Healing with the chakras: Where the physical and spiritual meet

My first experience with chakras and energy fields happened about twenty years ago. Although not directly related to chakra healing, it came as a result of two weeks worth of intensive of ritual and meditation in Colorado with Native American teacher and medicine woman, Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf. The experience was so powerful that it stopped myself and three other students in our tracks.

My chakra experience

We had just finished our intensive with Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf and decided to explore a nearby sacred site, Canyon de Chelly. We pulled up to the visitor center, the three of us got out of the car, came to a full stop and quickly got back in the car. Simultaneously we all blurted out, “Did you see what I saw?!”  

Excitedly, we each shared our separate experiences of witnessing wheels of light, or sometimes the absence of them, radiating from the bodies of strangers. We had shared the experience of suddenly seeing, yes seeing, halos of colored light emanating from the other walking around.

These “wheels of light” were actually visual representations of the energetic chakra system. The intensive study and meditation during our two weeks together had developed our “psychic sight,” which often happens through focused study, meditation, yogic practices and other forms of spiritual practice done in an intensive way.

Chakras: Intersection of the physical and etheric body

Chakra is a sanskrit word that means “wheel” and describes the force centers, or circular shaped depressions, that exist along the central axis of the spine. These wheels are in constant motion, attracting energy. The concept of chakras has been recognized by many cultures from Native American to Egyptian. Understanding chakras is a skill cultivated by shamans and medicine people through consciously accepted, intense meditation, ritual and training.

The etheric body is a living aura, or energy body, that is constituted of subtle matter normally invisible to the naked eye. It is through the etheric body that prana or vital life energy can be absorbed into and distributed through the physical body. A trained intuitive or a healer that has become sensitive to this energy field can often sense the flow and health of this energy. This can happen through their hands, as with a reiki practitioner, or through clairvoyance or psychic sight.

Chakra healing and reiki

Reiki is a Japanese energy technique discovered in the late 1800s by Mikao Usui. The word reiki translates into two Japanese words, “rei”, which means “the wisdom of god” and “ki,” which means “life force energy.” As a modality of healing, reiki manipulates or smooths the chakra system in order to increase an individual’s energy, improve immunity and enhance relaxation. Reiki is now so widely accepted that it can be found utilized everywhere from hospitals to spas.

According to ancient Asian teachings, chakras channel psychic energies and vital life force. They have a relation to the glandular and nervous systems in the body and are said to serve as a link between physical and psychic states of consciousness. By assessing energy flow, a trained practitioner can make connections between the energetic health of a chakra and the emotional or physical health of mind or body.

Continued learning with reiki and chakras

Based on my experience of “seeing” auras, and encouraged by my training with Oh Shinnah, I embarked on the study of reiki and subsequently became certified in both Reiki I and Reiki II, Karuna Reiki and as a Reiki Teacher. By gently manipulating the chakras through this non-invasive treatment, clients report deep feelings of relaxation, relief from stress and more vital energy reserves.  As a Comfort Care Practitioner at Newport Hospital, I experienced my patients in rehab and in the cancer center as reporting a “comforting warm glow,” “a burst of energy” and “a more positive outlook”.

My students and clients sometimes ask if it is disconcerting to see auras all the time. The answer is “no,” because like all good shaman/healers, once this “other knowing” was activated, we were taught to turn it on and off at will.  Once you know it exists, however, the knowledge expands one’s awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of Spirit or Soul as a life force necessary to health and well-being. I bring this knowledge to my work as a Holistic wellness provider and into my awareness of the subtle force that connects us to our  living planet.

For an understanding of the history of chakras, and to get a sneak peek into Mind Key’s continuing chakra series, check out Understanding chakras: An introduction to the chakra system. Stay tuned each month as we present articles, products, services and more to help you better understand and attune to each of the seven chakras.
Cris McCullough, MA is a Holistic Counselor on Aquidneck Island, RI who practices and teaches Reiki I & II and uses her ability to experience your auric field to help determine non-invasive approaches to your personal healing. To work with Cris as a healer or teacher, visit www.soulwisdomtarot.com.