Ancient cultures talk of concentrations of the Universal Energy at certain points of the body. The Sanskrit word chakra, meaning wheel, is used to describe these spiralling vortices or whorls of energy. There are hundreds of chakras all over the human body but the seven major ones are located along the middle of the body. Clairvoyants perceive each chakra as having a specific colour, corresponding to the colours of the rainbow.
At a fundamental physical level, the human body's functions are controlled by the endocrine (ductless) glands, which secrete the hormones which regulate all biochemical activity. When we look at the chakras (the existence of which have been known for over 7,000 years in India), in relation to the anatomical location of the endocrine glands (discovered in this century), we see that each chakra is superposed on an endocrine gland. Reiki energy is channelled into the chakras, and the chakras transduce this energy into the endocrine glands. Any dysfunction is thereby rectified and balance within and among the endocrine glands is restored. In a Reiki session, the practitioner (who has necessarily to be attuned and initiated into the process of empowerment discovered by Mikao Usui), does no more (and no less) than channel the Universal Energy into the body of the receiver through direct bodily touch, or even from a distance. While anyone can relieve illness by the laying on of hands, the depth and duration of the effect produced by the uninitiated is usually only a small fraction of that which Reiki has been proven to provide during the decades that it has been used.
It must be emphasized that the Reiki practitioner is simply and solely a channel for the Universal Energy. The practitioner does not, indeed cannot, use his own power to produce any healing effect. When Reiki is channelled, the spectacular results often observed might lead to an equally spectacular inflation of the practitioner's ego, and one needs to beware of this.
As stated, there are intimate connections between the chakras and the endocrine glands of the body. A state of disease can almost always be traced to the hypo- or hyper- functioning of one or more of the endocrine glands. Reiki seems to work its wonders by returning balance and rhythm to these glands, the conductors of the chemical orchestra in the body. The table below shows the inter-relations between the chakras, the endocrine glands and the colours of the spectrum of light.
| Chakra | Endocrine Gland | Colour |
| Crown | Pituitary | Violet |
| Brow | Pineal | Indigo |
| Throat | Thyroid | Blue |
| Heart | Thymus | Green |
| Solar Plexus | Pancreas | Yellow |
| Sacral | Ovaries/Testes | Orange |
| Root | Adrenals | Red |
In some descriptions of the chakras, the pituitary gland is related to the brow chakra and the crown to the pineal gland. Also the sacral chakra is said to be related to the adrenals and the root chakra to the ovaries/testes.
In order to understand the magnitude of Reiki's potential as a facilitator of personal/spiritual growth, a minimal knowledge of these energy centres is helpful. As you may be aware, the physical body is comprised of various levels of vibratory rates of energy. Within our gross (i.e. tangible) physical body there exist numerous energy centres of yet higher frequencies than those previously acknowledged by science. There are purportedly over three hundred of these energy centres in the body. This section will describe the dynamics of the chakras in relationship to Reiki and the Reiki initiations. The focus will be on the seven major chakras and the hand chakras.
After conception, the earliest stages of embryological development focus on the cerebrospinal system. It is through the cerebrospinal system that the body receives its life force. The seven major chakras are high frequency psychic/energy centres situated in close proximity to the cerebrospinal system. These energy centres may be likened to the energy generators of the developing organism or the `blueprint'.
As centres of transformation the chakras step down subtle energies and transform them into nerve, cellular and hormonal energy within the physical body. The conduits or subtle pathways, which facilitate this interchange between psychological and physical energy, are called "nadis".
Various scientific studies have finally given credibility to the existence of the chakras. As a result, science is now beginning to acknowledge what the mystics have long been teaching regarding their importance in relation to the physiological level. Dysfunction at the level of the chakras and nadis is directly reflected in pathological disorders within the nervous system and endocrine system, which, in turn, will affect the whole body/mind.
The physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the body work together and are interconnected. It is, therefore, important to remember that any disorder at the physiological level will always be, to some extent, reflected at the subtler levels.
The following information is a brief summary of the dynamics of the chakras from an emotional, mental, physiological and spiritual standpoint. This explanation will facilitate your understanding of the activation of Reiki in the palms of the hands and the importance of the Reiki initiation process.
The first chakra is situated at the area of the genitalia (base of the spine) and is referred to as the base chakra in English. This chakra is associated with the kidneys and the adrenal glands. The associated element is earth. The emotion or "quality" associated with this chakra is the emotion of fear.
During the first seven years of development, ideally, we express ourselves through this seat of consciousness. We are mainly interested in being fed, nurtured, having our diapers changed and basically surviving. For this reason the base chakra is also often referred to as the survival chakra.
As adults, if we continue to express ourselves healthily through this seat of consciousness we are grounded people (hence the earth element association). We are highly motivated because the emotion of fear activates the "fright, flight or fight" response when necessary and gives us our get-up-and-go. We have a good sense of our place in relation to the material world and feel secure within it.
Limited expression through the base chakra is often reflected in insecurity when relating to the material world. This may result in violent or avaricious behavior. The person will feel generally "ungrounded" and at odds with his/her environment or simply detached from it.
From approximately the seventh year of life until the age of about fourteen, we begin to discover our sensual/sexual body. A new awareness of our physical body and our individuality develops. Along with it evolves our imagination and creativity. This chakra is related to the element of water (essence of life) and has to do with the fluid flows of the body: blood, urine, lymph etc.
A person who is well centreed in this chakra is a person with healthy body awareness and high self-love and self-esteem. The person will express his individuality living creatively. He will have a healthy regard and relationship with his sexuality and its expression and as a result be deeply in touch with joy.
Unfortunately, few of us express ourselves healthily through this seat of consciousness. In our early years, as we entered the period associated with the development of expression through the sexual chakra, we were told "you're big now and shouldn't walk around without clothes on" (i.e. masks are necessary and there is reason to hide this part of you), "don't touch yourself," etc. Young women learned about "the curse" and all kinds of horrendous trials and tribulations of being female. Young men are rarely taught enough to assuage fears of the mysteries of the female.
If we receive negative programming about our physical/sensual body, we learn quickly to close down sensitivity to it. We cease expressing ourselves through this chakra because it is "unacceptable" to society and painful to us. If we do so, we may suffer from an inability to experience sexual pleasure or to express ourselves sensually and creatively. Invariably feelings of inadequacy at this level are reflected in possessive, jealous personalities.
Ovarian cysts/tumors, breast problems (they being linked to the reproductive system), sterility, impotency, pre menstrual syndrome, obsessive/compulsive sexual behavior, etc. may all be signs that on some level we have chosen to cease healthy expression through the sexual chakra.
Lack of self-expression at this level is the basis for the majority of our dis-ease processes in life. Self-rejection depletes the immune system. Rejection of our sensuality /sexuality causes depression of our life-force energy. We stay out of touch with our innate capacity for joy or limit it dramatically.
By the time we reach about fourteen years of age, we reach the stage where we begin to develop our own sense of personal power (in the positive sense of the word) and ability to manifest our dreams. Because most of us struggled uncomfortably with the first two chakras, by the time we are at this stage our sense of personal power is often distorted, limited or non-existent.
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the stomach (digestion), spleen (transformation and purification of blood), pancreas (secretes digestive juice, pancreatin, and insulin), liver (produces bile and converts carbohydrates into energy/glucogens), and the gall bladder (stores bile). These are our organs of digestion and assimilation, not just of food, but of emotions.
In a healthy organism, when the body has finished the process of digesting and assimilating food, it continues with an organic process of emotional synthesis. We are under the misconception that the rumbling of the tummy means we need food. Tummy rumbles are a sign of peristalsis (muscular contractions of the alimentary and intestinal canals) that affects expulsion of waste. Peristalsis often denotes synthesis at the emotional level.
We have all had times when we are upset and either gorge or starve ourselves as a coping mechanism. What we are actually doing is halting the body's natural emotional synthesizing process. We get "the runs" in sympathy with the bottom falling out of our lives, or we suffer from constipation, reflecting our insecurity and need to cling to the old and familiar, however uncomfortable that may be.
This chakra is related to the emotion of anger. As few of us are in touch with our own personal power, anger is usually in excess (whether expressed outwardly, stifled or even projected onto a "nagging" partner). By the time we reach the solar plexus chakra most of us are candidates for stomach ulcers, liver cancer, hypoglycemia, digestive problems, or a combination thereof.
If we are healthily centred and expressing ourselves through this chakra, we have a high self-esteem and natural ability to manifest abundance on all levels. The solar plexus chakra is linked to the liver, which, in metaphysics, is the seat of the soul. Here we begin to develop a healthy relationship with self, which is reflected in our interaction with our environment.
Those of us who struggle at the level of the third chakra may have distorted, overblown egos to mask our inner insecurities about our role in relationship to the outer world. Another method for dealing with our inability to express ourselves through this seat of consciousness is to introvert. We keep everything bottled up like a time bomb and probably live in a hostile environment, which is merely mirroring our own psyche's turmoil.
The element associated with the solar plexus chakra is fire. Fire is the element of transformation. Leave it unattended and it can become harmful and burn out of control (excess/violent) or simply go out (deficient/unmotivated).
As the quality of the heart chakra is self-love, it is the chakra through which many of us have a great deal of trouble expressing ourselves. The heart chakra is considered the seat of balance in the body. It is associated not only with the heart, but also the lungs and thymus (immune system). The associated element is air.
The heart chakra anchors the life force - our breathing. It is our breathing that effects movement of the rib cage and the consequent massaging of vital organs beneath it. This massaging action directly affects how well, or how poorly, our digestion and assimilation processes work.
So, what do we do? When we are upset we have great ways of avoiding synthesizing our emotions. We chain smoke, which is a wonderful way to diminish the efficacy of the lungs and an effective way of stifling emotions. Another method is to hold our breath or breathe shallowly. We are all pretty expert in the art of how not to breathe. In fact, considering that it is this very process that keeps us alive, it is amazing how many of us have never learned to do it properly.
Those of us in the above category are classic candidates for lung cancer, pneumonia, (water/tears in the lungs), heart disease etc.
In the military, men were trained in "correct" posture - head up, shoulders back. An excellent way of armouring the heart centre to avoid having to feel emotions when entering the battlefield. Unfortunately many of us were trained this way at home and in school too. Breast implants are another good way of armouring the heart centre and very effective in blocking energy flow in the body. Most of us are actually experts in avoiding expression through this centre.
The physiological effect of true laughter and smiling on the thymus is to strengthen it. Just being in touch with our joy will strengthen the immune system. The connection between a healthy immune system and self-love is undeniable. When we look at the number of immune system disorders in our society today, it is indicative of the underdeveloped heart chakra most of us have.
Those of us who have decided to be "selfless" and work and slave to make our family happy or save the world could be misguided. Probably, the best thing we can do for the world is to begin by expressing ourselves through our heart chakra i.e. loving self. If we, as the microcosm, have internal battles with self-going on, how can we possibly expect the macrocosm to reflect peace and unity? We are hypocritical if we profess to be devoting our lives to "fixing" the world if we aren't also working to heal our relationship with ourselves.
Ideally, if we are healthily expressing through the heart chakra and have a good relationship with self, then the possibility that the rest of our chakras are dynamic and healthy is increased. The heart being considered the seat of balance in the body makes self-love the key to a healthy chakra system.
If you love yourself and then fall in love with someone else, the chances for a healthy enduring relationship are high. The new expansion to your heart chakra will allow the energy to flow more dynamically out to the other chakras. We "fall in love" and take the energy down to our solar plexus chakra and synthesize it. Ideally we then take it down to our sexual chakra and express ourselves sensually/sexually to our beloved. We then allow the energy to flow to our base chakra and seek to put down roots together (earth element), marry, have babies, build a house etc.
Our inner attitudes about self are often reflected in the kinds of people we draw into our lives. We have but to look around us to see what we really want. It is reflected in what we already have. If we shake our heads and say, "No way, this is the furthest thing from what I want," be sure that some part of you believes this is what you deserve and need right now. If we look at our reality from this perspective, it adds incentive to develop a loving relationship with oneself.
The throat chakra is associated with the thyroid gland (secretes thyroxin which regulates metabolic rate thus influencing growth and development), the parathyroid gland (produces hormones regulating metabolism of calcium and phosphorous), and the hypothalamus (regulates body temperature). On a physiological level, an imbalance in our expression through the throat chakra will be reflected in under- functioning of the above organs and glands. This may result in hypothyroidism, characterized by sluggish metabolism and weight problems. The contrary may otherwise be the case; this is hyperthyroidism.
Imbalance at this level may show itself in an inability to express oneself verbally or to communicate well. If we have difficulty bringing our deep inner knowing, thoughts and emotions together in verbal expression, it may be a sign that we need to give more focus to this chakra.
Poets, orators, and singers make up some of the realm of creative people centred in this chakra. There is no gross element associated with this chakra, but rather the amalgamation of the first four chakras becomes sound. A person truly centred in this chakra will voice not intellectually or emotionally programmed belief systems, but speak from a place of knowing and deep inner truth.
This chakra is associated with the pituitary gland, which functions rather like the orchestral conductor of all the other glands. Directly or indirectly this gland regulates the majority of basic bodily functions.
If we are "closed minded" and only focus outwardly upon the material aspects of our life, we avoid self-expression through this chakra. We may suffer from eye problems (not wishing to see the truth), or severe headaches. We will only believe in that which we experience with our five senses and probably even have diminished experience through those, meaning that our lower chakras will probably be underdeveloped.