to overlook but obvious when it is disturbed.
Behind this fundamental aspect of our awareness lies a parallel concept that has shadowed man's development throughout history; of another, more radiant structure, that infuses the physical body but can function beyond it. Different names have been used to describe this concept; "the subtle body," "the energetic body" or "the body of light". Descriptions of human auras assume that this type of energy body is a normal expression of the life force within the individual. Systems of psychic diagnosis examine the quality of vibrations associated with various portions of the subtle body in order to detect imbalances, and to determine which psychic and mental approaches will restore health. But originally, interest in the subtle body was as a vehicle for human development. Matters of mental and physical health came later.
Fig. 1. TheChakras
THE CHAKRAS
Descriptions of the subtle body vary in detail, complexity and, in some cases, basic design. But the elements involved are universal. These elements are, in their simplest form, energy centers (chakras) and the connections between them.
Each energy center can be described separately as a kind of isolated organ, like the stomach or the liver. The major chakras are typically located at:
a. the base of the spine;
b. the sex organs;
c. the lower belly;
d. the upper chest;
e. the throat;
f. the center of the eyebrows (third eye); and
g. the crown of the head.
The pathways connecting the chakras with each other and with the rest of the physical body can be mapped like a rarified lymphatic system. The temptation is to approach either the separate structures or the complex pathways connecting them as physical phenomena, which they are not. No dissection has ever found a chakra. If they exist, it is on a more subtle realm of energy relations. Artists attempting to express the inherent ambiguities of the subtle body have suggested this intermixing of dimensions by interpenetrating lights and muted structural boundaries.
In reading the literature on this subject one is immediately struck by the detail with which the material is presented. For example, the chakra in the lower belly is traditionally described as follows:
The Manipura Chakra is governed by the fire element. It looks like a ten petalled-lotus within which is a red triangle with three T-shaped swastika marks. Its seed mantra is "Ram".
On the other hand, there is comparatively little questioning of the basis on which these very specific descriptions rest. This is exceedingly strange because, unlike the physical body, the very existence of the subtle body is subject to question.
Descriptions of the subtle body usually emphasize the different energy centers. Since each of these centers is associated with easily identifiable human functions this orientation is natural. But the more important question of how they interrelate as a system is often underplayed, or simply overlooked.
Thus the heart center is depicted as a source of love and compassion. The "hara" center in the lower belly is identified with the life force, internal balance and effective physical functioning. But these centers, while distinctly different, are not independent of each other. Whatever happens to one center affects all the others, as in any system.
In the physical body the purpose of each physiological system is clear. The digestive system absorbs and breaks down potential nourishment, eliminating what cannot be burned. The circulatory network transports food and waste products into and out of all areas of the body. The nervous system carries messages and coordinates information. All of these interacting functions are delicately balanced and, for the most part, work instinctively.
But what is the analogous purpose of the energetic body? Any answer at this point would be tentative. One useful model views the subtle body as roughly similar to the physical digestive system. But unlike the digestive system, it cannot act instinctively. If it could, everyone would have a functioning subtle body which, most teachings agree, requires a great deal of time and effort.
Fig. 2. The Subtle body is experienced through sensation.
Perhaps the biggest stumbling block to the understanding of the subtle body is that it doesn't exist in the ordinary sense. You cannot touch it or weigh it. Does this mean that it is a universal fantasy, recurring in various cultures, interesting in its symbolic content but not connected to any enduring reality? The symbolic content is certainly there. But the subtle body can be experienced in the same way as the physical body; through sensation.
Try an experiment. Shake your hands out as if there were a liquid on them that you wanted to cast off. Next, slowly bring them together, palms facing each other. Notice the moment when they seem to impinge on each other's energy field. This may be experienced as a sudden rise in temperature in both hands. If you feel it, experiment with moving your hands slowly apart and then together again, until you convince yourself of the reality of the sensation. Then hold your hands precisely at the place where the sensation first becomes evident to you. Allow the energy to build. After this happens, see if you can slowly move your hands apart without losing the sensation. Did anything happen, or not? If it did, how do you interpret it? Just because you felt a sensation in your hands does not prove that the energetic body exists. But it does support the possibility.
The teachers of subtle body practices usually suggest that if you follow their teachings, you will gradually experience an inner unfolding of the subtle body that is felt as an immediate sensation. Perhaps these experiences may be accompanied by mystical visions or psychic experiences, but that is secondary. What is crucial is that the immediate sensations corresponding to the location and function of energy centers is subject to verification by the individual, if he will follow directions and make certain efforts over time. Belief is not required. An experimental attitude is all that is necessary.
Fig. 3. Sensing the energy between the. palms
While the preceding approach seems simple, the actual state of the literature on the subtle body is confusing. Consider the following examples:
In the Hindu tradition, the navel (lower belly) center is associated with fire, the color red, and the syllable "Ram" In Tibetan Buddhism the navel center is associated with water, the color white, and the syllable "Vam." It is hard to see how both versions could be true.
Furthermore, color symbolism in different chakra systems is contradictory. For example, in his book Energy Ecstacy1 Bernard Gunther, relying principally on the Hindu tradition, gives the chakra colors, going from bottom to top as: red-orange, kelly green, yellow gold, sky blue and indigo-purple. In the Buddhist system they are, in the same order: yellow, white, red, green and blue. In color therapy and New Age symbolism they are different from either of the foregoing and also from each other. If one takes these descriptions as objective psychic experiences, then these differences are likely to puzzle the reader since, whatever may have been intended, the traditions involved present these color connections as if they were objective.
Finally, to further compound the confusion,
