Chakra Stones and Everyday Healing

Most people have probably heard of the term "chakra stones" or "chakras" but many wonder what they really refer to. As someone interested in alternative health medicine and healing, I have found plenty of reasons to acquaint myself with this energy system and the tools to use. Originally I was looking for ways to obtain natural pain relief. Once I started my research, it became much more. Chakra stones have become an integral part of my life.

The eastern concept of chakras comes from Indian culture, specifically from Hindu philosophy. The term Chakra is itself Hindi in origin and means "spinning wheel". Chakra stones are simply the associated crystals used for healing.

Chakras are energy centers that run from the base of your spine out the top, or crown, of your head. There is some disagreement as to the number of chakras but usually there is seen to be no less than seven and no more than eleven. The conventional wisdom cites seven chakras.

Each chakra is a circular wheel of light spinning in your energetic system, associated with certain body parts, a color, stone, element, and function. By learning to tune into the energy of your chakras, you can begin to embrace the fullness of who you truly are.

The system of chakras and chakra stones are now used widely in the western alternative healing and spiritual practices and has become popular not least because of its accessibility for both meditation and colour healing applications. Natural cures for anything all start with ensuring your chakras are balanced.

Chakra balancing is in and of itself a whole system of personal healing though it can be performed without the assistance of a therapist. Chakra balancing is viewed as a rebalancing of energies at all levels, including physical, emotional and psychic.

The chakras as a whole form an energy system, relating specifically to a number of points or sites in the body. Through these sites, colour is able to enter and be reflected and the condition and appearance of such colour eminences may change according to our mental, emotional and physical conditions.

Practitioners who use chakra stones in healing will often place appropriate crystals on the related sites on the body. These may be crystals that accentuate the natural colour of those areas or which are designed to counter specific blockages.

What Are The Different Chakras/Chakra Stones And What Do They Do?

Crown or Sahasrara Chakra

Bright white light glows at the top of our head, radiating upward, reaching its rays out into the world beyond us. When we are grounded in our bodies, we are able to accept the ever-changing world that moves around us.

Colour: Violet (or magenta)

Crystal(s): Amethyst, clear quartz, high vibrational crystals

Element: Thought

Body Part(s): Pineal gland, central nervous system, cerebral cortex, right eye

Third Eye or Ajna Chakra

The violet light of this chakra makes its mark on our forehead, between the eyebrows and slightly above. This is where we see, where our inner eye lives. When we have an important decision to make or are feeling uncertain in our lives, it helps to focus on the third eye and to seek guidance.

Colour: Indigo or violet

Crystal: Sodalite

Element: Light

Body Part(s): Pituitary gland (some also say pineal gland), nose, ears, left eye; some say "third" eye

Throat or Visuddha Chakra

The blue of this energy center spins its truth in our throat, helping us to be authentic in the way we live our lives. The throat chakra is where we communicate, where we are able to openly share our life perspective.

Colour: Sky Blue

Crystal: Turquoise, blue lace agate, lapis lazuli

Element: Sound

Body Part(s): Thyroid gland, hypothalamus, parathyroid, throat, mouth

Heart or Anahata Chakra

Our heart center creates balance in our lives. When we tap into our heart chakra, love radiates around us and out into the world.

Colour: Green

Crystal: Malachite, jade, aventurine, rose quartz

Element: Air

Body Part(s): Thymus gland, heart, lungs, arms, hands, circulatory system

Solar Plexus or Manipura Chakra

This bright yellow ball of fire heats up our personal sense of power. Located at the solar plexus, this chakra helps to center us. It is our power center where we develop our autonomy and sense of self. When this chakra is open, we feel worthy of all that life has to offer us.

Colour: Yellow

Crystal: Citrine, yellow agate, amber, yellow calcite

Element: Fire

Body Part(s): Adrenal glands, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, nerves, muscles, nervous system

Sacral or Svadhisthana Chakra

This calming orange wheel goes round in our lower abdomen, right below the navel. This chakra is associated with health, pleasure, feelings, and sexuality. When the sacral chakra is balanced, we feel abundant, we know that we are deserving of pleasure in all areas of our lives.

Colour: Orange

Crystal: Carnelian

Element: Water

Body Part(s): Prostate gland, spleen, ovaries, womb, genitals, testicles, bladder (some say adrenals)

Root or Muladhara Chakra

This deep red chakra grounds and connects us to the earth. When our root chakra is open, we feel a sense of belonging.

Colour: Red

Crystal: Red jasper, garnet, ruby, also hematite

Element: Earth

Body Part(s): Adrenal glands, kidneys, colon, spinal column, legs, bones

Clearing & Balancing Using Chakra Stones, Meditation & Colour

One my favourite methods for balancing the chakras is to use a visual meditation, which simply follows a natural route through the body from top to base. These can be found in a great number of books available on the internet.

If you have never tried anything like this, I can thoroughly recommend it. Before I attempted a chakra meditation I must admit that I thought that the chakras were just an interesting idea or spiritual focus.

After the first time of working with them, however, I was convinced that they are real, live areas in the body. Whatever the truth may be, it seems that going through this process is beneficial both mentally and for physical well-being.

Another easy way to get in touch with strengthening chakras on a day to day basis is to wear clothing and accessories that will help. Once you identify which chakra needs support you simply surround yourself with the related colour as much as possible.

Identification can be as simple as knowing that you have a health problem in a particular area, or recognizing where the feelings are located in your body with regard to an intense emotional issue.

If you feel bruised from a previous encounter with someone, for example, you may be aware of the associated feelings in the solar plexus area, just underneath the chest. If you look at the list above, you can check the physical location of the feeling (i.e. "below chest") and note the related colour (yellow) and chakra stone (citrine) to wear.

For simple, everyday crystal healing you may like to try an item of chakra jewellery that contains all seven crystals relating to the chakra energies.

There are many other health living ideas to balance organ energy along with using chakra stones. What you eat, supplements, emotional work, homeopathy, flower essences, and reflexology are some of the many other modalities you can use.

Some people suggest a daily ritual of meditation to balance the chakras, which you may prefer to do in the morning to start your day on a positive note. I find that any time that I think of doing the meditation is a good time.

I hope that this has given you some idea of what chakras and chakra stones are and how you can use this spiritual healing system to your benefit. To start with a good set of starter stones and a guide book is all you need to start benefiting from this type of healing method. A great place to purchase your stones and jewellery from is Crystal Age. They are a UK based company with over 2000 products that ship worldwide at reasonable cost.

A good guide book that I've come across is The Book of Chakra Healing. This book is written by Liz Simpson. She is a well known journalist and author that specializes in alternative health. It's a very good read and covers a wide array of chakra related information. I found it to be a great resource.

Good luck with your adventures into the world of chakra healing!

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