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The Chakras and the Tarot Trumps: Part III
The Manipura Chakra: Golden Halo, Golden Horns
The opening of the chakra centers gives rise to the subtle psychic senses and ease in etheric/astral travel. As the centers are opened and cleansed, a revelatory, purified vision becomes evident. And it's logical that the first five chakras apply to our imperfect physical senses (upon opening the first five chakras, the final two open automatically). After all, such phenomena as clairvoyance and clairaudience is merely an expansion of our limited sight and hearing respectively. The cleansing and opening of the chakras extends exponentially our awareness of the world above us, below us, around us, and therefore within us. As a spiritually active universe is realized, the entirety of existence is transformed into a spiritual realm, rife with etheric potential. And the Manipura chakra is the first gateway to actual spiritual intercourse.
Located just
above the
navel, at the
level of the
solar plexus,
is the
Manipura
chakra, the
"gem city".
It is also the
location of
the "second brain", incorporating the pancreas, the liver
and the digestive system, designated such due to its connection with the mental processes and
the manifested will. How many times have you felt butterflies in your stomach or had a gut feeling? That's the Manipura chakra
stirring. The chakra's key color is yellow, the color of prana, the source of life in the traditions of yoga, and it's link is with the mental
processes (in fact, this chakra should not be accessed too often, as it is a very potent mental stimulant): making decisions, embracing
systems of belief, all the factors that apply directly to the realization, balancing and clarity of the true human will in terms of aptitude
and latent capacities. This includes the issues of self-control and controlling others - a tainted solar plexus chakra gives rise to
jealousy, envy, cowardice, not to mention obsessive-compulsive perfectionism and self-critical thought patterns. Such a description
brings to mind the following Tarot keys: The Emperor, Strength and The Sun.
Before commencing your chakra meditation, take the three Tarot trumps and lie them out before you. Let your mind define your personal system of correspondences and meanings; consider every symbolic aspect - what you intuitively know and what you have learned over time. Close your eyes and, using creative visualization, formulate your own images of the Tarot archetypes. Once you have the finished images locked in your mind, without looking back at the Tarot cards, try to hold the complete images in your mind for as long as possible. To begin with, the duration will be short, but strive to use this exercise before each chakra meditation. You will find that clarity and duration will increase and you'll possess an increasing ease in interpreting your meditative visions.
As a preliminary meditation, a combined raja yoga (techniques of mental conditioning)/pranic energizing (using the force of life - prana - for cleansing and healing) method is useful and it also aids in the purifying of the chakra centers, especially the Manipura chakra. Begin by lying on your back, ideally with your feet to the south, according to the laws of natural magnetism. Close your eyes and begin slow and even breathing. Become aware of the rhythms of your body, become aware of the control you have over them. Envision yellow pranic energy enter the top of your head and flow slowly downward to the soles of your feet. At the same time, envision negative apranic energy (which is blue in color) flow from the soles of your feet up and out through the top of your head. Don't rush the process, as relaxation is key to its effect. It should feel similar to the cycle of water in nature - from the raincloud to the river; from the river, down the waterfall, into the reservoir; from the reservoir, through evaporation, back into the sky to feed the clouds and repeat the cycle.
Once you feel as though the initial exercise is completed, stay in your horizontal position and inhale as deeply as possible, holding it as a means of adding energy to your concentration. Feel bright yellow pranic energy, starting at your feet, fill your entire body, one body segment (called Marmasthanani) at a time. Each segment should be visualized as you hold each inhaled breath. When you reach the top of your head, you should feel some sort of physiological sensation enveloping your body: heat, tingling, a slight charge like static electricity, etc. If you haven't reached that point, repeat the exercise. If you have reached that point, simply segue into opening the Manipura chakra.
- Frater S.P.R.V.