When people refer to the seven chakras, they usually start from the base chakra (Muladhara) and move up. The Muladhara is typically called the first chakra. This way of approaching the chakras is based on the premise that we are earth beings, human beings, who are put here to strive to become the divine beings that we are told only a very few are able to become. So, we therefore descend to the bottom; and, from there, we struggle to claim our divinity. That is more or less a typical way of looking at our incarnation from a Western standpoint.

From a more Eastern standpoint, we are already born divine and have come to earth to mix that divinity with humanity; therefore, our purpose is to become more human. We do not have to work at divinity; it is our birthright.

We began as energy and developed on different energetic levels. This energy condensed to manifest as the “crown chakra” or the highest energy. The undifferentiated and expanded energy is that Cosmic Consciousness, Self, God—whatever you want to call it. It is the expanded part of us, the oneness with all.

When we begin to manifest the physical, the patterns from the chakras and energy formations form our physical DNA, and our different characteristics come about: How will we look? Where exactly will a birthmark appear? What kind of disposition? Intelligent? Intuitive? A tendency to get allergies? Colds? Cancer?

When the energy reaches our Muladhara or base chakra, we are ready to be born into this world. The chakras will allow us to function and give us the clues to climb back up to the infinite. There is a tremendous amount of information in the chakras that most of us have not begun to tap.

At the crown chakra is our constant connection with the heavens and cosmos. Often described as an upside down tree, we are rooted directly into the heavens while our branches reach out toward the earth. Here, there is no awareness of separation from our spirit and true nature.

Immediately below the crown chakra a distinction begins to manifest between above and below. We become aware that we are beginning to manifest, and we also have another division between left and right. From here, we are aware of three heavenly chakras: Ajna (brow point), Vishuddha (throat) and Anahatha (heart). The top three chakras are considered heaven chakras. After the Anahata (heart) there are three more chakras, which are our earth chakras. Mani Pura (solar plexus), Swatistana (sacral plexus) and Muladhara (base or coccygeal plexus) anchor us to the earth.

There is a link and correspondence between the bottom and the top chakras. And this is something that, again in our quest for knowledge, we forget to balance. When the chakras are in harmonious pairs—heaven and earth—they allow us to live a balanced and healthy life.

Healing With the Chakras Meditation