Most people know seven chakras. This guide covers the 9 chakras: the seven main centers in the physical body and two more that sit above it, all connected to human existence in the present moment.

Chakras are described as energy centers: cone-shaped vortexes, or spinning wheels, set along the spine at the points where the major nerve plexuses lie. The spine itself is often called the pillar or the tree of life. In this system the chakras work as transformers that link the body to universal cosmic energy. They absorb that energy, break it down, and channel it through energy pathways to the endocrine glands, the nervous system and the bloodstream.

What the 9 chakras are and how they work

Chakras are the key points of communication between all aspects of a person: the bodies, the auras and the flows of energy, both within us and in our interaction with the environment. Energy moves into and out of them continuously. The most accurate picture is a spiral, toroidal flow of luminous energy that connects a person with the world around them.

Harmony and a state of unity dissolve the veil of ego that often separates us from the wholeness of existence. In this teaching, that unity is what keeps the energy flowing properly, and proper flow is fundamental to material well-being.

Each chakra also corresponds to a level of consciousness. Beyond the 9 chakras there are many higher and lower ones: 21 secondary and as many as 144 auxiliary energy centers. There is no need to focus on each one. What matters is their interconnectedness and the network they form through the energy flows that nourish the entire organism.

We are beings of light and energy in which every part works as a hologram reflecting the whole: the entirety is expressed within each individual part. Health on all levels depends less on the development of individual centers and more on the harmony among them.

The 9 chakras from the root upward

The order runs from the bottom upward, following the development of consciousness and increasingly subtle vibrations.

1. Root chakra

Location: the sacral-coccygeal plexus, in the perineum in men and at the cervix in women, a few centimeters inside the body, between the genitals and the anus.
Element: earth. Color: clear, intense red.

The root chakra is associated with the materialization of our life path, with instinct and with full control over bodily functions. It influences physical energy levels, the will to live, preservation, survival and grounding.

2. Sacral chakra

Location: the pelvic plexus, on the spine at the level of the pubic bone or tailbone.
Element: water. Color: orange.

This center is the source of sexual and life energy and of karmic heritage from past lives. It is associated with dominance and emotions, and it affects emotional life, reproductive ability, action, learning and creativity.

3. Solar plexus chakra

Location: the abdomen, along the spine, about halfway between the navel and the sternum.
Element: fire. Color: warm yellow with hints of gold.

Life energy is stored and accumulated here, to be used for the body’s physical and mental functions. This is the highest level of the physical body, and it is connected to rational knowledge and the mind.

4. Heart chakra

Location: the cardiac plexus, on the spine at the level of the middle of the sternum.
Element: air. Color: emerald green.

The heart chakra is the center of unconditional love, creative energy and universal energy, and it is associated with the astral level. When fully open, it enables a person to control and direct life energy, freeing them from attachment to matter and the senses. Love is its foundation, and it works as a mediator and link between the other chakras.

5. Throat chakra

Location: the pharyngeal and laryngeal plexus, on the spine at the level of the throat notch.
Color: light blue.

This chakra represents willpower, faith and self-confidence. In the tradition it symbolizes complete knowledge of the past, present and future, and even the ability to exist without food and attain immortality. It unites love and knowledge and holds all our potentials along the path of infinite development.

The fifth center is the hub of communication. It influences will, determination, the capacity for choice, creativity on the mental level, self-acceptance and adaptability to the world.

6. Third eye chakra

Location: the cavernous plexus, in the center of the head at the top of the brain stem, where the pineal gland is found.
Color: indigo blue or violet.

The sixth chakra is the command center and represents a higher mental level. It is connected to universal love. Opening it is said to lead to clairvoyance and complete knowledge of one’s life path. At this stage of consciousness a new human awakens within, able to perceive spiritual realms and understand the causes of physical phenomena.

7. Crown chakra

Location: the top of the head.
Color: purple or white with threads of gold.

The crown is the highest center within the physical body. It symbolizes transcendence of space and time, spirituality, enlightenment, and the pinnacle of the light and energy of consciousness.

8. The eighth chakra

Location: half a meter above the head, outside the physical body.
Color: crystal silver.

It represents the highest point of the mental level of consciousness, bringing transcendence, freedom and a crystal-clear awareness of reality as it truly is.

9. The ninth chakra

Location: one meter above the head.
Color: gold.

The ninth center symbolizes the personal spiritual path, the spiritual body, and complete integration with the highest form of consciousness and spiritual energy. It can be understood as our pure consciousness and life path.

Front and back aspects of the chakras

The second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth chakras each have two aspects, front and back. Their rotation should be clockwise when viewed from outside the body.

• Front aspects are active and emotional. More energy is emitted through them.
• Back aspects are volitional and passive. More energy is received through them.

The root chakra and the crown chakra have only one aspect each, with clockwise rotation when viewed from above.

Chakra balance and health

Health depends on the harmony of the chakras and on their openness to the greatest possible flow of energy. Blockages or irregularities in the movement of energy within the main centers prevent an adequate supply of life energy to parts of the body or to organ systems, which can result in numerous unfavorable psychophysical conditions. That is why the proper functioning of the chakras and an adequate flow of energy to the body are considered vital for overall well-being.

Chakras, colors and the aura

All 9 chakras have pure, bright and vivid colors, connected to the different frequencies of energy they transform. Like the chakras, our various bodies and their auras carry characteristic colors that should also be pure, bright and clear.

All our bodies are enveloped by an aura: an energy field made of different vibrations and layers that surrounds us and through which we communicate with the environment. Each body has multiple layers, each linked to a particular chakra and responsible for transmitting information from a different energetic level.

Chakras, bodies and auras interpenetrate and interact constantly, their vibrations and functions in continuous flux. Working on personal spiritual development means cultivating, cleansing and strengthening all levels of our existence.

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