The Seven Chakras — Centres of Consciousness, Not Just Energy

सुषुम्नायां तु मध्ये तु षट्चक्रं परिकीर्तितम्।
suṣumnāyāṁ tu madhye tu ṣaṭ-cakraṁ parikīrtitam |
— Shiva Samhita 5/1 — In the middle of the Sushumna channel, the six chakras are described — the gateways of consciousness.

The Tantric Chakra System

In Tantra Shastra, chakras are psycho-energetic centres along the Sushumna Nadi — the central channel corresponding to the spinal cord. Described as lotus flowers with specific petal counts corresponding to Sanskrit phonemes, each has a seed syllable (Bija Mantra), a presiding deity, an elemental correspondence, and a specific quality of consciousness.

The Seven Centres

• Muladhara (Earth — LAM) — Survival, belonging, foundation, safety
• Svadhisthana (Water — VAM) — Creativity, pleasure, flow, sexuality
• Manipura (Fire — RAM) — Will, power, self-esteem, identity
• Anahata (Air — YAM) — Love, compassion, connection, grief
• Vishuddha (Ether — HAM) — Expression, truth, communication, listening
• Ajna (Light — OM) — Intuition, wisdom, clarity, discernment
• Sahasrara (Consciousness — Silence) — Union, liberation, non-duality

Modern psychology finds remarkable correspondences: the developmental stages of Erik Erikson's theory map onto the lower chakras; Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs maps the full seven-chakra progression from survival to self-actualization to transcendence.