The Ultimate in Self Discovery
This is an excerpt from Chakras: Key to Spiritual Opening by Mary Ellen Flora
“To understand chakras you need to know that you are spirit, a part of the Cosmic Consciousness, and that your body is your vessel. The chakra system is the only way you store and communicate your spiritual information in the physical world. Activating and using the chakras requires discipline, patience, and spiritual perspective. It is not something to be undertaken as a fad or temporary pursuit. Consciously activating the chakras is a lifelong journey. It is the ultimate in self-discovery. You must be prepared to meet yourself and all of your creations: the ones you like and the ones you do not like. Opening your chakras is opening the book of you. Reading the book you have written and learning how to manifest it or change it is a great spiritual adventure.
A friend recently described her spiritual opening as an adventure of learning about herself. She was especially excited because she discovered so many wonderful aspects of herself. She had entered the process fearing she would mainly discover things she was ashamed of or did not like, and instead found a bright, loving spirit, and many exciting creations. Her joy from bringing forth her spiritual nature and talents has inspired others to begin and continue this self-discovery adventure.
I have worked with my chakra system for most of my life. For over 42 years, I have taught others to use their chakras in a conscious manner. Sometimes I have been aware of working with my chakras and other times I have not. I have discovered that the unaware state is filled with problems, setbacks, and disappointments that are not necessary. By being aware, one can take greater control of any situation and make the path easier and more pleasant.
When I was twelve, I broke my arm at the elbow. After the cast was removed, one night when I was half-awake, I looked at my elbow. I saw a brilliant wheel of light at the joint of my arm. There are chakras at all of the joints. I did not consciously know about chakras at the time, so at first I was afraid. I eventually relaxed and enjoyed the show of light as if I were at a circus watching a Ferris wheel. It was clear to me that other people did not have experiences like this or did not talk about them, so I hid my new awareness inside myself. Even though I hid this experience for many years, it was indeed an awakening to myself, the spirit.
Opening the chakras allows a great deal of personal discovery. We have to be prepared to see what we like and what we do not like about ourselves and our creations. We need to let go of judgment about our interactions with others and our other creations to allow healing to occur. The cleansing and healing of the chakras is necessary for the free motion, full access, and use of the information each chakra contains.
You might think of a chakra like a compact disk in a CD player. If the compact disc is not turning, the system is blocked and you cannot retrieve the information. When you discover the interference and correct it, the disk moves freely and the system is resorted to full function. Surely, you would not judge an electrical malfunction in a CD player. Holding foreign energy or a past experience is like the malfunction and needs to be released with as little disturbance as you would create when you repair the compact disk player.
Each individual will find a cornucopia of information in every chakra. There is both useful and inappropriate information in each chakra. We need to identify which is which and clear the past, the foreign, and the disruptive energy, so we can get to what is beneficial and useful. We have to clear what is not appropriate, so we can access the information we need to fulfill our purpose in this life.
There is no correct order in which to open the chakras. Each individual has his or her personal game plan and needs to follow it. The secret is to persevere and clear the doubt so you will continue the process through the difficult times. Just like with physical exercise, in meditation, or self-healing, there are easy and difficult periods, and times when there seems to be no change. If you keep working with yourself, the results will come. Even when you feel you are not progressing, there are subtle changes taking place.
When you become aware of and open your chakras, you learn to know yourself and your God. It is necessary to know yourself in order to know God because your path to God is through you. Your body and energy system are your personal means for communication and creation. As you create your life, you either open or close your communication with God. When you act, think and live in a spiritually aware manner, your communication opens. When you focus only on physical phenomenon and create disturbance such as hate, fear, and doubt, your communication closes. Learning to access the information in your chakras helps you know yourself. You can then know how to live a life that manifests your communication and relationship with the Cosmic Whole.
