The Seven Chakras And Their Meanings

The seven chakras and their meanings help explain why these fascinating energy structures are so important for personal and spiritual development.

Each chakra is a beautiful, energetic structure that gives you an opportunity to understand yourself better.

What Are Chakras?

Chakras are energetic structures (they are etheric). These energetic structures are part of your energy bodies, including your kundalini, meridians and aura. Chakras are integral to energy healing, making up one of the primary energy bodies.

Chakras are energy centers, or energy points, often energetically perceived as wheels of energy. This is because the chakras’ energies spin and look like mini vortexes of energy.

The chakra’s primary function is to bring positive and nourish life force energy into the human body. Chakras also give off energies into your immediate environment. You can energetically perceive and interact with the energetic world around you through the chakra system.

The seven main chakras are located within the physical body and aligned with your nervous system and endocrine system. Each of the primary chakras is situated near a significant gland. This is due to the chakras bringing in vast amounts of energy, which the body may be able to access. In addition, the meridians and aura distribute further the flow of energy.

Each major chakra has its own chakra symbol. For example, the chakra symbol represents a lotus flower, each with a different number of petals. Understanding the meaning of the chakra symbols is an advanced aspect of working with chakras. However, it is not essential to understand chakra symbols for beginners.

Chakra Colors

Each of the main seven chakras is associated with a specific color. Each color has a meaning that directly refers to the chakra’s function. The color is representative of the energies of the chakras.

Color is a fascinating aspect of energy healing. This is because each color has a frequency that corresponds with its qualities. This means you can benefit from these qualities when working with the color. Chakras utilise these energies by working alongside the frequencies of the associated colors.

Interestingly, the different chakra colors of the major chakras represent the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow is a representation of the primary colors of light and oneness. It gives a different perspective of the seven chakras and their meaning.

While each chakra is assigned a different color, it is essential to be aware that the colors of the chakras are not fixed. Each chakra’s color will change depending on the chakra’s vitality and the person who perceives the chakra. You are a unique being with a unique perception. This means that if you perceive a chakra as red, I might perceive it as blue. Which perception is correct? Both perceptions are accurate as the energies associated with each color may differ for us. With this in mind, try not to hold too fast to the chakra colors.

Chakra Blockages

As with all energy bodies, chakras can become blocked. Chakra blockages are pretty common and will block and unblock naturally. However, chakras are very resilient and can maintain themselves if you work on your spiritual development. Having balanced energy bodies and choosing to work with high vibration emotions, thoughts and energies, you can maintain healthy chakras.

Each chakra is associated with specific qualities or spiritual focus. This means that each chakra has a potential benefit and a possible negative if it becomes blocked. Blocked chakras, due to their interconnection with your other energy bodies, may result in your broader energies becoming unbalanced. This, in turn, may result in feeling energetically ungrounded.

With this in mind, it is essential not to focus on chakra blockages in isolation. The consequences of a chakra blockage may impact other energy bodies. However, the reverse is also true; if a chakra functions optimally, it will positively impact the energy bodies around it.

It is important not to focus too much or become obsessed or upset about a blocked chakra. Sometimes if you over-focus on a blockage, you inadvertently create a blockage. Instead, always try and focus on an energetic blockage with a clear intention of finding a solution, but also acknowledge your chakra’s abilities to clear themselves.

The Seven Chakras And Their Meanings

The following are the seven chakras and their meanings, with information about their location, what the chakra represents, its’s colour and associated healing crystal.

1st Chakra: Root Chakra

The first chakra is the Root Chakra (Muladhara Chakra in Sanskrit). The Root Chakra can be found at the base of your spine, in the perineum area.

The Root Chakra is all about having your basic needs met and survival and is also essential for energetic grounding. It is through the Root Chakra and some of the other lower chakras that you can bring up grounding and healing energies from the earth into your energy bodies. This grounding process keeps your energies in balance with the earth, which is essential for feeling energetically balanced.

The Root Chakra is usually a red color; however, the color red is not the only colour associated with this chakra; it may also be black. Typically the Root Chakra will appear as a red color when it is focused on instincts and survival and black when focused on being energetically grounded.

The crystal most associated with the Root Chakra is hematite or red jasper.

2nd Chakra: Sacral Chakra

The second chakra is the Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana Chakra in Sanskrit). The Sacral Chakra is located in the lower abdomen, between the belly button and the pubis.

The Sacral Chakra concerns emotions, feelings and sexual desires. While the Root Chakra was about basic survival needs, the Sacral Chakra starts to allow energies to feel and be more personal while still quite primal.

This chakra is a great chakra to focus on if you want to enhance positive emotions or work on releasing emotional issues.

The Sacral Chakra is connected with the color orange. The orange color is usually quite deep, with beautiful hues.

The crystal most associated with the Sacral Chakra is carnelian.

3rd Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra

The third chakra is the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura Chakra in Sanskrit). The Solar Plexus Chakra is located roughly in the belly button area, perhaps just a little below.

The Solar Plexus Chakra is all about expression, personal power and creativity. This chakra is often referred to as the powerhouse chakra, and for a good reason. Through the Solar Plexus Chakra, you give off vast amounts of creative energies and express your individuality.

When functioning well, this chakra is the seat of your personal power, which may assist in being true to yourself and keeping healthy boundaries.

The color yellow is associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra. Typically the yellow is very bright, almost like the shining sun. This represents the vast amounts of energy this chakra can give.

The crystal most associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra is citrine. However, it is also associated with amber, which is not a crystal but is still excellent for working with this chakra.

4th Chakra: Heart Chakra

The fourth chakra is the Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra in Sanskrit). The Heart Chakra is located in the centre of the chest, near your heart.

The Heart Chakra is all about forgiveness, compassion for others and acceptance. Through the Heart Chakra, pure compassion and love pour out for others. It is a chakra that is capable of giving a lot of energy.

A healthy Heart Chakra is beautiful to behold and tends to ensure lots of vital energy flows through your entire body. This may assist in keeping your energy bodies balanced, feel more centred and support positive mental health.

However, a blocked Heart Chakra can be quite challenging, as you may feel energetically cut off, harbour unforgiveness and perhaps feel energetically depleted.

The color green is connected with the Heart Chakra.

The crystal associated with the Heart Chakra is the rose quartz and emerald.

5th Chakra: Throat Chakra

The fifth chakra is the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha Chakra in Sanskrit). The Throat Chakra is located near the thyroid gland in the throat area (lower neck).

The Throat Chakra concerns speaking your truth. A well-functioning Throat chakra feels quite subtle, yet a blocked throat chakra tends to be far more noticeable. You may feel unable to speak your truth as a result. Unfortunately, this is quite common, which means blockages of the Throat Chakra tend to occur quite often. For this reason, it is essential to work on ensuring a balanced throat chakra with no blockages.

The Throat Chakra is connected with the color blue. So when the Throat Chakra is balanced, the blue color can be magnificent, like a very bright sapphire.

The crystal most associated with the Throat Chakra is the sapphire and lapis lazuli.

6th Chakra: Third Eye Chakra

The sixth chakra is the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna chakra in Sanskrit). The Third Eye Chakra is located just slightly higher than the middle of the eyes, near the pituitary gland and the pineal gland.

The Third Eye Chakra is all about your higher self and spiritual sight. This means that you may see the spiritual aspects of situations and events, which give a more detailed energetic reading of the situation. Therefore, the Third Eye Chakra is a vital chakra to enhance all spiritual development.

However, focusing too much on the Third Eye Chakra, especially for non-serving reasons, may cause blockages. Therefore, it is essential always to approach working with this chakra with balance and integrity and not for controlling or power-gaining reasons.

The Third-Eye Chakra is associated with the color indigo.

The crystal most associated with the Third Eye Chakra is amethyst.

7th Chakra: Crown Chakra

The seventh chakra is the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra in Sanskrit). The Crown Chakra is located on the crown of the head,

The Crown Chakra is all about spiritual connections and self-realisation. It also governs the sense of spiritual unity. Through the Crown Chakra, you may start to feel and honour your spiritual nature. You may begin to feel the oneness of the universe and better understand your spiritual path.

The Crown Chakra is capable of bringing in vast amounts of spiritual energy. Due to the chakra’s location on the top of the head, it can distribute the energies down to the lower chakras. This may assist in assimilating and processing spiritual energies and gaining profound spiritual insights. This is why many belief systems place a big emphasis on the crown of your head.

The Crown Chakra is connected with the violet color. This is typically a violet colour of many bright hues, almost like refracted light.

The crystal most associated with the Crown Chakra is the clear quartz.

How To Unblock And Heal The Seven Chakras

As mentioned previously, your chakras will optimally function if you work with high vibration energies, emotions and thoughts. So this is always the preferred way of ensuring your chakras remain clear, optimal and unblocked. However, there are many other ways, perhaps in combination, to ensure your chakras function optimally.

Chakras And Yoga

Yoga is a popular way of working to ensure your chakras remain unblocked. Each yoga pose, through its movement, may directly work on specific and all seven chakras. Kundalini yoga, in particular, is very good at maintaining open energy channels and flow. It is worth looking for a local yoga class, if not for chakra maintenance, then for overall health and fitness.

Chakra Meanings And Crystals

Crystals are also a good way of ensuring your chakras are healthy. Each crystal and chakra has specific qualities. You want to select a crystal with the same qualities as the chakra you wish to unblock.

If you don’t know the qualities of the crystal, you can choose a crystal with the same color as the chakra. The idea is that if you bring the qualities of the chakra to the chakra that is blocked, you energise it to clear itself.

Once you have selected your crystal, simply placing it on the chakra’s location is all you need to do. Leave the crystal in place for a few minutes while in a calm and relaxed space. Perhaps imagine the crystal’s energies entering the chakra, unblocking and strengthening it from deep within.

Chakras And Energy Healing

Another beneficial way of ensuring your chakras are not blocked is with energy healing. Energy healing is an excellent way to work with your chakras, as it brings in positive high vibration energies, which benefit not only the chakras but also your broader energies.

In particular, you should consider attunements. Attunements are specific energetic tools that aim to assist you with a certain energetic issue. There are many different chakra-based attunements to consider.

I highly recommend the Chakra Maintenance Attunement, which I created to maintain healthy chakras and clear chakra blockages.

Conclusion: The Seven Chakras And Their Meanings

The seven chakras and their meanings aim to give you more understanding of each chakra. Through gaining these insights, you may be better able to maintain healthy functioning chakras, reduce chakra blockages and enhance your personal and spiritual path. I wish you many happy discoveries working with your chakras.