Understanding the Chakras. The following is an excerpt from The Healing Power of the Sacred Woman by Dr Christine Page.
Awakening the Feminine Chakras
I first started working with the chakras or energy centers 30 years ago in my on-going search for ways to bring healing both to myself and to my patients. As a doctor I was fascinated by the way disharmony in a chakra correlated with physical and emotional dis-ease leading me to see that a chakra is a portal or doorway between our inner and outer worlds. As you may know, a chakra is a wheel or vortex of energy consisting of several different frequencies of energy which are naturally found within the human aura. Symbolically, a chakra can be seen as a rose with many different layers of petals, the center of which represents the pure consciousness of the soul. Major and minor chakras are found throughout the body receiving information and sending out messages in an attempt to keep our inner and outer lives in harmony as well as ensuring a healthy flow of energy between the chakras. When however, a chakra becomes overwhelmed with chronic emotion or stagnant beliefs, the wheel of energy becomes distressed which in turn commonly leads to dis-ease.
The sensitivity of our chakra system is far more rapid than that of our nervous system, reacting to stimuli long before we have conscious awareness of emotions such as vulnerability, fear, inadequacy and shame. It is an almost automatic reaction to cross our arms over our stomach to protect the solar plexus – connected to self-esteem – when we feel judged.
The first mention of the chakras is found in one of the oldest of the yogic texts known as the Atharva Veda, probably compiled in the third millennium B.C.E. It is believed that at that time twelve chakras were mentioned, seven running between the base of the spine and the top of the head and five others probably situated both below and above the body. However, knowledge of the precise locations of these extra energy centers was lost around 1100 CE, when Hindu practitioners and teachers decided to follow the prevailing patriarchal dogma of the day and began to work with only those centers along the spine, cutting the body off from its spiritual source. This intensified the disconnection from the Earth Mother and spiritual Great Mother which had begun when the patriarchy came into power, around 1500 BCE.
However over the past ten years, I have been intuitively guided to work with at least two of the five, as the first steps to reconnect humanity to its true origins and power. The first is a large and powerful feminine chakra located approximately twenty-four inches beneath the soles of our feet, called the root or earth-child chakra, which connects us to pure creative feminine energy, also known as dragon energy. The other chakra is about the same distance, twenty-four inches, above the crown chakra at the top of the head; this is known as the star child. Whereas the root chakra is the portal to the earth’s goddess energies, the star-child chakra is a gateway or star-gate to the spiritual realms, accessed through the tiny pineal gland. One of the greatest problems at this time is humanity’s separation from the root and star-child chakras, causing us to lack true spiritual power and inspiration; this, in my opinion, is a major factor when trying to solve issues such as global poverty, infertility, and depression. If we return to the seven major chakras located along the spine, each is associated with an area of the body, a spiritual essence, specific emotions and the potential for certain illnesses, if the chakra is out of balance. Each chakra can be seen as masculine or feminine, with the third eye being a balance of the two energies. Below I will just focus on the feminine chakras. This is because these centers not only align with the unique anatomical features of a woman, but are also the chakras that I find are more frequently out of harmony due to the chronic disconnect from feminine consciousness, not just in women—in men, too.
Sacral Chakra or Hara
Location: three fingers below the navel
Spiritual essence: healthy relationships, respect, nurturing, inner power, creativity, and transformation
Imbalance: shame, disrespect, abuse, inability to receive from others, martyrdom, grief, lack of creativity
Potential disease: illnesses of the uterus, ovaries, cervix, prostate, colon, lower back, or testes
During all my years of teaching on the subject of the chakras, I have observed the greatest imbalance in men and women is to be found within the sacral chakra, often with a compensatory disharmony in its masculine counterpart, the throat chakra, which is often overused or underactive. This causes us to speak purely from our throat using our will rather than accessing the powerful feminine energy in the hara. The sacral chakra is truly one of the most important seats of the Great Mother, expressing all three of her faces through the qualities of creativity (the Virgin), nurturing (the Mother), and dissolution (the Crone). These facets are beautifully woven into the menstrual cycle, each phase essential for the transformation and expansion of human consciousness. This cyclical pattern continues after menopause, although there is no need for the physical representations because at this point the consciousness of the Great Mother has been fully awakened.
The well-being of the sacral chakra is assured by maintaining a healthy relationship between all three phases of the cycle. If we spend all our time creating new projects and never make time to receive nurturing or enjoy the fruits of our endeavors, then it is probable that we will experience PMS. If we fail to release our hold on things in our life that are finished or complete, then we may experience heavy menstrual bleeding. If our dreams never see the light of day, then our ovaries may become distressed. Just as we need to balance these three phases, so at this chakra we need to have a healthy ability to give and receive.
Heart Chakra
Location: center of the chest
Spiritual essence: self-love, joy, compassion, intuition, connection to eternal consciousness,
Imbalance: self-hatred, loneliness, betrayal, lack of trust, unhappiness, lack of enthusiasm, depression
Potential disease: illness of the heart, breasts, immune system, and thymus gland
It is no coincidence that the breasts are situated on either side of the heart chakra, which sits in the center of the chest. It is through this sacred center that we maintain our connection to Great Mother’s love and are reminded that through a healthy balance of loving ourselves while loving and nurturing others, the eternal fire of creativity is kept burning. It is also through the heart chakra that we connect to the pulse of our soul and our intuition, which keeps us true to the destiny we have chosen in this lifetime. The heart chakra is the site of transformation within our chakra system, the place where energy shifts take place between spirit and matter, dreams and reality. All of this is dependent on the pure love that radiates from the heart chakra and is amplified by the breasts, encouraging us to surrender, trust, and bond to all that we can be in this life. Since the heart chakra is linked to its masculine counterpart the solar plexus which is associated with self-worth, if we have poor confidence and high expectations of ourselves or others, we may find that we are constantly disappointed and hurt, which ultimately will affect our ability to feel truly loved.
Crown Chakra
Location: top of the head
Spiritual essence: self-consciousness, spiritual awareness, inspiration, oneness and bliss
Imbalance: despair, fatigue, dispiritedness, delusion, disassociation from the body
Potential disease: illness of mind, brain, and the pineal gland
This center preserves our link between the soul and its spiritual blueprint, also known as the higher self; the divine aspect of our being which does not incarnate here on Earth. When we become dispirited, depressed, or exhausted, it is because, for some reason, the crown chakra has become closed and we are no longer able to receive inspiration and renewal for our soul. On other occasions I intuitively perceive the crown chakra to be wide open, with energy flowing freely in both directions, with the person excited and fired up with new creative ideas. However, if there is no vessel suitable for the ideas, they will continue to just swarm around the head and never find a place to land. Since the feminine crown chakra is linked to the masculine base chakra, we need to be grounded in our body and fully committed to the venture to see our dreams become a reality.