Spirit Seeker Magazine  October-November 2002  Vol. 7. No. 2

   Chakra Triads and Healing

By

 James R. Harris, Ph.D.

    Chakras, those “wheels” in and around the body, metabolize energy from the cosmos, and  radically determine our state of health. Just as the source of a disease may lie in a remote part of the body or energy field, chakra activity in one part of the system influences other parts of it. In their psychodynamic and physical aspects, chakras also “vibrate “ to common themes, and work especially in groups of three, or “triads,” which we may call, respectively, the Action, Emotion, and Soul Triads.

    Action Triad - Chakras C1, C3, C5: Root, Solar Plexus, Throat

    C3 controls the stomach, liver, gall bladder, nervous system, spleen, and pancreas. C3, the “diaphragm center,” regulates the eighth thoracic vertebra essential in breathing, and the adrenals. C3 is about our capacity for pleasure, expansion, spiritual growth, and our grasp of the universality of life; it “defines” our sense of self within the cosmos, and our attitude towards our own health.

    C5 controls the bronchia, voice, lungs, alimentary canal, third cervical vertebra, and the thyroid and parathyroid glands. In its psychodynamics, C5 is our volitional life, or strength of will and self-expression. Its rear aspect especially bears on our sense of self within society and profession.  Whiplash, for instance, results in an acute “dislocation” in our relationship to others, notably, the person behind us; if we can get to the victim soon enough, we can redirect the energy that gets displaced from the spinal column out through the shoulders, and prevent long-term injury.

    As “yang” centers, C1, C3, and C5 have a positive electrical charge; through their multidirectional interconnectedness, they shape our ability to assert ourselves, survive, and manifest our desires in the world. Spinal subluxations can wreak havoc in our physical and emotional life. A malfunctioning Root weakens the kidneys, impairs our vitality and self-confidence, and aggravates stress. Breathing habits (solar plexus) shape our sense of well-being, our power to express ourselves (throat), and to affect our lives.

    Not surprisingly, then, I have seen problems in the lower chakras manifest themselves in higher-center areas of the body. Lower abdominal or pubic difficulties become throat issues, affecting breathing patterns and other functions governed by the solar plexus. When we’re feeling “weak in the world” (or feeling “blue,” with insufficient red energy from the root), nothing goes well.
 

    Emotion Triad - C2, C4, C6: Sacral,Heart, Third Eye

    The complex subtlety of the chakras is further evident here. C2 is the “first feeling” center, where we come into and embody feeling, as compared with instinct and drive in the root. C2 governs our reproductive glands, and is the first seat of our immune system. It is about giving and receiving love and pleasure, comfort and security in life. The Sanskrit term for C2, Svadishthana, roughly means “my sweet abode.” Time and again, I have seen serious illness grow out of second-chakra damage.

    C4, tied to the thymus gland, governs the blood, circulation, the first thoracic vertebra T1, and the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic system, critical in relaxation and digestion. A “bridge” between the lower and the higher chakras, C4 molds our capacity for love for others, degree of openness, and ego. It is the “second feeling center,” where energy from C2 is refined and matured. When the Heart is blocked, sexual dysfunction, lower back problems, and heart trouble may arise; the life-nourishing flow of energy from C2 gets displaced. C4 controls consciousness, and mental clarity (third eye): where the Heart is disturbed, it’s hard to be clear-headed.

    Like C2 and C4, C6, the third eye of insight, is a “yin,” receiving center, with a negative, inflowing charge. C6, important in brain healing, governs the sinus area, nervous system, and the pituitary or “master” gland. It shapes our ability to grasp and visualize concepts, and to make syntheses and transitions from one state of consciousness to another. In my own early experiences of clairvoyance and clairaudience, I remember feeling in my forehead as if a hole was opening up through which visions and sounds from other dimensions were being received.

    Through these three centers of the “emotional triad,” we are awakened to the feeling dimension of existence, as contrasted with its mental aspect. C6 is also a “second feeling” center; the various forms of clairvoyance depend on the spiritual maturity of the heart, and the healthy use of sexual energy (C2). The color or vibration of the third eye contains root and throat energy. In all this, we can see how the emotional chakras work both
together and with the yang centers to help us achieve personal balance and integrity.
 

    Soul Triad - Chakras C7, C8, C9: Crown, Reflection,Realization

    C7, the place of spiritual release from the body and where cosmic energy enters it, integrates the personality with our life force. It controls the upper brain, right eye, and the pineal gland, which philosopher-mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650) said was the site where the “vital spirits” enter the physical body. These last three centers form the “house of the soul.” Through the crown, we attain spiritual freedom. C8 appears as silver, lies beyond the crown, and makes possible a deeper, reflective insight on our life history and path, on how we use, and have used, our life force.

    C9 makes possible fuller spiritual enlightenment and realization. It appears as gold, and unlike the other centers, does not remain in one position relative to the spinal column. An old Buddhist priest I know is as enlightened as anyone I’ve ever met; around him, I often have seen a brilliant gold “ball” that changes position in relation to his body.

    This sketch of chakra triads suggests “cross-triad” activity of the chakras. Consider how root-center trouble (C1) drains our sexual vitality (C2), or how sexual dysfunction distorts the flow of our life force generally. The electromagnetic plane of reality on which chakras operate is part of a wider, transcendent realm of consciousness. Helping people to heal themselves requires working with the chakras, but it also relies on other, open-ended dimensions of reality that influence our health and ultimately, the chakras themselves.

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