Wheels of Life

by Anodea Judith

  The sparks catch our eyes, we turn toward their glow and they move and dance, connecting and igniting all that they touch. They touch something within, igniting strength, will, action. Sparks fly, igniting other threads, other fires ... they explode, burn bright ... and are gone.

  We are lifted, we are lightened, we are laughing. We feel our bodies sway with the rising heat, hot tongues of fire moving within us, expanding, contracting, but growing ever wider, yet returning always to its source within us. Our bodies now burning, radiating heat and light and strength and will. Power pulsating through us, from above, below, around, and running through, transforming all that is within and without, our bellies bursting with joy.

  Feel this energy deep within your body, burning with the fire of your own life. Feel it pushing deep into the Earth, down through the Earth, to the hot molten center of Earth. Feel it return from the Earth, rising up from the heat below, through your legs, your pelvis, your belly, moving up through your body, through each part of your body-your arms, your hands, your chest, neck, and head.

  Feel it flowing out of you, connecting with other sparks, filaments of energy, other fires of life. Feel it connect with the thoughts inside you, your constant sparking of neurons, interconnecting filaments of energy, lines of thought, patterns in a web, ebbing and flowing in pulsing flames, burning with the glow of activity.

  You are now a vital intersection of energy, merging, combining, exploding, radiating. Expend your awareness without and within, weaving a web of power, like a fire, growing higher and brighter. Power flows through you effortlessly, easily, calmly. You are one with the powers around you and within you.

  Think of the times when you knew this power. Times when you felt this connection, vitality, importance, and strength. Think of the times power flowed through you, like warmth from the sun. Think of those times and feel them now. Feel your body radiate their purpose, dance with their majesty, sing with their strength.

  In this fiery world of activity you are a channel for power around you. You open to it, you burn with it, you drink it in, and you pass it on ... easily, effortlessly, willingly, joyfully.

  Your power peaks and returns, feeding the fire within-a molten core, feeding your body, silently charging, ready to expand again when your next purpose calls.

  The fire has burned high, and the coals now glow with warmth. Exhilarated, your body relaxes. A smile plays on your lips, your hands are at peace with the strength they have carried, and you again return to the gentle breathing ... in ... and out ... in ... and out ... in ... and out.

  Satisfied, you rest.

  CHAKRA THREE SYMBOLS AND CORRESPONDENCES

  AND THE WHEEL BURNS ...

  What is this life flowing in our bodies like fire? What is it? Life is like a hot iron. Ready to pour. Choose the mold and life will burn it.

  -Mahabharata'

  From earth to water to fire! Our dance grows, impassioned now as we reclaim our bodies and reach through emotion and desire to find will, purpose, and action. We grow in strength, we feel our power rising from our guts, descending from our visions, releasing joyously from our hearts. We now enter our third chakra, rising up from the combined levels of the first two chakras and embracing the growing current of consciousness that descends from the upper chakras.

  Here the element fire ignites the light of consciousness, and we emerge from the unconscious, somatic levels to the exciting combination of psyche and soma that creates willed action. As we activate our power, we direct our activities toward a higher purpose.

  Let's examine how the first two chakras combine to bring us this new level. The first chakra brought us solidity, stability, focus, and form. Here we experienced unity. From this ground, we moved to chakra two and experienced difference, change, and movement. Here we embraced polarities and discovered the passions of difference, choice, emotion, and desire. We expanded beyond mere survival instincts toward the desire for pleasure and merging with another.

  As we put together matter and movement, we find that they create a third state: energy. If we rub two sticks together, we eventually get a spark that can ignite a fire. In the physical world, we call this combustion. In the body, it relates to metabolism. Psychologically, it relates to the spark of enthusiasm that ignites power and will; in our behavior, it is the realm of activity.

  This is our third chakra. Its purpose is transformation. Just as fire transforms matter to heat and light, the third chakra transforms the passive elements of earth and water into dynamic energy and power. Earth and water are passive. They flow downward, subject to gravity, and follow the path of least resistance. Fire, by contrast, moves upward, destroying form, and takes the raw energy of matter to a new dimension-to heat and light.

  If we are to rise upward through all seven chakras, it is the fire of our will that propels that movement. It is through our will that we liberate ourselves from fixed patterns and create new behavior. It is our will that steers us away from that path of least resistance, that addictive habit, or the expectations of others. It is through our will that we take actions that are difficult or challenging, moving toward something new. As we take these actions, we begin to transform, but the first step is breaking old patterns.

  Thus, the initial task of the third chakra is to overcome inertia. In physics, inertia refers to the tendency of an object to remain in the state it is in-either in motion or at rest-unless acted upon by some other force. In the third chakra, the will combines the forces of stillness and movement, earth and water, each shaping the other. The momentum of a golf club hitting a stationary ball will get the ball moving. A catcher's mitt, held still, will stop a baseball in flight. Our will combines holding and moving in a way that directs action and shapes our world.

  The hardest part is getting started. Once we get a fire going, it burns more easily, only needing to be stirred and fed. Once we get a business started, we then use its returns as fuel to keep it productive. Once we overcome inertia to the point where energy is produced easily, the third chakra "kicks in" and begins producing power with less effort and will. Doing something with ease and grace is the mark of true power.

  A moving object, when it interacts with other objects, creates heat. Heat, in turn, stimulates movement, which allows new combinations to occur. Particles collide and combine; states of matter are changed; molecules may bond to other molecules; solids change to liquids; liquids change to gas; flour and eggs become cake. Fire is the transforming influence that can destroy form and release energy.

  The sun is a primary example of transformational fire and could even be called a macrocosmic third chakra. The sun and other stars like it began as a diffuse cloud of hydrogen gas (with traces of heavier elements). Present theory states that a shock wave from a nearby supernova impacted the hydrogen cloud, causing it to collapse on itself. This created thousands of vortices, each with a gravitational field strong enough to draw in the necessary material to create a solar system. As the vortex of hydrogen that was to become our solar system collapsed, heat was generated through internal friction. Eventually the combination of heat and gravity triggered the process that makes our Sun shine.

  The Sun produces heat and light through nuclear fusion. Its heat is so extreme that the hydrogen nuclei are propelled into each other with enough force to overcome their mutually repelling electrical charges, and fuse into slightly less massive helium nuclei. The difference in mass is converted to pure energy, which generates more heat and movement, thus perpetuating the whole process. Nuclear fusion requires a gravitational field strong enough to act as a container and create sufficient density for the process to be self-generating. Once again, we see how gravity, the force of chakra one, gives rise to movement, chakra two, resulting in energy, the force of chakra three. The energy then keeps the whole cycle running.

  The chakras are all interdependent facets of a basic unified field of consciousness. They do not act separately and can only be separated intellectually. Likewise, we cannot separate energy from m
ovement any more than we can separate it from mass. Mass, movement, and energy are three inseparable qualities of our physical world. The first three chakras represent a trinity of fundamental principles regulating our physical bodies and all matter. Together they form a dance of cause and effect, which gives us the energy for activity. Without a supply of energy, we have no power. But energy alone is not enough to constitute power. For that, the energy must be directed.

  It is the descending current of consciousness that guides this energy into purpose. It is intelligence that forms the intention that shapes will and directs activity. In this way, the descending current brings us form, while the ascending current brings us energy. Only when the two combine do we have power.

  To enter this chakra is to embrace the inner power that comes from the integration of bodily energy with conscious intelligence. In this way, we become effective agents of transformation.

  MANIPURA--THE LUSTROUS GEM

  The Manipura chakra is like the morning sun; meditating on it with gaze fixed on the tip of the nose one can stir up the world.

  -Gorakshashatakam (tenth century)

  In the body, the third chakra is located in the solar plexus, over the adrenal glands. This is where we get those "butterfly" feelings when we're nervous-when the third chakra isn't feeling confident and powerful. It's a flighty feeling that brings our energy up instead of down, yet stimulates and awakens us to heightened sensitivity. When we are grounded, this stimulation can be empowering and vitalizing. Without grounding, we may get a flurry of undirected energy.

  As the name solar plexus implies, this is a fiery, solar chakra, bringing us light, warmth, energy, and power. It represents our "get up and go," our action, our will, our vitality. Extending from just below the sternum down to the navel, it is also called the "navel chakra." (See Figure 4.1, page 156.) One of its associations with power comes from the belief that all the major nadis (psychic currents) originate from the navel. As this is the source point for all prenatal nourishment and energy, it is not surprising that psychic pathways are originally established along these lines.

  In correspondence with fire as combustion, the third chakra rules over metabolism, and is responsible for the regulation and distribution of metabolic energy throughout the body. This is done through the combustion of matter (food) into energy (action and heat). The digestive system is, therefore, an important part of this process, and a barometer for the health of this center. Problems such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, or stomach ulcers relate directly to this center.

  Of crucial importance to metabolism is air, the element of chakra four. Without air, fire does not burn; cells do not metabolize.' When our breathing is constricted, our metabolism is hindered. When we have no room to breathe, our power is limited. Likewise, when we use power without compassion (chakra four), we risk perpetuating harm and oppression.

  We can assess the health of this third chakra in many ways. Physically, we can examine the body structure in the solar plexus area. Tight hard stomachs, large pot bellies, or sunken diaphragms are all indications of third chakra imbalances. You can feel and look at your own body to explore this center. How does your physical body shape itself around this center? Does it expand or contract beyond its basic shape at this level? Large bellies may indicate an excessive need to be in power, to dominate and control, or simply an egotistical need to take up space. A weak, sunken chakra indicates a fear of taking power, a withdrawal into the self, a fear of standing out. Excess weight in general can be a third chakra malfunction, because it says the body is not properly metabolizing its solid matter (food) into energy.'

  FIGURE 4.1

  Chakra Three, the navel chakra (solar plexus).

  You can also analyze yourself in terms of the element fire. Are you frequently cold? Do you prefer cold or hot drinks? Do you crave or avoid hot, spicy foods? Do you sweat easily, have fevers or chills? Is your temperament quick and energetic or slow and lethargic? These things give us an indication of whether we have excessive or deficient fire in our bodies.

  In Sanskrit, this chakra is called Manipura, which means "lustrous gem," because it shines bright like the sun-a radiant, glowing center. Its symbol is a lotus with ten petals, within which is a downwardpointing triangle, surrounded by three T-shaped "svastikas" (Hindu symbols for fire, not to be confused with Nazi swastikas).' (See Figure 4.2, page 158.) The power to manipulate our surroundings is partially related to the ability of our hands, with ten fingers, extending out into the world around us. Ten is also the beginning of a new cycle, as our entry into rajas is the beginning of a new kind of awareness.

  Within the lotus is a ram, a powerful and energetic animal, usually associated with Agni, Hindu god of fire. In the chakra itself, the deities depicted are the god Vishnu, and his partner, the Shakti Lakini, threefaced and four-armed, dispelling fear and granting boons. The letter inside the lotus is the seed sound ram. Meditating on this lotus is said to give the power to create and destroy the world.5

  Fire is the spark of life that ignites will to action. Fire is the spark between Shiva and Shakti, the power that lies between polarity. Fire in our bodies keeps us warm, active, and energized so that we, too, may be transformers. Human beings need and give warmth. The power of the third chakra is the power of life, of vitality, and of connection-not the coldness of control and domination. The energy and fire in our bodies reflects our ability to combine with the elements around us, for fire is a process of combination and combustion.

  Fire is radiant, so the third chakra is yang and active. When afraid or feeling powerless, we withdraw, and become passive and yin. We hold our movements in check and use one part of ourselves to control another. When we block our own power and expression, we are withdrawn and appear cold and controlled.

  FIGURE 4.2

  Manipura chakra. (Courtesy Timeless Books)

  This control takes energy to maintain, yet it does not produce energy. Eventually we become depleted. Our natural enthusiasm for activities dwindles, and instead we have to "manufacture" energy for our projects, reaching for stimulants, such as coffee or sweets, which temporarily energize, but eventually deplete our vitality.

  When we withdraw from life, we become a closed system. Our expression turns in on itself, often in anger and self-criticism, which wears us down further. Fire takes fuel to burn, and in a closed system, the fuel eventually burns up. Only in a dynamic state of interaction with the world can we keep up the movement and contact that feeds our fire and zest for life.

  To break the cycle of fear and withdrawal takes a reconnection with the self in a loving and accepting way. If we are not in touch with the first two chakras-with our body and ground, our passions and pleasures-we have little fuel for our fire. Desire gives our will enthusiasm and makes it more dynamic.

  If we are not loving with ourselves, giving ourselves room to breathe, to explore, to make mistakes, then we have no air for the fire to burn. If we are not connected to spirit, we have no spark for the fire, and all the fuel in the world is useless. If we are not centered within ourselves, we see the power as outside ourselves, rather than feeling it within.

  The energy in our bodies is dependent on our ability to connect, to merge, to nourish ourselves from what surrounds us. It is dependent on our comfort with power, with our basic self-confidence. This chakra is also related to self-esteem, which brings strength to our will. When our will is effective, our self-esteem is enhanced. Then, we can better direct our lives toward that which we love, that which ignites us, challenges us, renews us. These are all elements that call for integration and development in the third chakra.

  POWER

  The power of open systems is not a property one can own, but a process one opens to.

  -Joanna Macy 6

  We have stated that power is directed energy. What about personal power? How do we develop and maintain this power within a culture and educational system that teaches powerlessness as a way of fostering social cooperation? What happens when creative t
hinkers are seen as deviants to be ostracized from society while conformity is reinforced? Many parents train their children to be docile and wellbehaved, but even obedience requires cooperation from our own will.

  Social cooperation is certainly necessary; however, if it occurs through domination, it hardly deserves the term "cooperation" at all. It is then cooperation without desire, vitality, or the spark of fire characteristic of the third chakra. It becomes submission, which dampens and cripples our sense of power and will, and damages our self-esteem.

  In order to develop and heal ourselves at the third chakra level, we must re-examine the concept of power that involves the domination of one part by another, commonly called "power over." Instead we can develop power as integration, "power within," the power of connecting with the forces of life. When we think about power, we can consider it an active verb rather than a noun, for indeed, power only exists in the doing, in the "powering" of changes or ideas. We can replace "power over" with "power to."

  At this time in the world, I believe we are collectively passing through the latter stages of the third chakra. (See chapter 12, "An Evolutionary Perspective.") Our concepts of power and energy have become very complex. Through technology, the media, organized government, nuclear weapons, and mega-corporations, we are learning to control more with less. A few people make decisions for millions. A single plane can destroy an entire city. With little more than a phone call, most life on the planet could be annihilated. Issues of power, control, energy fuels, and political strength have become key themes in our current events. We have come a long way from iron spearheads to nuclear warheads, yet the disease of power used for control and domination has remained.