The Chakra System Reconsidered
May 2015
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The task in working with the chakras is to heal any issues that might be associated with each, so that the challenge of each chakra can be met effectively, and the opportunity for growth maximized. The yogic model assumes a hierarchical structure – that is to say, the assumption that the expression of consciousness through a higher chakra represents a higher state of being than the expression of consciousness through a lower chakra. In practice, I have found this not to be true, and less useful than a circular model in which each chakra is equal to every other and clarity within each is as necessary to spiritual fulfillment as clarity in any other. Often the true spiritual work to be done by a soul is in the so-called lower chakras, and attainment at the so-called higher level, depends upon integrating some more basic lesson.
Often there are interrelationships between chakras that require their lessons to be mastered in tandem with each other. The 2nd chakra ability to accept yourself for who you are in all of your quirky individual glory, for example, is closely aligned with the 5th chakra task of living a life of integrity. The 3rd chakra capacity to take your place in the world is closely aligned with the 6th chakra challenge of taking a more meaningful place within the larger scheme of things, as a functional part of the greater whole. And so on. These kinds of relationships are more effectively approached, I feel, as an interrelationship between equal centers of consciousness than when one center is considered higher or more evolved than another. If your 3rd chakra is relatively clear, but your 6th is clouded by wounds or unresolved issues, then your 3rd is more evolved than your 6th. There is no way to assess how evolved you are in a given chakra, except through honest self-evaluation, but the astro-chakra system will at least provide a framework in which you can ask the right questions.
The astro-chakra system, as presented in my book, also includes a consideration of what the yogis called kosha, meaning various levels of manifestation between pure matter at one end and pure consciousness at the other. According to the astro-chakra system, each chakra can manifest at each of five koshas, so even within the domain encompassed by a given chakra, there are distinctions to be made. I cover this in some detail in my book, and incorporate it into my workshop. To keep this introduction to the astro-chakra system fairly simple at this point, I will just briefly mention it here.
I do want to suggest to you that there is a sophistication to this system that rivals anything that astrology has to offer. Put the two together, and you have quite a nuanced language with which to address any life experience as a spiritual process of potential soul growth. This does not mean, however, that it has to be complicated. If you have a basic knowledge of the chakras, and understand the logic of the astrology, then there is a great deal you can discover on your own just by playing with the system.
In the remainder of this blog series, I want to present to you a few basic principles to get you started. Much more is available through my book, and for those who are really into it, I would invite you to attend the workshop.
To read the next post in this series, go here.
To read more blog posts, go here.