Page 335 - Microsoft Word - SPIRIT AND THE MIND.doc

Appendix 111 295
like liquid fire that rushes through the body when it has been aroused by the will. While vitality belongs to air and light and the great open spaces, the fire coming from below is likened to the power and energy found at the center of the earth, which is a concentration of heat and force of tremendous intensity. It is said to be the force, power and energy of the divine that created the material universe and which is constantly evolving and developing new elements and forms. It is described as a terrific glowing fire of the underworld, much more material than vitality — like the fire of red hot iron of glowing metal. If it spontaneously awakens or is accidentally aroused, it usually tries to pass up the interior of the spine and may cause great pain as the passages are not prepared for it, and it would have to clear its way by burning up a great deal of etheric dross. If this upward movement cannot be arrested by the will, kundalini will probably flash out through the head and escape into the surrounding atmosphere, and most likely no harm will result beyond a slight weakening or a temporary loss of consciousness. There is a rather terrible side to this tremendous force, however. The really appalling dangers are connected not with its upward rush, but with the possibility of its turning downward and inward. It gives the impression of descending deeper and deeper into matter, of moving slowly, but irresistibly onward with relentless certainty.9
Each chakra is associated with a number of esoteric symbols, colors and sounds, which define and describe its particular dynamics and its influence on the many different levels of the individual. For instance, each chakra is associated with a certain location of the body, an endocrine gland, a nerve plexus, an element (earth, water, fire, air, ether), a geometric symbol that has special meaning, a color, a sound, and a lotus flower with a certain number of petals. The number and color of petals correspond to the actual color of the chakras as seen by clairvoyants, and although the descriptions of color or number of petals may vary among different schools of yoga and individual observers, Leadbeater states: “It is not surprising that such differences as these should be on record, as there are unquestionably variances in the chakras of different people and races as well as in the faculty of observers.”
Drawings of chakras made by Hindu yogis include a geometrical form, a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, an animal and two deities, one