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A Chakra History Primer (May 2005)
Chakra
(pronounced “sha-kra”) means “wheel” or “wheel of light.” If you went
searching for the source of the word, you would end up in India reading
a collection of books called the Vedas. Organized into four main
volumes, the Vedas were written around 3500 B.C and are considered the
oldest known Indo-European writings on religion and philosophy.
In
some cultures, the writings were considered to be taken from the
language of the Gods. The books include information on topics such as
armies, astrology, government, poetry, and ethical living. Translated
from an ancient language called Sanskrit, these books explore the
origins of alternative medicine theory, including a section on the
chakras.
Origins of Medical Science in Ayurveda
The
area most relevant to the chakras is the information on Ayurveda
(pronounced Aa-your-vay-da), which is a holistic and comprehensive
medical system, and considered the origin of all medical science.
Ayurveda not only involves herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colors, yoga,
mantras and choices about personal lifestyle, but also includes
subjects such as organ transplants, anatomy, physiology and surgery.
Ayurveda is a very old but scientific and classifiable medical system.
In
our culture, the chakras are one of the many sub-categories assigned to
the general heading of Alternative Medicine. Hundreds of sub-categories
fall underneath the term, with massage being the most popular. When
talking about the chakras, many people think that they are connected to
some sort of religion. Although the Ayurvedic concepts of the chakras
are spiritual in origin, they are much more biological than religious
in nature. Why?
Long ago, religious figures were also the
doctors of the society. Back in the time of the Vedas, physicians were
deeply devoted holy people or seers who saw physical health and
spiritual life interconnected. Today much of that connection is
dismissed as unscientific. Most westerners only hear about
hands-on-healing from bible stories, not from their medical providers.
As a result, trying to recreate a paradigm that combines the spiritual
with the scientific is still an uphill battle in the west.
Chakras correlate to glands
In
terms of western medicine, the word chakra translates loosely into
“gland.” Allopathic doctors refer to glands in much the same way that a
chakra therapist or Ayurvedic doctor would refer to the chakras. In
biological terms the seven specific glands that correspond to the seven
chakras are hubs where some of the most important natural reactions in
the body take place. The condition of your glands is the best indicator
of the condition of your chakras. When we refer to the gland, we are
referring to a physical organ in the body such as the pituitary gland,
the ovaries and testes, and the thyroid gland. When we refer to the
chakra, we are referring to the energy field emanating from the gland.
Western
scientist Charles Coulomb first described electric field strengths in
the 1780's, developing a concept which stated that charged objects
create an invisible electric force field around themselves. In terms of
the chakras, we are talking about an energy field, like a baseball
field, that is created from the chemical reactions that take place
within the gland.
Making the Invisible Visible
As
you might imagine, all of the activity within the gland generates quite
a lot of energy and sometimes, due to the stress in our lives, our
genetics and a myriad of other possibilities, things can and do get out
of balance.
Trying to see the measurable energy from the chakra
system is the same as trying to view the invisible radio waves coming
into your car stereo from the transmission tower, or trying to hear the
ultrasonic sound from a dog whistle. They are sensory experiences that
cannot be verified using your typical human detection skills.
Many
hands-on-healing methods assess the chakra fields. It may seem as
though the energy practitioner is literally seeing your chakras, and
the balances and imbalances within them. Although the clues collected
during your assessment are based on a different set of criteria than
those in the medical field, the information is as concrete and
measurable as what a doctor might find.
Your
chakra system is at work within your body all the time. Strengthening
your understanding of energy and the chakras can help you with your
physical and emotional health, and is a good first step to developing
your creativity and intuition. Some hospitals now employ Reiki Masters,
and several major insurance companies are reimbursing for energy
therapies. Times are changing in our culture as we begin to look at our
body and our health metaphorically, and become more comfortable using
terms such as chakras and energy.
by Slash Coleman
Slashtipher J. Coleman, MA, LMT is a freelance writer, playwright, and author of the book “Is My Chakra Pretty?” www.slashtipher.com
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