INTRODUCTION
Color energy has fascinated me for a long time. My work as a petite fashion model in the 1980s centered around color and books like Color Me Beautiful, which dictated to the world that you were a seasonal tone and was the new guide to buying clothing. Color itself was as loud as the decade, used as an accent and mixed in ways that made bold statements more brazen than the time period.
Even then I was intrigued with the messages in colors and how they made a statement. From the power tie, which was typically in a bold color, to the New York City “take me seriously” black wardrobe, color or lack of it set the trend for the decade. I didn’t know it at the time, but my fashion book, Fabulous You: Unlock Your Perfect Personal Style, with its one chapter on what the color we wore meant, would be the beginning of my fascination with color and healing.
The stars aligned, and as things fell into place, I was guided to move to Los Angeles. A dream come true. No more winters—and more time to write, with my modeling days in the rearview mirror. I arrived in Los Angeles with enthusiasm, and shortly after my arrival, a series of angels began appearing and telling me stories in colors. I was angry and felt they were in the way of my writing the novel I would never write.
I had no idea at the time that those stories would be shoved in drawers and not find their way into my life for another ten years. And even then, I had no idea that they were the destiny I had asked for.
WHAT THE CHAKRA!?
The chakras were not on my mind until I began teaching. I later self-published the fables as an oracle card deck. They became so successful, I could no longer produce them on my own. I found the perfect publisher and the new name: Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards. As of this writing, those Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards have sold over 100,000 copies.
My research into the energy of color continued, and I began teaching how to read the cards by using the seven chakra system in an entirely intuitive way. While I had no formal training in the chakras, I recognized that the chakras themselves were the filters through which we could completely transform our lives. The more I worked with the chakras, the more I became aware of a power so misunderstood, I had no idea if I could translate it to those who had no idea of the power they themselves possessed.
The chakras contain everything we need to transform our personal wounding, along with skills to effortlessly deal with life’s challenges. The more I dove into the chakras, the more I uncovered a modern knowledge of the internal answers they contained—if we used them.
I witnessed breakthroughs right before my eyes by those who applied the simple chakra tools I had used for myself. People were transformed. I learned that our purpose is defined by our personal wounding and by what we try to ignore, and that our internal chakras hold keys to unlock the bliss we all seek.
The chakras are not a road but our map, which we all have, and one needs only to learn how to use it to find that elusive personal evolution and spiritual transformation we all crave.
BELIEFS ARE ALWAYS BASED ON FEAR, WHILE KNOWING IS FAITH-BASED
Years ago, when I arrived in Hollywood to embark upon my intuitive journey, I often socialized with actors and creative types. One day, while out with a group of friends, a well-known actor spun around on a barstool to face me.
“Do you really believe this crap that you do?”
I replied, “No. I don’t believe it. I know it.”
When I look back on that exchange, I had spoken in a definitive tone. Maybe this is why he simply had no comeback. There is no way to challenge that level of knowing. He never spoke another word to me. Ever.
This was another pivotal moment. People spend years trying to change beliefs, which is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Beliefs in and of themselves have an againstness energy, while knowing is faith-based.
For example, people who practice yoga don’t believe they feel better, they know it. Thus, knowing is a true experience, while belief is a theory that may or may not apply to your life—yet many of us continue to carry this unnecessary weight.
ENLIGHTENMENT MADE SIMPLE …
… has been my saying for many years, so I tend to ditch the technical jargon. My goal is to bring your chakras to life and make them accessible to you. While I will cover some history, keep in mind that this book is a starting point to awaken and experience your chakras.
WHAT ARE THE CHAKRAS?
Chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates to “circle” or “wheel.” The seven chakra centers in our body are “wheels” of energy in continuous motion. In our Western system the chakras correspond to the colors of the rainbow. The first chakra sits at the base of the spine and each one progresses inside the physical body up to the last one, which is located just above the head and is referred to as the crown chakra.
Each chakra vibrates at a particular frequency, and when combined with meditation practice, chakras are believed to be tools that align us with angelic realms. Each individual energy wheel has specific mind-body-spirit associations.
When you learn about these energy meridians (chakras) and how they operate, you more easily tune in with your own vibrational emotional, physical, and spiritual energy. What follows is a natural internal peace, along with an authentic harmony that few people truly enjoy in their lifetime.
These spinning energy centers contain a spiritual power to heal, rise above challenges, and activate the law of attraction.
Below is a brief overview of the seven chakras through our modern understanding of them. Each chakra has a Sanskrit name and a corresponding color.
CHAKRA TIP
Looking at chakra energy as an abstract idea, one may work with energy clearing. Yet working with it as an internal journey implies you have all you need inside of you.
THE CHAKRA
The First Chakra (Red): Muladhara
Located at the base of the spine, Muladhara is the root chakra. It is a grounding energy and represents a time of creation. Root healing is the beginning of personal individualism. It is associated with the color red, which ignites inner passion. Source is the chakra key.
The Second Chakra (Orange): Svadhishthana
Located in the abdominal area, this chakra governs circulation and motivation. It houses the womb and feminine energy, making it the catalyst for the movement of creation. Choosing and recognizing the difference between mature or immature emotions is the discipline of the second chakra. The color orange vibrates on this frequency. Sweetness is the chakra key.
The Third Chakra (Yellow): Manipura
Located in the solar plexus, the third chakra center is our instinct. When we get a “gut feeling,” this is where we feel it. Hunches originate here, along with intuitive thinking and our fight or flight instinct. Radiant healing is meant to focus the thinking on higher consciousness. The color yellow vibrates with this chakra center. Radiance is the chakra key.
The Fourth Chakra (Green): Anahata
Here we journey above the physical and enter the domain of our heart. It is the part of us that opens us to give and receive love. It is a place of nurturing and care. Unstuck, unhurt, and unbeaten healing implies harmony and inspires an open heart. Green is the color that vibrates the fourth chakra center. Opening is the chakra key.
The Fifth Chakra (Blue): Vishuddha
This chakra vibrates in the throat area. This center rules our open and honest communication with others. Purity healing allows us to speak our truth. Since it rules expression of all kinds, you may notice that creative manifestation is at play. Blue vibrates the fifth chakra. Especially pure or truthful expression is the chakra key.
The Sixth Chakra (Indigo): Ajna
The sixth chakra, also known as the third eye, is the keeper of our inner truth. This is where we see into our past and the vast secrets of the inner knowledge. Intuition medicine is the mystical knowing wherein we will either see or deny what we know to be true. Associated with indigo, the power in this chakra is to see deep within. Insight is the chakra key.
The Seventh Chakra (Violet or Neutral): Sahasrara
This final chakra center is not located in the body, but above it. This is where the crown opens to the divine and allows inspiration to enter us. Crown healing is the connection to that which is infinite and unseen. The color violet and its vibrational energy resides in the seventh chakra. Infinity is the chakra key.
Copyright © 2019 by Tori Hartman
