It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. Life here at Shaman’s Grove has been busy to say the least. Spring and Summer this year keep us busy (and tired) with many projects at the homestead. And of course Fall begins the preparations for winter. We’re not done yet, but the wood shed is full and most of the food preservation is complete, so I can hopefully find some time to catch up on my blogging.
We’re beginning an in depth series on the chakras. Over the next several blogs, we discuss each chakra individually, how it affects the mind, body and spirit, and suggestions for balancing and keeping each chakra healthy. This may be old hat to many of you, but it’s one of the things Gary and I find we explain most when working with clients that are beginning their healing/growth journey.
What Are Chakras and What Do They Do?
The word ‘chakra’ is derived from the sanskrit word meaning ‘wheel’. Literally translated from the Hindi it means ‘Wheel of spinning Energy’. The chakras are centers of energy, located on the midline of the subtle or energy body. They are the meeting points in the non-physical, or energy body, though which life force (prana, qi, vital energy) flows. The function of the chakras is to spin and draw in this energy to keep the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health of the body in balance.
The best description of chakras I remember equated the body’s electrical system to the electrical system of a house. The chakras are connected to the “Cosmic Power Company” or the stream of cosmic energy. The alignment of the seven main chakras act as the main “power line” that runs through the center of the body allowing “power” or qi to be sent to every part of the body as needed.
Sometimes the chakras become blocked or short circuited, just like an old house’s electrical system. Things like stress, emotional or physical problems can quite literally “blow our circuits” and block, over charge, or distort the chakras. If the body’s energy system can’t flow freely, problems can occur. The consequences of this blocked or irregular energy flow could result in physical illness, general discomfort or feeling listless, tired, and out of sorts. There may be a sense of being mentally and emotionally out of balance and/or ungrounded, depressed or overcome with a negative attitude, grief, anger, fear, doubt, etc.
There are many chakras in the subtle human body, but there are seven chakras that are considered to be the most important. There are many names for the chakras depending on the path or tradition you follow. This graphic shows the location and names we use for the seven main chakras.
How Do I Know If My Chakras Are In Balance?
Having your shaman, Reiki practitioner or other energy worker is a good, non-biased way to check the balance in your chakras.
There are several ways to check this out for yourself. Of course there is your intuition. Tuning in to your energy body and assessing your chakras is a great way to learn more about your energy system and how it works. We’ll discuss some ways of assessing each chakra throughout this series.
Then there is muscle testing. Enlist a friend to help you, unless you are able to accurately muscle test yourself. Holding a hand over each chakra, test the following question: Is this chakra operating in balance? Keep an open mind and don’t think about what you feel the response should be. If the response is a strong positive, move on to the next. Otherwise ask if it is over-active. Then if it is under-active.
Another way if you do any dowsing, is to take an image of the chakras and use it as a proxy to test the chakras (askyourpendulum.com has a cool pdf chakra chart you can use as your proxy). Quiet your mind and hold your pendulum above each chakra symbol. As you do, visualize the specific area on your own body that corresponds to the chakra. (Again do not visualize what you think the pendulum should say though – keep an open mind.) Record the direction of each reading. Then use this chart to assess the information you recorded.
| Pendulum Movement | Chakra State | Meaning |
| Clockwise | Open | Energy is in balance and flowing freely |
| Counterclockwise | Closed | Energy is restricted, out of balance, or blocked |
| Straight line (either direction) | Partially open/closed | Energy imbalance and/or partial blockage |
| Elliptical | Right/Left side imbalance | Energy is flowing, though out of balance on one or both sides |
| No movement | Blocked | No energy is moving through, full blockage |
I recently found these “Chakra Test” online. It’s a questionnaire that shows you if your chakras are open, over or under active. As with all questionnaires, the accuracy depends totally on your honesty. But it’s a place to start and you can follow up with other methods as we move forward. Another online questionnaire can be found here. There are many others online as well.
Next blog we will begin our discussion with the Root Chakra.
Until next time –
Pleasant Journeys,
Debbie
Great article! I really like how you covered chakra balancing and went into depth about how to tell if your chakras are out of balance. You really know your stuff! If your readers would like some more info on techniques to balance their 7 chakras, they can check it out here: Chakra meditation tips Thanks!