What are Chakras?

They could be swirling energy centers.

They could be psychological metaphors.

They could be neural pressure points.

They could be a lot more, or possibly even less.

So, what do we know about these mysterious, ‘occult’ bio-psychological circuits?

Honestly, not much.

In classical Tantra, there are six named Chakras that run from the base of the spine to the Pineal gland, which then make one leap upwards to a seventh, trans-human Chakra, Sahasrara. We are given a progression from the silent depths of the subconscious all the way to the supra-liminal, the state of mind that some mystics call “god”, and some skeptics call the “numinous”. Either way, the steps are psychologically sound: they progress through all of the beats that any average human heart can skip through.

Muladhara, the base, is the place we have to start, even though it’s the horror house we do our best to forget when we wake from our dreams. This is where gods and demons, fetishes and ghosts, monsters and heroes alike find their safe havens. From a psychological standpoint, this is where the real work starts; from a mythological standpoint, this is where the real work happens; Muladhara is the alchemical singularity where creation feeds destruction, the ambelic where unforeseen beauty is forged.

The next Chakra is Svadisthana; if the creative urge is visualized in Muladhara, it becomes realized in Svadisthana, which, euphemisms asides, is best understood as the sex Chakra. From there, we move onto the gut Chakra, Manipura, which leads into the heart Chakra, Anahata.

There’s still a throat, mind, and transcendent Chakra still to come.

So, these are the wheels we’ll be spinning through for the next several weeks.

This will include visualizations and sacred sounds, or Yantras and Mantras as they are referred to in Tantric practice. Participate joyfully, or decline peacefully, but realize that for Absolutely No Good (i.e. explainable) Reason…

…this stuff works.

So breathe deep, visualize your heart’s desires, and prepare for a journey.