Chakras are portals of light, or energy vortexes located along the front and back of the body. The root chakra, situated at the very base of the spine is the red, or base chakra. This is the colour of fire, of raw power. Here is our survival mode. It is about putting food on the table, securing shelter, protecting the tribe, self-preservation. By contrast it can also evoke a death wish. Red can flag the sexual urge. The root chakra may also signify blood or danger.
Red signifies passion. An important ‘sexual’ chakra, but not so much in
the pursuit of pleasure as we might associate with sex. This is about the
reproductive drive, survival of the individual and the species, rather than
sexual gratification. The root chakra is fuelled not by a relational desire,
but rather a deep instinctual drive. This survival mode can extend to our
immediate surroundings, such as children. I think every parent has experienced
this at one time or other.
The root chakra binds us to family, tribe, heartland. Some illnesses can manifest at this level, notably lower back pain, also colon cancer. Lower back pain, according to statistics costs the US 50 billion annually. That’s huge! Not surprising though, as we all know people who suffer from lower back pain (myself included).
Twice I had sciatica, quite severely. The first was when my mother got
cancer, the second when I was in the process of setting up the uss. A part of
me wanted to move forward while another part was holding back.
Fear at this level is often experienced as a short stabbing panicy feeling, like ‘oh my God I’m going to die!’ If you practice observing your feelings regularly you will be able to mark this fear from others. It’s quite distinctive actually.
Think of a time when you lost your keys. Instant panic! I'm
shut out! Now, just for a few milliseconds our very survival seems threatened.
We’re back in the root chakra. The fear goes right down to the ‘spine’ or core of
our being.
It’s not life-threatening of course. And moments later when you realise you’ve locked yourself out the fear abates, or moves to a different area, usually to the third chakra. But more about that anon.
Now what if it were an actual life threatening issue? Death for instance?
While a serious threat to the person will be felt most acutely at the
root chakra, it really affects all the others too. I remember one time when I
thought I was going to drown experiencing fear at several different chakras.
Red is also the colour of the planet Mars. This was the ancient Roman god of war. We often experience struggle here, a sense that there is something ‘outside’ that is threatening us and must be challenged. This is a metaphor for the struggle with the self, a struggle to understand and master one’s own power.
Money issues are critical at the root chakra; day-to-day survival, paying the mortgage, meeting financial commitments, and so forth. Depending on your circumstances these can seem life-threatening. A lot of scarcity issues originate at this chakra which are being played out now in these recessionary times.
The world ‘chakra’ comes from Sanskrit and means ‘wheel’.
# 2 orange # 3 yellow # 4 green # 5 blue # 6 indigo # 7 crown
There is a voice that doesn’t use words - listen!
Rumi
Reality is merely an illusion - albeit a persistent one.
Albert Einstein