kriyayogamalaysia

Chakra and Consciousness

By Rudra Shivananda

In the evolution of consciousness there is a corresponding activation and opening of the pranic energy centers called chakras.

From the first base chakra (muladhara) to the navel chakra (manipura) spans the domain of animal consciousness. The so-called unconscious mind of instincts reside in the first chakra while the subconscious mind of impressions and past-life programming or samskaras reside more in the 2nd and 3rd chakras. From this one can realize how deep and strongly embedded are the instincts for survival and reproduction within our chakra system. From the instinct of survival arise the fight or flight response which is accompanied by the fear complex of feelings and emotions, while from the reproduction instinct has arisen the feelings of lust and emotions of desire.

In the 3rd chakra, we see the first glimmerings of individuality, but still from a subconscious level with focus on the instinct of hunger becoming a thirst for accumulation of possessions – from the instinct of survival we seek to control our environment with a roof over our head and a supply of food stored away. From the instinct of reproduction we now seek to control our mate (s) and satisfy our pleasure sensations whenever we wish. The manipura chakra can is the abode of greed.

Of course, you may wonder that I’ve talked about the negatives of these three chakras without giving any of their positives, for surely they have their counterpoints to balance them. In actuality, the first two chakras have no negatives – they are natural and animalistic – the negative feelings and emotions come from the impact of our evolved individuality on these first two chakras. In a way, it is our developing human consciousness that has perverted the unconscious and sub-conscious.

The 4th chakra is the heart chakra or anahata wherein our conscious mind resides – this is the meeting point between the lower animal consciousness and the higher divine consciousness. Here are all the good and bad, for here is where we differentiate ourselves from others and take animal instincts into excess and even perversions – here is where we turn simple hunger into excessive indulgence and obesity and simple sex into rape and pornography. Paradoxically, this is also where our mind can turn towards our True Self, towards the Divine and achieve Divine Love and Compassion, and liberate ourselves into super-consciousness and beyond.

The fifth chakra or Vishuddhi is where super-consciousness resides. This is no longer the mind as we know it, which is limited by three dimensional space and time…limited by the domain of the five senses. Here we can experience higher dimensions of reality unconstrained by the physical body and senses. This is where we begin to communicate with our True Self. It is still in the realm of duality with object subject distinctions, but at its higher stages the two merge as we approach the realm of the 6th chakra or ajna.