You’re in the right place if you want to…

• learn more about the chakra system in relation to magic.

• understand how witchcraft can lead to cultural appropriation.

• know which chakra to tap into based on the purpose of the magic you want to perform.

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There are some practices that are often categorized as new age spirituality that many witches participate in. Practices like meditation, which I spoke about in a previous episode, chakras, yoga and other practices from Eastern religions, energy healing, as well as auras and the idea of the Law of Attraction, including affirmation, visualization and gratitude.

This is truly one of the greatest things about witchcraft, the freedom to learn from a huge variety of cultures and spiritual practices and find ways to incorporate these into your own unique practice.

It’s important to do this respectfully and to not appropriate it, though. Only borrow practices and traditions from open cultures, and do your best to learn from members of the originating cultural group.

Chakras and Cultural Appropriation

For the most part, the concept of an energy system with energy points throughout the body comes from open cultures. The chakra system that we will be focusing on today is an Eastern philosophy that originated in India between 1500 and 500 BCE.

And, since chakras are universal (found in every being), working with part of your own body and energy field is usually not considered appropriation.

However, if you encounter someone who believes that the way you are engaging in chakra work is cultural appropriation, rather than appreciation of their culture, it’s time to learn more. The best way to appreciate a culture is to be willing to learn and dedicate yourself to understanding.

Working with my chakras has been central to my personal spiritual work, but I am willing to learn how I can better appreciate the culture they originate from.

The biggest issues of cultural appropriation arise when you claim authority over a concept or practice, without respecting or recognizing the history and origin of that concept or practice. Especially if you profit from it.

Related: Cultural Appropriation Part 1

The concept of chakras is not strictly tied to one religion or philosophy, but they are primarily used in Tantra, Hinduism, and some types of Buddhism. Interestingly, other major religions, like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, also have variations on these energy centers or prayer centers throughout the body, some of which coincide with the positions of the chakras, even before these cultures came into contact. This goes to show how universal this idea is.

But, the chakra system is one of the many Sanskrit-derived ideas that has been taken out of context and misunderstood. It’s important to recognize that, as with many traditions that witches incorporate into their practice, there is some aspect of imperialism and cultural appropriation.

The chakras were brought to the west in the early 1900s. This westernized, simplified version of the chakra system is what most people are familiar with today. The colors we associate with each chakra and even the static positioning of these energy centers is part of the westernized version of the original chakra system.

What are the Chakras?

So, if you’ve gotten this far and you don’t know what chakras are, let me take a minute to describe them based on my understanding.

Simply put, the chakras are the energy centers of the body. Chakra is the Sanskrit word for “wheel” because they are often visualized as a spinning whirl of flowing energy. All humans are made of energy at varying levels of vibration. The physical body vibrates at a much lower level than the emotional body, the spiritual body and so on.

There are also seven main chakras—though there are as many as 114 energy points—within the subtle body. Each of the seven chakras—root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown—overlay the physical body, and correspond to the seven main nerve ganglia along the spinal cord.

These energy points are portals or gateways that connect the physical to the spiritual. They can send or receive energy, and—according to the Western version of the chakra system—each can be tuned to a specific frequency or “spin rate”. When they are cleansed and balanced, your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies are functioning perfectly and you can live to your fullest potential.

Additionally, each chakra aligns with a specific color in the spectrum and corresponds to various emotions and physical systems.

People have been working with their chakras in order to feel grounded, passionate, confident, loving, expressive, connected, and spiritual for hundreds of years.

The Benefits of Chakra Work

What this post is primarily discussing is the Western version of the chakra system. This structure has helped me—and countless other people—better understand energy and manifestation. 

Something I have found to be really beneficial about working with my chakras is that I don’t need any tools. I don’t have to get up and go somewhere because they are part of my body, and I can always access them. Learning about this energy system really helped me to better understand the flow of energy throughout the body. 

And I think this is why the concept of chakras has risen in popularity: the accessibility. These energy points are found within all of our bodies, and there is no need for any tools or anything to access them.

The positive effect of the adaptations and westernization of the chakra system is powerful. If you are already familiar with the chakra system and have experienced the healing benefits and mindset shift that comes from having a framework for understanding energy, then you know.

The Seven Chakras

So, with all that said, I will do my best to explain each of the seven chakras and how they have helped me in my spiritual growth and witchcraft practice. But I want to be clear that I am only an expert in my own experience.

Keep in mind that constraints of a blog platform result in vast simplification. If you are interested in learning more about chakras, I would recommend looking for books and teachers who can offer a more in depth education. Please see the additional resources at the end of the post.

Additionally, experiencing your own energy will teach you more about them than any external source.

Now, I’ll quickly walk you through each of the seven chakras and the way I tap into each one for magical purposes.

ROOT CHAKRA - MULADHARA

We start with Muladhara—commonly called the root or base chakra—because caring for your basic human needs is the first priority for magic. The word Muladhara means "root and basis of Existence," in Sanskrit. If you visualize your chakras as a tower of blocks all stacked on top of each other, you want to begin with a very strong foundation and build up.

Tap into this chakra for magic related to your physical body such as for healing. It is also a good energy source for spells surrounding family and manifesting anything you need for survival, such as money, food, shelter, etc. 

Related: Root Chakra

SACRAL CHAKRA - SVADISTANA

The second chakra, which is associated with orange, is the sacral chakra. It is called Svadhistana, meaning “one’s own seat,” in Sanskrit. This describes the feeling of having a place in the world. Due to its proximity to the reproductive organs the sacral chakra is associated with sexuality, abundance, and creativity. It provides the energy to give birth to new ideas, projects, and artistic concepts. It also can bring new life and new energy into existing projects. 

The sacral chakra is a wonderful energy center to tap into for manifesting your desires. Access this energy point when you are working spells related to emotions, creation and creativity, as well as for lust and sexuality.

Related: Sacral Chakra

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA - MANIPURA

The Sanskrit word for the solar plexus chakra is Manipura, which means “lustrous gem.” This chakra represents many parts of your identity and personal power from how you make decisions to how you handle responsibility. It relates to your ambitions, confidence, willpower, and how comfortable you are with being independent and how you allow others to treat you.

In spellwork, you can use this energy center for pretty much any purpose because it relates to willpower, and it is directly tied to your magic and your ability to set intentions. Draw from the solar plexus, especially when you want to do a spell spontaneously. 

Related: Solar Plexus Chakra

HEART CHAKRA - ANAHATA

The Heart Chakra—associated with green—is the emotional center of your body and it is found on the spine between the shoulder blades. This chakra forms a bridge between the three lower chakras (root, sacral, and solar plexus) and the three upper chakras (throat, third eye, and crown). In other words, this is the connection point between your physical and spiritual body; the human being living in the physical realm, and the spiritual being.

The word Anahata means, "unstruck," "unhurt" or "unbeaten," in Sanskrit. These meanings allude to the fact that this chakra can be a source of inspiration or of deep pain based on how energy is flowing through it. The more open your heart chakra is, the more capable you become of recognizing the magic around you. 

Tap into this energy center for any spells or rituals involving love: fixing a relationship, inviting understanding, improving communication, attracting friendships or romance, self love, etc.

Related: Heart Chakra

THOAT CHAKRA - VISHUDDA

The throat chakra—associated with the color blue—is the center of communication in your body. It should be no surprise that the throat chakra is found behind the hollow of your physical throat. This energy point is called Vishudda in Sanskrit, a word that means “purification.” This meaning reflects the importance of pure, authentic communication in order to express your truth.

Use this chakra in magic related to communication: cast spells to help you interview better, solve an argument, become a more attentive listener, or speak with your spirit guide. This is the chakra to access for help with shadow work, which is how you illuminate truths about yourself that you are avoiding or are hidden from you. The throat chakra is also a useful energy center for divination because it helps you better receive and understand the messages from the divine.

Related: Throat Chakra

THIRD EYE CHAKRA - AJNA

The third eye chakra has many names: inner eye, intuition, brow chakra, and Ajna in Sanskrit. Ajna means, “beyond wisdom” and this is the chakra that helps you understand information beyond the physical realm, to guide your spirit and listen to your inner knowing. It is located between and slightly above your eyes.

This is arguably the most helpful energy point to tap into in terms of spell work because accessing a state of altered consciousness and calming the mind is often the first step of a spell or ritual. Tune in with your intuition before divination, spirit work and astral travel, or any spell that helps you improve your ability to connect to the spiritual realm and your psychic senses.

Related: Third Eye Chakra

CROWN CHAKRA - SAHASRARA

The seventh energy point is located at the top of your head and is called the crown chakra. The word Sahasrara means “thousand petaled” in Sanskrit, which represents the thousand petal lotus that is the throne of the divine. It is the energy point which connects you to the Universe and it reminds us that all living creatures hold divine energy, and this divinity is what connects us all as one.

The crown chakra is a wonderful energy point to tap into for spells surrounding personal or spiritual growth, finding inner peace, releasing beliefs that are blocking you from your purpose, finding a deeper connection to the world you live in, and manifesting the dreams that feel impossible.

Related: Crown Chakra

Additional Resources

So again, know that this Western system is highly simplified, but I share it with you because chakra work has been immensely helpful in my practice, and I hope that if you are interested in learning about the chakras, you will continue to research beyond what I have shared.

Much of our modern interpretation of the chakras comes from Anodea Judith’s book Wheels of Life, which is a book of western occultism rather than a scholarly text. Her book has three main sources. 

1. The first are the earlier western occultist titles that borrowed and adapted Sanskrit terms in the imperialist way such as Arthur Avalon’s book,The Serpent Power published in 1919 and C.W. Leadbeater’s book The Chakras published in 1927. 

2. The second sources are flawed English translations of Sanskrit texts like John Woodroffe’s 1918 translation of a 1577 text. 

3. The final sources include 20th-century books by Indian yoga gurus (guh-roos), which are also based on the western sources already mentioned.

The original Sanskrit sources generally only exist in the academic world, and even there, translations and understanding of their meaning is limited. But the following books are a good place to deepen your understanding.

• Satyarth Prakasha by Swami Dayananda

• YOGA to Master the Mind by Anjani Gharpure 

• Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation by Harish Johari

• Chakra Meditation: Discovery Energy, Creativity, Focus, Love, Communication, Wisdom, and Spirit by Swami Saradananda

• A Handbook of Chakra Healing: Spiritual Practice for Health, Harmony, and Inner Peace by Kalashatra Govinda

• The Real Story of the Chakras (blog)

Summary

That’s all I have for you this week. In this blog post we discussed the way that cultural appropriation emerges in witchcraft and how to avoid it in your own work with the chakras. We learned about each of the seven chakras in the Western version of the chakra system and which ones to tap into for various magical purposes.

Want More Chakra Information?

Chapter 1 of my book Practical Magic for Beginners is all about working with your chakras.

In this chapter, you will learn techniques for balancing each of the seven main chakras. This knowledge will help you understand which energy point to tap into based on the purpose of your magic.

Wait, don’t go yet!

Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you’ve enjoyed this post of Talk Witchcraft, I invite you to check out mumblesacademy.com.

Mumbles Academy is the place to be for intuitive souls at any stage on their WitchPath. Whether you are a Wildling at the very beginning of yourwitchcraft journey and looking for a safe learning environment, a Creator who is already committed to their practice and wants to develop their witchcraft skills even more, or a Sage who full of wisdom already and is ready to share that with others, Mumbles Academy was designed for you.

With monthly masterclasses and live Q&As, an extensive archive of courses and training, and a supportive community to help you along the way with encouragement and advice, Mumbles Academy is the perfect place for you to be as you as you continue on your WitchPath.

Now it’s your turn!

Share how you make time for magic and how you allow your magic to flow.