Riding the Tide of Change: Preparing for Personal & Planetary Transformation. Martin F. Luthke PhD
we can understand the laws and principles underlying the process of co-creation or manifestation, however, we need to go on yet another excursion essential to our discussion. Let us review some of the basic facts about the human energy field. (Although the human energy field is not visible to the physical eye, it can be perceived by all of us to one degree or another if we open ourselves to our inner vision.)
Chakras
Human beings can be likened to radio stations which are constantly broadcasting and receiving information. There are specialized centers in the human body which function not unlike satellite dishes, each specializing in a certain frequency. These centers are most commonly called by the Sanskrit word, "chakra," which means "wheel of light." In addition to "communicating" with the sea of energies surrounding and penetrating each human form, the chakras play an important role in orchestrating the flow of energies in the physical and the subtle bodies. Generally speaking, the chakras rule the organs and glands in their physical and functional proximity. For instance, the heart chakra is the ruler of the heart, the circulatory system and the thymus.
There are seven major chakras within the physical body and numerous minor ones. The major chakras are customarily numbered from one to seven. They also have been given names and assigned colors in accordance with various traditions and teachings. Chakras are like spinning cones or funnels of light. The second to sixth chakras can be described as pairs of cones extending from the spine out to the front and back of our body. The first and seventh chakra are more like single cones reaching downward and upward, respectively.
• The first, or "root" chakra, is located at the tip of the spine; its normal color is red.
• The second, or "navel" chakra, is located on the spine approximately an inch below the navel; its normal color is orange.
• The third, or "solar plexus" chakra, is located on the spine approximately at the height of the solar plexus, a web of nerves below the sternum and above the navel; its normal color is yellow.
• The fourth, or "heart" chakra, is located near the spine and the heart; its normal color is green.
• The fifth, or "throat" chakra, is located on the spine at the height of the Adam's apple; its normal color is blue.
• The sixth chakra, or "third eye," is located within the skull at a height above the nose and between the eye brows; its normal color is indigo blue.
• The seventh, or "crown" chakra is located in the middle of the head where your find the "soft spot" (fontanel) in newborns; its normal color is violet.
Note that the normal colors of the seven major chakras correspond to the rainbow colors, ranging from the lowest frequency, red, to the highest, violet. According to their function and frequency they are customarily divided into lower (first to third) and higher (fifth to seventh) chakras, with the heart having both a lower and a higher aspect. For optimal health on all levels it is important that all chakras be open and spinning at their respective frequencies in harmony and balance.
Auras and Subtle Bodies
In addition to the physical body we are surrounded and penetrated by energy fields customarily called "auras" or "subtle bodies." These fields are of varying frequency, color, form and expansion, constantly fluctuating in some regards and yet stable in others. To use a spatial metaphor, one could think of the aura as a set of Russian stacked dolls. This metaphor is to some degree misleading, however, as each layer interpenetrates all others just like radio waves co-existing in the same space.
According to the various teachings and traditions, the subtle bodies can be classified by frequency (for instance, etheric double, lower and higher astral body, etc.) or by function. I have found it helpful to distinguish functionally between our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. For optimal health on all levels, these bodies need to be fully developed and in alignment and balance with one another.
At this point, given the state of evolution in the history of humankind, all of us carry a certain degree of imbalance and disharmony, reflected in a disturbance of the flow of subtle energies throughout and around the physical and subtle bodies and the chakra system. Thus, all of us are in need of healing on one level or another. More about that in a later chapter.
The Concepts of Higher and Lower Selves
We have said that a human being is more than an organism of flesh and bones, and have discussed some basic ideas about the human energy field. But there is more: There are major portions of who we are in our totality which go beyond the human energy field. These aspects of our totality have been addressed by many names, such as our "Divine Essence," our "Godself," or our "Higher Self." As beings of light, humans exist on many planes or levels of vibration simultaneously, with only the lowest frequencies being bound to time and space. Our totality comprises light in its lowest vibration (the physical body), light in its highest vibration (the Divine Spark) and many frequencies in between. For the sake of simplicity and convenience, let us call those aspects of our totality which transcend time and space and exist on higher vibratory levels our Higher Self. The Higher Self contains the essence of our existence since the beginning of time, it is the master mind behind all of our experiences, and it is the seat of our Divine nature. By contrast, our lower self can be conceived of as all of those aspects which are closer to our animal nature, the "ego," and personality. Our two selves are in constant communication through the subtle bodies and the chakra system. This communication, of course, is dependent on the receptivity of the lower self and the human mind. The greater the balance throughout all of our bodies, the easier it is to be in harmony with our divine aspects.
Chapter 4
The Grand Scheme, Reincarnation, and Karma
The Grand Scheme
All of the previous chapters were partial answers to fundamental questions: What is going on? Who are we in our essence? How do we fit into the larger scheme of things? Here is another way of attempting an answer, quoted from another source (The Michael Handbook, Stevens & Warwick-Smith, 1990, p.3).
The Tao (or God) thinking aloud: "I've been bored lately. Being 'all that is' is, of course, wonderful, but I feel that it's time for a new game. I feel totally creative today and I'm in the mood for something quite unusual.
Wouldn't it be interesting and fun to play hide and seek with myself! I'll pretend that a part of myself has forgotten that it is part of me. The game will be for that part to remember that it truly is a part of me.
I'll create some mazes and diversions to make the journey a real adventure. Aha! I'll fragment this part of me up into millions of parts and let them interact with one another. I'll concoct some fancy distractions and paradoxes so they'll never know. That'll keep them, er, me, busy for a long time trying to sort it all out.
I'll leave them clues and little signs along the way to keep them on the trail if they get too far off course. Naturally, there will be an underlying structure to the game to give it a semblance of awesome order. I'll even arrange for the parts to have free choice so that they, uh, we can really get into trouble. But that will make winning even more delicious. Well, let's get started." And that's exactly what the Tao did and here we are.
Reincarnation
This tongue-in-cheek version of the grand scheme is probably as close as we will ever get to an understanding of the motivation behind the creation of humans, as no human being can truly comprehend what was on God's mind at the beginning of creation. Some of the essential points made above are that we are "split-off" parts of God, that we were endowed with free will, and that the objective of the human experience is to remember our divine origin, i.e., to return to an awareness of our oneness with God and all and everything. Obviously, this is too ambitious a task if we allow only for one lifetime -- most of us don't even come close to divine consciousness, no matter how long we may live. For most of us it requires numerous incarnations through