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MARCH 3, 2016

The psychic chakras, chakra meditation and chakra therapies

We hear a lot nowadays about Chakras, and therapies like Chakra Cleansing or Energizing, Chakra Balancing, etc., both within and also very much outside of the context of yoga. What do we understand by those terms?

Ms. Erika Gibello, secretary of the International Association of Exorcists has analysed the chakra system thoroughly and brilliantly in her article

CHAKRAS-ERIKA GIBELLO

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However, I am inclined to compile additional information as always and present it to the Catholic reader.

Yoga

EXTRACT

By Mike Shreve

The Origin and Nature of Man

In many groups practicing the study of yoga, human beings are described as possessing spiritual energy centers called chakras. Though there are some different views promoted by various yogis, it is generally believed that there are seven main chakras, five of which are positioned along the spinal column. The sixth is the 'third eye' and the seventh, the 'crown chakra' located at the crown of the skull. The third eye (in the middle of the forehead) is described as one of the main gateways out of the body into the astral realm. Each chakra is associated with a different deity.

When the kundalini (the latent deposit of divine energy at the base of the spine) is 'awakened,' this energy travels upward through the chakras. Upon reaching the crown chakra, God consciousness is attained.

Do these energy centers called “chakras” really exist?

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By Mike Shreve

Many Far Eastern and New Age religious groups profess a belief in a number of internal, rotating energy centers called "chakras."

The whole idea of the "kundalini" is interwoven with a belief in chakras.

The traditional view numbers seven: five along the spine, one (the third eye) in the middle of the forehead, and the seventh chakra, called the crown chakra, at the top of the head. These are supposed to be "focal points where psychic forces and bodily functions merge and interact with each other." Each chakra is "associated with a specific color, shape, sense organ, natural element, deity and mantra." 1 Though advocating this concept as being true, strangely, the guru I studied under in 1969-1970 (Yogi Bhajan) insists chakras are "imaginary and nothing else." 2 Through the years I have met some Christians who attempt to mingle Biblical beliefs and Far Eastern beliefs — and who claim to embrace this doctrine. Though as a yoga teacher, I once advocated a belief in chakras, I now feel strongly that it is impossible to truly accept a Biblical worldview and incorporate this concept into your belief system. Please consider the following points: 

Seven Reasons Why I No Longer Believe In Chakras 

(1) Many teachers who believe in chakras cannot agree on the correct number. Some yogic models include 7, 8, 9 and 12 chakras. In Buddhism there are 4 chakras; in Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) there are 5. If there really are rotating, internal energy centers in man, those who 'discover' them should agree on how many actually exist.

(2) Each chakra (in Hinduism) is identified with a different Hindu god. These gods are no more than imaginary entities, man-made myths, full of human-like frailties and are essentially unreal. So it is only logical to deduce that the chakras with which these gods are associated are also essentially unreal.

(3) The concept of chakras is inextricably connected to the concept of the kundalini (the serpent power) rising up through these 'energy centers' to bring a seeker to new levels of consciousness. Because the kundalini power is NOT the true power of God, but a demonic counterfeit, then the whole idea of chakras becomes absolutely unnecessary.

The experience of God-consciousness (conscious awareness of the reality of God) comes through the entrance of Jesus Christ into the heart of man. This has nothing to do with the supposed rising of a 'serpent power' or the 'opening up' of chakras. Many swamis and gurus warn that a 'premature' arousal of the kundalini can result in insanity or dark occult powers being awakened. However, there is NO ACCOUNT in the Bible of anyone having an experience with the TRUE GOD and experiencing negative or detrimental results. (See the article titled What really is the kundalini?)

(4) The concept of chakras is based on the idea that God is an internal, impersonal, energy force that can be controlled by the right incantation, mantra or ritualistic practice. Yet God communes with His people; he is not controlled by them. He is a personal God and he responds to prayer offered to him in a heartfelt, personal way. He is not impressed or motivated by repetitious utterances or magical rites.

(5) Certain gurus have made sweeping claims about the power of meditating on certain chakras. For instance, Sivananda taught that meditating on the first chakra causes all sins to be wiped away; meditating on the second chakra frees a person from desire, wrath, greed and deception; and meditating on the sixth chakra (the third eye) wipes out all karma form previous lives. If these things are true then we do not need the crucifixion of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, nor the Holy Spirit entering and regenerating our hearts for a character change (which are both absolute necessities). Furthermore, the consequences of our past sins are taken out of God’s hands and placed in ours.

(6) Some advocates say that Jesus taught the existence of chakras, because of a statement he made in Matthew 6:22-23 — "The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" When taken in context, clearly this passage is not referring to a psychic energy center, but our 'perception'—the way we look at life. In the verses immediately before and after this statement Jesus is warning against laying up "treasures on earth" and trying to serve "God and mammon" (material riches). He is just emphasizing that we should stay 'focused' on spirituality, though we live in a secular world. Also, it helps to see that other translations render the word single as "good".

Other Bible versions use words like, "sound," "healthy," "clear" or "unclouded" for the word "good". The exact meaning becomes all the more obvious in these newer renditions. Very simply, if you 'look' at life with a good attitude—if your values are sound and healthy, and your perceptions, clear and unclouded — the light of truth radiates in you and through you. If Jesus were actually attempting to enlighten his disciples concerning the existence of internal psychic energy centers, he surely would not have been so vague.

(7) The concept of chakras cannot be found in the Bible. Because the Bible alone is God’s inspired Word, concepts that are extra-biblical should not be included in our worldview. 

This is a more thorough presentation of thoughts that already appear In Search of the True Light written by Mike Shreve, In Search of the True Light, pages 227 & 265.

Notes

1. "Chakra," Miriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions (Springfield, MA: Miriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1999) p. 193. 

2. Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, Kundalini Yoga, The Flow of Eternal Power (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1996) p. 61.

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A description of chakras from a yoga site states: "For thousands of years, the yogis have identified through their exceptional spiritual practice seven complex, fundamental systems of emission-reception, which connect our microcosm with the outer macrocosm's seven fundamental levels of vibration. These centers of force are usually known as chakras."

Om Mantra

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Relationship of Om with Chakras 

'A' of Om is connected to Muladhar ([chakra] at the bottom of the spine) and Swadhishthan (just below the umbilicus) chakras. 'U' of Omkar is related to Manipur chakra just above the umbilicus. 'M' affects Anahat (heart), Vishuddha (throat) and the Ajna (between the eye brows) chakras together. That is why the ‘M' is deliberately pronounced for longer duration to progress on the spiritual path.

As we know, the chakras are the wheels of energy, providing us the energy for different bodily and mental functions. Om makes these chakras powerful, which in turn keep one energetic and enthusiastic. This indicates that by chanting Om, prana gets upward direction or in other words, kundalini can be awakened. That is why Om chanting is the superior mantra sadhana for the physical, mental and the spiritual benefits. 

The Practical Book of Reiki, Healing through Universal Lifeforce Energy

By Rashmi and Maharaj Sharma, Pustak Mahal, 1998, page 83:

The sixth chakra is associated with the colour indigo. The chakra is symbolized by OM, the cosmic sound.

The chakras are intrinsic to a number of alternative medical practices like Reiki and Pranic Healing.

Das Offizielle Reiki Handbuch (The Official Reiki Handbook)

By Grand Master Dr. Barbara Ray EXTRACT

New Life Reiki Grand Master Dr. V. Sukumaran [International Institute of Reiki, Chennai, Affiliate of World New Life Reiki Foundation, UK] teaches:

“Reiki can be used for emotional, physical and spiritual balancing. …Advantages of New Life Reiki Healing are… chakra meditation, mind-cleansing rebirth exercise, special third eye opening… [The healeee] will be attuned to the universal life force healing energy by opening his/her inner channel during a sacred initiation ceremony… He/she will be taught …aura cleansing, chakra energising, karmic blockage removing, …to work with the sacred and secret Reiki symbols, …practice of sending and receiving Distant Healing etc… Attunement is the very core of the Usui method, and can only be transmitted by a trained Reiki Master.” The books have charts on the chakra system and the colours, elements and mantras associated with them. Some of the recommended steps in Reiki Meditation are: Awakening of subconscious mind, Visualizing Reiki energy, Energising with Reiki, colour and affirmations.

Chakra Meditation is “a journey through the energy centres in the subtle body” with the help of chanting the mantras and visualizing the colour of each chakra. The mantra of the ajna or third eye chakra is ‘OM’ and its colour is indigo. One is then led to create an energy circle around oneself which helps one to “locate the exact position of each chakra and feel its rotation; increase the inner guidance, intuition and clairvoyance; keep the pathway of Kundalini Shakti free of blockages for natural awakening.”

Just what is the fuss over New Age?

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St. Andre Bessette Parish, Laconia, New Hampshire, USA

The Magisterium of the Church is often slow and deliberate when it makes a ruling; but it is always made in the foundation of Scriptural truth.

What exactly is "New Age”?

"The New Age Movement is both a religious and a social movement. Western culture has currently experienced a new paradigm, a spiritual and sociological shift; it is a religious world-view that is hostile to Christianity. It's multi-faceted and has the ability to synthesize mystical religions and world religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Occultism.

Reiki

The seven major chakras used within many Western systems of Reiki appear to be much like the chakras in the painting below dated 1824.

[pic]

Reiki (founder Mikao Usui) theory holds that practitioners can channel the universal life force as a healing energy into the client's body in order to "balance and enhance the flow of vital energy," (Loecher, 268). The client/patient lies on a table as the Reiki practitioner gently touches him/her. The practitioner places their palms on major organs and glands, and on the areas where the chakras are located.

Pranic healing is a blend of ancient Indian (Vedic) and ancient Chinese (Taoist/Buddhist) philosophies.

Whereas the latter depend on an understanding of the universe based on the Yin-Yang principle of life and existence of meridians or energy channels in the human body as embodied in acupuncture and reiki, pranic healing holds that the body has a main spiritual cord called the sushumna, running alongside the spinal column, energy channels called nadis and a hierarchy of minor and major chakras [lit. ‘wheels’] or spinning energy centres, as in yogic teaching, that together with the ‘aura’ that envelops it, constitute a person’s energy body.

While classic Hinduism has revealed seven major chakras [located in the front and center], pranic healing holds that there are an additional four at the back which were clairvoyantly revealed to its founder.

Healing is achieved by the manipulation of energy through these channels and chakras.

One may become an accredited pranic healer after paying the required fee and attending these programmes during which one’s chakras are opened by a Master who has received his or her enlightenment either directly from, or in a line of authority and transfer of healing power that stretches back to, the Grand Master Choa Kok Sui himself.

Pranic Healing’s Meditation on Twin Hearts is an initiation ceremony that is conducted on full moon nights, when, according to them, the occult powers of the universe and initiations into their number are at their peak. An advance word of caution is issued by the presiding Master to patients of glaucoma, blood pressure and heart disease as participants have been known to die due to ‘excessive energy’ generated in their physical bodies during these sessions. Meditation on Twin Hearts is based on the principle that some of the major chakras are entry points or gateways to certain levels or horizons of consciousness. The Twin Hearts refer to the heart chakra, which is the center of the emotional heart or refined higher emotions, and the crown chakra which is the center of the divine heart, the center of divine union or yoga. Unless your crown chakra is activated, you will not experience illumination or divine union. But before it can be activated, the heart chakra must be activated first.

Adepts are guided through physical exercises accompanied by chanting of ‘Om’, ‘amen’ and other mantras, and exposed to Mr. Sui’s voice on an audiotape that has subliminal messages (operating below the level of consciousness) recorded into it.

During this time the participant sticks his tongue to the roof of his palate to connect the front and rear chakra systems, and when the energy starts to rise he encounters psychic phenomena and healing.

Believing that some chakras are gateways to higher levels of consciousness, the goal of the meditation is to achieve “cosmic consciousness or illumination”. The Twin Hearts are the heart and the crown chakras.

C.W. Leadbeater was a Theosophist and 33rd degree Freemason.

His occult work The Chakras (1927) is the source of much of Mr. Sui’s borrowings.

To cite him from this book, “The energy which we find rushing into the chakra is that which is symbolized when it is said in Christian teaching that the Christ is incarnate of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.” (Page 24)

Pranic healing also employs the entire gamut of occult and New Age psycho-technologies including visualization and affirmation. In the former, one may “visualize oneself going inside the ajna (forehead) chakra of the patient” or “imagine the patient as an inch tall so as to energize him with prana.”

The Mother-Power (Occult Power)

EXTRACT

By David J. Stewart

I recently ran across a book entitled, "Kundalini, The Mother Power" (1992) (ISBN 0-88497-104-X). 

1. Kundalini yoga is the yoga of "prana." 

2. Prana is the life-energy of the universe.

3. This life energy of the universe (prana) flows through our human bodies through 3 channels (left, right, spine)

4. These 3 channels meet at 7 different locations in our body. These locations are called "chakras."  

5. There are 7 corresponding worlds to the 7 chakras (each having its own name).

6. Each world is symbolized by something: earth, water, heat, air, ether, energy and infinite space.

7. Each of the 7 chakras has a presiding deity, a cosmic god. 

8. In Kundalini yoga, firm concentration or meditation on each chakra invokes the mother-power or presiding deity.  Concentration means focusing on something tiny.  Meditation means focusing on something large (e.g. sky, sea).

9. By mastering each chakra, special occult powers are obtained (including: becoming invisible, curing all manners of diseases, knowing or discovering anything, leaving the body and traveling to any part of the world in a few seconds, hurting your enemies, etc.).  

10. Kundalini is the powers aroused through either concentration or meditation. You meditate on the 7 chakras to open them as you would a door to invoke (summon) the cosmic gods. It is critical, says Sri, to purify one's self with a bath, proper mental attitude, candles, flowers and facing the sun early in the morning before using Kundalini.  

11. As mentioned, each chakra (central meeting places of the 3 channels within the body) has a name.  The name of one location (which is slightly above the eyebrows in the center of your forehead) is the "ajna" chakra (commonly known as the third eye). You may have noticed people in India with the dot on their foreheads.  This is the third eye.  Just as with the other chakra, the third eye opens a door to a deity--in this case, Shambhu. Listen to what Sri Chinmoy says about the third eye, "with the third eye you can see forward, backward, everywhere. You can also see the past, present and future at the same time. If you can open your third eye, you will be able to tell even two years ago what you ate for breakfast. It will also show you the future--what is going to happen in your life or in your friends' lives."  

All You Wanted to Know about Chakras and Nadis

By Ravindra Kumar, page 62

Tratak, Practice for Awakening the Manipur [navel] Chakra: I recommend gazing at ‘Om’ in red [colour] from 15 minutes to an hour, slowly increasing the time.”

In The New Indian Express, a five-part series called ‘Surya Namaskaras, A Holistic Approach’ by Dr. P.G. Krishnamurthy, was published between September and November, 2003. The author wrote to me informing me that “There are 7 postures differently while 5 are repetitions. [Only 5 of the 7 chakras are used]. The remaining 2 Chakras, the first and the last are not for inward concentration during the Surya Namaskara practice.”

In the first issue, ‘Pranamasan’, the first of the ‘Surya Namaskaras’ was given, underscoring its yogic benefits; the accompanying mantra, and its meaning in English: ‘Om Mitraya Namah", ‘Obeisance to the Friend of humans’, and inward concentration is on the ‘anahata chakra’. The second part explains ‘Hasta Uttanasan’, the ‘asan’ [asana, pose or posture] with raised arms. The recommended mantra is ‘Om Ravaye Namah’, meaning ‘Salutation to the Shining One’. While chanting, one has to concentrate on the ‘vishuddhi chakra’. The third stage is ‘Padahastasan’ with the mantra ‘Om Suryaya Namah’, ‘Salutation to He who induces activity’, with concentration on a spot in the region of the ‘mooladhara chakra’ energy centre.

The fourth is ‘Ashwa Sanchalanasan’, the ‘horse’ or ‘equestrian’ pose, and the accompanying mantra is ‘Om Bhanave Namah’, ‘Salutation to He who illumines’. It connects with the ‘ajna chakra’, the point between the eyebrows on which one must concentrate while chanting. The writer says, “The word ‘ajan’ means command. The practice of meditation in deeper states receives commands from the higher self… On the psychic plane, this point is the bridge between the physical, mental and psychic bodies. The awakening of the ajna chakra facilitates development of supramental faculties such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy and other abilities which are the hidden potential of every person.”

The fifth posture is ‘Parvataasan’, the ‘mountain pose’, using the mantra ‘Om Khagaaya Namah’ or ‘Salutation to He who moves quickly in the sky’. The concerned energy centre is the Vishuddhi [purifying] chakra.

Again, writing in the Express of 3rd February, 2004, Dr. Krishnamurthy says, “A dynamic posture of Surya Namaskara, which is also a part and parcel of Yoga Asanas, is Bhujanagasan (serpent pose)… Concentration should be on the Swadhistana plexus above the mooladhara chakra … [and] the vishuddhi chakra with the utterance of the mantra ‘Om Marichaya Namah’, ‘Salutation to the Lord of the dawn’.”

This time, for the ‘Ashwa Sanchalanasan’, he recommends the “mantra ‘Om Adityaya Namah’, ‘Salutation to the son of Aditi’. Aditi is one of the names of the infinite cosmic mother.”

Krishna Muthy clarified to me, “The mantra for Ashwa Sanchalanasan of the first half is "Om Bhanavenamah" while in the second half it is "Om Adityayanamah" with the difference of keeping the left foot in front in the first, and the right foot in the second.”

Kundalini

EXTRACT

Kundalini and The Ancient Hindu custom of Shaktipat or Divine Touch

In order to understand what this spiritual power is and how it is conferred, it is necessary to have a basic grasp of three inseparable concepts... Chakras, Kundalini and Shaktipat.

Chakras

Chakra is the Sanskrit word for wheel. Bodily Chakras are often depicted as circles, spaced at intervals along the spine.

Ancient Indian tradition holds that there are seven Chakras, or energy centers. According to the ancient yoga system of India, Chakras play a very important part of the human energy system. 

“Chakras are part of the ancient belief system associated with yoga. These traditions were handed down orally for thousands of years before being codified by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, several centuries before Christ”. [Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Peter Gregutt]

Anne Lewis is an international author, a nutritional counselor and one of Australia's most distinguished and well-respected Yoga teachers who runs Tibetan Rites workshops in Sydney. In an article on the an-Ahata School of Universal Yoga site, she says...

A chakra is a spinning vortex of energy created within the body. The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit word for ‘wheel’ or ‘disk’ and originated within the philosophy of the ancient Yoga system of India and Tibet…

…Centuries ago, the Yoga masters realised that the human being consisted of more than just the physical body; they believed that the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual were inter-related. The masters also believe that the spinning vortexes of energy overlap and correspond to various physical organs and glands and that these chakras can be regulated and harmonised, resulting in the unleashing of an individual’s full potential of health, happiness and spiritual awareness.

There are seven major chakras arranged vertically along the spine, starting at the base of the spine and ending at the crown of the head. While the chakras do exist within the physical body, exhibiting a strong influence on such aspects as body shape or health, they are not made of any physical components themselves. For instance, a physician could not operate on a chakra any more than on an emotion, yet both can, and do affect us physically.

The chakras correspond to major areas of your life, such as survival, sex, power, love, communication, perception and understanding. To use a practical analogy, the chakras can be seen as your internal ‘floppy disk’ that stores your programming about how to function in life. The base chakra, for instance, contains your survival program, such as what and when you eat, and when you need to sleep, exercise and protect yourself…

…Chakras are often referred to as lotuses, for they open and close like a flower and, in Tantric Yoga, they are shown with a varying number of petals. The petals range from four at the base chakra to one thousand or more at the crown.

When a chakra is closed, the life force energy or prana cannot travel through that part of the body. If this is the case, you may feel a lack in your life in its related area: for example, the throat chakra relates to communication. Therefore if it’s blocked or closed, communication is difficult and, on the physical side of health, a blocked chakra may manifest itself as a sore throat or tight neck…

It is possible that Chakras have some base in fact...

“Contemporary spiritual literature often notes that the chakras, as described in the esoteric kundalini documents, bear a strong similarity in location and number to the major endocrine glands, as well as nerve bundles called ganglions”.

Kundalini

In Hindu tradition the goddess Shakti, the energy giving power behind all creation takes many forms, including being the consort of the god Shiva, the destroyer. Kundalini has been described as a concentrated form of prana or life force (associated with the goddess Shakti), lying dormant in our bodies, conceptualized as a coiled up serpent awaiting unfoldment (In Sanskrit kundalini is literally that which is coiled). This force, or Shakti, lies coiled at or in the sacrum, a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine. 

The goddess Kundalini, lies coiled three and a half times around the base chakra, is said to awaken and unfold each chakra as she ascends through the spine, ensuring the free flow of life energy (prana or qi) throughout the body, thus balancing the chakras and promoting general health and well-being. When she has risen to the crown chakra, located at the top of the skull and associated with elevated spiritual consciousness, then all chakras have been opened [although lower chakras are thought to be just as important as higher] and a person is said to experience enlightenment.  The goddess is also said to unite with the Shiva, or the male polarity when she arises to the crown chakra.

The ‘awakening’ of the Kundalini brings about an expanded states of consciousness and can be achieved through three main practices, the most effective of which are meditation and yogic postures such as those taught in Hatha Yoga, or a guru or spiritual teacher conferring the spiritual "power" or awakening, often by means of a touch to the forehead.

The above was a Protestant writer. Has the Catholic Church anything to say about chakras?

Yes. The Vatican Document “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the New Age” says this in the section Health: Golden living #2.2.3:

Formal (allopathic) medicine today tends to limit itself to curing particular, isolated ailments, and fails to look at the broader picture of a person's health: this has given rise to a fair amount of understandable dissatisfaction. Alternative therapies have gained enormously in popularity because they claim to look at the whole person and are about healing rather than curing.

Holistic health, as it is known, concentrates on the important role that the mind plays in physical healing. The connection between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the person is said to be in the immune system or the Indian chakra system…

Advertising connected with New Age covers a wide range of practices as acupuncture … homeopathy … massage and various kinds of 'bodywork' (such as …reflexology, therapeutic touch) …various kinds of herbal medicine [etc]… They claim to look at the whole person".

The Document says a lot about holistic health -- which is New Age -- but only mentions the chakra system in passing. But it is more elaborate on the matter of the monistic universal or life force energy in #2.3.4.2, etc.

As Erika Gibello explains in her article on Chakras, a belief in the existence of this network of psychic energy centers (chakras) along with energy conducting nadis or meridians in one’s energy body, and the notion of god as an all-pervasive universal life-force which may be manipulated for holistic (body, mind/soul, energy/spirit and inter-personal) healing as prana (Sanskrit, Hindu philosophy), and as chi, qi or ki (Chinese, Taoist / Japanese, Buddhist), is the cornerstone of these alternative medicines and the basis for explaining the phenomena experienced by therapists and patients.

Below is what Susan Brinkmann of the Catholic Women of Grace ministries has to say.

Chakra Therapy

EXTRACT

By Susan Brinkmann, November 16, 2010

JS writes: “I was baptized Catholic as a child. For the last 10-15 years, I disregarded the faith and favored eastern philosophy, even though I never stopped believing in God. I became a massage therapist about 7 years ago and also do chakra therapy. I do chakra workshops where I basically categorize life issues with the chakras and look at their psychology. My concern is that I have recently come back to the church and am currently going through the RCIA process for confirmation. I have read some of your posts about massage, but I am already established in my career as a massage therapist, and love it. I have helped many people physically with their muscular problems. I have also helped people see what part of their lives need work as well with the chakra therapy and workshops. Is there any actual doctrine from the pope or the Church stating that these things should be avoided? Also, it’s harder for me to accept that massage is uncatholic, but I am more willing to give up chakra therapy if it is so stated. I’m just lost as to what I can do as a career if those are taken away from me because I absolutely love it and love helping and being inspiring to others.” 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with massage therapy, as long as it’s a type of massage that is scientifically sound such as sports massage and other forms of medical massage that involve primarily the use of the hands and fingers to manipulate layers of muscles and connecting tissue. This type of massage has been scientifically proven to be effective for a variety of conditions.

However, this field is being rapidly infiltrated with "energy" healers who practice a type of massage that involves the manipulation of so-called subtle or putative energy forces which supposedly permeate the universe. There is no scientific evidence for the existence of this energy, which is why all modalities based upon it have never been proven to work. This includes everything from acupuncture to Reiki, therapeutic touch, touch for health, crystal healing, aroma therapy and many others.

(The Vatican Document lists massage as New Age in #2.2.3)

This problem has become so pervasive that professional medical massage organizations such as the American Medical Massage Association believe it has "advanced to the point of becoming a serious problem that is adversely affecting the overall professional image and reputation of massage therapy in the United States."

According to a representative of the AMMA that I interviewed several years ago, insurance companies are now starting to crack down on these therapists who have been submitting claims under the auspices of performing legitimate massage therapy when their modalities are, in fact, unproven and considered to be beyond the realm of science. 

Unfortunately, chakra therapy is also based upon this fictitious energy. It is founded upon the Hindu principle that the body contains seven energy centers known as chakras or meridians. These chakras supposedly have the ability to receive, assimilate and transmit a life force energy known as "chi". States of ill health are believed to be due to distortions in the chakra system which prevent the life force energy from freely flowing in and out of the body. Each chakra is believed to resonate with a particular frequency or vibration and are balanced back to their natural state of vibration by a variety of means, such as using light, sound, aromas, touch, etc.

There are many problems with the use of this kind of "energy" medicine/massage, many of which are can be found in the USCCB’s* condemnation of Reiki which can be found here. Much of what is said in this document applies to other forms of massage that are based on a universal life force. *US Conference of Catholic Bishops

Speaking of which, the Church considers this fictitious energy to be a "New Age god" in its document entitled, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life (Sec. 2.3.4.2). This is why practitioners who claim to manipulate or depend upon any kind of unintelligent "spiritual energy" to affect healing could be guilty of the sin of sorcery (See Catechism #2117).

And because these therapies have no scientific basis, persisting in their use is considered to be superstition (See Catechism #2110-2111).

A good overview of energy medicine can be found on our blog at

Any good effects that patients may feel as a result of these therapies has been found to be no more than the placebo effect. You might want to read this blog to better understand the power of placebo.

Tuning forks are for pianos, not people

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By Susan Brinkmann, July 28, 2011

Tuning fork practitioners believe that a universal life force energy flows through the body through a network of meridians or chakras. When we become sick or stressed, this energy gets blocked and our energy gets "out of tune" with the universe. What it needs is a tune up with a tuning fork! (If only it was that easy!)

A typical therapy session is based on the belief that tuning forks correspond in tone to the seven major energy centers of the body that allegedly run along the spine. For instance, the root chakra is said to resonate with the note of C, the second chakra with D, up to the crown chakra which resonates with B. The tuning fork is held over the place where a particular chakra is said to exist and struck in order to introduce the tone into that energy field. When stress or illness causes these energies to become disrupted or "mixed up" between the chakras, the fork is held over the "mixed up" chakra and struck in order to connect the tone to the energy. The energy is then dragged by the fork back to where it belongs and is dropped. It’s called, "click, drag and drop" according to this particular practitioner. Other methods involve ringing the fork over a chakra and listening for "dissonance".

Chakras



August 31, 2008

I have a question regarding Chakras and their "healing" purposes. I recently met a lady at work and although she is very nice and loving, I have always felt a little guarded around her. I couldn't understand this, for she seemed to be a Christian. However, after talking and getting to know her better, I understand my guarded feelings - she is into New Age (without ever coming out and telling me). I believe my feelings were/are a warning from God.

Before posting this I checked what I could find out about Chakra on this forum, but wasn’t' too successful.

One of my children has been ill for months with unexplained, debilitating headaches (never go away, and we're waiting to see a neurologist - in the meantime she is on strong medication to alleviate the pain). This lady gave me some papers she made with Chakra (interspersed with Bible teachings) and a CD to listen to, explaining that this will "cure" my daughter's headaches.

I immediately felt uneasy and guarded. I asked her what was on the CD and she told me it was just relaxing music - no words and will help. I accepted the package, but I will not use it. I understand that this is New Age garbage, and I will not go against the Church's teachings with adhere to God's will.

My question: Even though this is supposedly only musical notes, can this "music" bring about demonic influences? I will not take a chance either way, and will give this package back to this co-worker telling her that I don't delve in the occult New Age philosophy. Is there anything else I can tell her? -Claire

Chakra is a word from the Sanskrit (Hindu) meaning circle or wheel. It refers to centers of energy allegedly found in the spine located at major branchings of the human nervous system, beginning at the base of the spinal column and moving upward to the top of the skull. These Chakras (energy centers) are considered to be a point metaphysical and biophysical energy.

There are different traditions and variations of the Chakra philosophy. In Tantric tradition the seven chakras are:

Sahasrara or the crown chakra is generally considered to be the chakra of consciousness. Symbolized by a lotus with one thousand petals, it is located on the crown of the head.

Ajna or the Third Eye is the chakra of time, awareness and of light. Symbolized by a lotus with two petals.

Vishuddha or the throat chakra is the chakra of communication and growth, growth being a form of expression. Symbolized by a lotus with sixteen petals.

Anahata or the heart chakra is related to complex emotion, compassion, love, equilibrium and well-being. Symbolized by a lotus with twelve petals.

Manipura or the solar plexus chakra is related to the transition from simple or base to complex emotion, energy, assimilation and digestion. Symbolized by a lotus with ten petals.

Swadhisthana or the sacral chakra is related to base emotion, sexuality and creativity. It is located is located in the sacrum. Symbolized by a lotus with six petals.

Muladhara or the base or root chakra is related to instinct, security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. This centre is located in the region between the genitals and the anus. Symbolized by a lotus with four petals.

All this has to do with the energy flows and centers in the body that are thought to exist in Eastern cosmology. These cosmologies do not actually exist and are contrary to the Catholic worldview. The Philosophy and all that goes with it should be avoided.

This lady is mistaken if she thinks she can justify this false cosmology with bible verses. The idea that this can cure illness is ridiculous and dangerous.

As for the music, I cannot answer since I have not heard it. But, in general there are musical compositions that are designed to place one into an altered state of consciousness. These are to be avoided. Although I do not know about this particular tape, it is likely that it is music of the type that could be spiritually dangerous.

It is wise to give this back to your friend. As for what to tell her, I would mention that a Christian should not be involved in these things. If she is interested she can read Church documents on the matter, such as A Christian reflection on the “New Age”. -Bro. Ignatius Mary OMSM

Every single Catholic book, even those authored by priests -- and there are dozens of them -- that promotes yoga, cannot avoid subscribing to complete acceptance of the psychic chakra system (and of course the sushumna and kundalini energy) without which there is simply no yoga. I will reproduce here just a few examples of “Catholics” who believe in these esoteric (occult) energy centers.

In 2003, Asha & Russill Paul of Concord, USA published a pilgrim’s guide, a "Journey to find the other half of the soul". It is a sort of preparation for potential pilgrims, with material and spiritual recommendations, for an ashram- and temple-circuit trip to India centred on the late New Age guru Fr. Bede Griffiths' Saccidananda Ashram, Shantivanam.

This guidebook devotes an entire chapter devoted to Sound in Yoga and the Spirituality of Music from which I quote:

"… Yoga of course is unity, integrity and total fulfilment of being on every level. It is a practical way of experiencing and becoming one with the great cosmic mystery…

Mantras are powerful spiritual sounds that communicate spiritual experiences beyond the rational mind. I find that the mantric effects of Latin act only on the upper chakras, that is, from the heart upwards. This is somewhat indicative of the disregard and negation in Christianity of the value and spiritual power of the lower chakras which involve sexuality and the primal energies; they are considered to be 'of the flesh'…. Fortunately we realize today, through the efficacy of Eastern mystical practices, that there are systematic methods such as yoga that can be used to consecrate, transform and sublimate these energies. The complex consonants of mantric Sanskrit for instance affect these 'lower' energy centres quite dramatically. It was wonderful that Fr Bede included these sounds in the prayers and liturgies at the ashram, for they help stimulate the entire chakra system during prayer…

Having substituted the vernacular, to the almost complete expulsion of Latin, the Western Church today lacks the power of transformation and the aura of mystery that is so essential for it to be a genuinely spiritual force at work in the world…

India’s music was born out of her profound spiritual heritage…

The seven musical notes called swaras… represent the seven energy centres that govern the human being. Thus, using the swaras in various combinations, one can awaken our chakras and stimulate them to their maximum potential. The chakras are vortices of energy located in various parts of the body… The nadis in the body… channel these energies from the depths of one’s being to the top of the head. Along the way, they meet and dance in the chakras awakening them to their full power. The bliss of this unity is offered to the Divine consciousness at the level of the highest chakra, located at the crown of the head. Finally, the effects of this process are allowed to penetrate every level of one’s being from the top of the head to the base of the spine. FATHER BEDE WAS VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT THIS." [All emphases mine]

Russill Paul is Russill D’Silva, an Anglo-Indian neighbour of mine from my childhood days in Chennai, who became a disciple of Fr. Bede Griffiths. The guide contains detailed material and spiritual recommendations for a pilgrimage to Hindu temples in India with Shantivanam as the main course. Russill Paul, now a world-famous musician, leads groups of Westerners on the temple-“Catholic” ashram circuit on a regular basis.

If a Catholic believes that chakras exist, the gate opens up to every other possible error. Examples:

Yeshu Abba Consciousness: Method of a Christian Yogic Meditation

Asian Trading Corporation, 1982, second reprint 1986.

Swami Amaldas, founder of Saccidananda Ashram, Narsinghpur, is the author. He records the “blessings of Guruji Fr. Bede Griffiths” on page xv.

The cover of the book has Jesus seated in a yogic posture on the coils of a serpent whose seven heads rising above him, according to Amaldas “represent the seven chakras or seven levels of consciousness which were awakened in Jesus Christ, the cosmic man. Every man is invited to enter into this… Yeshu Abba Consciousness.”

In the Introduction, he explains his method of meditation which has three stages: first, to grow through Christ Consciousness to Cosmic Christ Body Consciousness by singing the mantra ‘Om Nama Christaya’, then to breathe in and out as a means to enter Yeshu Abba Consciousness with the mantras YE and A, and finally the experience of the trinitarian life of God, the movement between the Father and the Son in the Spirit through the symbolism of the serpent power kundalini shakti. [Pages xiii, xiv]

Amaldas tells us twice that he experienced that “my body is Jesus Christ’s body and my blood is Jesus Christ’s blood.” [3, 4]

He devotes an entire chapter to Kundalini Shakti Yoga – The Serpent Power which says, “One day I saw a cobra dancing… and I experienced Jesus is dancing as a serpent. After this experience I got more interested in the serpent. I started meditating to discover [its] hidden mystery… [the] yogic experience of the mysterious supernatural power and the natural power identified together is expressed as Kundalini Shakti. It is experienced that this serpent is lying coiled at the base of the spine of man… [and] coiled around the navel of the cosmos… [It] is identified with the emotive forces of the libido. The purpose of yoga is to lift this serpent power, drawing it up the spinal column through the six chakras… the journey of the serpent upward is marked by fire… This rising of kundalini means enlightenment.” [Pages 83, 84]

Amaldas explains at length each of the seven psychic chakras. In the Mooladhara chakra at the base of the spine, God is experienced as the source of everything… This power is experienced by Christian yogis as the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the power of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, the cosmic man. My Christian yogic practice is to allow this power to pass through various centres of my body to the top of the head and take possession of me and unite me with the heavenly Father… and thus enter into eternal life… When man was in paradise the serpent was on the top of his head. In the fallen man the serpent is coiled at the base of his spine. [Pages 81-118]

One whole chapter of the book is devoted to the Yogic celebration of the Eucharist.

Fr. Amaldas is the author of an earlier work, Yoga and Contemplation on Ashtanga Yoga, the eightfold path of yoga. Is this finally all that he has to offer the Church which he was called to serve? He was engaged in writing these books while at Shantivanam Ashram with the blessings of Fr. Bede Griffiths.

Shabda Shakti Sangam

Edited, 1995. NBCLC (National Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Centre of the Catholic Bishops’ Coference of India)

Sr. Vandana Mataji RSCJ is a Catholic nun. Her [edited] Shabda Shakti Sangam, 1995, is loaded from cover to cover with material on the chakras, kundalini, nadis, the sushumna, energy fields, the astral/vital body, yoga, the OM mantra etc., accompanied by explanatory diagrams, in articles written by her as well as by Catholic nuns, priests and even some Hindu contributors.

Yoga and Christian Thought

B.C.M. Mascarenhas, St. Pauls Publications., undated. Pages 34, 35 EXTRACT

"Nada and shabda mean ‘sound’, and laya is ‘dissolution’, dissolution of the mind in sound in the case of those who practice laya yoga. The sound referred to… is known as anahat or omkar sound, the primal form of sound that is believed to be still vibrant throughout the universe. Amritha Nadopanishad says that ‘Om’ is the Brahman in one syllable, and 'Om' is the highest form of the anahat or omkar sound.

“Nada Yoga, Shabda Yoga, and Laya Yoga, all concentrate on sound along with their prayers and meditations. The Anahat sound is said to be vibrant in the human body, believed by some to be at the Anahat Chakra… located near the heart, and by others to be at the Muladhara Chakra… below the base of the spinal column… In his book ‘India of Yogis’, Dr. Alfonso Caycedo gives some interesting information [about] Swami Nada Brahmananda [who] is well known for what is called ‘Kundalini Thaan’, during which the sound rises from the Muladhara Chakra… In Nada Yoga, the sadhaka [disciple] generally sings some short hymn or ejaculation such as ‘Om, Om, Om is there’ or ‘Om Nama Shiva’…"

The chakras even turn up, albeit subtly (refer the Vatican Document), in “Catholic” invented “Centering Prayer” and that’s another reason why this type of “prayer” is New Age and occult:

In Fr. Thomas Keating OSCO's book Invitation to Love, page 125, he speaks of "Energy Centers", a commonly used New Age term as we have seen. New Agers believe that the body has energy centres called 'chakras'.

Father Basil Pennington another Trappist monk at St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, MA, in his book Aware in the Spirit, page 97, refers to "energies flowing up and down the spinal system."

Is Color Therapy Legit?

EXTRACT

By Susan Brinkmann, July 21, 2014

KR writes: “A friend has recently been promoting [color therapy] as a method of healing. A quick google shows some red flags. Also known as chromotherapy. Do you have any information? Is this dangerous new age?”

It depends on what kind of color therapy treatments your friend is receiving because some are legitimate and others are entirely New Age and/or just plain bogus.

In the New Age version, color therapists, aka chromotherapists claim that they can use light in the form of color to balance energy in a person’s body, mind or spirit. There are a plethora of these practitioners on the web, many of whom have adopted the ayurvedic medicine approach which asserts that each of the seven chakras (energy centers) of the body correspond to a particular body organ or function, but also to a specific color. Disease or illness occurs when the chakras become imbalanced, a situation that can be corrected by applying the appropriate color.

Video: The Chakras

10:00

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