatian esoteric philosopher and physicist Arvan Harvat states, it is very difficult to develop a unified coherent chakra science that would integrate all the elements of present chakrologies. See The difficulty of a unified chakra science by Arvan Harvat from Kheper.net
General Information
A chakra is a locus of life energy. There are seven chakras in the body - each is an interface for the flow of life energy. A chakra vitalises a physical body and is associated with interactions of a physical, mental nature. Current technology is not capable of measuring life energy or chakras.
The seven main chakras are described as being present in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element and other correspondences.
| chakra | color | primary functions | associated element |
| Root chakra | red | instinct, sexual energy | earth |
| Navel chakra (Hara) | orange | emotion | water |
| Solar plexus chakra | yellow | intellect | fire |
| Heart/lung chakra | emerald green or pink | devotion, love, compassion | air |
| Throat chakra | cyan | speech, self-expression | ether |
| Third eye | indigo | intuition, ESP | time |
| Crown chakra (just above the head) | silvery-white | connection to the One Great Power | space |
The author Peter Kjaerulff in his book The Ringbearers Diary describes the chakras in great detail, including why they look as they do and what their exact function is.
Chakras according to Tantra
Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes seven primary inner chakras: