The Wheels of Consciousness
 http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/sevenlevels.htm#5._Cryst...

Then he perceives the manifestations of Spirit,
and passes through the seven Chakras,
or centers in the spine,
beholding the seven rishis.

Kaivalya Darsanam by Priya Nath Swami (Sri Yukteswar)

Now that you have a good understanding of the seven shamanic levels of consciousness, you might have noticed a parallel with the seven major chakras in the human body. In the Hindu tradition, the chakras are recognized as major points of power in the subtle body.

They are visualized as geometric figures, as wheels (chakra means wheel, they are usually seen as spinning), or lotuses. They are spaced on a vertical axis in the subtle body, corresponding roughly to the spinal column and brain. The chakras transform subtle energies from the universe into particular vital energies for the body. Each chakra is responsible for a part of the body.

When the chakras are in good working condition the body is healthy. By negative emotions, impure thoughts, and neglect of the physical needs of the body, the function of one or more chakras is impaired and ailments and disease occur.

Chakras are often regarded as levels of energy, but you need to understand that energy is also consciousness. It all depends on what angle you look at it. The chakras are manifestations of consciousness. Each chakra represents a particular level of consciousness taking care of a particular area of the body. Information from the cosmos around us is brought over to the body to keep it alive and functioning.

Earlier we talked about Kundalini, as being psychic energy, present in the body. Kundalini is also seen as consciousness. When Pure Consciousness descended the manifested cosmos, it left behind a part of its powers seven times. Each power created a chakra. When the seventh chakra,

 Muladhara, the root chakra at the base of the spine, was created it went to "sleep" in this chakra. Here it is called Kundalini-Shakti (Shakti is the immense power inherent in the universe). Remember the story of Snow-white? Snow-white represents Pure Consciousness.

When she found the house of the seven dwarfs (the house is a symbol for the body), she tried out all the little beds and finally fell asleep in the seventh bed! What happened on a cosmic level also happens as the human body is being formed in the womb.

Pure Consciousness descends into the physical body, creating the seven chakras. Each chakra in your body is thus connected to the seven levels of consciousness. When you do the exercises mentioned in the previous chapters it is good to simultaneously work with the corresponding chakra. For this purpose, an explanation of the connection between the chakras and the levels of consciousness follows.

Muladhara or root chakra is the seat of your physical identity. Here, personal consciousness manifests itself through the issues of survival in the physical world. Your personality is primarily concerned with keeping your body alive. On this level, it is only concerned with itself. Hence the root of fear. Everything that threatens the body causes fear of not having enough money, fear of being alone, fear of not being able to make it in life, fear of death.

As the physical body gets the most attention on this level of consciousness, it wants to feel good and thus physical sensations through the senses are pursued. The root chakra gives you the sense of your body, of its pleasures, of what it has experienced in this life, and what is needed to continue its existence. Personal consciousness excels in what it has accomplished in this life and looks ahead what more it can gain in the future.

Svadhisthana or sex chakra is the seat of close contact with the opposite sex. Here is the driving nature provided to make sure the human race would not become extinct. No matter how hard cats fight, there are always enough kitties around. Sex is a strong force; it makes you go out and pursue the opposite sex. Hereby you make contact with the rest of humanity and what it experiences.

You discover that the experiences of other people are the same as what you have. Genes are shared, combining to form new human beings who inherit the biological and morphogenetic blueprint of their ancestors.

Manipura or navel chakra is where we connect to our environment and assimilate impressions. It is the web of relatedness seen in the third level of shamanic consciousness. From the navel chakra, many astral cords extend to the people we know.

Strong relationships form strong cords. Through this connection, we feel what the other person feels. This connection is not limited to other humans, but also to all the other living beings. Through this center, you connect with everything around you, with animals, plants, our house, the garden, the village you live in. When you go out in nature and look out over the landscape, you can feel it through the navel chakra. When you thus consciously connect to your environment you can develop your feeling and derive a lot of information from it.

Anahata or heart chakra is the seat not only of love but also of your place in the universe. In the heart resides the sense of the personal "I", the ego. The ego is the center and everything else is the sphere around it. Here we observe with spherical consciousness.

The sense of an ego implies that everything else surrounds him and is different than itself. The ego is like a pulsing heartbeat. It expands like a sphere to connect with all living beings around it, and then contracts to keep his sense of a separate being. Its seat, the heart, is the center of the physical body and its existence. When the heart fails, the body dies. The heart chakra is the fourth chakra, is positioned at the center of the seven chakras.

Vishuddha or the throat chakra is the seat of purification of impressions and experiences. Traditionally it is seen as a transformation station that gathers impressions and experiences from the lower chakras and purifies them. The dross is rejected and only the pure can continue.

Thus, you obtain crystal consciousness. The four lower levels of consciousness are organic in nature and are connected to the body part of the body. The throat is like a bridge between the body and the head. Starting with the throat and upward, impressions and experiences are now pure and unaltered. These are inorganic levels of consciousness. The throat chakra makes the mind clear and pure in order to function on the physical level in a correct manner. Clarity of mind is the essential quality of crystal consciousness.

Ajna or the inner eye chakra is the seat of cosmic consciousness. It controls the entire personality and harmonizes all its functions. It gives insight in all spiritual matters. Here you connect to the essence of all living beings, and the essence is light. In the eyebrow chakra lies the potential to open the door to the spiritual worlds of light. Shamans, mystics, yogis, at a certain point in their spiritual work they will open this door, and light will fill the head. This light is seen with the inner eye and is experienced as filling the inside of the head and even of the entire body.

This light will unlock several spiritual qualities like leaving the physical body consciously, clairvoyance, or being able to read the thoughts of other people.

Sahasrara or crown chakra is connected to divine consciousness. Here you experience the Divine in its primal manifestation, which is sound.

It is the center of being in consciousness or consciously being. The vibration of everything is experienced in non-duality, as unmanifested It is the seat of your highest self, your innermost essence. The primeval sound is heard at the top of the head. Traveling through the seven levels of consciousness is like traveling through your own body. Be aware that the keys to enlightenment are all present in yourself. The only thing you have to do is to turn the keys.