Aura's, Chakra's, Energy Fields

The information on this page is based on teachings passed on down through Indian and Chinese traditions for thousands of years. There has been some attempt in recent times to obtain scientific verification of these energy fields round the body. It will cover:

Prana Chakra's Aura's Kundalini Body Energies Alternative Healing techniques Appendix I - Electromagnetic Radiation Appendix II - Relationship of Chakras to Tree of Life

Prana flow Prana (in the Indian tradition), or Chi (in the Chinese tradition), is often translated as breath, or vital energy. It is not breath in the sense of breathing, rather it is a flow of subtle energy. Prana is not the same as spirit; nor is it the soul, nor is it the same as consciousness. However, if there is no prana flow into the body (after death, for example), there will be no spirit or flow of consciousness. Prana conducts consciousness. If you want to raise your consciousness, generally you have to increase the flow of prana in your body. Remember the Christian cross? There are 5 types of prana described:

Name prana apana udana vyana samana

Flow inward, appropriation downward, elimination upward, regeneration circulating, distribution outward, assimilation

Example of function life excretion sex energy, throwing up food, hiccups blood assimilation of food

References: Swami Satyeswarananda Giri: Babaji Vol II Lahiri Mahasaya, The Sanskrit Classics, p 68. Swami Nikhilananda: Self Knowledge of Sri Sankaracharya, Ramakrishna Math, India 1987.

What is the difference between a living human being, and the same body shortly after death? The body may still be warm, have food and water in the stomach - but something is missing? It is the prana energy which enables the body to move, enables the heart to beat, the brain and nervous system to transmit electric impulses, the stomach to digest food, etc. Experiments have been done weighing the body just before and just after death, to see if there is something which leaves the body (results not conclusive). Prana is non-physical; a subtle energy.

This next bit is important to understand. It is the prana which operates the physical senses. To feel something with the fingers, prana is transmitted from the brain, by way of electrical nerve impulses down the arm to the fingers. There the prana meets the prana of the object being contacted, and transfers information back up the nerve pathways to the brain, where the prana in the brain interprets the information. It is the prana which enables all five physical senses seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting. So if you are looking for physical proof - to be able to see prana, touch it, smell it - you have a fundamental difficulty. It is prana which is operating your five senses. It is subtler, finer, than the senses it operates. You are full of prana. It operates you. But if your reality is the world of the five senses, you can never know it.
[An interesting analogy is by way of the microscope. Microscopes optically magnify small objects so they are visible with the naked eye. There is a limit to the degree of magnification - about 1000 times. This limitation comes about because of the wavelength of light - about 400 nm (400 x 10-9 metres). Using electron microscopy, which is a much shorter wavelength, magnification up to about 1 million times can be achieved, resolving to about 0.01 nm. Similarly, the senses of the body are limited by the resolution of their power source, prana.]

So what do you do if you want proof of prana? There is a simple technique taught in Tantra, and by others such as Swami Maheshwarananda. Put your palms of your hands together as if you were going to pray. Now move them apart 2 - 3 cm. Hold them there for a while. Now try to move them ever so slightly. Do you feel a rubbery resistance? you may find it more pronounced by rubbing your hands together very fast for about 20 - 30 seconds, then holding the palms near each other. Sceptics will say that you are feeling the radiation of heat from the palms of the hands. You make up your own mind. The action of rubbing the hands together is to open up the hand chakras and increase the flow of prana. The effect is more pronounced in some people than others, and can vary in a person during the day. There can also be pronounced flows between persons of the opposite sex, and apparently some people can use the prana flow to move pingpong balls across a smooth surface, or making a radiometer turn (I can't, I've tried!).
References: Frost, Gavin & Yvonne: Tantric Yoga, Weiser 1989. Swami Maheshwarananda: The Path of Consciousness, Austrian-Indian Yoga-Vedanta Society, Sri Deep Madhavashram, 1040 Schikanedergasse 12/13, vienne, Austria, 1987.

The worship of the sun (by the Atlanteans, Mayans and Incas in South America, the Egyptians under the rule of Akhenaton) is symbolic of the Universal creator fire (or prana) from which the individual prana originates. Chakra's and energy centres

[the above diagram from "The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga", Kriyananda]

The word chakra means wheel, and the chakra's are energy centres in the body from which the prana energy is distributed. Ancient teachings describe 3 subtle energy channels along the spine - ida (moon, or left side) and pingala (sun, or right side - see diagram above) which criss-cross around the central sushuma. There are 7 principal chakras in the body. In fact any nerve ending is a mini chakra (some 72,000?), and there are about 20 important ones including those in the hands and feet, but the 7 above are the most commonly mentioned as they are the major ones. Chakra
first - muladhara second - svadisthana third - manipura fourth - anahata fifth - vishuddi sixth - ajna seventh - sahasrana

Colour
red (white) orange (violet) yellow (purple/gold) green (pink, green) blue (blue) indigo (green) violet (gold)

Location
perineum, base of spine lower abdomen solar plexus heart throat between eyes crown

Gland
adrenals kidneys, testicles/ovaries pancreas thymus thyroid pituitary pineal

Note: the colours shown are those used to refer to the chakras. The first colour is the traditional colours, that in ( ) is the colours used by the Ascended Masters teachings.

The chakras are subtle energy centres, with the function of distributing prana to the body and bodily organs which require it. Some work has been done recently trying to verify this, and Gregg Braden in "Awakening to the Zero Point" describes a Holographic Spectrum Analyser developed by Robert Dratch (see reference below). This instrument detected rotating cones of

energy which appeared to connect to the body near the glands through a small point a few millimetres in diameter. The chakra, then, is not inside the body but around it connecting the with aura. It appears that the location of chakra's 2 and 3 are reversed from where they are traditionally drawn - the kidneys, where the second chakra was observed to connect, are actually slightly above the solar plexus area where the third chakra was located. Most systems also recognise that the heart chakra is actually in two parts, a personal heart and a connection to the universal heart. Other chakra centres are sometimes described above the crown of the head. Relationship of the chakras to the Seven Christian sacraments (ref. Dr Caroline Myss):
Chakra First Second Lesson Lessons related to the material world "All is One" Lessons related to sexuality, work and physical desire "Honour One Another" Lessons related to the ego, personality, and self-esteem "Honour Oneself" Sacrament Baptism - to receive or bestow an expression of grace representing gratitude for one's life in the physical world Communion - to receive or bestow an expression of grace (in the form of a host) that represents holy union with God and with the people in one's life. Confirmation - to receive or bestow an expression of grace that enhances one's individuality and self-esteem.

Third Fourth

Lessons related to love, forgiveness and Marriage - to receive or bestow a blessing making sacred a compassion union with oneself, symbolic of recognizing and honouring the essential need to love and care for oneself in order that "Love is Divine Power" one can fully love another. Lessons related to will and selfConfession - to receive or bestow the grace to cleanse one's expression spirit of negative acts of will. "Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will" Lessons related to mind, intuition, insight, and wisdom "Seek Only the Truth" Lessons related to spirituality "Live in the Present Moment" Ordination - to receive or bestow the grace to make sacred one's path of service. Extreme Unction - to receive or bestow the grace to finish one's unfinished business not just before death, but as a daily part of one's life, thus allowing a person to love in "present time".

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

References: Ozaniec, Naomi: The Elements of the Chakras, Element books, UK 1990. (There are lots of other books on the chakras). Goswami Kriyananda: The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga, The Temple of Kriya Yoga, USA, 1992. http://members.aol.com/BDelphin Bod Dratch home page Myss, Caroline: Anatomy of the Spirit, Bantam Books, UK 1996.

If you can find out more about Robert Dratch's Holographic Spectrum Analyser, this may provide proof of their existence. You can also use the hand experiment described earlier to feel the energy centres around the body. Try moving the palm of your hand up the torso, about 6 cm from the skin. You may find it easier feeling someone else's chakras. I have spoken to people who have seen spinning, coloured wheels (with an associated sound) whilst meditating - such an experience of the chakras is very real for them (but fairly rare experience).

Aura's A number of places offer aura photographs. Some use an imprint of energy radiated from the hand (I have one of these taken some time ago, see below). Kirlian photography is well understood, which records the electromagnetic radiation from living things - human beings, plants, etc.

(Pictures of my aura, taken using hand imprint technique, at different times of my life)

These techniques to do directly display the aura, but they may be measuring an electromagnetic property which has a direct relationship to the aura. The 7 major chakras form 7 sheaves around the body, the first chakra being the closest. People who can see or sense these aura's say that they have colours associated with them (different people see aura's with different colours), which are constantly changing depending on health, mood, time of day, etc. Some people "feel" them rather than actually physically seeing them. Most radiation seems to be around the head area. The halo's drawn around angels and holy people (in India, pictures of the Maharaja and Maharini included a golden disk around the head) may also be a representation of this. There are standard methods for training people to see auras, some claiming 80% success rates within a few hours. You can try this yourself with coloured cardboard held behind the head of a person in a darkened room with a white background. Start by staring at the coloured card for about 30 seconds, then look at the white background and concentrate on the complement of the colour you see. After trying this for a while with normal light, try it with progressively dimmer light, and then with the card held behind the head of a subject in the darkened room. Eventually you should be able to "feel" colours around the head of the person without any card present.

Looking in the gap between an arm on the hips is also supposed to be a good area. Clothes are said to interfere with the aura, so a topless body may be better. You may have seen a speaker on a well lit stage, with a white background behind. If you stare at the person for a while you may notice an outline around the skin just apart from the body. Some people say that this is the first auric body, often appearing deep violet in nature. Others say that it is just an optical effect generated by the eyes. You decide for yourself. The previous technique performed in darkened room is probably a more reliable test.
References: http://www.kirlian.org/ http://www.crystalinks.com/kirlian_photography.html http://www.newage.com.au/library/auraphoto.html

Kundalini Kundalini means coiled serpent, and refers to the energy at the base chakra which, under certain conditions, can rise with a bolt of force up the spine to the head. Indian traditions carefully teach methods by which the Kundalini can be made to rise up the Sushuma (the middle of the three main subtle energy channels along the spine - the others are the Ida and Pingala). If the Kundalini energy rises, but does not rise up the Sushuma, physical pain or damage can result. Kundalini awakening is often associated with prickly sensations on the skin, and/or feelings of hot and cold. Young yoga students are cautioned as to unpleasant side effects which can result if the Kundalini rises without the mind first being cleansed of anger, desire, hatred, etc. One Kundalini awakening was documented in a book by Krishna Gopi. Many yoga student have experienced pranic movements within the body at times - these are energy releases, but not a complete Kundalini awakening (called pranatthana in Govindan's book "Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition", page 165). Indeed, an abrupt Kundalini awakening is not necessarily desirable and as mentioned, can result in severe physical and/or mental injury. In most people in the west today the muladhara (first) chakra is already active, giving people sexual awareness. And most people living ordinary lives with no thought of spiritual matters are working on the 2nd and 3rd chakras preparing the way for a Kundalini awakening at some stage in the future.
References:

Govindam, M: Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, Kriya Yoga publications, Canada 1991. Ozaniec, Naomi: The Elements of the Chakras, Element books, UK 1990. (There are lots of other books on the chakras). Krishna, Gopi: Kundalini books, and see http://www.renature.com/krf Kundalini Research Foundation, based on Gopi Krishna's teachings Bob Boyd has collected some references on dealing with the unpleasant side effects of an early Kundalini awakening http://members.aol.com/ckress/support.html http://www.greatdreams.com/kunda.htm Good FAQ information http://www.aloha.net/~bpeay/kundalini/danger.html Warnings of the danger of awakening Kundalini energy, plus other Kundalini articles

Proof? For people who have experienced energy movements in the body (pranatthana) whilst meditating or doing yoga postures, or had a Kundalini awakening, this energy is real (check out Bob Boyd's article above). Body Energies So what is the most powerful energy in the body? We are familiar with the energy in our muscles which allows us to lift things, walk, run, etc. There is the energy associated with eating and digesting food. Much stronger than the physical energy is the energy associated with the emotions - anger, excitement, fear, etc. The strongest physical energy in the body is sex energy - it is also the one we can control least well. But (according to Lobsang Rampa, in the Rampa paperback books) the most powerful energy we have access to is our imagination. This is worth considering. Alternative healing techniques At this stage, if you are open to a non-physical reality and that prana/chi may be the flow of subtle energy in the body manifesting in chakras and auras, you may be able to understand a mechanism by which some of the alternative healing techniques are able to work. For example:

acupuncture - needles are inserted into the body at particular nerve points. Acupuncture therapy is now accepted as effective by western medical practicioners. Bach Flower and homeopathic remedies - these remedies are made by progressively diluting the essence of a flower or substance until there is theoretically less than one molecule left of the substance. Western science scoffs at these techniques as there would seem to be nothing but distilled water in the remedy. However, we could now understand how an imprint of the subtle element of the flower could be left in the water, which would act on the patients subtle body (rather than on the physical, as in allopathic medicine) to correct the problem at root cause. These remedies are effective in many people suffering from allergies, headaches, asthma, phobias, eating disorders, and other problems which are hard for conventional doctors to deal with. [Reference: Callum Coats
"Living Energies".]

aurosoma therapy and colour healing - working with colours have a direct affect on the aura and the subtle body. aromatherapy - the sense of smell provides another method of working with the subtle body. crystal healing - rocks are different shapes and colours because of their internal structure. This structure is a kind of frozen vibration. It is possible that the quality of this vibration could have an effect on the subtle body of the patient. Reiki, Seichim, Zenith - these are healing techniques in which an energy flow, a type of prana, is brought through the practioner into the subtle body of the patient. Tai Chi, Chi Kung - and other martial arts are designed to work with breathing (prana) and movements designed to balance the energy flows in the body (Yin and Yang).

Reference: Knaster, Mirka: Discovering the Body's Wisdom, Bantam Books, USA 1996.

Appendix - Electromagnetic radiation

This is a short digression into the electromagnetic frequency spectrum, as there will be a lot of talk about vibration and frequency. Note that there is two types of vibration: vibration of matter as in sound waves (which is what we hear), what earthquakes are, the waves in the sea, heat through friction, etc. And electromagnetic vibration which is based on photon particles and a electric / magnetic / current vector which travels through the air at close to the speed of light.

The picture above is intended to put frequency into perspective! A 1.5 Volt battery produces direct current (DC), which is 0 Hertz (Hz). A frequency of 1 Hz means that there is one vibration per second. There are lower frequencies to which we may be sensitive - for example, it is thought that homing pigeons are sensitive to low frequency vibrations of wind blowing over mountains, which may have a frequency of 1 cycle per minute (ie 0.017 Hz - note that in this example, it would not be electromagnetic waves, but sound waves which are vibrations in physical matter). Mains power is at 50 Hz or 60 Hz (depending on which country you live in). Very Long Wave communication is used for radio transmission to submarines using antennae many kilometres in length, and will penetrate deep into the sea. Most commercial radio stations broadcast in the MF, HF, VHF, UHF bands (0.5 MHz to 1 GHz, or so) - television at the higher frequencies. Microwave ovens work at about 2.45 GHz. Police radar and microwave communication takes place in the 1 GHz - 12 GHz band. Satellite-to-Earth communications takes place in the 10 GHz - 30 GHz region. The next transmitter you have in your home is at about 400,000 GHz - infra-red radiation from heaters and conventional ovens! The range of visible light we see spans only about one octave, and to our eyes the frequencies appear to be divided into 7 colours; red the lowest vibration, violet the highest. Beyond this the radiation is becoming progressively more energetic and in high doses may be dangerous to life. Ultraviolet, X-rays (used when you go to the doctor or dentist), and gamma rays resulting from natural radiation and radio-activity. Hydrogen atoms have a diameter of about 1 x 10-10 m, ie 1 . This gives you some idea of the wavelength of gamma rays, and higher radiation. There is little work documenting experimentation with these short wavelengths - it is interesting to note in A Dweller on Two Planets (which is full of other material now scientifically verified, but not known in the 1860s when the book was written) there is talk about another visible band of light, appearing as a white glow without shadows, at a much higher frequency than the visible light spectrum to which we are accustomed.

Appendix II - Relationship of the Chakras to the Ten Sefirot (Tree of Life) (Reference: Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit).
Chakra Sefirot (Kabbalah Tree of Life) 7 6 Keter - supreme crown of God, the part of the divine which inspires physical manifestation. Most undefined, therefore the most inclusive. No identity, no specificity in this point of beginning between heaven and earth. Binah - understanding and the intelligence of God. The Divine Mother.

Hokhmah - wisdom. The contact point between the Divine mind and human thought. Through this energy physical manifestation betins to form, form preceds actual expression. Male energy. Gevurah (Din) - power, judgement, and punishment. Gevurah and Hesed are the right and left arms of God. Hesed - love or mercy of God; also the greatness. 4 Tif'eret (Rahamin) - compassion, harmony, and beauty. Trun of the tree, or heart of the tree. Hod - majesty of God. Hod and Nezah are the right and left legs of God. 3 Nezah (Netsah) - endurance of God. 2 1 Yesod - the phallus. Also known as the Righteous One. Shekinah (or Keneset Yisra'el, or Malkhut/Malkhuth) - feminine. Grounded lifeforce, feeding all that is alive.