In light of the upcoming Chakra Journey Rebirth event on Saturday May 11th, I've been pondering on the notion of what it means to be human in the ecstatic times of our intensely transformative era. Chakra Journey has been one of my most popular offerings I believe because it broaches this notion and helps people to embody a whole new perspective of selfhood, here using the dynamic model of the chakras drawn from ancient yogic philosophy.
Ultimately, there's a growing desire in humanity to explore expanded, multidimensional notions of being. People are experiencing mystical states more and more commonly, in part because of the inherent shift we're undergoing on our planet which is increasing sensitivity to higher dimensions of consciousness. What people are discovering is a wealth of knowledge that helps people understand what many of us have been experiencing since birth as natural proclivities of our humanness. Such things as telepathy, spontaneous transmissions of insight and ingenious creativity that transcend limited assumptions about our abilities in an instant, euphoric states of oneness and hyper-connectivity with world and even cosmos, empathic bonding with plants and animals and sheer bliss which bamboozles former concepts of joy. Such experiences are growing more and more relentless and it can be daunting for people who haven't studied any spiritual and esoteric literature to understand what is going on.
The Chakras provide a colourful and engaging model for navigating a more complex picture of our humanness and understanding the onslaught of mystical states. The seven chakras are said to be 'wheels of energy' which are placed along our spine in vertical alignment. We are all born with them and they each even correlate to the seven primary endocrine glands which represents our inner-pharmacopoeia, directing the intricate chemical and hormonal processes that organize our growth and integration as a singular organism.
Each chakra is a world unto itself: they each express a unique realm of our being, related to emotions, physiological functions, philosophical precepts and even latent abilities known as 'siddhis' or spiritual powers that are awakened and developed as we work with these centres. They are generally considered to be transducers of subtle energy, meaning they transport and translate life-energy ('qi' to the Chinese, 'prana' to the Indian) into the body for its vital use. They are our subtle anatomy.
The Chakras can be worked with in a variety of ways, from meditation, vocal toning and chant, to yoga asana, visualization to just simple awareness. What's remarkable is the ease to which people experience sensations with regards to the chakras. There's something immediate about working with these centres that tends to verify them, though modern science, with its emphasis on materialism, has yet to image these subtle realms of reality.
CHAKRA JOURNEY is just that: we guide participants through a journey through each of the seven chakras with multifarious techniques so they can be embodied and experienced in a palpable and very real way. The intention is for people to leave feeling a sense of their multidimensionality; a revised understanding of what it means to be human. This is always an empowering experience as it strengthens our ability to interact with ourselves and reality in a more holistic and immense sense. It also increases the playfulness of life in general, bringing in more joy and potentials for skillfulness in wise living.
CHAKRA JOURNEY REBIRTH is a reboot and, thus, it will be different than previous versions. After running CHAKRA JOURNEY successfully on a number of occasions, I felt it needed to rest as I explored other endeavours. However, I always had a sense that it would return one day, seeing how popular it was and the positive response it invoked in participants. It was clear that it was feeding a definite need.
Megan was also keen to reboot it and it was a conversation we had one night that laid the foundation for what will be this time around. Feeling like a new angle was necessary, Megan inspiringly suggested we reverse the journey from the former adventure of Root to Crown to instead begin at Crown and finish at Root, following the path of manifestation rather than liberation. This opened an ecstatic nexus which radiated immediate ideas with breathtaking excitement. The theme became clear and oh so relevant: at present, humanity is attaining a kind of collective enlightenment and/or initiation into a whole spiritual understanding of reality and the needed task is to take the higher knowings of spiritual perspectives (often symbolized as the summit of a mountain) back to the ground below to be of use in the world and culture of humanity. This is the heroic journey asserted by Joseph Campbell.
Together, as co-creative group, we will be your enthusiastic guides, re-enchanting multi-dimensional selfhood while inspiring the heroic adventure down the mountain to share light and wisdom with the world. This is a vital aspect of the shift occuring right now on our dear planet and a touching of the deep pulse of the zeitgeist. There will be exciting elements of sacred music, yoga asana, ecstatic movement, creative visualization and much, much more. This will very much be a kind of ritual opening a context for expansive being to emerge and be explored by all of us. We hope you will join us for this exciting journey!
(For an introduction to the Chakras, please watch this compelling video by Anodea Judith HERE.)