Why I Created the Chakra Healing Guide
I first began to understand that we hold energy in our bodies when I started yoga, years ago. Every time I went into a specific position I was overwhelmed with grief for my father, who had died 10 years before. One thing led to another and I tried to figure out how to remove painful experiences, as I knew I carried a lot. I doubled down to take some serious energy and sound healing schools and emerged to believe relief from suffering can be had by clearing out one’s chakras. Hence, I created this chakra healing guide for anyone who would be in the same position as I was.
Vortexes of Energy
Chakras are vortexes of energy that connect our spiritual and physical selves, and they carry the blueprint of our destiny. The energy of the challenges we have had in life, back to when we were born–or even further, to past lives that have yet to be resolved –are held in our chakras. They are also connected to our central nervous system and spine. Ultimately, our chakras are our place to integrate our life of Spirit and living in the 3D world on the planet. As this integration increases and more trauma (and karma) has been cleared, the more flow we are in our lives. To perceive what is happening in a chakra is to have an entryway into the storyline of one’s spiritual and emotional journey. Each chakra characterizes different aspects of spiritual growth, from fundamental aspects of feeling safe on the planet, to relationships, to the most exalted connection to the All That Is. The chart, below, can help you navigate your own journey towards being in better flow by understanding the stages of spiritual growth as represented by this brilliant design of our energy body.
Root Chakra - The First
Sanskrit Name: Mūlādhāra (Base support)
Where: Root, bottom of spine to feet
Color: Red
Element: Earth
Purpose: Solid Foundation
Overall Topic: Safety and security on the planet; knowing one’s tribe
Established Developmentally: Womb to 1 year
Challenges: Abuse, fear, distrust; no right to be here; lack; poverty; chronic illness; not enough love of the mother
Healing: Embraced by Mother, by Mother Earth
Archetypes: Negative: The Victim; Positive: The Healed Mother
Sacral Chakra (Feel) - The Second
Sanskrit Name: Svadhisthan a (Dwelling of the Self)
Where: Sacral center, 2” below navel point
Color: Orange
Element: Water
What: Emotions, feelings, family, creativity,
pleasure, energy, emotional intelligence
Overall Topic: Relationships, procreation, sexuality, sensuality
Established Developmentally: 2 to 3 years old
Challenges: Needy, insecure, grim, unconnected to others,
asexual, guilt, unfeeling, numb, out of flow
Healing: Pleasure, connections, emotional intelligence
Archetypes: Negative: The Martyr; Positive: The Emperor/ Empress
Solar Plexus Chakra (Act) - The Third
Sanskrit Name: Manipura
Where: Solar Plexus
Color: Yellow
Element: Fire
What: Personal power in the world, self-esteem, ego
Purpose: Achievement
Overall Topic: Ego
Established Developmentally: 4 to 5 years old
Challenges: Low self-esteem, shame, anger, disempowered, lack of willpower, wallflower
Healing: Self-love, ego identity, proactive, healthy personal power
Archetypes: Negative: The Servant; Positive: The Warrior
Heart Chakra (Love) - The Fourth
Sanskrit Name: Anahata
Where: Heart Center
Color: Green
Element: Air
What: Love of that which is bigger than oneself; love of other; authenticity
Purpose: To learn to have unconditional love for self and others.
Burn away all negativity.
Overall Topic: To learn to have unconditional love for self and others. Burn away all negativity.
Established Developmentally: 6 to 12 years old
Challenges: Co-dependent, poor boundaries, anti-social, lonely, carries grief, lack of empathy, narcissism, depression
Healing: Self-love, love of other, tuning into what feels true to self.
Archetypes: Negative: The Actor; Positive: The Lover
Throat Chakra (Speak) - The Fifth
Sanskrit Name: Vishuddha
Where: Throat
Color: Sky Blue
Element: Ether (Spirit)
What: Singing the song of who one is; Speaking one’s truth
Purpose: Resonance, singing the song of self, purification
Overall Topic: Truth of Self
Established Developmentally: 13 – 19 years old
Challenges: Can’t listen, lies, interrupts, introverted, gossip, feels inferior, can’t express self, doesn’t talk
Healing: Shares, creative, can sing song of self, speaks one’s truth
Archetypes: Negative: The Silent Child; Positive: The Communicator
Third Eye Chakra (See) - The Sixth
Sanskrit Name: Ajna
Where: Brow, Third Eye
Color: Indigo
Element: Cosmos
What: Vision for self; visionary; intuitive
Purpose: Visionary, perceive the unspoken, meeting of the Ida/Pingala Nadis, unity and ego.
Overall Topic: To know. Intuition is transmitted to the lower chakras
Peak Development: 35 to 42 years old
Challenges: Can’t envision for self; denial, can’t “see,” obsessions, hamster-wheels, shut off intuition, poor dream recall, over-intellectual
Healing: Intuitive and perceptive, leadership, thinks with symbols
Archetypes: Negative: The Intellectual; Positive: The Wise Person
Crown Chakra (Know) - The Seventh
Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara
Where: Crown
Color: Violet
Element: Cosmos
What: The connection to all that is
Purpose: Service, Connection to Spirit
Overall Topic: Consciousness, cognitive and transcendent; attachment versus letting go of control
Established Developmentally: 14 and older
Challenges: Rigid thinking, invalidated beliefs, dissociated from body, lacks spiritual connection, attachment to ego constructs, addiction due to disconnected from spirit
Healing: Open-minded, the witness, in service, connected to Universal Consciousness
Archetypes: Negative: The Egoist; Positive: The Guru
Chakra Healing Guide by Annie Bond, founder of The Divine Mother Modality and the HeartMind Healing School
Special call-out to two amazing authors on the chakras, both of whom I have learned from immensely: Anoeda Judith (Wheels of Life; Eastern Body, Western Mind; and more), and Ambika Wauters (The Book of Chakras).