WHAT ARE THE CHAKRAS OR ENERGY CENTRES?

 Have you ever been so nervous for example, you're just about to give a presentation and you felt a strange sensation in your tummy? Or have you ever been in trouble or in danger that you had no way of getting yourself out and you felt a big lump growing in your throat? Or have you ever been so deeply in love with someone that you felt like the centre of your chest was about to explode? Or have you ever been inspired or had a brilliant idea and you felt a tingling sensation at the top of your head or you felt like someone was touching your scalp? 

If you have ever experienced any of these sensations then you might have experienced your chakras or energy centres being activated. But the question still remains what exactly are these chakras? But in order to answer this question, we need to first have a closer look at energy and how our human senses detect it.

                                                          Image by Okan Caliskan

ENERGY AND THE HUMAN SENSES

Human beings are able to explore and interact with their physical environment only through their senses. Different sensory organs detect different frequencies of energy, for example, the eyes detect the frequencies of energy that are distinguishable as light while the ears detect lower frequencies of energy in form of vibrations or resonance. Everything is energy and energy comes in various frequencies or wavelengths or intensity and that's why these physical sensory organs can only detect particular frequencies and vibrations of energy. 

However, beneath it all energy is just vibration. Everything vibrates at one frequency or another, nothing is forever at rest. There is only one energy in the universe and this energy can never be created or destroyed, however, how we interact with this energy makes it look like it is coming from different sources and this is because of how we interact with its different frequencies or vibrations that our senses are particularly tuned for. 

For example, the skin may detect vibrations of energy in form of kinetic energy, motion or pressure while the tongue may detect the signature vibrations of the atoms of molecules that make up matter. Different atoms or molecules of different matter vibrates at different frequencies which gives them their unique characteristics and makes it much easier for the body to tell them apart and to know which substance is food and what isn't.

HOW MANY SENSES DO YOU HAVE?

This is a topic of controversy because the senses might actually be more than what we can acknowledge are our physical sensory organs. People who work in extremely dangerous environments for example the police, military and emergency rescue personnel cannot brush off the fact that there are extra senses that complement our sensory organs. 

It's known by many names it is called the sixth sense or intuition or whatever you choose to call it. I've been an emergency rescue personnel and we've worked in all sorts of dangerous conditions for long hours in extremely difficult conditions. We used to work in all types of rescue and humanitarian operations like natural disasters, forest fires, hostage rescue just to name a few.

Under conditions like these, you develop a pretty strong trust in your non-physical senses, We used to work with the police and military too and I would hear them saying things like, "I have a bad feeling, let's not go in there." Then a building would come down or a bomb would go off and the building would be destroyed.  

I remember our first day of training and the instructor said, "Most of the time we will send you to dangerous places and if you will develop a heightened awareness of your sixth sense it will save your life." 

SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE CHAKRAS? 

The chakras or energy centres are non-physical nodes or non-physical senses that detect energy. It has been known for thousands of years that besides the five physical sensory organs, there are seven other non-physical senses in the human body. 

There's nothing new about this information and it has been known for a long time that human emotions originate from these energy centres and not from physical organs or senses. If you've been keen enough then you have been able to notice that majority of emotions are usually felt in the trunk area of the human body and not on the limbs.

Although we also have energy centres on the head and neck, those on the trunk are usually the easiest to detect. The most obvious one is the 4th energy centre which is located at the centre of the chest or roughly in the same position as our physical heart. Although everyone knows that the 4th energy centre is quite separate from the physical heart. It's strange how people always use the term heart interchangeably all over the world to talk about the 4th energy centre and the physical heart.

                                                             Image by Okan Caliskan

THE SEVEN CHAKRAS OR ENERGY CENTRES

Since the chakras are non-physical in nature the amount of space they seem to occupy can extend well beyond the physical body. This is especially true when they have been activated and are receiving energy. However, it would be much simpler to view them as a point located inside the physical body. 

1. The First Energy Centre

This energy centre is located at the base of the spine and generally encompasses the general area the sexual organs are located and this energy centre detects the lowest frequency of energy.

2. The Second Energy Centre

This centre is located somewhere below the general area where your belly button is. This centre also detects energy of low frequency too and is usually often activated by negative energy. Have you ever been so disappointed at someone and you felt this heaviness in the pit of your stomach? 

That was probably the second energy centre being activated by negative energy. It's also usually activated when something bad or negative is just about to happen that is why people call it gut feeling. It's usually an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach region and a very strong warning of danger.

3. The Third Energy Centre

The third centre is located at the solar plexus which is the region of the body above the belly button and the region where the two ribcages meet. This energy centre is where your identity or your ego emanates from. It's also the birthplace of all your desires.

4. The Fourth Energy Centre

It's located at the centre of the chest in roughly the same position that the physical heart is. While the three energy centres below can only detect low frequency, the fourth centre can detect the extremely high frequency and vibration of energy. 

It's the most powerful energy centre and it can both detect and transmit energy to other people. It can also detect extremely low vibrations or frequency of energy, if you've ever had a heartbreak then you know how that feels. It's worse than physical pain. 

Sometimes you can also have an activation of the fourth energy centre when you are extremely disappointed in someone and you get this heavy sensation or sinking in your heart. 

5. The Fifth Energy Centre

This is found at the throat area and it's usually activated when you get that lump in your throat when you're in danger.

6. The Sixth Energy Centre

The sixth energy centre is also known as the third eye or mind's eye and is located in the general area of your head somewhere between your eyes and the centre of the forehead. This energy centre can both transmit and receive energy and is usually activated when you're visualizing or imagining something.

The term mind's eye or third eye is often misleading because this energy centre can simulate all the other physical senses as well and it's usually very sensitive in people who miss one of the five physical senses. 

It is through this energy centre that you can access the information from the divine or your higher self or the fourth dimension. It's a portal through which you can have a gaze at this non-physical realm and have a peek at all there is and all that can be.

7. The Seventh Energy Centre

This is the birthplace of all thoughts and all inspiration and it's where all the thoughts originate from. It's located on top of the head, maybe an inch or so above the crown of the head and it's nowhere near where the physical brain is located. 

Sometimes an activation of this energy centre may result in tingling of your scalp. For example, when a brilliant idea suddenly pops up in your head. This energy centre is the direct link between you and the energy that is keeping you alive and animates your body and the very same energy that creates worlds.

It's through this energy centre that all creation happens.