Chakras

One can no more prevent the mind from returning to an idea than the sea from returning to a shore. In the case of the sailor, this is called a tide; in the case of the guilty, it is called remorse - Victor Hugo - Les Miserables

Index

Gods - Euthyphro and Socrates

Chakras - the body has its say

Planets - the same thing as chakras

Chakras - the way Kundalini functions

Chakras - the Idealist flow

Chakras - the Existential flow

Tai Chi - therapy for blocked chakras

Gods - Euthyphro and Socrates

Euthyphro is one of the great dialogues written by Plato, starring Socrates, and Euthyphro - the 'right minded man'. In short, it presents, but does not answer, the question: 'Are things good because a god loves them, or does a god love things because they are good?', so we can easily see that this question applies to all issues of morality and taste, and to as many gods as you care to name.

Although Euthyphro cannot help Socrates, I'd claim that Virtualism can. With Virtualism we have to accept that the god of goodness is one and the same thing as doing good. The god of love is one and the same thing as doing love, and the god of badness is one and the same thing as doing bad. That the god is an abstraction is neither here nor there, what matters is our ability to channel the meaning of the god; to manifest the abstract as something real, simply by doing, or being, that thing. Unfortunately [for monotheists] there are far too many things in life to channel, so one god is simply not adequate to cater for all the possibilities, which possibly explains whay the Ancient Greeks were in the habit of prioritising just one, or two, in different regions. I'd describe the elements as Titans, while twelve Olympians [not entirely the same twelve as settled on by Hesiod et al.] describe the basic possibilities in life, while it is 'as if' the genealogies of the gods aim to show how various possibilities combine or subdivide.

The bottom line for any monotheistic god is that there are too many choices that simply do not compare. It is impossible to say whether it is better to be good or to love, or is it more good to be charitable or to love? Hence, as humans we have a role in deciding the impossible; is Mozart better than Hendrix?; is Bach better than Beethoven, or Black Sabbath? These are impossible to decide objectively, yet we are able to hold subjective preferences and so make conclusions 'within limitations'. The same issue of resolving any differences applies in all aspects of life, we don't just decide on preference, frequently it is competition, in which case we decide by who wins. At other times we decide by scientific experiment. In principle, there is no limit to decision making, as the Mandala shows, Existence, being emergent, is unlimited in new things to discover and so become conscious of.

Chakras - the body has its say

Each planet in astrology is in fact the elemental change taking place, rather than the actual physical planet in space - that being just a marker. This means that whenever an elemental change takes place and emergence happens, there is the planet - in the abstract. A natural consequence of this is that when the change is taking place within the self, i.e. when the individual is doing anything, there also is the planet - in the abstract; only, because we inherit the concept of our spirit/body interface from oriental sources, we now have a tradition of calling these abstractions Chakras, which is fine, but slightly obscures the fact that chakras are just our emotional self telling us how we feel about something, via our bodily sensations, which our brain can then add to our mind - if we are mindful of our total being.

The planets in astrological terms, and as chakras, are just labels for abstract functions, but we need some labels so we can talk about the abstractions; and here they are:

Chakras/Planets of Reductionistic Self

The reductionistic self is largely the self of the senses, produced and amplified by the myriad connections of the brain. But, it is more than just the icons of the mind originating from the senses, although these tend to be the biggest and brightest in our inner landscape; this is the self of all subjective parts that we are composed of, so includes anything that we recall to mind, but is not really the brain, as that has objective reality. The planets corresponding to these chakras are always diresct, just as we always have direct responses to our subjective self.

The Sun - Fire from Air, a head chakra where self as mind leads to new consciousness
The Moon - Water from Air, a head chakra where self as mind-body leads to new feeling
The Earth - Earth from Air, a foot chakra where self as body leads to new reality

Chakras/Planets of Holistic Self

The holistic self is largely the self of the emotions, the things that we can know by feeling, and which motivate us predominantly by that which we lack, i.e. are in want of. These planets/chakras/gods are us responding to whatever those needs are.

Mercury - Air from Water, a chest [throat] chakra where non-self wants new mind
Venus - Fire from Water, a chest [heart] chakra where non-self wants new consciousness
Mars - Earth from Water, a chest [stomach] chakra where non-self wants new reality

Chakras/Planets of Differentiated Self

The differentiated self is largely the self of the body, but includes every way in which we are objectively different.

Jupiter - Fire from Earth, an abdomen [genital] chakra where reality makes new consciousness
Saturn - Air from Earth, an abdomen [rectal] chakra where reality makes new mind
Chiron - Water from Earth, an abdomen [intestinal] chakra where reality makes new self, and new gaps.

Chakras/Planets of Abstract Self

The abstract self is largely the self of the spirit, of consciousness; past as well as present; and being abstract fiery facts, in nature, this aspect of the self is usually shared with others to a very large extent - from the fact of being human, or simply alive, through to sharing a nationality, an allegiance to some group, or another, or even through sharing a common experience or memory. Of course, one of the most powerful aspects of this is love, although the little realised truth is that all consciousness is love, just as all consciousness is spirit.

Uranus - Air from Fire, a spirit [head] chakra where consciousness makes new mind
Neptune - Water from Fire, a spirit [chest] chakra where consciousness makes new self
Pluto - Earth from Fire, a spirit [abdomen] chakra where consciousness makes new reality

Planets - the same thing as chakras

The image below shows the change for each planet as it bridges the gap from the element it is at home in, to the element just across the border from where the planet is shown. For example: Venus bridges the gap from Water to Fire. That is what Venus is. Venus happens whenever abstract Water leads to abstract Fire, i.e. whenever we form a consciousness of wanting or liking, or their opposites.

It is worth noting that each planet has its complement, in the planet that performs the reverse function. Each of these pairs, whenever they get together, form a loop of positive feedback that greatly multiplies both sides of the effect

Chakras - the way Kundalini functions

The image below shows roughly where the Chakras are located about the body. Along with the traditional seven, we have extra chakras, in the abdomen for Chiron, and at the feet for the Earth - these are required for completeness, but unfortunately the ancients did not fully understand the thing that they were describing, and so did not include them back in the day. In addition we have the three Dan Tien, which correspond to the three outer planets, unknown to the ancients. The transmutation of elements, their alchemy, is the same thing as Kundalini, and is the same thing as aimed for in Tantra - these esoteric terms really just refer to natural human abilities, our human rights! Although life experiences frequently have a way of unplugging the connections that are our birthright.

The Dan Tien each transmute the elemental Fire [shown as red] surrounding them [albeit in the abstract], as the manifestation of fact, or truth, in the body at:

U - in the upper Dan Tien, as Uranus, mental reality - elemental Air from Fire. This manifestation ought then to activate M1, S and E [Moon, Sun and Earth].

N - in the middle Dan Tien, as Neptune, emotional self - elemental Water from Fire. This manifestation ought then to activate M3, V and M2 [Mars, Venus and Mercury].

P - in the lower Dan Tien, which is also known as the Hara, or One Point in Aikido, as Pluto, physical reality - elemental Earth from Fire. This manifestation ought then to activate S, J and C [Saturn, Jupiter and Chiron].

Chakras - the Idealist flow

There are two main directions in which it is 'as if' some esoteric energy is flowing around the body, leading the way in which we live our lives, or as a result of the way we live our lives. We might call these the Idealist flow, and the Existential flow. The first of these has the abstract facts, or spirit if you like, acting on the bodily centres, and thereby urging us to do, feel, or think, accordingly. This is shown in this first diagram, with the main channels arrowed, although any chakra [when functioning] will convey its element to other chakras that respond to that element.

Chakras - the Existential flow

The second way for chakras to flow is shown below, the arrows being reversed. Here the idea is that it is 'as if' the mind, rather than the spirit, leads the course of life and the creation of spirit as we go. Of course, both directions are at work all the time, it is just that at times the flow narrows to a trickle due to blockages in the system.

Tai Chi - therapy for blocked chakras

When blockages happen, and life becomes difficult because of the state of our self, there are things that we can do about it. As should be obvious, intervention at any specific chakra will cause a kind of pressure to build, or it is 'as if' it does, anyway. But that won't always help if another chakra is partially blocked. What blocks chakras? Tension, stress, trauma, that kind of thing. What can we do about it? Any kind of therapy helps, especially seeing the doctor, if we are ill. But, I always recommend Tai Chi, even though I am irregular in my own practice - Tai Chi is barely a martial art, hardly exercise, although it is good for balance and flexibility. What Tai Chis does do is teach you how to relax, and it is 'as if' it massages your chakras, helping them to reverse the changes that have produced blockages.

Follow this link for some notes on practicing the Yang style 24 Step Form of Tai Chi