Muladhara (Root Chakra)
Location: perenium/genital region
Colour: Blood red
Associated Organ: reproductive organs, large instestine
Element: Earth
The Muladhara (translating literally to "root support") is the first chakra of the system (Jung, 14). The four sanskrit letters on each lotus petal represent the root vibration and are associated with vital breath (Mookerjee, 39). The square in the centre represents the earth, the foundation to the rest of the system (Jung, 23; Radha 36). The elephant contained within the square represents the power of human drive as well as the libido or sexual energy (Jung, 23; Radha 37). This chakra is associated with resistance and solidity, both aspects of an elephant (Mookerjee, 40). Sexual energy is a key force here and exists neutrally in the root chakra, this is indicated by the white colour of the elephant (Radha, 36). Sexual energy is represented by the inverted triangle, a symbol for female sex energy, which encapsulates unmanifested Kundalini encoiled three and half times around a linga- male sexual energy (Mookerjee, 39; Radha 37). Swami Sivananda Radha explains the three and a half coils as such, "sattva is purity, rajas is activity and passion, and tamas stands for inertia and darkness. The half coil combines all three and indicates the interplay of those force" (37).
The Deities associated with this chakra are Brahma, the lord of the physical and material world, and his female counterpart, Dakini, representing energy unmanifested (Mookerjee 40, Radha 39-41).
All of the above is enclosed in a circle symbolising the completeness or perfection of this foundation with arrows pointing in different directions indicating the demand the senses, the mind and the physical body make on this unmanifested energy (Radha, 36). The Attmatava (a 17th century Bengali text on the Metaphysics of the self) discusses the concept of arrows and how they reflect "passions and energies that are to be enacted, realized, mastered, and unified into Sahaja, the final union between male and female principles" (Hayes, 229).
Colour: Blood red
Associated Organ: reproductive organs, large instestine
Element: Earth
The Muladhara (translating literally to "root support") is the first chakra of the system (Jung, 14). The four sanskrit letters on each lotus petal represent the root vibration and are associated with vital breath (Mookerjee, 39). The square in the centre represents the earth, the foundation to the rest of the system (Jung, 23; Radha 36). The elephant contained within the square represents the power of human drive as well as the libido or sexual energy (Jung, 23; Radha 37). This chakra is associated with resistance and solidity, both aspects of an elephant (Mookerjee, 40). Sexual energy is a key force here and exists neutrally in the root chakra, this is indicated by the white colour of the elephant (Radha, 36). Sexual energy is represented by the inverted triangle, a symbol for female sex energy, which encapsulates unmanifested Kundalini encoiled three and half times around a linga- male sexual energy (Mookerjee, 39; Radha 37). Swami Sivananda Radha explains the three and a half coils as such, "sattva is purity, rajas is activity and passion, and tamas stands for inertia and darkness. The half coil combines all three and indicates the interplay of those force" (37).
The Deities associated with this chakra are Brahma, the lord of the physical and material world, and his female counterpart, Dakini, representing energy unmanifested (Mookerjee 40, Radha 39-41).
All of the above is enclosed in a circle symbolising the completeness or perfection of this foundation with arrows pointing in different directions indicating the demand the senses, the mind and the physical body make on this unmanifested energy (Radha, 36). The Attmatava (a 17th century Bengali text on the Metaphysics of the self) discusses the concept of arrows and how they reflect "passions and energies that are to be enacted, realized, mastered, and unified into Sahaja, the final union between male and female principles" (Hayes, 229).
Discussion with Carl JungThe Muladhara and its accompanying symbol is rich in insights and detail as to how we can understand this starting point in the chakra system. Is there more to this than it's symbolic representations? Carl Jung thinks so. Jung believes that the Muladhara indicates that we are in the roots of our own personal physical existence here on Earth, driven by only our own conditions since the governing deities of this chakra represent the physical realm or phenomenon not yet made manifest ( 23). For Jung, this is a state of conciousness governed by a suspicious dualism. Within the Muladhara there are seeds of something that indicate a different level of conciousness not yet made manifest. Jung explains that in psychological terms this is like saying we exist believing that there is "nothing but" the perfectly clear world in front of us and yet even in this state there is a spark, something pointing to another "conception of life" (25). Jung presents this as an opportunity to really delve into human psychology and on an individual level, understand ourselves further. First we must recognize these two aspects of human psychology. On the one hand, personal things are the only meaningful things and on the other hand we recognize that personal things, the muladhara world, is an illusory world (Jung, 26). This duality can bring up a conflict within us and we may begin to disidentifying from the world (this is the age old existentialist conflict of not knowing what is real and experiencing anxiety from this disidentification). Such a conflict comes about when man realizes he has to see the world as separate from himself if he is to understand and engage in it in any way (Jung, 26). This becomes important when delving into the realm of unconciousness. This disidentification allows us to experience the unconcious without being identified with it, for once we identify with it we become fools (Jung, 27). Jung cautions those on the Kundalini path by stating it is wise not to identify with these experiences, allow them, but handle them as if they are happening outside of the "self" to avoid foolish identification with the unconcious (Jung, 27). Essentially, be relinquishing control, we are in control. This view is not to be transmuted into our daily life activities, that is, it is not to say that we should not form a connection with the world around us and believe it completely illusory. Understand the world as it is, with its realism and its illusions coincinding. Jung encourages this, "you must believe in this world, make roots, do the best you can, even if you have to believe in the most absurd things...otherwise you cannot realize the self, and the purpose of this world has been missed" (29). Kundalini cannot be experienced unless we root ourselves in the earth first, just as a plant cannot grow upwards if its seed is not planted and its roots do not expand beneath the ground first (29). Thus we can see that the Kundalini experience and the Muladhara, the foundation of this path, is a complex means of understanding the human psyche and the journey of our conciouness. It is a means of living, growing and understanding without falling into illusion.
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