The Secondary Major Chakras

1/16/12 8:26 PM

The Secondary Chakras

illustration from Barbara Brennan, Hands of Light, Bantam Books 1987, p.44

The secondary chakras are the chakras described by Theosophy, the New Age movement, Christopher Hills, Barbara Brennan, and many others. Unlike the archetypal Primary chakras they have a specific form (usually described as vortexes of energy), colour and a specific precise location in the auric bodies (although these qualities will vary according to the individual). These chakras are etheric and pertain to the subtle physical being, which includes not only the ordinary everyday consciousness but even psychic, occult and many transpersonal and mystic states. List of Secondary Chakras (front and rear) and psycho-auric zone each pertains to.
psycho-auric zone rear chakras (governor channel) ascending front chakras (descending channel)

Imagination

Crown upper forehead

Intuition

Back of Head

Indu /forhead Manas /forehead Brow

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Intuition?

Mouth of God Back of Neck

Talu/Lalana Throat Base of Throat Thymic Heart Solar Plexus Navel / Sea of Ch'i Pubic Perineum

Intuitive Feeling

Base of Neck Shoulder Blades Diaphragmatic Door of Life Sacral Coccygeal

Feeling Intellectual? Intellectual Social Sensation

The Secondary chakras (front and rear) according to Barbara Brennan and Mantak Chia

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The chakras located at the front (feeling) and rear (will) of the body, as described by Barbara Brennan, . The psychological characteristics of each chakra are emphasised, but there is no conception of a circulation of energy. The idea of an energy axis down the midline of the body, rather than along the spine, is not found in other books and may be a result of artistic (mis)interpretation. diagram from Hands of Light, Bantam New Age books, 1988, p.46.

The microcosmic orbit showing the yin (descending, in black), and yang (ascending, flame) points which can be equated with the Secondary chakras. This is a dynamic conception involving the circulation of Ch'i energy. However there is little emphasis on the psychological aspects of these centers. diagram from Mantak and Maneewan Chia Awaken Healing Light of the Tao (Healing Tao Books, 1993), p.170.

The secondary chakras can be awakened into a rhythmic microcosmic orbit through meditation and disciplined practice (this is the initial stage of Taoist Nei Tan or Internal Alchemy). This microcosmic orbit - called the Circulation of the Light - is actually (I believe) the equivalent of the macrocosmic cycle of evolutionary metamorphosis, as described in theosophical and anthroposphical teachings (Rounds, Root Races, etc). In occult, spiritual, and New Age literature the secondary chakras are almost always confused with the Primary Major Chakras. This confusion is due to the imperfect state of esoteric knowledge at the moment (equivalent to science in the 16th or 17th century). In fact the two types of chakra are quite distinct and easily distinguished. The following table gives some contrasts:

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Primary Chakra Inner Being (Archetypal) No spatial location except by analogy Vertical (rising) orientation Stylised (Tantric) iconography - lotus flowers correspond to mantric letters, planes of consciousness, deities etc non-rainbow colours (colours usually red, white, blue, smoke etc) Heart Chakra locus of Soul/Higher Self (Jivatma) Kundalini located in the lowest chakra (Muladhara)
Chakra inactive

Secondary Chakra Outer Being (Etheric) Spatial location along front and rear midline of body Cyclic (rise along back, descend along front)

Clairvoyantly described as vortexes

correspond to subtle body / aura (Barbara Brennan) and psychological types (Christopher Hills) usually rainbow colours (although this modified in higher bodies) Heart Chakra can channel love but not the locus of soul No Kundalini (although Kundalini-like energy, if poorly activated, may flow
through, reading to possible psychosis and other dangers - c.f. Gopi Krishna's writings on the dangers of Kundalini) Chakras active during everyday life, may be open, blocked, or closed Chakras sometimes represented e.g. Theosophy, at front of body, sometimes energy descends down front, in some New Age visualisations you are told to raise the energy along the front of the body!!!

until awakened through yoga Chakras never at front of body - energy never descends

Types of Chakras

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page by M.Alan Kazlev page uploaded 24 May 1999, last modified 24 November 2005

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