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Transmutation of Self
Transmutation of Self
Transmutation of Self
Transmutation of Self
or
By D‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Presented to Professor P‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On March 16th, 2010
IntroductIon
Though the majority of the general populace are still as unaware of the inner
workings of their nervous and endocrine systems as they are of their chakras and
nadis, the percentage of those who do know has grown exponentially since recent
times. And though this knowledge was kept obscured from the unprepared masses,
there have always been a select few who knew just how the subtle planes related to
the physical, and how the subtle bodies found materialisation through our carnal
vessels. These sages, mystics, and philosophers understood the roles of the
endocrine glands which our culture is only just beginning to rediscover today, and
they had greater mastery over their nervous system than we have yet fathomed.
In this short essay we will explore the popularisation of this knowledge, the
streams of teachings that kept it flowing, its introduction and dissemination into the
western world, and ultimately the breakthroughs that are re‐occurring in our
modern day and what this means for human consciousness. We will present an
introduction to the general subject and proceed to outline its major proponents and
their thoughts on the topic.
Chakras &NadIs
First let us briefly define the words chakra & nadi; chakras are generally
recognised as swirling vortices of vital force present in the subtle bodies. Chakras
are interfaces through which we perceive our respective realities, as well as notes
on
the
instrument
that
is
our
body.
Just
as
our
nervous
system,
through
afferent
and
efferent
pathways,
is
our
way
of
sensing
and
interacting
with
our
world,
so
it
is
with
the subtle bodies. They are also known to transmute energies from one form to
another and to “transduce universal life energy into human energy.” (Katra, 1999)
Donald DeGracia, in his Beyond the Physical, reiterates the idea that these vortices
are transducers, so that just “as a light bulb converts electrical energy into light
energy, then likewise, the chakras convert nonphysical energies into different
nonphysical energy types, and probably convert nonphysical energy into physical
energy.” Chakras can be likened to portals through which spiritual energies are
stepped‐down into physicality, and thus endocrine glands can be seen as the
crystallisations of these vortices. Any hormone in the body has its own particular
vibration due to its molecular composition, and though the research has yet to be
conducted, it could be postulated that these particular vibrations reflect those of
their respective chakras. Motoyama summed it up well in saying that chakras can be
seen as “intermediaries between the body and the mind of each dimension. Further,
the chakras act to integrate the interrelationship between the three bodies and
minds in a holistic manner. “
In the same way that our lymph & blood run through our body in rivulets,
permeating us through and through, so do our nadis, streams of vital force
synonymous with the Taoist meridians, course through our etheric body in complex
webs, flowing and separating into intricate designs. The physical systems
beautifully reflect these schemata into materiality, following the same organizing
principle. Alice Bailey states that these conduits of energy “are in reality the
actuating
power
of
the
nervous
system.”
Many
cultures
recognized
these
energetic
pathways,
including
the
Aztecs
and
Incas.
Ayurvedic
texts
enumerate
14
principal
nadis but traditional Chinese medicine states that there are 12 major ones, and
seventy‐two thousand nadis are recognized in the Tantras. Three in particular are
central in this system, these being the sushumna, pingala, and ida. The latter two
coil downwards around the prior like Mercury’s caduceus to meet sushumna in the
muladhara vortex at the base of the spine.
Awareness’ PIlgrImage
Western esotericism has long been aware of the interconnectedness of the
chakras & nadis with the endocrine glands and nervous system, but rare were the
authors who would address this more than cursorily. Yet if this essay is being
written today, in an European language, it is because of the stalwart efforts of
occidental mystics in bringing these understandings to their homelands. Sir John
Woodroffe, using the pen‐name Arthur Avalon, was a renown pioneer in bringing
this knowledge to those who would further disseminate it. Chief amongst these
were the Theosophists, who, with a newly rent tear in the veil between the
mysteries and the profane, took the opportunity to inform the people about their
true nature. The most cited source in this area is C.W. Leadbeater, who detailed the
link between the chakras and their respective nerve plexuses. But whereas
Leadbeater saw the chakras as correlating with the nervous system, Dion Fortune
on the other hand asserted that they were more intimately tied to the endocrine
system, saying that “the link between mind and matter is to be sought primarily in
the
endocrine
system
of
ductless
glands
and
only
secondarily
in
the
brain
and
central
nervous
system.”
Although
she
states
that
“it
is
generally
agreed
that
the
chakras […] are not situated inside the organs with which they are associated, but in
the auric envelope at spots roughly approximating thereto.” Likewise, Israel
Regardie insisted that the chakras were in no way physical but were rather spiritual
in nature, “though there may be glandular parallelisms,” perhaps in the same way
that “the planet Pluto does not make things die and be reborn, but is a vortex of the
kind of energy that produces death, regeneration, and new life.” (Pursel, 1996)
Actually, many occultists assume that “it must not be supposed that the chakras
respond to physical investigation, any more than the mind can be discovered by
brain surgery. The chakras exist as realities in extra‐physical dimensions.” (Grant,
1973) But we will see shortly that this is an erroneous claim.
Systems In relatIon
Since the widespread communication in the west about the chakras and their
respective endocrine glands, these have found their way into numerous
correspondence tables. Many now perceive them to correspond to certain sephiroth,
certain precious stones, certain runes, certain planetary spheres, and so on. But
certainly the relation between the chakras and the endocrine glands and nerve
plexuses must be more than a metaphorical parallel. Alice Bailey explains that “the
human body is, in the last analysis, an aggregate of energy units. In the vital body
(thus conditioning the endocrine and lymphatic systems) are certain focal points
through which energy pours into the physical body, producing an impression and a
stimulation upon the atoms of the body and thus having a powerful effect upon the
entire
nervous
system
which
it
underlies
in
all
parts.
The
vital
or
etheric
body
is
the
subtle
counterpart
of
the
physical
body
in
its
nervous
structure
and
the
energy
centers condition and control the glandular system.” Max Heindel makes a similar
statement, saying that “the two lower ethers do in fact constitute a “vital” or “life”
body which acts as a matrix, in terms of a network or meshwork of force, into which
the atoms of the body are collected in a living pattern or organism. It is taught that
the blood and ductless (endocrine) glands are in a special sense the highest product
of the vital body.” Before this he states that “the genes and chromosomes are
deposited by forces working in the Life Ether.” Annie Besant also supports this idea
when she writes: “Let us see how the building of the nervous system, by vibratory
impulses from the astral, begins and is carried on. We find a minute group of nerve
cells and tiny processes connecting them. This is formed by the action of a centre
which has previously appeared in the astral body ‐ an aggregation of astral matter
arranged to form a centre for receiving and responding to impulses from outside.
From that astral centre vibrations pass into the etheric body, causing little etheric
whirlpools which draw into themselves particles of denser physical matter, forming
at last a nerve cell, and groups of nerve cells.” She then proceeds to describe how
this process progresses to produce the vital organs. Leadbeater even tries to define
the atomic composition of subtle energy, in an attempt to explain its vibration
which, given certain confluences, would result in certain magnetic fields and vital
fluids. Elsewhere these are known as seed‐atoms, with different types for every
chakra, each containing a karmic & dharmic blueprint for life. So it is made clear by
these authors that the correspondences between the subtle bodies and the glands
and
plexuses
are
not
mere
analogies,
but
that
they
are
as
continuations
of
one
another,
following
the
same
organizing
principle
as
the
course
of
involution
brings
them into this plane of existence.
With these adepts having brought us this information about a century ago, much
has since been extrapolated therefrom, and many parallels have been drawn
between the subtle bodies and the physical. The late Swami Satyananda Saraswati
brought forth many clever ideas concerning the interrelatedness of the subtle
bodies and the physical. For example, he noted that the different levels of the brain
could be likened to the gradations of the chakras. The brain stem, which controls
our primal instincts and “contains the basic neural machinery for self‐preservation
and reproduction” and “general biological maintenance” (Scarabino & Salvolini,
2005) correlates to the attributes of the first two chakras, muladhara and
swadhistana. He proceeded to compare the characteristics of the mid‐brain with the
middle chakras, and the neo‐cortex and especially the frontal lobes with the top
chakras. Another proponent of the connection between chakras and the brain is
Todd Murphy, who has pushed his study of neurology into the realm of spirituality.
He postulates that each chakra corresponds to a structure in the brain, depending
on its function. For example, he associates the throat chakra with the left
hippocampus, which helps us to think of and assemble words into meaningful
phrases.
Myriads of other examples of parallelism are to be found between the two
systems. For example the adrenal glands, which are said to be related to the root
chakra muladhara which governs over primal instinct, survival, and tribe‐mentality,
can
for
instance
make
one
feel
courageous
by
their
hormonal
secretions
of
stereoids,
which
are
very
much
in
line
with
this
chakra’s
properties.
The
pineal
gland, just as its correlated crown chakra, is said to be the bridge for communion
between the soul and the human self. For Descartes it was the seat of the soul and
for yogis it is the window of Brahma. Whether ajna, the third eye chakra,
corresponds with the pineal or pituitary gland has been of some debate. Many
authorities on the subject say that it is the one, whereas many others say that it is
the other, but the general consensus has been that the pituitary pertains to the third
eye, and that the pineal pertains to the crown. It is understandable that one would
assume that the pineal correlates with the third eye, seeing as to how it has many
photoreceptor pigment cells, just like the eyes do, and in studies of animal
dissection, it was found that the pineal gland was still very active and used as
normally as our two eyes.
Paul F. Case, amongst many others, asserts that the pituitary gland is the physical
center of telepathy, just as the third eye would be. As we know, the pituitary gland
is often considered to be the master gland since it determines the actions of many of
the other endocrine organs, and likewise many people consider ajna to be the
master chakra, since it may be from thence that we project our personal holographic
reality. Choa Kok Sui, in his book on pranic healing, says that “energizing this chakra
will cause the other chakras to light in a certain sequence,” and that other chakras
can be reached through the ajna vortex.
Initiates of Yoga have long known how to use the endocrine glands to manifest
occult powers, & though this was kept somewhat secret, these ideas have been
made
more
vulgar
in
recent
times
by
the
likes
of
Lazaris,
who
suggests
exercises
where
endocrine
glands
are
voluntarily
stimulated
by
visualization
and
will
so
that
they secrete certain substances. In fact, many authors mention the interrelatedness
of extrasensory capacities with certain endocrine glands. Many similarities exist
between the cells in the endocrine glands and the cells in the organs of the special
senses. For example, in eastern esotericism the siddhi of clairaudience is linked to
the development of the throat chakra, and western science has found that there are
cells in the thyroid gland which are similar to the auditory cells of the cochlea with
their sensory villi in a colloidal liquid.
For many aspirants, the path leads them to develop the heart chakra which then
helps them redirect it’s powerful energies through key meridians into the higher
centers. Likewise, we know that the vagus nerve, composed almost entirely of
afferent nerve fibers, extends from the viscera to the medulla oblongata. In the
occult science, the vagus nerve “connects the brain in the heart to the heart in the
brain.” (Luxamore, 2001)
There is an evident correlation between the nervous system running through our
body and the system of nadis, or meridians, that do likewise. For instance, both form
a central column running along the spine from which nerves and nadis grow out like
roots and branches of a tree. We can find an example of the sameness of the nerves
and nadis in looking at an image of the trajectory of the sciatic nerve down the leg
and finding that it is strikingly similar to the spleen meridian in Chinese medicine
which runs down to the sole of the foot. Though these may not be identical, they
clearly follow the same pattern. On a smaller scale, scientists in Russia have
determined
by
measuring
isotopes
in
the
body
that
vital
force
courses
in
minuscule
rivulets
through
collagen
fibrils.
In
a
course
on
strengthening
one’s
vital
energy,
SPC‐USA gives exercises which they claim will improve the conductivity of one’s
meridians by the process of quickly rubbing along major nervous channels. These
are similar to exercises of Qi Gong massage, which are based on the same principle.
Dr. Don Glassey sums up the thoughts of many in saying that meridians “can be
likened to the flow of electricity conducted to and from the cells of the body over the
nervous system.” In an article entitled The Nerve, Meridian and Chakra Systems and
the CSF Connection, he likens the nervous system to rivers and streams whereas the
meridians are the underground springs that give them life.
The mystic‐scientist Itzhak Bentov has stated in his works that the body has key
oscillators inside of it, notably in the heart, circulatory system and cerebro‐spinal
fluid amongst others, which generate magnetic fields that exchange with and
connect us to the All‐That‐Is. From his ideas it can imagined that the meridian
system is in correlation with all bodily fluids, and that nadis flow along with the
cerebro‐spinal fluid, the lymph, and the blood.
New frontIers
In this waxing age of information where what had previously been separate
cultures are pooling their ideas & building on one another’s research much more
than had been feasible until recently, we are coming collectively unto greater and
greater realizations and understandings as a people.
Hiroshi
Motoyama,
who
founded
the
ideas
he
proposes
by
contributions
from
many
cultures,
brought
the
acceptation
&
understanding
of
the
subtle
bodies
into
parts of society that would have scoffed at the idea before. Through his erudite
works & innovative scientific research, the rising wave of those in the know again
increased exponentially. He used devices such as his chakra instrument and his
Apparatus for Measuring the Functional Conditions of Meridians and their
Corresponding Internal Organs (AMI) to detect electric, magnetic, and optical
stimuli and thus proved to a disbelieving scientific community that energy could be
controlled, collected and created* by will‐power. (*Understanding that ‘created’
doesn’t mean ex nihilo.) One of the many fascinating things he found was that “the
functional range of the autonomic nerves, the range of dynamic balance between the
sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, is almost abnormally wider in yogis than
in ordinary persons. “ He postulated that the feats performed by yogis, such as
control of involuntary muscles, were “support for the existence of the chakras in
that the activation and awakening of the chakras may have led to activation of the
autonomic nerves and the organs that are supposedly connected with the chakras.”
It might be of interest that Max Heindel stated that the human heart was
evolutionarily on its way of becoming as voluntarily controlled as the lungs.
It must be noted that, though Motoyama has studied much of what there is to know
about the bodies, he does not say that the different vortices are connected to
specific endocrine glands, but rather he supposes that entire systems mesh with the
chakras, such as the circulatory system with the heart chakra, & the respiratory
system
with
the
throat
chakra.
ConclusIon
Undoubtedly, Western science is steadily becoming more conscious of the truths
of which the mystics have long been speaking. Soon they could have the instruments
to clearly measure the fields of the subtle bodies and discover a plethora of
correspondences between their previous understanding of the body and the
spiritual truths of the ancients. Perhaps, with greater understanding of the
organizing principle that designs us, we will find greater alignment with a higher
will and come to the realization that we are perfectly playing our role in this
theatrical show. Though that may seem to say that we are but puppets attached to
strings of subtle energy, these strings are directed by none other than our true
essential self. This potent dawning realization of our bodies’ real capacities and
workings is one that grants great power, but it is not a power that will be used for
destruction because any true knowledge of self leads to an understanding of
oneness and Love. In the words of Motoyama, it is certain that further research into
this field “will lead to considerable change in our views of matter, of mind and body,
of human beings, and of the world itself.”
BIblIography
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Wheaton, IL
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York Beach, MA
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Connection, retrieved from http://www.healtouch.com/csft/life_energy.html on
March 16th, 2010
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Subiaco, WA
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John
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"The isolated knowledge obtained by a group of specialists in a narrow field has in
itself no value whatsoever, but only in its synthesis with all the rest of knowledge
and only inasmuch as it really contributes in this synthesis something toward
answering the demand; who are we?"
‐ Erwin Schrödinger,
Science and Humanism, 1952