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February 5, 2016

The real story on the Chakras

Tantrik yoga

THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW

ABOUT THE CHAKRAS

Over the past hundred years, the concept of the chakras, or subtle energy centers
within the body, has seized the Western imagination more than virtually any other
teaching from the Yoga tradition. Yet, as with most other concepts deriving from TANTRA ILLUMINATED - JOIN
ME FOR RETREATS AND
Sanskrit sources, the West (barring a handful of scholars) has almost totally failed ONLINE COURSES
to come to grips with what the chakra-concept meant in its original context and
how one is supposed to practice with them. This post seeks to rectify that situation
to some extent. If you're short on time, you can skip the contextual comments I'm
about to make and go straight to the list of the six fundamental facts about the
chakras that modern yogis don't know.

First off, how do we define ‘chakra’? In the Tantrik traditions, from which the
concept derives, chakras (Skt. cakra) are focal points for meditation within the
human body, visualized as structures of energy resembling discs or flowers at TAKE MY RECOGNITION
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those points where a number of nāḍīs (channels or meridians) converge. They are
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conceptual structures yet are phenomenologically based, since they tend to be
located where human beings experience emotional and/or spiritual energy, and
since the form in which they are visualized reflects visionary experiences had by
meditators.

(Above I said that the West has so far failed to understand chakras. Let me clarify
that by ‘the West’ I mean not only Euro-American culture but also the aspects of
modern Indian culture that are informed by the Euro-American cultural matrix.
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Since at this point it is nearly impossible to find a form of yoga in India not
influenced by Euro-American ideas about it, when I use the term 'Western' I also
include most of the teachings on yoga in India today that exist in the English Sign up here to stay
language.) connected.

Okay, I'll give it to you straight: for the most part, Western yoga understands First Name
almost nothing about the chakras that the original tradition thought was
important about them. You see, if you read a book like Anodea Judith’s famous Last Name
Wheels of Life or suchlike, it's important to realize that you are not reading a work
of yoga philosophy but of Western occultism, based on three main sources: 1) Email Address
earlier works of Western occultism that borrow and adapt Sanskrit terms without
really understanding them (like Theosophist C.W. Leadbeater’s The Chakras, 1927); SIGN UP
2) John Woodroffe’s flawed 1918 translation of a text on the chakras written in
Sanskrit in 1577 (see below for more on this); and 3) 20th-century books by Indian
yoga gurus which are themselves mostly based on sources 1) and 2). Books on the
In his own words
chakras based on sound comprehension of the original Sanskrit sources so far Hareesh

exist only in the academic world.

‘But does that matter?’ yogis ask me. ‘I've benefited so much from Anodea Judith’s
Audio book Track
book and others like it, don't take that away from me!’ I won’t and I can’t.
Whatever benefit you’ve received, from whatever source, is real if you say it is.
I’m just here to tell you two things: first, that when modern Western authors on  Blogpage RSS
the chakras imply they are presenting ancient teachings, they’re deceiving you—
but they don’t know that they are, because they can’t assess the validity of their own
Near
source materials (since they don’t read Sanskrit). Second, for those who are
enemies
interested, I'm here to let you know a little bit about what yogic concepts mean in
to the
their original context (because I'm a Sanskrit scholar, and a practitioner who
happens to prefer the traditional forms). Only you can assess whether that is of
truth
any benefit to you. I’m not claiming that older is intrinsically better. I’m not trying the
to imply there’s no spiritual value to Western occultism. I’m just approximating recognition
the historical truth in simple English words as best I can. So I’ll get on with it now: sutras
the six fundamental facts about the chakras that modern yogis don't know. Abhinavagupta
1. THERE'S NOT JUST ONE CHAKRA SYSTEM IN THE ORIGINAL
awakening
T R A D I T I O N , T H E R E A R E M A N Y. cakra
So many! The theory of the subtle body and its energy centers called cakras (or shaivism
padmas (lotuses), ādhāras, lakṣyas (focal points), etc.) comes from the tradition of chakra
Tantrik Yoga, which flourished from 600-1300 CE, and is still alive today. In mature samskaras
Tantrik Yoga (after the year 900 or so), every one of the many branches of the
tantra
tradition articulated a different chakra system, and some branches articulated
illuminated
more than one. Five-chakra systems, six-chakra systems, seven, nine, ten, twelve,
twenty-one and more chakras are taught, depending on what text and what
tantra
lineage you’re looking at. The seven- (or, technically, 6 + 1) chakra system that
Liberation
Western yogis know about is just one of many, and it became dominant around the
15th century (see point #4 below). May 2015

Now, I know what you're thinking—‘But which system is right? How many chakras The Recognition Sūtras
are there really?’ And that brings us to our first major misunderstanding. The
chakras aren't like organs in the physical body; they aren't fixed facts that we can
June 2015
study like doctors study neural ganglia (with which the chakras were confused in
the nineteenth century). The energy body (sūkshma-sharīra) is an extraordinarily definition of the word
fluid reality, as we should expect of anything nonphysical and supersensuous. The TANTRA
energy body can present, experientially speaking, with any number of energy A 10-cakra system from
centers, depending on the person and the yogic practice they're performing. an 800-year-old text

The 10-cakra system

Having said that, there are a few centers which are found in all systems: from "Jewel-mine of
specifically, in the lower belly or sexual center, in the heart, and in or near the Music" - Part 2 of 2
crown of the head, since these are three places in the body where humans all over The purpose of the
the world experience both emotional and spiritual phenomena. But apart from spiritual life (it ain't what
those three, there’s a huge variety in the chakra systems we find in the original ya think). Part One.

literature. One is not more ‘right’ than another, except relative to a specific
practice. For example, if you're doing a five-element practice, you use a five-chakra
July 2015
system (see point #6 below). If you're internalizing the energy of six different
deities, you use a six-chakra system. Duh, right? But this crucial bit of information The purpose of the
has not yet reached Western yoga. spiritual life PART TWO

Definition of spiritual
We've only just started down this rabbit hole, Alice. Wanna learn more? awakeness

Do we really have the

2. THE CHAKRA SYSTEMS ARE PRESCRIPTIVE, NOT DESCRIPTIVE. power of choice? Part
One.
This might be the most important point. English sources tend to present the
Do we really have the
chakra system as an existential fact, using descriptive language (like “the
power of choice? Part
mūlādhāra chakra is at the base of the spine and it is red” and so on). But in most Two.
of the original Sanskrit sources, we are not being taught about the way things are,
What is Shaivism?
we are being given a specific yogic practice: we are to visualize a subtle object
Tantrik philosophy for
made of colored light, shaped like a lotus or a spinning wheel, at a specific point in
the layperson: What is
the body, and then activate mantric syllables in it, for a specific purpose. When you the cause of liberation?
understand this, point #1 above makes more sense. The texts are prescriptive —
The Power of the Word:
they tell what you ought to do to achieve a specific goal by mystical means. When double meanings in the
the literal Sanskrit reads, in its elliptical fashion, ‘four-petaled red lotus at the Tantraaloka
base of the body’ we are supposed to understand ‘The yogī ought to visualize a Light on Tantra:
four-petaled lotus . . .’ See point #5 below for more on this. Tantraaloka 1.1-21

3 . T H E P S Y C H O L O G I C A L S TAT E S A S S O C I AT E D W I T H T H E C H A K R A S A R E
C O M P L E T E LY M O D E R N A N D W E S T E R N .
August 2015
On countless websites and in countless books, we read that the mūlādhāra chakra is
On Bondage and
associated with survival & safety, that maṇipūra chakra is associated with Liberation: Tantraloka
willpower & self-esteem, and so on. The educated yogi should know that all 1.22-51
associations of the chakras with psychological states is a modern Western What is Tantra?: Setting
innovation that started with Carl Jung. Perhaps such associations represent the record straight
experiential realities for some people (though usually not without priming), but The Nature of Reality:
we certainly don’t find them in the Sanskrit sources. There’s only one exception Tantraloka 1.52-57
I’m aware of, and that is the 10-chakra system for yogi-musicians that I’ve done a The mind: it's not what
blog post on. But in that thirteenth-century system, we do not find each chakra you think it is
associated with a specific emotion or psychological state; rather, each petal of each
lotus-chakra is associated with a distinct emotion or psychological state, and there
seems to be no pattern by which we could create a label for the chakra as a whole. September 2015

The Nature of God:

But that’s not all. Nearly all the many associations found in Anodea Judith’s Wheels
Tantraaloka 1.59-69
of Life have no basis in the Indian sources. Each chakra, Judith tells us, is associated
Deity Yoga: a Tantrik
with a certain bodily gland, certain bodily malfunctions, certain foods, a certain
Technology
metal, a mineral, an herb, a planet, a path of yoga, a suit of the tarot, a sephira of
The transmission of
Jewish mysticism, and an archangel of Christianity! None of these associations are
Tantra: an interview with
found in the original sources. Judith or her teachers created them based on Hareesh (Part 1 of 3)
perceived similarities. That goes also for the essential oils and crystals that other
The transmission of
books and websites claim correspond to each chakra. (I should note that Judith Tantra: an interview with
does feature some information from an original Sanskrit source [that is, the Ṣaṭ- Hareesh (Part 2 of 3)
cakra-nirūpaṇa, for which see below] under the label ‘Lotus Symbols’ for each The transmission of
chakra.) Tantra: an interview with
Hareesh (part 3 of 3)
This is not to say that putting a certain kind of crystal on your belly when you’re
The Nature of God/dess:
having self-esteem issues and imagining it purifying your maṇipūra chakra might Tantraaloka 1.68-81
not help you feel better. Maybe it will, depending on the person. While this What does 'energy'
practice is certainly not traditional, and has not been tested over generations mean?
(which is the whole point of tradition, really), god knows there’s more on heaven God is the Self: the secret
and earth than is dreamt of in my rationalist brain. teaching of the
Trishirobhairava
But, in my view, people should know when the pedigree of a practice is a few
decades, not centuries. If a practice has value, then you don’t need to falsify its
provenance, right? October 2015

The power of subtle

impressions (samskaara
Hey there—do you like this post? Do you want learn more? Then please sign up
theory)
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November 2015
4 . T H E S E V E N - C H A K R A S Y S T E M P O P U L A R T O D AY D E R I V E S N O T F R O M
Three Ways to Freedom
A N A N C I E N T S C R I P T U R E , B U T F R O M A T R E AT I S E W R I T T E N I N 1 5 7 7 .
How your view of the self
The chakra system Western yogis follow is that found in a Sanskrit text written by determines the extent of
a guy named Pūrṇānanda Yati. He completed his text (the Ṣaṭ-chakra-nirūpaṇa or your liberation
'Explanation of the Six Chakras', which is actually chapter six of a larger work) in
the year 1577, and it was translated into English exactly 100 years ago, in 1918.
December 2015
In an earlier version of this post, I called this seven-chakra system ‘late and
The Five Koshas and the
somewhat atypical’. But after a few days, I realized that I was mistaken—a simpler
Five-Layered Self: a
version of the same seven-chakra system is found in a thirteenth-century Comparison
postscriptural text called the Śāradā-tilaka, though that text does plainly
Who was Abhinava
acknowledge that there are multiple chakra systems (such as systems of 12 or 16 Gupta?
chakras). We also find a more elaborate version of the same system in the
Abhinava Gupta's
fourteenth- or fifteenth-century Śiva-samhitā. However, most yogis (both Indian writings
and Western) know the seven-chakra system through Pūrṇānanda’s sixteenth-
The Divine Name:
century work, or rather, through the somewhat incoherent and confusing Bhairava (Tantraaloka
translation of it, done by John Woodroffe in 1918. Still, it's true enough to say that 1.95-100)
this seven-chakra system has been dominant for the last four or five centuries. But The Divine Names: Deva,
it’s also true that the Westernized seven-chakra system you know is based on Pati, Shiva (Tantraaloka
early-twentieth-century occultists’ interpretation of a flawed translation of a 1.101-5)

nonscriptural source. This by no means invalidates it, but rather serves to

problematize its hegemony.
January 2016
Note that Tantric Buddhism (e.g., of Tibet) often preserves older forms, and indeed
What You Really Want
the five-chakra system is dominant in that tradition (as well as the more
The Pure Motive
fundamental three-bindu system). For a typical five-chakra system as found in
classical Tantra, see page 387 of my book, Tantra Illuminated. Universal Patterns of
Energy (Tantraaloka
1.106-116)

5. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF A CHAKRA SYSTEM IS TO FUNCTION AS A The Essence of the

T E M P L AT E F O R N Y Ā S A — I N S TA L L AT I O N O F M A N T R A S A N D D E I T I E S . Teachings on the Highest
Truth
As far as the original authors were concerned, the main purpose of any chakra
system was to function as a template for nyāsa, which means the installation of
mantras and deity-energies at specific points of the subtle body. So, though February 2016
millions of people are fascinated with the chakras today, almost none of those
people are using them for their intended purpose. That’s okay. Again, I’m not here The real story on the
Chakras
to make anyone wrong, just to educate the folks who are interested.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga?
The most outstanding features of the chakra systems in the original sources are . . . Think Again.

these three: 1) that the mystical sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet are distributed Understanding energy
across the ‘petals’ of all the chakras in the system, 2) that each chakra is associated leaks; or, Seven Ways to
keep your Mojo
with a specific Great Element (Earth, Water, FIre, Wind, and Space) and 3) that
each chakra is associated with a specific Hindu deity or deities. This is because the
chakra system is, as I said, primarily a template for nyāsa. In nyāsa (lit., ‘placing’), March 2016
you visualize a specific mantric syllable in a specific location in a specific chakra in
your energy body while silently intoning its sound. Why spiritual growth
does not lead to
enlightenment
Clearly, this practice is embedded in a culturally-specific context in which the
Awareness is everything
sounds of the Sanskrit language are seen as uniquely powerful vibrations that can
form an effective part of a mystical practice that brings about spiritual liberation The creative power of
awareness
or worldly benefits through magical means. Invoking the image and energy of a
specific deity into a specific chakra is also culturally-specific, though if Western The Recognition Sutras:
the story of a miracle
yogis come to understand what those deities stand for, the practice could
potentially be meaningful for them as well, though probably never as meaningful
as for someone who grew up with those deities as paradigmatic icons emblazoned April 2016
on their subconscious minds.
Reality is a co-creation
The so-called Cause-deities (karana-devatās) figure largely in every chakra system.
You are the universe
These deities form a fixed sequence: from the lowest chakra to the highest, they
are Ganesh, Brahmā, Vishnu, Rudra, Īśvara, Sadāśiva, and Bhairava, with the first
and last of these often not appearing, depending on the number of chakras. The May 2016
last deity in the list of Cause-deities is never the ultimate deity of the given
system, for that deity (whoever it is) is enthroned in the sahasrāra or thousand- The true nature of the
mind
petalled lotus on the crown of the head (which technically is not a chakra, since
chakras by definition are pierced by Kuṇḍalinī in her ascent or descent, whereas The dangers of duality

the sahasrāra is her final destination and home). Therefore, Bhairava (the most
esoteric form of Shiva) is only included in the list of Cause-deities when he is June 2016
transcended by the Goddess, the latter being the ultimate deity in many of these
systems. When things fall apart

How the one becomes

many
6 . T H E S E E D - M A N T R A S T H AT Y O U T H I N K G O W I T H T H E C H A K R A S
A C T U A L LY G O W I T H T H E E L E M E N T S T H AT H A P P E N T O B E I N S TA L L E D I N
THOSE CHAKRAS.
July 2016
This is simpler than it sounds. You’ve been told that the seed-mantra (bīja) of the
mūlādhāra chakra is LAM. Well, it’s not. Not in any Sanskrit source, not even in God is an Actor
Pūrṇānanda’s somewhat garbled syncretic account. And the mantra of Yoga philosophy, race,
svādhiṣṭhāna chakra is not VAM. Wait, what? and 'colorblindness'

How yoga can turn a jerk

It’s simple: LAM (rhymes with ‘thumb’) is the seed-mantra of the Earth element, which into an even bigger jerk
in most chakra visualization practices is installed in the mūlādhāra. VAM is the
seed-mantra of the Water element, which is installed in svādhiṣṭhāna (at least, in
August 2016
the seven-chakra system you know about). And so on: RAM is the syllable for Fire,
YAM for Wind, and HAM for Space. (All these bījas rhyme with 'thumb'; though I Remake/remodel: four
should note that in esoteric Tantrik Yoga, the elemental bījas actually have points on the reinvention
different vowel sounds which are thought to be much more powerful.) of the guru-disciple
relationship in the West
So the main point is that the fundamental mantras associated with the first five What 'spiritual
chakras on every website you can Google actually do not belong to those chakras awakening' really means
per se, but rather to the five Elements installed in them. This is important to
know if you ever want to install one of those elements in a different place. “Gasp! I
September 2016
can do that?” Totally. In fact, in different Tantrik lineages, we find the Elements
installed in very different places. For example, the Saiddhāntika lineage installed Paradigms of Bhakti: the
Earth in the heart chakra. What do you think might be the effect on your South Indian Poet-Saints
relationships of always installing the Wind element in the heart center? How to Be Happy
(Remember, YAM is the mantra of Air/Wind, not of the anāhata chakra, whose
intrinsic mantra is actually OM.) D’you ever notice that modern American yogis
have really unstable relationships? Could that possibly be connected to repeatedly October 2016
invoking Wind on the level of the heart? Nahhh….. (I can be funny now because
Will the real Vijñaana-
only a small percentage of my readers have made it down this far.) So maybe you
bhairava please stand up?
want to install some Earth in the heart sometime, cuz grounding is good for your
How to know that You
heart. In that case, it’s kinda handy to know that LAM is the Earth element mantra, are God
not the mūlādhāra-chakra mantra.

Furthermore, most of the geometric figures associated with the chakras today also November 2016
properly belong to the Elements. Earth is traditionally represented by a (yellow)
square, Water by a (silvery) crescent moon, Fire by a downward-pointing (red) Patañjali's yoga and its
Tantrik reinvention
triangle, Wind by a hexagram or six-pointed star, and Space by a circle. So when
you see those figures inscribed in illustrations of the chakras, you now know that
they actually are representations of those respective Elements, not of a geometry
December 2016
inherent in the chakra itself.
The most intimate part of
This brings me to my last point: even a Sanskrit source can be confused. For you
example, in Pūrṇānanda's 16th-century text that is the basis of the popular
modern chakra system, the five Elements are installed in the first five chakras of a
seven-chakra system. But this doesn't really work, because in all the classical January 2017
systems, Space element is installed at the crown of the head, since that is where
Becoming Undivided
the yogī experiences an expansive opening into infinite spaciousness. Space is the
The liberating power of
element that merges into the infinite, so it has to be at or near the crown. I would
your sadness
speculate that Pūrṇānanda placed Space at the throat chakra because he lived at a
time of increasing dogmatic adherence to the received tradition without critical
reflection (a trend which sadly has continued), and the tradition he received was a February 2017
Kaula one in which the classical Cause-deities got shoved down to make room for
The truth about 'where
later, higher deities (specifically Bhairava and the Goddess), and the elements
things are heading'
were uncritically kept fused to the deities and chakras with which they were
previously associated. (Having said that, the fact that Pūrṇānanda was drawing on
Kaula sources is not obvious, because instead of enthroning the Goddess at the March 2017
sahasrāra as we would expect in a Kaula seven-chakra system, we find there
Paramaśiva, possibly due to the influence of Vedānta. See the questions and The only real limitation
is self-limitation
answers in the comments section for more on this.)

We’ve barely scratched the surface of this subject. No, I’m not kidding. It’s really
April 2017
complex, as you can gather by taking a look at the scholarly literature, like Dory
Heilijgers-Seelen’s work, or Gudrun Bühnemann’s. It takes uncommon patience Finding the spacious
and focus to even read such work, let alone produce it. So here’s what I hope will ground within
be the result of this post: some humility. A few less claims to authority when it And then there is a turn .
comes to really esoteric subjects. Maybe a few less yoga teachers trying to tell ..
their students what the chakras are all about. Heck, I’m humbled by the The Fire Within
complexity of the original sources, and that’s with fourteen years of Sanskrit Attaining Your Innate
under my belt. Power

This is still mostly uncharted territory. So when it comes to the chakras, don’t
claim you know. Tell your yoga students that every book on the chakras presents May 2017
only one possible model. Virtually nothing written in English is really
authoritative for practitioners of yoga. So why not hold more gently the beliefs Embodied Liberation: the
goal of Tantrik Yoga
you've acquired about yoga, even while you keep learning? Let’s admit we don't
Expanding the Center
fully understand these ancient yoga practices yet; and instead of seeking to be an
authority on some oversimplified version of them, you can invite yourself and
your students to look more clearly, more honestly, more carefully, and more non-
June 2017
judgmentally at their own inner experience.
Tantrik Shaiva
After all, everything that every yoga master ever experienced is in you, too. Philosophy in Context

~~~
July 2017
Postscript: This post is getting a wider circulation than I'm used to, and some
people who don't know me interpret my wry tone as arrogance or sarcasm. In fact, On the Importance of
I’m a real softie at heart. Please read my bio so that you can assess my Truth in the Spiritual Life
qualifications to make the statements that I do.

I'm given a comprehensive course on this subject! Sign up here. August 2017

~~~ Near Enemy #5: Listen to

your heart
Join me at Tantra Illuminated for more teachings!

September 2017

Near Enemy #12:

Negative energy

October 2017

Near Enemy #6: Love

yourself

November 2017

Near Enemy #10: You

create your own reality

January 2018

Near Enemy #3: I want to

be my best self

February 2018

Near Enemy #2: Speaking

your truth

March 2018

The Blossoming of Innate

Awareness

What distinguishes
Tantra?

A 17th-century image of several chakras from Nepāl.

April 2018

How Tantrik Ritual

Works (TA 1 cont’d)

Tagged: cakra, chakra, mantra

 769 Likes  Share May 2018

Near Enemy #4: Be in the

present moment
COMMENTS (443) Newest First

July 2018

The Essence of Tantra:

Introduction

Whatever god you

Preview Post Comment… worship, you’re really
worshipping Awareness
(TA 1 cont'd)

Eddie 2 weeks ago · 0 Likes

August 2018
Good stuff Thanks for the information!
The Modes of Realization
Not surprised at all either not in the slightest bit.
(Tantrasaara chapter 1)

Helen Slater A month ago · 0 Likes

September 2018

The nature of awareness

Makes sense, like the invitation for individual experiences of the chakra (Tantraloka 1 cont'd)
system The Pathless Path
(Tantrasaara Chapter 2)

Joseph Lofthouse A month ago · 0 Likes October 2018

TANTRALOKA 29: The

Thank you! The western chakra system never worked for me. Now I
kula-yaga, or secret
understand why. It was trying to force me into a pre-determined path, sexual ritual of original
rather than fulfilling my particular needs on a particular day. Tantra (part 1 of 12)

January 2019
Aguy 2 months ago · 0 Likes
The Divine Method
(Tantrasaara Chapter
I don't know anything about chakras, but I like this scholarship and truth Three, Part 1)
seeking mindset. Well done !

February 2019
Nenslo 2 months ago · 0 Likes The Empowered Method
(Tantrasaara Chapter
Four, Part 1)
It is also interesting to note that it was the Alchemist Isaac Newton who
The Embodied Method
standardized (created) the seven elements color spectrum, another merging
(Tantrasaara Chapter
of Western occultism into the chakra system. Five, Part 1)

March 2019
Adriana 4 months ago · 0 Likes

The Mystical Meaning of

Sanskrit (Tantrasaara
Thank you for the greatly informative article!
Chapter Three, Part 2)
I am interested to subscribe to the course but the link is not working. Hope
there is a way I can still subscribe.
Namaste April 2019

The Ways to Liberation

(Tantraloka 1 cont'd)
Paigec 4 months ago · 0 Likes
Why Yoga Doesn't Work .
. . and Why it Does
(Tantrasaara Chapter
Thanks for this. I'm new to both Yoga and Meditation and trying to learn as
Four, Part 2)
much as I can to simply have a healthier mind, body, and spirit.
I also worry about cultural appropriation. I hope by learning more I'm
appreciating the practice with good intentions and honoring those who May 2019
brought it to be.
How a Nondual Tantrika
Practices (Tantrasaara
Chapter Four, Part 3)
Louise 5 months ago · 0 Likes Elevating the Prana
(Tantrasaara Chapter
Five, Part 2)
Thank you. I do not resonate with the modern chakra system either. I hate
actively looking for something that supports my opinion. We can all "find"
research that supports the way we think. But I know I am in the minority June 2019
opinion when i say i do no resonate with the modern chakra system and it is
refreshing to read the article How Awareness
Expresses (Tantrasaara
Chapter Three, Part 3)

Marged 7 months ago · 0 Likes

July 2019

Exactly, I was thinking about how Sharangadeva described the 7 chakra The Aspects of the
system in his Sangitaratnakara and actually related it to the 7 music notes! Goddess (Tantrasaara
Chapter Four, Part 4)

CaAtherine 7 months ago · 0 Likes August 2019

Cherishing your own

Thank you for an informative post! You've inspired me to delve further. radiant beauty
(Tantrasaara Chapter
Four, Part 5)

Yinwithlotus 8 months ago · 0 Likes

September 2019
I need to tell you for the longest time, I didnt get the modern chakra system The Rite of the Phonemes
and theory that are in most yoga teacher training. I am so glad i finally found (Tantrasaara Chapter
your blog! Five, Part 3)

October 2019
Kay 8 months ago · 0 Likes
The Stanzas on Pulsation
(Spanda-karika), First
I have signed up and look forward to learning more. I have questions too! I Flow
have long held a belief that translations of ancient texts has missed some
aspects which were never meant to be "lost" or sort of titled to become
perhaps more palatable for individuals getting introduced to concepts November 2019
unfamiliar. This I theorize leads to disconnection rather than union. thank The Stanzas on Pulsation
you for sharing. (Spanda-karika), Second
Flow

David 8 months ago · 0 Likes January 2020

The Stanzas on Pulsation

It’s such a privilege to be able to take in your expertise on the subject of
(Spanda-karika), Third
chakras from a knowledge of primary sources. Thank you for sharing. Flow

February 2020
David Barry 9 months ago · 0 Likes

Near Enemy #1: Follow

your bliss
Very brilliant account. There are many interpretations of many traditions. It
helps if we can be guided to the most authentic. Taoism has the same
problems with often contradictory information given by different "Masters"! March 2020

Near Enemy #13: "Energy

healing"
Samantha 9 months ago · 0 Likes

Thank you for the insight! Are there any authors/texts/books you can
April 2020
suggest that teach/share (somewhat) knowledge of the Chakra systems, not
The Teachings of the
in a Western occultism way or understanding? It's been really challenging Lord of Wisdom
finding anything other than the westernized teachings on Chakras. (Jnaneshwar's discourse
on yogic meditation)

Christine 10 months ago · 0 Likes May 2020

An Introduction to the
This is amazing, it has been so hard to find out what’s really going on with Goddess Paraa . . . and A
the whole Chakra movement right now. So I am very happy to have found Little Light on Our
your blog. It explains so much. You also treat it in a very unbiased way , I Essence-nature

suppose respecting the power of the placebo effect. So much history that
finally someone has read in the original language! Thank you. I shall
June 2020
continue to wear my chakra bracelet and use certain oils for my ‘chakra
imbalances’. It’s fascinating that the seed sounds refer to the elements not The Principles of Reality
the chakras, that makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks again for sharing your and the Seed-Mantra of
Goddess Parā
research freely.

September 2020
Bonnie 10 months ago · 1 Like
Near Enemy #14: I am my
own guru
Wow, it was like you were speaking directly to me in a class on many
questions I had about chakras, yoga, sound, elements, colors, essential oils
when it comes to being a teacher and therapist. This article has brought November 2020
much clarity to me and also has given me some additional knowledge and Near Enemy #15: All
tools that I can use to be a better yogini, teacher and therapist of the subtle paths lead to the same
body. I appreciate you and your many years of knowledge to add incite to my goal
own 28 years of inner journeying. _/_ Bonnie

January 2021

Maccidānanda Nātha 10 months ago · 0 Likes The Descent of Power

(Tantrasara Chapter 11)

Apology, neglected to also speak about the yogic anointing of अभिषेक

(abhiṣeka), which also belongs within (the pañca-mahā-bhūta of) आप April 2021
(Water).
The Secret Teachings of
the Yoginis

YoginOne 10 months ago · 0 Likes

June 2021
The Truths that are of the nature regarding the "pursuit" of the Eternal How is 'God' a Near
Substance, by the Soul that has become hungry ARE NOT FOR SALE, but Enemy of the Truth?
shared from the Heart, One to the other. Many are they that would offer a
promise of such things, and yet only One truly qualified would do so as I
December 2021
have described. And a lot more would you receive from such a One.
How to Recognize that
If one is in need of money, they should seek employment or other creative You are God (IPK 1.1.1-5)
means. In todays world, whether it be of the words of Christ, or proposed
revelations of new truths heretofore never before seen, what in fact I have
seen and still see in great measure, is essentially the prostituion of the Christ January 2022
by those of no real understanding or Knowing. One need only go within as
The Real Story on
the living Christ instructed to find what they seek and there is no need for a
Kundalini
bank card. Answers, by divine decree, will find their way to a hungry Soul. It
is inherent in Divine Law. It is the oldest of plays in the tricksters book of
moves, even since far before Babylon fell, to bait with tidbits of apparent February 2022
gold and fancy words of subtle seduction before it moves to "$69.99 please, if
The Stages of Awakening
more you seek." It is no more than a preying upon the desperation of the
hungry. The Nature of Reality

May 2022
Maccidānanda Nātha 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Vijnana-bhairava-tantra:
introduction and first
What do the five cakra’s and corresponding pañca-mahā-bhūta mean? two verses

Just because the cakra’s are shown mapped onto the Human body does not
mean that these actually exist in the human body. June 2022

What is one suggesting? Vijñana-bhairava-tantra

verse 3: what is the
Think of the five cakra’s as the attainment of siddhis (which like mile stones) nature of reality?
mark the path along one’s spiritual progression.

What does this mean? July 2022

पृथ्वी (Earth): One will see shimmering light at dawn and at dusk. Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
verses 4, 5, & 6
आप (Water): One will feel the energy of moving water.

अग्नन (Fire): One will perceive the light (in śāmbhavī mudra) August 2022

वायु (Air): One will experience the energy of the breath A Path of Pure Radiance:
the Krama Lineage
आकाश (Ether): Disembodied in the breathless state, as pure energy, one’s Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
lucid consciousness in the vehicle of the light-body, will cross over the verses 7-16: Bhairava's
threshold of life-and-death into the shining womb of all creation Answer

Karnataka: the Land of

Yoga

John 11 months ago · 0 Likes

September 2022
Excellent information. Thank you. Could you provide a reference for your
The Kaula-sutras
statement about the psychological associations being an innovation of Carl
Jung? I actually think it's an excellent innovation for our current Western
culture, to re-imagine the mythology of the ancient chakra systems as November 2022
modern psychology, that is, to make it relevant to our lives today.
Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
verses 16-21: the relation
of Shiva & Shakti
Anna 11 months ago · 0 Likes

December 2022
Thank you so much. A much needed clarification
Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
verses 22-27: the
foundational practice
Mel A year ago · 0 Likes

January 2023
Thank you so much ! It makes so much sense ! I finally understand all my
doubts and feelings that weren't in alignement with what is traditionally Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
taught. It's so important to go back to the ancients sources and to keep some verse 28: the Central
discernment and humility. It's so refreshing to see that there are other Channel
people that like to dive deeper in all of this amazing and never ending
learning :-) Knowledge and learning are not for installing Dogma but for
February 2023
discussion, experience and further research :-)
The Twelve Kalis: Part
One

Nics A year ago · 0 Likes The Twelve Kalis: Part

Two

Thank you 🙏 the internet needs more sources like you! The Twelve Kalis: Part
Three

July 2023
Tina A year ago · 0 Likes

The Sutras of the

Intoxicated Lord
Wow, I think this is a really amazing and thoughtful post - I cannot see any
arrogance in it at all. You have clearly stated your reasoning as well as your
sources. It was an eye opener - thank you for your effort 🙏 August 2023

What is the original

Kundalini Yoga?
Tantrik Studies 10 months ago · 0 Likes

thank you! October 2023

Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
verses 29-30: the Twelve
Chakras
Klara A year ago · 0 Likes

I loved reading this. So kind and compassonate. And the ending with the November 2023
being humble, less knowing and non judgemental. Very beautiful. Is there
Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
any books you can order online that share these kinds of wisdom on the
vedic / tantra culture and chakras? 😊 verse 31: the Khechari
mudra

Vijñaana-bhairava-
tantra: translation
concordance, Part 1
Ms. Varhall A year ago · 0 Likes

I want to make a slight correction to what I just wrote to say that after the December 2023
throat I felt it at the spot between my eyes and then the top of my head as I
Vijñaana-bhairava-
left the body.
tantra: translation
concordance, Part 2

The Shiva Sutras

Ms. Varhall A year ago · 0 Likes

February 2024
I am hoping you can answer a question for me. I am not a new-age person
but had what I interpreted as an experience of the chakras when I had a Vijñana-bhairava-tantra
near-death experience at age 16. I had a brain aneurysm, which is super verse 32: merging the
sensual spaces
painful and feels like the worst headache ever. It was so painful I literally
thought my head was going to explode. It did, in a way, in that I felt an
incredible release as my consciousness left my body through the top of my
head. Prior to leaving my body, however, I had the experience of feeling
swirling energy moving upwards through the center of my body. It happened
slowly and sequentially, and was felt in particular spots. The spot where I
felt it most intensely was at my throat. After I felt this moving energy at my
throat I then felt it at the top of my head and then left the body. I knew
nothing about chakras because I was only 16 and had never been exposed to
anything other than Christianity. I have never heard of anyone else having
this experience associated with dying. I came across a book on the chakras
and thought to myself, ah ha! So that's what that was! This blog, however,
makes it sound as though the chakras are not a fixed thing but a
visualization practice. Did I not have an activation of the chakras in my
experience?

Jason Read A year ago · 1 Like

Interesting and totally agree, we're paying the price of theosophy in many
New Age expressions of chakras.
I had the fortune of being in Shri Vidya, where there are nine centres 😊🙏

Marisa A year ago · 1 Like

Your article is very valuable to me and I am very grateful you took the time
to write it.

Paul A year ago · 0 Likes

Excellent article, thankyou.

Carrie A year ago · 0 Likes

Thank you for writing this article!

Charlie A year ago · 0 Likes

Thank you SO very much. Gratitude. The way you lay it all out is perfect,
makes so much sense, and of course it is par for the course in the way that so
much truth is often lost and led astray over the ages with even the most well
intentioned of us, an ancient game of telephone gone awry.. as it often does
in human hands, time and time again! I find it is all actually quite a relief to
realize all this as I digest mentally and prepare to integrate this info into my
own life, it speaks to one’s intuition, and is ultimately very freeing and
empowering, as it allows and paves the way for more excitement and
undefined spiritual discoveries just waiting to be explored and experienced
by one’s self, as they are intended to be.

Many thanks!!!

Jess 2 years ago · 0 Likes

This is amazing thank you so much for taking the time to write this this is
awesome

A 2 years ago · 0 Likes

I live for information like this. Thank you for doing the good work.

Ina 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thank you, it answers lots of my questions about my work. I work with

energies in and around the body. Clearing one part of the energy or let
stagnant energy flow again is actually connected to different parts in the
energy system where a different chakra would normally sit. But that chakra
does not even belongs to what it is representing. I love the idea of floating
chakras. I always followed my intuition so far. I was looking for a chakra
system which I could use for teaching about energies when I found your
explanation. Well done and very well explained! Thanks 😁

Turquoise Coleman 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks so much for This is very interesting info... It just illustrates how
things evolve and adapt to fit the consciousness it serves.. As a Tantrica my
experience with the Chakras has been over 20 years and I actually had a
dream with a symbol .. a YANTRA and a Mantra with the Chakras .. which
turned out to be an amazing breath technique.. Whats interesting about the
Beja Mantras is that they are actually great spiritual ( body, mind,soul)
alignment tools..and the results are amazing with the an experienced and
purpose.. !! So in the end its about consciousness and purpose and dear I say
perception? .. Things like this happens all the time throughout history ..I
have used the 7 Chakras in my healing and manifesting sessions ..They are
invaluable.. and im so grateful to the Vedhas and Budhas who tapped into
the Chakra energy and brought them to our attention.. I believe their
discovery was inevitable .. I love working with the CHAKRA SYSTEM and its a
YES from me!!! But I really enjoyed reading the history .. Im always
interested in traditional Tantric stuff ..SAT NAM !

Barbara Ruth Campbell 2 years ago · 1 Like

I cannot thank you enough for this article/blog post. It's succinct,
extraordinarily well written, and your research is impeccable! I had a
strange experience with two women massage therapists who INSISTED that
they could SEE my chakras and that the colors were all wrong. My throat was
a bright red, etc. The older of the two (mother/daughter) said something I
have NEVER heard (both reiki practitioners). Sarah claimed that qi/ki is like
eggs. You're only born with so many and when qi is depleted you die.
NO. Never heard that before. Studied medical qigong. Sounds like BS.
So I search and I found brilliant blogger who is a corporate attorney and
expert in the occult who just happens to be of Chinese descent and knows
her cultural heritage. https://benebellwen.com/2018/06/06/is-reiki-
bullshit/
Well, I tried sharing that with a friend locally who is a self-professed Wiccan
and CERTIFIED reiki practitioner - her teacher is in Great Britain so that
makes it "special". I told her what the ladies said and she screamed fraud.
NO, NO the chakras spin - they are ALWAYS the same color.
BUT, I said (I have Tibetan empowerments from the late Penor Rimpoche),
and I've been studying Hinduism for most of my life - but but the whole 6-7
chakras is myth. The - and she cut me off.
It is interesting how fanatics scream "cultural appropriation" but when you
steal a concept from the Vedas or the Puranas or a sutra, eh, it's free reign.
My friend also said she had NO interest in the occult or left hand path -
didn't even know what I was talking about and I should throw out my books.
BAD energy you know.
My own blog which I will not insert here - this is NOT about me - tries to
dispel all this Blavatsky garbage but you did a far better job than I ever
could.
THANK YOU! I will be posting a blog recommending your work to everyone I
know. They will probably never speak to me again.
MYTH busters are not welcome at Goddess Fest!

CrowMoves 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Another great article of Hareesh. Yes Yogic teachings, especially the so

called Tantric ones have become less clear and more confusing over the
centuries, so lets see if we can sweep the floor a bit more.
The experience of Space or Spaciousness is not an objectifiable one, because
space does not exist. Space is the absence of something manifesting within
consciousness. Darkness is the absence of reflected light and silence is the
absence of soundwaves travelling towards a point of perception. Sound
needs a medium to travel through, so since the universe is filled with sound
and light and space is not a medium, it is logic to reason that space does not
exist and we would do well to go back to the more practical use of the word
ether. Space doesn't do anything, doesn't change anything except making
you belief in stuff. We know by know that space is not empty, but really full.
A shadow is not a thing that exist either and therefore does not cause
cooling, its the absence of solar radiation. A wave is not a thing, but what
something does... Sound and Light are not emissions, not little packages of
bundled sound and light that hit your eyes and ears, but perturbations or the
hysteresis of a medium. Nicola Tesla already pointed out that Light is like a
soundwave in the ether. The ether is a real thing, but only reveals itself to us
when disturbed. If we apply this knowledge to our spiritual practice we
might run into a couple of interesting discoveries.

Nina 2 years ago · 0 Likes

I'm a yoga student and teacher and never connected with the one size fits all
rainbow chakra model. The more I thought about it, the less it seemed to
connect with what I was learning about the rich history of yoga. Your post
has cleared up so much and made chakras so much more interesting and
alive to me, and makes me want to study the subject in this way more
accurate context! The idea that they're prescriptive rather than descriptive,
and are something to be practiced actively and creatively instead of just
dogmatically believed really made it click.

Bee 2 years ago · 0 Likes

This is really well written and a HUGE eye opener, so THANK you.

Bonnie S 2 years ago · 0 Likes

I appreciate the distinction between the chakras and the practices

performed with/through them. Thanks!

I never knew anything about chakras until I received information in a recent

transmission. The info I received matches pretty well with what others told
me they received in recent transmissions. It includes colors, but I don't
believe the colors were even part of the original chakra practices. Because
the color blue (concept and word) is much younger than 3500 years old. Look
it up!

I think what people fail to realize is that we (some of us anyhow) have been
evolving spiritually for thousands of years. Many of our souls have lived and
meditated over many lifetime. We can do and understand different things in
the chakras than was possible by the average practitioner in 1500 BCE. Our
mistake is expecting our specific experiences to be true in general.

There is a lot of spiritual insecurity going around. People get upset that
others seem to disregard the old teachings, and they don't understand why,
or how it could be a legitimate practice. It seems arrogant and disrespectful.
But at some point one recognizes that the inner teacher is the only true
teacher.

Ian C 2 years ago · 0 Likes

A very helpful article as I started to learn about this subject from energy
workers (who have my full confidence) and the books they recommended
left me confused, as it was very descriptive reading, not prescriptive. Thank
you Hareesh

m 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Meditating on the different chakras, different images and sensations appear.

Has this been studied? Circular sensation, heat sensation in a chakra?

Paul 2 years ago · 0 Likes

As a student of the late Professor BK Matilal at All Souls, I can appreciate the
difficultly of what you are attempting. For me, experience always returns me
to the beginning of unknowing.

Denise Moye 2 years ago · 0 Likes

I recently came across a theory that the 7 chakra system was put in place as
an artificial system to fracture and separate our energy and prevent our
spiritual evolution and that the true centres are the 3 dantain points? This
coincides with a video on gaia (cosmic disclosure) which mentions an
artificial installation being placed on earth and even coincides with the time
frame mentioned? It advices to remove the chakra system to regain our true
power?

cha A year ago · 0 Likes

Interesting. Where did you come across this?

julie 2 years ago · 0 Likes

i found your post because i googled the question...what idiot came up with
colours for chakras?
i haven't until now, aged 64, had much interest in this type of thing, having
had my own theories on religious practices.
but i did find it quite perplexing that Someone had the idea of assigning
colours to different areas of the body, and it just didnt quite ring true for me.
although i can appreciate that some actions can trigger a colour response,
for example, my daughter has synesthesia, ie, she SEES colours when reading
or counting...so for her each word or number is a sequence of colours...but it
doesnt account for chakra points being coloured, however i also know that
colours each have their own wavelength.
nor did the whole western idea of placing crystals at your head, or other
areas of your body, and burning different scented oils make any impact on
my thoughts about joining a meditation group.
although i can see that mass hysteria could play a part in getting people to
believe a similar response to those EXTERNAL influences actually can
happen, i still think that meditation is, and should be, a very personal thing.
yes! share the group therapy, but concentrate on your own.
i believe ALL that exists has energy, and can respond to certain thoughts and
attitudes from each of us.....and everything moves at a different wavelength,
and to reach a point of inner peace you just need to take the time to reflect
on what is around you, look at each item through calm eyes (even with your
eyes closed), and put yourself in that items place, whether it be a physical
object or even a pain, or even a thought or feeling.
Best would be to relax and , of course, the obvious way to do that, is NOT to
sit in an uncomfortable position trying to tie your legs in knots! so the
modern idea of yoga is completely off the charts for me!
try to tune in to the relaxing wavelength of the human body makes much
more sense ie, block out the world around you and listen to the rhythm of
your own self, with or without music. personally i find someone elses idea of
relaxing sleep music to be anything but relaxing, there are often random
notes or sudden clashing sounds thrown in that jolt you out of your reverie,
especially when the note played is suddenly too loud like a cymbal chime or
a discordant note or even a change in pitch or key.
i find for me, the delta beat wave on a single droning note that doesnt
deviate is far more relaxing.
it allows me to look inside my own closed eyes and imagine shifting colours
and after about 10 minutes i can change colours on demand......that is when i
know i have reached a turning point.....
am i getting close now?
julie

Ashish Gauam 2 years ago · 0 Likes

These beautiful pics are well described in Laya Yoga book. interesting article
, leaves lot to think about but somehow it also leave many unanswered
points to ponder in no where. so which source you perceive to follow, or
rather in practice does it matter what elements colors it is. or simply just
meditate on chakra point and go on path, rest comes on way ! even though
the location of chakra are also differently placed in google search sites like
Manipura, anahat. Does all sources atleast have same beej mantra for
chakras?

Tantrik Studies A year ago · 0 Likes

no, the chakras don't have any inherent bīja mantras.

Jeanette van Wyk 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Surely, Lam, Vam, Ram, Yam, Ham, Ohm is the bij mantras for
each of the chakras? Each petal has a sound assigned to the petal
too?

Jeanette van Wyk 2 months ago · 0 Likes

These are just letters of the alphabet assigned to the petals

and the chakra. Bij sounds are 'monosyllabic mantra
believed to contain the essence of a given deity. '
The internet (generally) does say that these sounds are bij
mantras

Star Uncle 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Have you heard of the earth having 7 chakras. Is this completely bogus or do
any ancient texts refer to chakras of the earth? I cant seem to find where
this teaching originated. Thank you

Kyle Fenrick 2 years ago · 0 Likes

https://subconsciousservant.com/the-earth-chakras/

C 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Wind and space have no colours mentioned...just curious if there is a reason

for that.

Tantrik Studies A year ago · 0 Likes

Wind is traditionally smoky grey or (later) greenish.

Kyle Fenrick 2 years ago · 1 Like

Space is clear light. Illumination, not the qualities of what is luminated

Think of wind more as motion. Not a physical blowing or substance.

The feeling on your nose of in and out, is the motion to meditate on to
know.
Yellow/indigo blue/violet

https://www.soulecez.com/elements-of-air

C. 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thank you so much, I have seen these Sylphs but I had no idea
what was happening :)

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