What are Chakras

What exactly are chakras?

Chakras are sources of energy in your energetic body, or energy nodes. They act as gates through which you take in energy and pass on energy. This energy comes from our soul. That is our largest source of energy. From our soul, every chakra in our body is supplied with energy and information. We have seven major energy points (chakras) in our body, which provide our organs but also our aura with energy. A chakra is seen as the central place of life energy and together they form larger and smaller nodes, in which the energy channels converge. A chakra looks like a funnel with the tip pointing towards the body, widening outwards.

The name Chakra comes from traditional Indian culture and means: Wheel. We know of five, six, seven, nine, twelve or twenty-seven chakras. The chakra system with seven chakras being the most familiar to us in the West. With these seven chakras we can balance our life and body. It was not until the late 1960s that colors were given to the chakras, the colors of the rainbow.

The chakras and the energy they release affect our state of mind and health. They also affect our feelings. When you experience stress, tension, sadness, ilness, anxiety, depression or unprocessed emotions, and you are not able to properly deal with these, it may be caused by chakras that no longer functioning properly. The energy can therefore no longer properly flow. Chakras get blocked and this can cause an imbalance in our whole body and you may experience physical complaints. A possible example of this is someone who cannot express himself properly due to a traumatic experience and has a constricted feeling in his throat. The throat chakra is blocked and the energy cannot flow properly, the words do not come out. To open blocked chakras or to get them back in balance, so that your complaints disappear, you can perform chakra exercises. You may also perform chakra meditation and chakra yoga. Chakra treatments that are often given by a healer or gemstone therapy can also help to re-open the chakras and get them in balance.

Explanation of the seven chakras.

1st chakra – Root or base chakra. Color: Bright red. Element: Earth. This chakra is located at the bottom of the spine in men and between the ovaries in women. This is the only chakra whose location is different for men and women. When the chakra is open you feel grounded, firm and stable. If the chakra is not open properly, you can feel anxious and/or nervous, rushed. Body parts that are connected to this chakra are: legs, bones and the intestines.

2nd Chakra – Sacral Chakra. Color: Orange. Element: Water. This chakra is located in the lower abdomen just below the belly button near the genitals, hips and lower back. This chakra stands for: Sexuality and emotion. When this chakra is open, you can let emotions flow freely and express them without getting too emotional. You are open to intimacy and you are passionate, you feel lively and you know what you want. Body parts that are connected to this chakra are: the genitals, kidneys, uterus and bladder.

3rd Chakra – Solar Plexus. Color yellow. Element: Fire. This chakra is located at the level of the belly button. This chakra stands for: Willpower and force, our thinking, the ego and how we deal with emotions. If the chakra is not open properly, you aren’t able to fully experience joy and feel closed off, sometimes also frigid. If this chakra is sufficiently open, you are spontaneous and you have enough self-esteem. If this chakra is closed, you feel shy and have little self-confidence, you can also feel indecisive. Parts of the body that are connected to this chakra are: The muscles and the digestive system.

4th Chakra – Heart Chakra. Color: Green. Element: Air. This chakra, is located in the center/middle of the chest. The heart chakra represents love, kindness, affection and self-love. If it is open, you are empathetic, kind and able to form harmonious relationships. If the chakra is not open, you may have little feeling for others, be shy and feel lonely. Parts of the body that are connected to this chakra are: the hands, lungs, arms and heart.

5th Chakra – Throat Chakra. Color blue. Element: Sound. As the name implies, this chakra is located in the throat at the bottom of the larynx. The throat chakra stands for: Being able to express yourself and say what's on your mind. If this chakra is not open, it is often difficult to talk about matters that concern you. Body parts that are connected to this chakra are: the mouth, arms, ears, hands and throat.

6th chakra – Third eye chakra. Color: Purple/Indigo. Element: Light. This particular chakra is located in between the eyes on the forehead. This chakra is used by clairvoyant psychics and mesmerizers. They can see your aura and chakra colors. If this chakra is sufficiently open, you have good insight and a good intuition and you can visualize well. With a chakra that is not open properly, you have no insight and you can be forgetful, you have trouble remembering things, but also a lot of headaches. Parts of the body that are connected to this chakra are: the eyes.

7th Chakra – Crown Chakra. Color: pink/lilac/purple/white. Element: Information and knowledge. This chakra is located on top of the head/crown. When this chakra is sufficiently open, you are unbiased and aware of yourself. This chakra also represents wisdom. People are often in touch with their intuition and paranormal skills. If this chakra is not open properly, you often have difficulty learning and you are not open to spirituality. Parts of the body that are connected to this chakra are: the nervous system and cerebral cortex.

Then there is also the:

Hand chakra: These chakras are located between the thumb and forefinger and give us energy when we are working with our hands. A magnetizer works with these chakras to remove excess energy or to add energy.

Foot chakra: These help you to be well connected to the earth. If these chakras are closed, you can suffer from cold feet because the energy of the earth cannot flow.

The connection between aura and chakra.

The aura is an energetic field around people, animals, plants and objects. There are present, changing energies (seen as colors) in your aura. The aura keeps changing color, intensity and size. It has 7 different layers and has the 7 different colors of the rainbow. Each layer is connected to a chakra. This energetic field constantly reflects our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual situation and is in constant motion. Our chakras absorb the energy of the outside world, the earth and the cosmos. As we absorb other people's energies and especially their thoughts and feelings, this comes into our consciousness and we think these are our own thoughts and feelings. With the energy of the chakras, you can protect yourself well against negative energy from other people. The aura reflects our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual state, so do the chakras.

Gemstones and their healing effect.

To get chakras and auras back in balance and cleanse them, one can apply gemstone therapy. We have known the medicinal effect of gemstones and minerals for centuries. Gemstones and minerals must match personal wishes or complaints. Choosing a gemstone can come about in different ways. For example, based on a color and the chakra that matches it, a description of your complaint that fits the effect of the stone or based on your zodiac sign or month of birth. But the most important thing is actually to rely on your own intuition or feeling. Which gemstone gives me a good feeling and which stone do I like the most? This is the best way to find the gemstones that suit you at the time. 

For optimal operation, it is wise to clean gemstones before use and to recharge them once in a while by burying them in a layer of soil in the garden, placing them somewhere outside when the moon is full or wash it off with lukewarm water. Each stone has its own instructions for use. If a gemstone breaks or loses its color, it is better to choose a new gemstone. Gemstones are sometimes incorporated into chakra jewelry and correspond to the energy centers. But even if the gemstones are not incorporated into jewelry, they affect the chakras. The subtle effect of gemstones promotes the functioning of the individual chakras and balances them with each other.