Wheels of Life

by Anodea Judith

  What is the world like that your body interacts with? Feel the textures, smells, colors, and sounds around you. Be your body feeling them-all the sensations your mind might miss-but your body experiences. Feel the hardness of the earth in wood, cement, and metal. Feel its straight lines, its solidity, its permanence. Feel the soft firmness of the Earth in its natural state-with its trees and grasses, lakes, streams, and mountains. Feel its curving gentleness, its protection, and abundance. Feel the richness of this planet with its infinity of forms. Feel its immensity, its solidity, and how it supports you as you sit in your place on it, reading this book.

  This planet is a vehicle, too. It takes us through time and through space. Feel the Earth as a central unified entity-a living body, just like you-with an infinity of cells, working together as a whole. You are a cell in this great body, part of Mother Earth, one of Her children.

  We begin our journey here, on this great body of Earth. Our long climb upward begins by going down. We go down into this body, as we go down into our own bodies-into our flesh, into our guts, into our legs and feet-digging our roots deep into the Earth, which supports and nourishes us. We move deep into her rocks and soil, deep into her guts of red-hot lava, seething deep below, into her source of life and movement and power.

  When we sink deeply, we come to the base of our spine and find a red glowing ball of energy, glowing like the core of the Earth. Feel this molten energy running down your legs, through your knees, into your feet. Feel it running through your feet, into the floor beneath you, through the floor and down into the Earth, burrowing between rocks and roots, finding nourishment, support, and stability. Feel this cord of energy as an anchor, settling you, calming you, grounding you.

  You are here. You are connected. You are solid, but you are molten inside. Deep within your roots you find your past, your memories, your primal self. Your connection here is simple, direct. You remember your heritage, your ancient self as a child of the Earth. She is your teacher.

  What is this matter that comes from the Earth? Think of the chair you are sitting in-the tree it once was, the cotton in the field, the cloth on the loom, the workers that transported it, sold it, sat on it before. Think of the things you have-the complexity in each one of them, their abundance.

  Think of the financial abundance you may have. However large or small it may be, think of it as a gift from the Earth. How does it come to you? What does your body do to get it? What do you use it for? Think of this money as a stream of life running into you and out of you, through your hands, your feet, your heart, and your mind. As it flows through you, feel yourself in constant exchange with the Earth. Let the feeling of abundance come up from the Earth, into your feet, your legs, your pelvis, stomach, heart, and hands. Feel its expression in your throat, its recognition in your vision, its imprint in your mind. Take a deep breath and let it go down again, through your body, through your head, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, genitals, legs and feet, and down into the Earth, down below the surface of the Earth, finding stability, finding nourishment finding peace.

  Your body is the journey, and it is where you begin. It is your connection to the physical world, your foundation, the home of your dance. You are the place from which all action and understanding will arise, and to which it will return. You are the testing ground of truth.

  You are the ground on which all things rest. You are the Earth from which all things grow. You are here, you are solid, you are alive.

  You are the point from which all things begin.

  CHAKRA ONE SYMBOLS AND CORRESPONDENCES

  MULADHARA-THE ROOT CHAKRA

  By energism of consciousness, Brahman is massed; from that matter is born and from matter Life and Mind and the worlds.

  -Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.8'

  Our journey up the spinal column begins at the base of the spine, home of the first chakra. This is the foundation of our entire systemthe building block on which all the other chakras must rest-so this chakra is of crucial importance. It relates to the element earth, and all solid, earthly things, such as our bodies, our health, our survival, our material and monetary existence, and our ability to focus and manifest our needs. It is the manifestation of consciousness in its final formsolid and tangible. It is our need to stay alive and be healthy, and the acceptance of limitation and discipline so crucial to manifestation.

  In this system, earth represents form and solidity, our most condensed state of matter and the "lowest" end of our chakra spectrum. It is visualized as a deep, vibrant red, the color of beginning, and the color with the longest wavelength and slowest vibration in the visible spectrum.

  The Sanskrit name for this chakra is Muladhara, which means "root support." The sciatic nerve, traveling from the sacral plexus down through the legs, is the largest peripheral nerve in the body (about as thick as your thumb) and functions much like a root for the nervous system. (See Figure 2.1, page 61.) The feet and legs, which provide locomotion, enable us to perform tasks necessary to obtain life sustenance from the earth and its environment. Our legs touch the ground below us and connect our nervous system with the earth, our first chakra element. We respond then, kinesthetically, to gravity-the basic underlying force of the earth-constantly pulling us downward. This force keeps us connected to our planet, rooted in material existence.

  FIGURE 2.1

  Sciatic nerve as a root.

  This center is depicted as a lotus of four petals within which is a square. (See Figure 2.2, page 63.) This can be seen as representing the four directions and the firm foundation of the material world, which in many systems has come to be symbolized by a square. As the first chakra relates to Malkuth, the base sphere in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, these four petals also reflect the four elements of the material kingdom.

  Within this square is a small triangle pointing downward from a column of energy representing the sushumna. This represents the earth-oriented downward force of the chakra. Within the triangle is the Kundalini serpent wrapped around the Shiva lingam, which points upward. This chakra is the home and resting place of Kundalini. Below the triangle is a seven-trunked elephant, named Airavata, representing the heavy, matter-like quality of this chakra and the seven pathways out of it, which correspond to the seven chakras. We may also associate the elephant-headed God, Ganesha, Lord of Obstacles, with this center, as he is grounded, full-bellied, and happy with his physicality. Other deities depicted in the square are the five-faced Child Brahma, dispelling fears, and the female Dakini, the manifestation of Shakti at this level, with spear, sword, cup, and skull. In the center of the square is the symbol for the seed sound, believed to contain the essence of the chakra, which is lam. These images and sounds are all symbols that can be used in meditation on this chakra.

  In the body, the first chakra is located at the base of the spine, or more accurately, the perineum, midway between the anus and the genitals. It corresponds to the section of the spine called the coccyx, as well as the coccygeal spinal ganglion and the lower lumbar vertebrae from which this ganglion sprouts. (See Figure 2.3, page 65.) In keeping with the correlation to solid matter, this chakra relates to the solid part of the body, especially the bones, the large intestine (which passes solid substances), and the fleshy body as a whole. There are minor chakras in the knees and feet that transmit sensations from the ground below to our spinal column for information concerning motor activity. These are sub-chakras to the first and second chakras-grounding outlets for the body as a whole.

  FIGURE 2.2

  Muladhara chakra. (Courtesy Timeless Books)

  We have described chakras as vortices of energy. At the level of the first chakra, our vortex is the most dense of any chakra level. It is tamas at its essence: at rest, inert.

  If you were to cross a stream with a very strong current, you would find it difficult to walk through the force of the water rushing upon you. If many such forces came from all directions, focusing on a central point, you could not pass through it at all. The meeting of t
hese forces produces a field that is so dense it seems solid. Chakra one has this kind of density.

  This solidity is valid from the point of view of the body, which cannot pass through it, but not of the higher nonmaterial activities of our intelligence. We know that atoms are mostly empty space. We can see through glass, even though it is solid; we can hear through walls, and we can use our intelligence to make apparatuses that allow us to see through the illusion of matter as a solid entity.

  And yet, it is this solid matter that provides the basis of our consensus reality. It is this matter that is our constant, and without its relatively changeless solidity, our lives would be quite difficult. Imagine if every time you came home your house was in a different shape or in a different place; or if your children changed beyond recognition from day to day. How confusing it would be!

  At our present level of evolution, matter is an undeniable reality and necessity. We cannot separate ourselves from it, for we are made up of it. Without a body we die, and to deny our body is to die prematurely. Likewise, we cannot deny our connection to the Earth we live on, and the vital part it plays in supporting our future. To deny attention to our foundation is to build on shaky ground. The purpose of this chakra is to solidify this ground.

  Consciousness in the Muladhara chakra is primarily concerned with physical survival. It is our instinctual fight or flight response. To ignore this chakra or its earthy element is to threaten our very survival, both personally and collectively. If we do not balance this chakra before we progress to others, our growth will be without roots, ungrounded, and will lack the stability necessary for true growth.

  FIGURE 2.3

  Coccygeal spinal ganglion and the lower lumbar vertebrae.

  When our survival is threatened, we experience fear. Fear is a demon of the first chakra-it counteracts the sense of safety and security that the first chakra ideally brings. Inappropriate levels of fear can be a sign that the first chakra foundation is damaged. Facing our fear can help the first chakra wake up.

  There is a common belief within various spiritual philosophies that we are "trapped" in physical bodies, awaiting release from this bondage. This belief supports the denigration of the body and perpetrates a mind/body split. This denies access to the vast beauty and intelligence that our bodies store in their trillions of cells.

  The physical world is only a trap if we see it as such and quickly becomes a friend to anyone who understands its part in the greater structure. As we travel up the spinal column, we will come to understand more about these other levels and manifestations. We will also come to appreciate the sanctity and security that comes from substance and matter.

  GROUNDING

  The liberating current, ever moving toward higher consciousness, is the pathway most commonly associated with the Chakra System. Until recently there has been less said about sending our energy downward, into the Earth, along the current of manifestation. This is often seen as less spiritual and, therefore, less worthy of our time and attention. Too many spiritual paths ignore the importance of grounding.

  Grounding is a process of dynamic contact with the Earth, with its edges, boundaries, and limitations. It allows us to become solidly real-present in the here and now-and dynamically alive with the vitality that comes from the Earth. While mechanically our feet may touch the ground with every step, this contact is empty if we are cut off from the feelings in our legs and feet. Grounding involves opening the lower chakras, merging with gravity, and descending deeply into the vehicle of the body.

  Without grounding, we are unstable; we lose our center, fly off the handle, get swept off our feet, or daydream in a fantasy world. We lose our ability to contain, to have, or to hold. Natural excitement, or charge, becomes dissipated, diluted, and ineffectual. When we lose our ground, our attention wanders from the present moment, and we appear to be "not all here." In this state, we feel powerless and, like a vicious circle, may no longer want to be here.

  Our ground anchors the very roots for which this chakra is named. Through our roots, we gain nourishment, power, stability, and growth. Without this connection we are separated from nature, separated from our biological source. Cut off from our source, we lose our path. Many people who cannot find their true path in life have simply not yet found their ground. Sometimes they are busy looking up instead of down, where the feet meet the path.

  Our roots are made from our guts-the instinctual feelings that get programmed from the memories of our past, our racial and cultural heritage, and the indestructible fabric of our being. C. J. Jung describes this instinctual base as the realm of the collective unconscious -a vast and powerful realm of inherited instincts and evolutionary trends. When we reclaim these roots, we strengthen who we are, and draw on the vast wisdom of this instinctual realm.

  When we are grounded, we are humble and close to the Earth. We live simply, in a state of grace. We can embrace stillness, solidity, and clarity, "grounding out" the stresses of everyday life, and increasing the vitality of our basic life force.

  Resting on the ground, we cannot fall, which provides a sense of inner security. It is through grounding that our consciousness completes the manifesting current. It is at the first chakra plane that ideas become reality. From the great diversity of imagination to the intricate requirements of the physical world, the Earth plane is the testing ground of our beliefs. That which has ground, substance, and validity will find its way to manifestation. That which has roots will endure.

  In today's urban world, there are few people who are naturally grounded. Our language and cultural values reflect the superiority of the high at the expense of the low, i.e., to be highly regarded, to hold one thing above another, to get high, to have things look up. Socially and economically, intellectual work is better rewarded than physical labor. Our natural bodily processes such as waste elimination, sexuality, birth, breastfeeding, or nudity are considered dirty, to be done only in private and often with much guilt. Control of our health is put in the hands of an elite class, denying us the sense of our own innate healing potential. Our power structures in business, government, and organized religion flow hierarchically, from the top down, controlling and often trampling that which is below in order to serve the "higher cause" of that which is above.

  By losing touch with our ground we have lost the sense of our intricate connection with all life. We become ruled by a part instead of the whole-and, furthermore, a part that is isolated, fragmented, and out of touch. Ignoring our ground, it is no wonder that we face a health care crisis and ecological destruction.

  In an alienated and "ungrounded" culture, where most values do not favor the body or its pleasures, we develop pain. Our bodies hurt after a day at the computer or a day of driving. The stress of competition and fast living do not give us a chance to rest and renew, or to process that hurt, to release it. As we develop pain, we become, ironically, more resistant to grounding, for to ground is to be "in touch." Getting in touch means feeling that pain. Yet this is the first step in making ourselves whole so that we begin to heal.

  As we become more mechanized and urbanized, our contact with the Earth and nature becomes more tenuous, and with it our health and self-worth. Our power is transferred to the upper body where it, too, is tenuous and must be constantly guarded. Because we see ourselves as separate, power becomes an act of manipulation rather than connection. We lose touch with our animal nature, and with it our sense of instinctual power, grace, and peace. When we have a sense of self that comes from the body, we have less need to affirm ourselves through ego inflation. Ground is home-it's familiar, safe, and secure. It has a power of its own.

  Grounding implies limitation. While the mental energy of the upper chakras is boundless, the lower chakras are far narrower in their scope. Language limits and, therefore, specifies our thoughts. Yet I could name a thousand things I could not fit in a large house, for the physical world has even more limitation. Each step down through the chakras becomes simpler, more definitive, and mor
e constricted.

  While frightening to some people, this limitation is an essential creative principle. If we didn't limit our activities, we would accomplish nothing. If I didn't limit my thoughts as I typed this manuscript, I couldn't write. Far from being a negative, limitation creates a container that allows energy to build and gel into substance. To manifest, we must be willing to accept limitation. Grounding is a harmonious acceptance of natural limitation. It is just as crucial to the development of consciousness as any meditation or raising of energy. In the words of the immortal I Ching:

  Limitation has success .... Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man; if they existed, his life would only dissolve in the boundless. To become strong a man's life needs the limitations ordained by duty and voluntarily accepted.

  -Hexagram 60: Wilhelm Baynes version

  Grounding is a simplifying force. We are bringing our consciousness into the body which, for all practical purposes, exists in one space and one time only-the here and now. Our thoughts, by contrast, are much more versatile, extending outside of space and time. We can fantasize about being in the mountains for our next summer vacation, and perhaps even see and feel the warmth of the sunshine. But our body remains where we are-at our desk with snow outside the window and bills piled in front of us. If we spend too much time fantasizing, we may never get enough work done to even take the vacation. Then it is time to get back to the Earth plane, do some grounding, and take care of survival needs.

  The human organism is a finely tuned instrument capable of receiving and transmitting an enormous variety of energies. Like any stereo receiver, we need to plug it in before we can receive the various frequencies. Grounding is the process of plugging ourselves into the Earth and the world around us, completing the circuit that makes us a channel for the great diversity of life energies around us.