Locations of the centers in the etheric, astral, and mental bodies are described in the following chart:
 |
| Chakras and the Planes - Photo credit: Nicole Resciniti |
The etheric
centers
The etheric base, sacral, solar plexus, and splenic
centers are located in the 4th subplane of the etheric plane.
The etheric throat center is located in the 3rd
subplane of the etheric plane.
The etheric heart center is located in the 2nd
subplane of the etheric plane.
The etheric head center is located in the 1st
subplane of the etheric plane. The etheric head center is also called the crown
chakra and symbolized by the thousand-petaled lotus. This thousand-petaled
lotus is the sum total of the petals of all the etheric centers, including the
correspondences of all the 7 etheric chakras.
The astral
centers
The astral base, sacral, solar plexus, and
splenic centers are located in the 4th subplane of the astral plane.
The astral throat center is located in the 3rd
subplane of the astral plane.
The astral heart center is located in the 2nd
subplane of the astral plane.
The astral head center is located in the 1st
subplane of the astral plane.
The mental
centers
The mental base, sacral, solar plexus, and
splenic centers are located in the 4th subplane of the mental plane.
We can safely and
naturally unfold our centers through meditation, study the Ageless Wisdom,
practicing virtues and sacrificial services.
When the etheric centers open naturally, we come
into closer contact with our organs and with others; our vitality increases,
resulting in good health and well-being in general.
When the astral centers open, we become more
emotionally sensitive and influential; We are conscious of our own emotions and
the emotions of others.
When the mental centers open, we become more
mentally sensitive and influential; we are conscious of our own thoughts and
the thoughts of others.
Chakras and
corresponding Virtues
There are virtues
connected to each center. As we develop these virtues, the center related will
be naturally unfolded.
The head chakra helps
us find direction in life. In its truest sense, that direction is the spiritual
Path leading us to our true Self, true Home. The virtues related to the head
chakra are will power, courage, daring and striving.
The ajna chakra works
as a directing agent of the personality in the early stage and of the soul
(together with the 3rd eye) in the later stage. This is also a great healing
center, directing the energies of Love, Light and Power. The ajna unfolds when
we make efforts in discrimination, for right motive, right judgement, right
direction.
The throat chakra is
the agent of speech and creativity. Therefore, it can be unfolded when we
practice right speech which is correct, clear, harmless; and making efforts to
be creative. The throat chakra is also activated during admiration, bliss,
ecstasy and the appreciation of beauty and arts. Economizing the sexual energy,
even cyclic celibacy can facilitate the unfoldment of this chakra too.
The heart chakra is the
most important center that must be developed regarding spiritual evolution as
it makes us sensitive to the needs of people and thus becoming more
compassionate and inclusive, being able to feel the Oneness in All. The heart
center puts us in contact with the heart of the planet, the solar system, and
the galaxy… The flow of Life circulates through our hearts and unifies our
hearts with the Cosmic Heart. Gratitude is a very important activator of the
heart chakra. As we have gratitude in our hearts, the eleven others virtues are
also gradually opened to us, which are: group love (group consciousness,
cooperation), humility, service, patience, labor, tolerance, spiritual
identification, compassion, sympathy, wisdom, sacrifice.
The solar plexus chakra
is the gate to the emotional world with the two higher and lower triangles. To
unfold the higher counterpart of this chakra, we must develop virtues of
devotion, dedication, aspiration and faithfulness.
The sacral chakra is
naturally active. In order to sublimate its energy for shifting into its higher
counterpart (which is the throat chakra), we should transform the desire for
sex into aspiration and creative activity, and exercise virtues such as pure
love, balance. Sex should be moderated with the virtues of chastity and purity,
periodic celibacy is also helpful.
The base chakra is
activated in a balanced and healthy way through practicing perseverance,
fearlessness and constancy.
Evolution of the
Self
Our Self evolves through seven stages, from the
individual Self to the family Self, the national Self, the Self of humanity,
the planetary Self, the solar Self, and the galactic Self. The higher one is
more inclusive and expansive than the lower one before it. As we advance, our
share increases, and both our joy and conscious suffering increase.
However, between these stages, there are barriers
that we have to overcome if we want to go higher. The barriers are like the
tests as it is difficult to pass through them if we are so much identified with
our lower and smaller selves. To enter the higher level, we must leave some
no-longer-relevant patterns, and things behind, we must renounce or sacrifice
something, and we must also build new patterns to be able to stand under
greater pressure and responsibility. And if we successfully pass the test, we become
a greater Self, and enter into a greater Life, with more joy, more sensitivity
as well as more power to withstand the increased conscious suffering.
Thus, to find our True Self, we must always lose
our little, personal self and develop our tolerance capacity to embrace more
and more other people until we don’t see others but our Self in a united
Oneness. We feel the interconnectedness of every sentient being within the Web
of Life.
Coordination of the Centers
Coordination is the harmonization, attunement,
cooperation and synchronization of the centers horizontally and vertically.
Coordination of the centers brings benefits to the person as increasing their
efficiency in the world with all their thoughts, emotions and actions are
united and thus more influential and powerful. When a person has their centers
coordinated, all their actions, words and thoughts are charged with the vital
energy of the etheric centers, the emotions of the astral centers and the fiery
thoughts of the mental centers.
Three factors that facilitate the coordinating
process are:
(1) Purification of
the chakras by using them purposefully and economically, no wasting energies
and avoiding pollutants.
(2) Expansion of
consciousness through study, meditation, thinking in terms of the Whole,
becoming more inclusive in our viewpoint, spreading Beauty, Goodness,
Righteousness, Wisdom, Joy and Freedom in the world.
(3) Developing
virtues and applying them creatively in a sacrificial life of services to
others.
Relations of the
Rays, the Centers and the Fields
The 7 Rays go through all the chakras but there
will be one chakra that is more resonant to one ray. Each ray of the 7 Rays
also characterizes a field of human endeavor.
 |
| Chakras and the Rays - Photo credit: Leoni Hodgson |
Ray 1 of Will and Power corresponds to the head chakra as well as the base chakra and the politic field.
Ray 2 of Love-Wisdom corresponds to the heart
chakra and the educational and healing field.
Ray 3 of Active-Intelligence corresponds to the
throat chakra and the field of philosophy, communication as well as economics
and finance.
Ray 4 of Harmony through Conflicts corresponds to
the base of spine chakra as well as the ajna chakra and the field of arts.
Ray 5 of Concrete Knowledge and Science
corresponds to the ajna chakra and the field of science.
Ray 6 of Devotion and Idealism corresponds to the
solar plexus chakra and the field of religion.
Ray 7 of Organization-Ceremony-Order corresponds
to the sacral chakra and the field of economics, finance, architecture,
rituals.
