May 2005
A Chakra History Primer
Natural Awakenings Magazine
Slash Coleman
Chakra (pronounced “sha-kra”) means “wheel” or “wheel of light.” If you went searching for
the source of the word, you would end up in India reading a collection of books called the
Vedas. Organized into four main volumes, the Vedas were written around 3500 B.C and are
considered the oldest known Indo-European writings on religion and philosophy.
In some cultures, the writings were considered to be taken from the language of the Gods.
The books include information on topics such as armies, astrology, government, poetry, and
ethical living. Translated from an ancient language called Sanskrit, these books explore the
origins of alternative medicine theory, including a section on the chakras.
Origins of Medical Science in Ayurveda
The area most relevant to the chakras is the information on Ayurveda (pronounced Aa-your-
vay-da), which is a holistic and comprehensive medical system, and considered the origin of
all medical science. Ayurveda not only involves herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colors, yoga,
mantras and choices about personal lifestyle, but also includes subjects such as organ
transplants, anatomy, physiology and surgery. Ayurveda is a very old but scientific and
classifiable medical system.
In our culture, the chakras are one of the many sub-categories assigned to the general
heading of Alternative Medicine. Hundreds of sub-categories fall underneath the term, with
massage being the most popular. When talking about the chakras, many people think that
they are connected to some sort of religion. Although the Ayurvedic concepts of the
chakras are spiritual in origin, they are much more biological than religious in nature. Why?
Long ago, religious figures were also the doctors of the society. Back in the time of the
Vedas, physicians were deeply devoted holy people or seers who saw physical health and
spiritual life interconnected. Today much of that connection is dismissed as unscientific.
Most westerners only hear about hands-on-healing from bible stories, not from their medical
providers. As a result, trying to recreate a paradigm that combines the spiritual with the
scientific is still an uphill battle in the west.
Chakras correlate to glands
In terms of western medicine, the word chakra translates loosely into “gland.” Allopathic
doctors refer to glands in much the same way that a chakra therapist or Ayurvedic doctor
would refer to the chakras. In biological terms the seven specific glands that correspond to
the seven chakras are hubs where some of the most important natural reactions in the body
take place. The condition of your glands is the best indicator of the condition of your
chakras. When we refer to the gland, we are referring to a physical organ in the body such
as the pituitary gland, the ovaries and testes, and the thyroid gland. When we refer to the
chakra, we are referring to the energy field emanating from the gland.
Western scientist Charles Coulomb first described electric field strengths in the 1780's,
developing a concept which stated that charged objects create an invisible electric force
field around themselves. In terms of the chakras, we are talking about an energy field, like a
baseball field, that is created from the chemical reactions that take place within the gland.
Making the Invisible Visible
As you might imagine, all of the activity within the gland generates quite a lot of energy and
sometimes, due to the stress in our lives, our genetics and a myriad of other possibilities,
things can and do get out of balance.
Trying to see the measurable energy from the chakra system is the same as trying to view
the invisible radio waves coming into your car stereo from the transmission tower, or trying
to hear the ultrasonic sound from a dog whistle. They are sensory experiences that cannot
be verified using your typical human detection skills.
Many hands-on-healing methods assess the chakra fields. It may seem as though the
energy practitioner is literally seeing your chakras, and the balances and imbalances within
them. Although the clues collected during your assessment are based on a different set of
criteria than those in the medical field, the information is as concrete and measurable as
what a doctor might find.
Your chakra system is at work within your body all the time. Strengthening your
understanding of energy and the chakras can help you with your physical and emotional
health, and is a good first step to developing your creativity and intuition. Some hospitals
now employ Reiki Masters, and several major insurance companies are reimbursing for
energy therapies. Times are changing in our culture as we begin to look at our body and our
health metaphorically, and become more comfortable using terms such as chakras and
energy. Read More about the chakras
A Chakra History Primer
Natural Awakenings Magazine
Slash Coleman
Chakra (pronounced “sha-kra”) means “wheel” or “wheel of light.” If you went searching for
the source of the word, you would end up in India reading a collection of books called the
Vedas. Organized into four main volumes, the Vedas were written around 3500 B.C and are
considered the oldest known Indo-European writings on religion and philosophy.
In some cultures, the writings were considered to be taken from the language of the Gods.
The books include information on topics such as armies, astrology, government, poetry, and
ethical living. Translated from an ancient language called Sanskrit, these books explore the
origins of alternative medicine theory, including a section on the chakras.
Origins of Medical Science in Ayurveda
The area most relevant to the chakras is the information on Ayurveda (pronounced Aa-your-
vay-da), which is a holistic and comprehensive medical system, and considered the origin of
all medical science. Ayurveda not only involves herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colors, yoga,
mantras and choices about personal lifestyle, but also includes subjects such as organ
transplants, anatomy, physiology and surgery. Ayurveda is a very old but scientific and
classifiable medical system.
In our culture, the chakras are one of the many sub-categories assigned to the general
heading of Alternative Medicine. Hundreds of sub-categories fall underneath the term, with
massage being the most popular. When talking about the chakras, many people think that
they are connected to some sort of religion. Although the Ayurvedic concepts of the
chakras are spiritual in origin, they are much more biological than religious in nature. Why?
Long ago, religious figures were also the doctors of the society. Back in the time of the
Vedas, physicians were deeply devoted holy people or seers who saw physical health and
spiritual life interconnected. Today much of that connection is dismissed as unscientific.
Most westerners only hear about hands-on-healing from bible stories, not from their medical
providers. As a result, trying to recreate a paradigm that combines the spiritual with the
scientific is still an uphill battle in the west.
Chakras correlate to glands
In terms of western medicine, the word chakra translates loosely into “gland.” Allopathic
doctors refer to glands in much the same way that a chakra therapist or Ayurvedic doctor
would refer to the chakras. In biological terms the seven specific glands that correspond to
the seven chakras are hubs where some of the most important natural reactions in the body
take place. The condition of your glands is the best indicator of the condition of your
chakras. When we refer to the gland, we are referring to a physical organ in the body such
as the pituitary gland, the ovaries and testes, and the thyroid gland. When we refer to the
chakra, we are referring to the energy field emanating from the gland.
Western scientist Charles Coulomb first described electric field strengths in the 1780's,
developing a concept which stated that charged objects create an invisible electric force
field around themselves. In terms of the chakras, we are talking about an energy field, like a
baseball field, that is created from the chemical reactions that take place within the gland.
Making the Invisible Visible
As you might imagine, all of the activity within the gland generates quite a lot of energy and
sometimes, due to the stress in our lives, our genetics and a myriad of other possibilities,
things can and do get out of balance.
Trying to see the measurable energy from the chakra system is the same as trying to view
the invisible radio waves coming into your car stereo from the transmission tower, or trying
to hear the ultrasonic sound from a dog whistle. They are sensory experiences that cannot
be verified using your typical human detection skills.
Many hands-on-healing methods assess the chakra fields. It may seem as though the
energy practitioner is literally seeing your chakras, and the balances and imbalances within
them. Although the clues collected during your assessment are based on a different set of
criteria than those in the medical field, the information is as concrete and measurable as
what a doctor might find.
Your chakra system is at work within your body all the time. Strengthening your
understanding of energy and the chakras can help you with your physical and emotional
health, and is a good first step to developing your creativity and intuition. Some hospitals
now employ Reiki Masters, and several major insurance companies are reimbursing for
energy therapies. Times are changing in our culture as we begin to look at our body and our
health metaphorically, and become more comfortable using terms such as chakras and
energy. Read More about the chakras
X Country X - Tour 2006
Massage School Infection
Sugar Daddy
Wheat Free Nation
MSG: Danger in Food
A Chakra History Primer
Best Places Not to Argue
Massage School Infection
Sugar Daddy
Wheat Free Nation
MSG: Danger in Food
A Chakra History Primer
Best Places Not to Argue
Love In Boxes
The Neon Man and Me
Glow - The Documentary
Slash Coleman has Big Matzo Balls
Lectures & Workshops
The Neon Man and Me
Glow - The Documentary
Slash Coleman has Big Matzo Balls
Lectures & Workshops
| Books |
Is My Chakra Pretty?
An Artists's Therapeutic
Journey through the
Chakras (About Vision
2004) explains in a fun
and easy-to-understand
An Artists's Therapeutic
Journey through the
Chakras (About Vision
2004) explains in a fun
and easy-to-understand
language the fascinating but
sometimes confusing world of
chakra energy.
sometimes confusing world of
chakra energy.
| © Slash Coleman 2006 |
