Читать книгу A Woman's Guide to Tantra Yoga - Vimala McClure - Страница 34

Remember, for a moment, our discussion of the cycle of creation in the previous chapter. You recall that everything in the universe is composed of the five fundamental factors—solid, liquid, luminous, aerial, and etheric. In the living being, these five factors are controlled by the vital energy, which in turn is controlled by the mind. The five factors in the body are controlled by energy centers along the route of the kundalini. These are called chakras or vortexes of psychic energy.

Yoga science links the glandular system with these subtle energy centers. There are seven main chakras, each with its own shape, color, sound vibration, and relationship to the body and mind. The chakra system is a subtle spiritual anatomy that is closely related to the physical body. It links that which is “you” to your mind and body.

The word chakra means wheel or spiral, a fundamental structure in our universe. Think of spiral galaxies, round planets, suns and moons in orbit. Think of the concentric circles of growth in tree trunks, of seashells, of the nautilus with its many-chambered spiral. Think of coiled serpents, cats circling and sleeping in spiral shapes, the opening flower in spring, spiral bales of hay at harvest time, the concentric shapes of snowflakes. The chakra is the wheel, the shape of a container, a spiral path up a mountain. The powerful forces of nature are spiral vortexes: hurricanes, tornados, cyclones, even volcanos. Chakras are fundamental structures in nature that provide the link between spirit and matter; they are multidimensional paradigms of consciousness.

The chakras regulate the subtle energy within the body. There are seven basic chakras, each associated with states of consciousness. They are the containers of psychic propensities or instincts: the longings, desires, and emotions that must be harnessed along the way. The chakras are the controlling points of all the vital elements in your being — physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. They are closely associated with the endocrine system, and thus have an impact upon your physical and emotional well-being. Spiritually, the chakras are the stepping stones to attainment. The control of each chakra brings more profound states of consciousness and corresponding control over all the forces in the universe. The chakras are the gateways to oneness with the Supreme.

Think of the significance of the number seven. The seven colors of our rainbow, seven notes in the Western musical scale, seven days in a week. The Cabalistic Tree of Life has seven levels. There are seven sacraments in the Christian tradition. Mystic traditions and astrology teach what researchers are now exploring: that human beings go through major life cycles of seven years each.

You may have seen charts that connect the chakras to the colors of the rainbow and the notes of the Western musical scale. However, the number seven may be the only thing they actually have in common. People who have not been trained or have not experienced the vibration, form, and color of the chakras have conveniently, but wrongly, made these associations. Artistically, and perhaps in the field of color therapy, an association can be made between the seven chakras and the colors of the rainbow. But the inherent “color” is quite different and can only be perceived with spiritual insight, not seen by the external eye. Each chakra also has its acoustic root or sound, again, perceived rather than heard, and within each chakra, each mental tendency has its own vibration.

Virtually every spiritual tradition refers to the chakras in some way. Saint John wrote of the “seven spirits before the throne” and the “seven seals on the back of the Book of Life.” Other early Christians are said to have used the term “seven churches in Asia.” The Tibetans call them “Khor-lo”; the Hopi, in their creation story, speak of energy centers; the early alchemists spoke of seven metals by which crude matter was transmuted into “gold.”