What Are the Chakras? A Guide to Healing, Awakening and Opening Your Energy Centres
- Natasha Burton
- Jun 26
- 9 min read
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Carl Jung
Almost everyone has heard the word chakra, yet many people are unsure what chakras actually are, where they originated, or why they matter on a spiritual path.
Ancient traditions teach that we are far more than physical bodies. We are multidimensional beings composed of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual layers of consciousness. The chakra system offers us a map for understanding this inner landscape.
More importantly, the chakra system provides a practical guide for healing, awakening and ultimately opening ourselves to greater love, compassion and unity consciousness.
What Does the Word Chakra Mean?
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and translates as wheel or disc.
The chakra system originates within ancient Hindu, yogic and tantric traditions. In these systems, chakras are understood as subtle energy centres within the body through which life force energy flows.
In yogic philosophy, this life force is often called prana.
The chakras are not physical organs, but energetic centres associated with different aspects of consciousness, embodiment, emotion and spiritual awakening.
Although different traditions describe varying numbers of chakras, most modern spiritual systems focus on the seven major chakras aligned along the spine, from the base of the body to the crown of the head.
Each chakra represents a different stage of human experience and consciousness.
ROYGBIV: The Rainbow Body
One of the easiest ways to remember the seven major chakras is through the colours of the rainbow:
ROYGBIV
Red — Root Chakra
Orange — Sacral Chakra
Yellow — Solar Plexus Chakra
Green — Heart Chakra
Blue — Throat Chakra
Indigo — Third Eye Chakra
Violet — Crown Chakra
This rainbow sequence is beautiful because it mirrors the journey of consciousness itself.
We begin at the red ray of survival, physical safety and embodiment.
We then move through emotion, sexuality, creativity, identity, power and relationships.
Eventually we reach the heart, where consciousness begins to open into compassion, forgiveness and unity.
From there, energy can rise into truth, intuition, divine connection and remembrance of Source.
In this sense, the chakra system is not just a spiritual concept.
It is a map of human evolution.
My Own Awakening: When the Upper Chakras Open First
My own spiritual awakening did not unfold in the neat, grounded way many books describe.
In truth, my awakening happened almost in reverse.
My upper energy centres opened first.
My throat chakra was wide open. I felt compelled to speak, write, communicate and translate spiritual information.
My third eye and pineal gland felt intensely activated. I experienced synchronicities, intuitive downloads, heightened pattern recognition and a deep sense that reality was far more multidimensional than I had previously understood.
My crown chakra opened me into an intense connection with Source, consciousness and the divine intelligence behind creation.
But I had a problem.
I was not grounded.
My lower chakras were still wounded.
My root chakra did not feel safe. My sacral chakra carried shame, grief and relationship wounds. My solar plexus was still learning boundaries, self-worth and personal power.
Because of this, I lacked discernment.
I could access spiritual information, but I did not always know how to hold it safely in my body.
I could receive insight, but I was still learning embodiment.
I could speak truth, but I was still healing the parts of me that felt unsafe, unseen or abandoned.
This is why grounding matters.
A spiritual awakening without lower chakra healing can feel destabilising. It can pull us upward into the cosmos before we have learned how to feel safe here on Earth.
Wanderers, Volunteers and Embodiment
Within The Law of One, there is the concept of the Wanderer.
A Wanderer is described as a soul that has incarnated from a more evolved state of consciousness to assist humanity during a time of planetary transition.
Dolores Cannon described a similar idea in The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth. In her work, Volunteers are souls who chose to incarnate on Earth to help raise the vibration of the planet and assist humanity’s awakening.
I deeply resonate with these teachings.
But I have also come to understand something important:
Spiritual identity is not enough.
Believing we are a Wanderer, Volunteer, Starseed or old soul does not exempt us from the lessons of Earth.
If anything, it makes embodiment even more important.
Because if we came here to help, then we must learn how to love here.
We must learn how to forgive here.
We must learn how to ground here.
We must learn how to build healthy relationships, tell the truth, regulate our nervous systems, care for our bodies, and live with integrity.
Otherwise, the mission becomes distorted.
For me, part of this journey has meant recognising that my earlier years opened a karmic ledger in this lifetime. I have hurt people, acted from wounds, made choices from fear, and created energetic entanglements that I now need to consciously close.
That does not mean drowning in shame.
It means taking responsibility.
It means forgiveness rituals, loving release, making amends where appropriate, and choosing to live from a higher level of consciousness now.
The Seven Chakras Explained
❤️ Root Chakra — Red Ray
Location: Base of spine
Colour: Red
Law of One: Red Ray
The root chakra governs survival, safety, embodiment and our relationship with the physical world.
Themes include:
survival
safety
grounding
physical health
shelter
money
food
trust in life
When the root chakra is blocked, we may feel anxious, unsafe, unstable, disconnected from the body or unable to relax.
Healing practices include:
walking barefoot on the Earth
gardening
exercise and strength training
eating nourishing food
creating stable routines
trauma-informed grounding work
spending time in nature
cleaning and organising your home
creating financial stability plans
breathwork into the belly and pelvis
Ask yourself:
Do I feel safe in my body and in this world?
🧡 Sacral Chakra — Orange Ray
Location: Lower abdomen
Colour: Orange
Law of One: Orange Ray
The sacral chakra governs emotion, sexuality, creativity, pleasure, intimacy and our one-to-one relationships.
Themes include:
emotions
creativity
pleasure
sexuality
intimacy
self-worth
desire
emotional flow
Blocks may arise from shame, sexual trauma, guilt, emotional repression, relationship wounds or feeling disconnected from pleasure.
Healing practices include:
dance
creative writing
painting, music or art
spending time near water
inner child healing
emotional release work
conscious sexuality
womb or pelvic breathing
releasing shame through self-compassion
allowing yourself to feel without judgement
Ask yourself:
Can I allow myself to feel, desire and create without shame?
💛 Solar Plexus Chakra — Yellow Ray
Location: Upper abdomen
Colour: Yellow
Law of One: Yellow Ray
The solar plexus governs identity, personal power, confidence, boundaries and our relationship with groups, society and social roles.
Themes include:
personal power
confidence
self-esteem
identity
boundaries
discipline
social relationships
responsibility
When blocked, we may struggle with people-pleasing, low confidence, resentment, control issues, power struggles or difficulty saying no.
Healing practices include:
setting boundaries
keeping promises to yourself
reducing people-pleasing
taking aligned action
breathwork into the diaphragm
martial arts or empowering movement
practising saying no
building confidence through small wins
standing tall and strengthening posture
Ask yourself:
Where am I giving my power away?
💚 Heart Chakra — Green Ray
Location: Centre of chest
Colour: Green
Law of One: Green Ray
The heart chakra governs love, compassion, forgiveness, empathy and unity consciousness.
Themes include:
love
compassion
forgiveness
grief
empathy
service to others
unity consciousness
emotional healing
In The Law of One, the Green Ray Heart Centre is especially important because it represents the opening into unconditional love.
Ra taught that fourth-density positive harvestability is connected to a service-to-others orientation. In simple terms, the heart becomes the doorway.
You might say the open heart is the ascension ticket.
But the heart cannot fully open if the lower chakras are severely blocked.
If we do not feel safe in the body, if we carry unresolved shame, if we have no boundaries, or if we are trapped in fear and resentment, then love cannot flow freely.
This does not mean we must become perfect.
It means healing matters.
Healing practices include:
forgiveness rituals
grief work
gratitude journalling
prayer
loving-kindness meditation
acts of service
spending time with animals or children
self-forgiveness
writing unsent letters
allowing yourself to receive love, not only give it
Ask yourself:
What would love do here?
💙 Throat Chakra — Blue Ray
Location: Throat
Colour: Blue
Law of One: Blue Ray
The throat chakra governs communication, truth, authenticity and self-expression.
Themes include:
truth
communication
honesty
authenticity
self-expression
speaking and listening
When blocked, we may silence ourselves, lie to keep peace, fear being judged, gossip, speak harshly, or struggle to express our needs.
Healing practices include:
journalling
singing
chanting or humming
speaking honestly but kindly
asking for what you need
reducing gossip
telling the truth to yourself first
creative writing
practising difficult conversations calmly
Ask yourself:
Where am I silencing my authentic voice?
💜 Third Eye Chakra — Indigo Ray
Location: Between eyebrows
Colour: Indigo
Law of One: Indigo Ray
The third eye governs intuition, perception, inner wisdom, spiritual insight and discernment.
Themes include:
intuition
insight
imagination
spiritual awareness
dreams
inner knowing
discernment
The Law of One places great emphasis on the Indigo Ray as a centre of spiritual work, faith and connection with intelligent energy.
But this chakra requires grounding.
Without the lower chakras balanced, third eye activity can become confusing, overwhelming or distorted by fear, projection or unhealed wounds.
Healing practices include:
meditation
contemplation
dream journalling
reducing overstimulation
grounding after spiritual work
testing insights over time
asking: “Is this love or fear?”
balancing spiritual study with ordinary life
practising discernment
Ask yourself:
Am I grounded enough to discern truth from projection?
🤍 Crown Chakra — Violet Ray
Location: Crown of head
Colour: Violet
Law of One: Violet Ray
The crown chakra governs divine connection, unity, transcendence and Source consciousness.
Themes include:
divine connection
unity
surrender
spiritual wisdom
Source consciousness
remembrance
connection to the Infinite Creator
In the Law of One, the violet ray is described as the energetic readout or summary of the entire system.
It reflects the total state of being.
Healing practices include:
prayer
meditation
surrender
silence
contemplation
acts of devotion
time in awe and nature
spiritual study
service to others
trusting divine timing
Ask yourself:
How can I deepen my relationship with Source today?
What Do Other Traditions Teach?
The chakra system is most closely associated with Hindu, yogic and tantric traditions, but similar maps of subtle energy appear across many cultures.
Hinduism and Yogic Philosophy
In Hindu and yogic traditions, chakras are part of the subtle body system.
Energy flows through channels known as nadis, with three major channels often described:
Ida — lunar, receptive, feminine current
Pingala — solar, active, masculine current
Sushumna — central channel running along the spine
The spiritual aim of many yogic practices is to purify the body and mind so energy can rise through the central channel.
This is often connected to the awakening of Kundalini, a spiritual energy traditionally described as lying dormant at the base of the spine.
As Kundalini rises through the chakras, it brings purification, awakening and expanded consciousness.
This is why grounding, preparation and ethical living are emphasized in many yogic traditions.
Powerful energy without preparation can be destabilising.
Tantra
Tantric traditions often work directly with the body, energy, breath, mantra, ritual and devotion.
Unlike paths that reject the body, Tantra often teaches that the body itself can be a temple and a vehicle for awakening.
This is deeply relevant for modern seekers because it reminds us that spiritual growth is not about escaping the body.
It is about sanctifying it.
Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism includes subtle body systems involving channels, winds and energy centres.
Although the language differs from the seven-chakra model commonly used in modern spirituality, there is still an understanding that energy, consciousness and spiritual practice are deeply connected.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine describes life force as Qi, which flows through meridians throughout the body.
Rather than chakras, Chinese medicine focuses on meridian pathways, organs, yin-yang balance and the movement of vital energy.
The principle is similar: when energy flows freely, health and harmony improve.
Kabbalah
In Jewish mysticism, the Tree of Life maps spiritual ascent through different spheres of consciousness known as sephiroth.
While not the same as chakras, the Tree of Life also describes the soul’s journey from earthly existence toward divine union.
Christian Mysticism
Christian mystics often described experiences of divine love, heart awakening, inner illumination and union with God.
Figures such as St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross wrote about profound inner transformation, surrender and the soul’s longing for divine union.
Although they did not use chakra language, the experience of the heart opening to divine love is a recurring mystical theme.
The Law of One
The Law of One uses the language of rays:
Red Ray
Orange Ray
Yellow Ray
Green Ray
Blue Ray
Indigo Ray
Violet Ray
This system closely parallels the rainbow chakra model.
The Law of One places particular importance on balancing the lower rays and opening the green-ray heart centre.
In this framework, spiritual evolution is not about bypassing the human experience.
It is about integrating it through love.
How Do We Open the Chakras?
Perhaps the most important thing to understand is this:
You cannot force a chakra open.
Chakras naturally come into greater balance as we live with more awareness, honesty and love.
We open the chakras by:
healing trauma
regulating the nervous system
forgiving
loving ourselves
speaking truth
expressing creativity
living authentically
cultivating compassion
deepening our relationship with Source
acting in service to others
taking responsibility for our lives
releasing shame and resentment
grounding spiritual insight into daily action
Energy Must Flow From Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top
Many spiritual seekers try to awaken from the top down.
I know because I did.
But spiritual maturity requires energy to flow both ways.
From Earth to Heaven.
And from Heaven to Earth.
The lower chakras help us become grounded, embodied, emotionally honest and stable.
The upper chakras help us connect with truth, intuition, wisdom and Source.
The heart is the bridge.
This is where humanity’s greatest lesson lives.
Love.
Not romantic fantasy.
Not spiritual bypassing.
Not escaping Earth.
But embodied love.
The love that forgives.
The love that serves.
The love that tells the truth.
The love that protects children.
The love that takes responsibility.
The love that says:
“I choose to heal, not because I was never hurt, but because I refuse to keep passing the wound forward.”
Spiritual awakening is not about becoming something new.
It is about removing the fear, pain, shame and conditioning that prevent love from flowing freely through us.
Because perhaps love itself is our natural state.
And perhaps the journey of awakening is simply remembering who we have always been.
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