The Human Chakra System

   The Sanskrit word "chakra" means literally "spinning wheel".  The chakra system within the human body consists of seven major chakras and many minor chakras.  To those who can see energy fields, a major chakra resembles a spinning wheel when looking directly into the chakra.  However, viewed from the side, it looks more like an energy vortex somewhat resembling the shape of a tornado.  This energy funnel is tight and compact near the surface of the skin, and gradually widens as it extends outside the physical body to the outer edge of the aura.

    When a chakra is "healthy and balanced" its front and rear vortices spin in a circular motion.  However, if there is a disturbance or blockage in the flow of energy within a chakra, the circular motion may become elliptical or, in extreme cases, severely flattened on its sides.  This distortion may be sensed by those able to see or feel energy fields, or indirectly sensed by a pendulum.  Further, each chakra has its own specific "frequency" or rate of spin, with the lowest rate of spin in the Root Chakra, and steadily increasing up to the highest rate of spin in the Crown Chakra.

    The purpose or function of the human chakra system is to take in higher-dimensional energy from the Universal Energy Field all around us and translate or step down its frequency of vibration to that which can be used within the physical body.  Each major chakra vibrates or spins at a different rate, and each chakra will absorb energy from the UEF that is harmonically related to its own frequency.  Thus, energy from several frequency bands within the UEF is absorbed by the different chakras and is directed by the internal energy meridians to those organs with which that chakra is associated:

                  Major Chakras and Associated Organs and Glands.

    For instance, the particular energy vibrations or frequencies absorbed by the Solar Plexus Chakra are linked energetically to the stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and liver.  Likewise, the reproductive organs receive their components of energy from the UEF through the Sacral Chakra (sometimes called the Spleen or Splenic Chakra).

    Many minor chakras are also located throughout the body, and are usually associated with joints such as the knee, shoulder, elbow, etc.  Additional minor chakras are found in the palms of both hands and the soles of the feet, and the ends of the fingers and toes.  These minor chakras appear as spikes of energy emanating from the body rather than the spinning vortices of the major chakras.  At least one major healing modality (Healing Touch) takes advantage of these rays of energy coming out of the fingertips to stimulate and accelerate the body's own healing processes.  Reiki uses the palm chakras to direct healing energies to the client's body.

 
Energy Bodies

     The five-layer Energy Body system is the third way of describing the Human Energy Field.  Note that the physical body is counted as an energy body since all matter is ultimately made up of energy.  Also of importance is the fact that the higher subtle energy bodies overlap and interpenetrate the complete physical body.  In much the same way as many different TV signals exist around us in the same space simultaneously and can be individually identified by a specific frequency, the overlapping subtle energy bodies (which are also defined by different frequencies) also penetrate into the same space as our physical body.  So when an energy practitioner places his or her hands on the client, the healing energies are sent not only to the physical body, but also to each higher energetic body.  Thus, with the proper healing frequencies channeled through the practitioner, healing can occur on not only the physical level, but also in the etheric, emotional, mental and spiritual energy bodies of the client.

The Physical Energy Body.  At first, it may seem unusual to consider that the physical body is an energy body, but that is exactly what it appears to be.  And as we explore and become more accustomed to this new paradigm, we are able not only to see the physical body in a greater, more meaningful context, but also we begin to understand the role of disease and the nature of healing.  The physical body is the densest form of energy that our consciousness uses to explore its environment and interact with others.  By the densest form, it is meant that the vibrational patterns of the physical body are of a frequency low enough to be seen by our eyes (they are within the spectrum of visible light), heard by our ears (about 30 to 15,000 Hertz), and experienced with the senses of touch, taste and smell which are within the "frequency capability" of our physical body.

    But there are many octaves, frequencies, and vibrations beyond the capability of our physical senses. Beyond what we can see as visible light are the higher frequencies of ultraviolet, x-ray, and cosmic radiation.  We are beginning to understand that what we can physically sense is only a small portion of the vibrational energies around us.  And if we look within our physical bodies at our atoms, molecules and cells, again we find patterns of vibrating energy that we have traditionally called "matter".

    We need to become aware that our physical body is really a field of vibrating energy that has coalesced from higher less dense octaves.  But we also need to remember that as vibrating fields interact with each other, one field can affect another field through the phenomenon of sympathetic vibration.  If a violin player produces a note an octave above Middle C, and a second violin lying nearby on a table has a string which is tuned to Middle C, the second violin string tuned to Middle C will sympathetically begin to vibrate as well.  So as we also begin to understand that there are several vibrational fields of energy around our physical body, it becomes easier to understand how one field affects another through this principle.  And this is the key to understanding how energy-based healing techniques can achieve such visible and profound results in the physical body.

The Etheric Energy Body. The etheric body is the first energy body in frequency above the physical body.  It exists within the physical body, and extends outward about an inch outside the skin of the physical body.  Its purpose is to form an energy template or matrix for the development, maintenance and repair of the physical body.  The etheric body contains a vibrational energy counterpart for each organ, blood vessel and bone found in the physical body.  Indeed, the etheric body contains the energetic blueprint for the pathways that guide the location and development of every cell of the physical body.  Our physical bodies exist only because of the vital (etheric) field behind them.  This etheric field exists prior to, not a result of, the physical body.

    Since the etheric body is the physical body's blueprint, the two are very closely related.  The energetic vibrations of the etheric body determine the pattern for not only the physical tissues and organs, but also the state of health of those tissues and organs.  If the vibrations are not clear and pure, this disharmony will be reflected in the physical body as disharmonious function -- what we call "disease".  

    Conversely, traumas to the physical body (e.g., broken bones, burns, incisions and scars) will in time be reflected into the etheric body unless there is some interceding process that either prevents this reflection into the etheric body or which restores the original vibrational pattern which existed prior to the trauma.  The ability to work with a client's vibrating energy fields is precisely what forms the basis for rapid and effective energy-based physical healings.

    An illness can appear in the energy field weeks and even months before it appears in the physical body.  In his book, Vibrational Medicine, Dr. Richard Gerber, a Detroit physician, notes that "The etheric body is a holographic energy template that guides the growth and development of the physical body." 

    The following description of the etheric and higher subtle energy bodies surrounding the physical body are taken from Barbara Brennan's book, Hands of Light.  To her, the etheric body appears as a grid of tiny energy lines which has the overall structure and shape of the physical body.  This matrix extends from 1/4" to 2 inches beyond the physical body.  It is upon this etheric grid or matrix that the cells and tissues of the body develop and are anchored.  The etheric body appears as a light blue or gray matrix of lines of light that constantly pulsate or scintillate at a rate of from 15-20 cycles per minute.

The Emotional Energy Body.  The emotional body contains the emotional patterns, feelings, and vibrations that determine our personality, and also how we feel about ourselves and interact with others.  If we are constantly angry, always feel helpless, or are consistently fearful, these patterns or vibrations get locked in our emotional energy field and become a part of our personality.  This determines to a very large degree how we interact with others on personal, social, and cultural levels.

    The emotional body generally follows the shape of the physical and etheric bodies, but is somewhat more amorphous and fluid, and extends from one to about three inches outside the physical body.  It contains energy "blobs" of all colors of the rainbow, depending on the specific feeling or emotion.  Highly charged feelings such as love, hate, joy, and anger are associated with energy blobs that are bright and clear, while confused feelings are darker and muddier.

The Mental Energy Body.  The mental body contains the structure and patterns of all the thoughts and belief systems that we consider as true.  And there is a very strong connection between the mental and emotional bodies.  Although a thought or idea can in itself be very powerful, our reactions to those thoughts carry even more energy, and different people will react differently to the same thought.  

    The mental body usually appears as yellow light radiating around the entire body from head to toe, and extends from three to eight inches beyond the physical body. Within this area, individual thought forms appear as small blobs of light of varying form and intensity.

The Spiritual Energy Body.  The spiritual body (i.e., all vibrational patterns in octaves higher than the mental body) contains all the information related to our experiences, and reflects our gestalt consciousness of all that has been learned and experienced.  It contains our higher intentions, our sense of what is right and wrong ("conscience"), and our desires to increase our awareness of our purpose, place and mission for this lifetime.

    These five energy bodies make up one's Human Energy Field, or aura.  Its outer shape appears roughly egg-shaped and extends out to perhaps 1½ to two feet beyond the physical body; however, this shape can be extended even further out or contracted closer to the physical body depending on the situation the person is experiencing.  For example, when a person is feeling emotions of unconditional love, the aura may expand to several feet and radiate bright hues of gold or white.  But if the same person is feeling threatened physically or emotionally, the entire aura may collapse to a much denser pattern within only a few inches of the body.

This page last updated November 3, 2001