SPI I W H E E LS 1 OF LIGHT Fhtk'!m Rosalyn L. Bruyere Hi edited by Jeanne Fanens esti -tfci A FIRESIDE BOOK Published by Simon & Schuster New York London Toronto Sydney Tokyo Singapore E FIRESIDE Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10020 Copyright © 1989, 1991, 1994 by Rosalyn L. Bruyere All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. FIRESIDE and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc. DESIGNED BY BARBARA MARKS Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bryuere, Rosalyn L. Wheels of light : chakras, auras, and the healing energy of the body / Rosalyn L. Bryuere. p. cm. Originally published: Sierra Madre, Calif. : Bon Productions, ©1989. "A Fireside book." Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Chakras. 2. Aura. 3. Medicine, Magic, mystic, and spagyric. I. Title. BF1442.C53B79 1994 133.8—dc20 93-38291 CIP ISBN: 0-671-79624-0 Wheels of Light reflects the views and personal experience of the author. This book is not intended as a guide to independent self-healing or diagnosis. No medical claim is made as to the effect or outcome of the exercises described in this volume. The author has made every effort to contact the proper copyright holders of certain material included in this volume, but has not in all cases been successful. If you believe that you are one of the copyright holders, please contact the author in c/o Simon & Schuster. Permissions The publisher wishes to thank the following for permission to reprint se- lections and illustrations in this book. Valerie V. Hunt, Ed.D. for material from Project Report: A Study of Struc- tural Integration from Neuromuscular Energy Field, and Emotional Approaches. HarperCollins, New York, for material from The Great Initiates by Edward Schure. HarperCollins, San Francisco, for material from Mystery Religions in the Ancient World by Joscelyn Godwin. Lucis Publishing Company, New York, for material from The Rays and Initiations by Alice Bailey. The Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, for material from The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manley P. Hall. State University of New York, Albany, N.Y., for material from Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science, edited by Stanislav Grof, M.D. The Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, 111., for material from Talks on the Path to Occultism by Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, and from Theories of the Chakras by Hiroshi Motoyama. Penguin Books, New York, for illustrations from Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters, with drawings and source materials recorded by Oswald White Bear Fredericks. Timeless Books, Porthill, Ida., for illustrations from Kundalini Yoga for the West by Swami Sivananda Radha. Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Santa Fe, N.M., for illus- trations from Navaho Figurines Called Dolls by Roger Kelly, R. W. Lang, and Harry Walters. •5 • To all the students of seventeen years who asked, "What's an aural" To all my teachers, the kind elders who said, "You're all right, kid, but you sure are slow." And in loving memory of Hugh Blake, who supported this work even in passing. Acknowledgments T here are many whose talents, efforts, and gen- erosity have contributed to the creation of this book. From its inception to its completion, I have been fortunate to be assisted by the kind and dedicated support of those many who gave so graciously and lovingly. I am grateful to Dr. Valerie Hunt for her inspiration, for providing me with the first opportunity to have my personal experience of the chakras tested and corroborated scientifically, and for her kind permission to include results of that research in the text and Appendix of this volume; Lyle Brady for his critical evaluation and valuable suggestions; and Terry Oleson for his support. I wish to thank Gloria Orenstein and Karen Segal for their astute observations and critiques and for sharing their schol- arship with me; Orville McKinley, M.D. for contributing his knowledge of Navaho ceremony and teachings; Maria Bauer Hall for sharing her convictions and the insights of work that has spanned nearly half a century; Grace Fogg at ARE, Michael King at the Theosophical Publishing House, and Rebecca Lang at the Liverpool Museum for their kind and prompt assistance; and Jaime Dunaway for his critical eye and enthusiastic encourage- ment. .9. A c k n o w l e d g m e n ts I also gratefully acknowledge Charlotte Kaiser for her draw- ings, and Debbie West and Paulette Kelly for their willingness to do whatever was needed to prepare this manuscript for pub- lication. I am grateful to my researchers, Stephanie Roth, Shelby Hammit, and Jeanne Farrens, for their long hours and excellent abilities; to Kristen McCall, who cheerfully and tirelessly tran- scribed over three thousand pages of lecture material; and to Ken Weintrub for generously assisting me to hear my words as others will when they read this book. I wish to further express my gratitude to Robert E. Williams for his time and beautiful pho- tographic contributions; my deep appreciation to Susan Roths- child, who can work miracles with light and a camera; and grateful acknowledgment to Karen Haskin for her generosity, her remarkable talent, and her exquisite illustrations. I am pro- foundly grateful to Margie M. Smith for her computer drawings, for her technical assistance, and, most especially, for having trav- eled the path before me and for possessing the expertise to have brought this book to publication. I extend heartfelt appreciation to my editorial staff, Maria Bartolotta, Susan Brown, and Jeanne Farrens for their dedication, talents, and generosity, and sincerest gratitude to them for their continued support, affection, and friendship. I would like espe- cially to acknowledge Jeanne Farrens, for her love of both lan- guage and healing; her encouragement and commitment, more than that of any other, assisted me in completing this work. Finally, to those who lovingly supported me throughout this proj- ect, and to all who patiently waited for this book, thank you. • 10• Contents I Wheels of Light One: The Ancient and Modern Mystery 17 The "Mysteries" of the Chakras 28 Two: Wheels of Power 33 Legend of the Rainbow Warrior 33 Wheels of Power 39 Chakras and Their Traditional Components 40 Wheels of Light 40 Secondary Chakras 41 The Seven Chakra Bodies 44 The Body as a Microcosm 47 Animal and Elemental Nature of the Chakras Religious Perspectives of the Chakras 56 Historical Perspectives 57 History of Chakras in the West: Theosophists' Theory 57 The Two Worlds of the Chakras 58 Three: What Is an Aura$ 59 Auric Field: Field of Life 59 Vibration, Color, and Harmonics of the Aura 61 Energy: The Basic Component of the Body 65 Identical Nature of the Chakras 67 Location of the Chakras 68 The Flow of Energy Up the Chakras 69 Direction of Spin of the Chakras 73 Changing Frequencies: Interaction Between Chakras ll • • C o n t e n ts Relationships Between the Chakras 77 Intake and Output 77 Color Opposites, Color Therapy, and Empowering with Opposites 79 The Male, Female, Androgyny, and Exogeny in the Chakras 82 Sustaining a Balanced Energy Field 84 Maintaining Constancy 84 Avoiding Chakra Displacement 85 Alignmen t Exercis e 88 Four: The Chakras and Healing 91 Scanning the Body and Transmitting or Channeling Energy 91 Exercise: Feeling Energy 96 Resistance to Being Healed 99 Karma and Healing 100 Definition of Health 100 Meditation on the Chakras 101 II The First Chakra ••••••• Five: Being Alive 107 The First Chakra: Our Life Force 107 Kundalini Energy: Keeping Us Alive 108 Traditional Aspects of the First Chakra 108 Astrological Sign, Physical Element, and Gemstone 108 The Bee, the Dragon, the Horse, and the Serpent 111 Snake Mythology: The Goddess Religion and the Power of the Undulate 118 Ida and Pengali: Dual Male and Female Aspects of the First Chakra 128 Initiation and the First Chakra 133 Kundalini Initiation and the Siddhi Powers 133 Greece: Initiation in the Tholoi 136 Egypt: Initiation in the Pyramids 138 The Eleusinian Mystery 139 Modern Initiation 141 • 12 •