Visual Culture Paper- Liz Ronneberg

CHAKRAS

I have recently decided to start researching Chakras. Even before our Personal Belief project was introduced, I had started looking into the meaning people hold behind them and the symbolism held with them, so when the project came along it was convenient for me to be able to put something that I was personally interested in, into a project. I have always found the spiritualism that is in this belief to be extremely intriguing. I think an interesting aspects of Chakras are that they are not actually physical things. Some people may think that they are anchored in the human body as the heart or lungs, but contrary to what some people assume, you cannot cut open a person and find their Chakras. It is a completely in-visual occurrence, and because of that I can see why some people would be skeptical as to wether they actually are, or aren’t. Chakras, to put it simply, are areas of the body where it is believed that energy is harnessed for different resources. There are seven major Chakras located in the human body, and although some Guru’s believe that there are other Chakras that spawn and draw energy in other locations, the seven that I will be talking about in this paper are the main, most accepted of them. The only way that you could ever actually see a Chakra is through visual art. You could explain to someone where they are said to be located in the body, but the only way to every actually show someone would be through art. That is one of the things that intrigues me most about them, so with me being an artist, I obviously found endless amounts of inspiration while researching this.

As I mentioned before, there are seven major Chakras located in the human body. They all feed off of main energy channels, which are called Nadis (and these channels are actually real in the human body). The Nadis are the nerve currents located in the spinal column. They are called Ida and Pingala and they wrap around the third current, Sushumna. These Nadis reach from the base Chakra, located at the base of the spine, all the way to the crown Chakra, located at the crown of the head. The points where the three Nadis connect are where the seven Chakras are located. The lowest Chakra is called Muladhara, is said to relate to the gonads and adrenal medulla, and houses energy concerning sexuality, stability, sensuality, and a sense of security. The next Chakra, Swadhisthana, corresponds with the testes and ovaries and relates to reproduction, creativity, joy, and enthusiasm. Manipura is related to the metabolic and digestive systems and convey digestion, personal power, expansiveness, and all matters of growth. Moving up the body, Anahata (more commonly known as the heart Chakra) corresponds to the thymus in the chest, which is an element of the immune system. The Anahata deals with circulation, unconditional love for the self as well as others, passion, and devotion. Next is the Vishuddha which is situated in the throat and is majorly connected with communication. It also houses energy for independence, fluent thought, and a sense of security. The brow Chakra, or Anja, is said to be related to the pineal gland (although there is some controversy about wether the pineal gland is better related to the crown Chakra), which is a light sensitive gland that produces melatonin, which regulates sleep and waking up. Anja is said to be involved with clarity on an intuitive level, visual consciousness, and access of intuition. The final, and most powerful Chakra, is Sahasrara, or the crown Chakra. Sahasrara is associated with pure consciousness, it involves actions with “beingness”, universal consciousness and unity, the release of karma, and physically it deals with meditation. It is said that when someone can raise their energy of consciousness to the level of the Sahasrara, the union with God is experienced, and they have reached enlightenment.

As I said earlier, one of the most captivating aspects of this philosophy, for me, is that you can only illustrate Chakras. Some amazing illustrations have come out of the Chakra belief. True to it’s Hindu roots, most drawings are ornately elaborate, and hold extremely meaningful symbolism. Some drawings I have seen include the Hindu deities and other spiritually powerful object. Some simply show the human body, illustrating where the Chakras are located. I’m mostly inspired by this aspect because I want to start making art that portrays what people can’t physically see. Taking things like Chakras, which you would not be able to physically view, unless artists took the time to draw them out. I think that in itself holds a lot of meaning. Being able to illustrate what some people can only imagine would be an artistic hurdle I would like to attempt.

Works Cited

Sivananda, Swami. "Ida, Pingala, Suchumna and the Shat-Chakras." 28 June 2005. Ida Divine. IndiaDivine Communications. 21 Feb. 2010.

Slotte, Anita. "Chakras: Tools for Transformation." 2006. Root Chakra. Cougar Webworks. 21 Feb. 2010.

"Tantra Kundalini." 2008. Tantra Kundalini. 21 Feb. 2010.