Colour and Myth
I do not know whether it was clear to the builders of medieval
cathedrals that the colours of our chakras look similar to the sunlight
shining through the stained glass of their windows. It is clear though
that many people are fascinated until this day by the magical beauty of
the coloured beams of light streaming into the darkness to illumine the
inner sanctuary of the church. Knowledge about the chakras shows us
therefore that our rainbow body is a Cathedral of Truth because it
mirrors everything that moves our mind and soul.
Throughout the ages, the rainbow has been a spiritual symbol in many
civilisations: It stands as a covenant between God and humanity in the
chapter Genesis (s. app.) of the Christian Bible and it is central to the
beliefs of original American Indian tribes. In an ancient poem they
speak of the “Warriors of the Rainbow” (s. app.) , a tribe of people who
will come from all cultures when the Earth is sick and the animals have
disappeared to restore Mother Earth to its former beauty. Today there
is not just one tribe but many groups are working in different parts of
the world trying hard to repair the damage done to the environment.
In the ancient myth of Asgard (s. app.) , the home of the Norwegian
Gods, the rainbow stands as a symbolic bridge, to be crossed by the
Ego or sense of self in order to explore the relationship between light,
matter and consciousness.
In Indian mythology and the practice of Hatha Yoga (s. app.) , the
Chakra colours of the human body are seen as the lower half of the
rainbow which unites with the heavenly arc to become a circle for the
task of transforming dense, physical matter into subtle spiritual energy.
This is not hard to imagine: while observing the sparkling colours of a
rainbow in the sky, we can envisage how the RED wave-frequency
from the upper part of the rainbow flows through our Root Chakra at
the base of the spine; the ORANGE streams through the Sacral
Chakra, the YELLOW through the Solar Plexus, the pale GREEN
through the heart, BLUE through the Throat Chakra and VIOLET at the
Crown. The Indigo of the Brow Chakra is a very dark blue; it is a colour
which we can hardly recognise in the rainbow and in nature may find a
similar colour in aubergines or very ripe blackberries or elderberries.
Colour and Light
Even when they are wet, the colour pigments do not shine as brightly
on the paper as the light flooded chakra colours. All the same, through
the medium of water they have a strong influence on our body and
emotions in their different frequencies. If we accept the sensations we
experience while painting, they help us to recognise and comprehend
the functions of the chakras and the natural law of resonance within
ourselves.
However, this can only come about if we accept the scientifically
proven fact that all matter consists of vibrating energy: our planet
earth as well as the elements and our bodies. Some of these energies
swing in such high frequencies that they remain
invisible to our eyes because they do not manifest in material form.
Nevertheless, they do exist, just like the waves with which we receive
radio sounds and see pictures on television.
There are many complicated scientific diagrams on this subject but
also a simple one by Vera Stanley Alder which shows the human
reaction to these vibrations very well (see app.) It gives the following
vibrations per second: for sounds between 16 and 33,000; for
electricity 1000 million; for heat 200 billion and for light and colour 500
billion per second... and it is an amazing fact, that the tiny marvelous
organ of the optic nerve of the human eye is able to register these
fine vibrations and transfer them with the help of the pineal and
pituitary glands (see app.) to the brain.
It is just as wonderful that colours with their varying vibrations, from
RED with the lowest up to VIOLET with the highest frequency, vibrate
within and through our chakras. This way each chakra has its own
function and together they form a subtle link between our body, mind
and spirit and the natural environment.
Colour and Science
It is said that we do not yet possess the organs with which to
comprehend the higher vibrations but I am convinced that our chakras
are just that: If we focus on them, they enable us to sense their subtle
vibrations.
The scientific process by which this takes place has yet to be explored
but it probably happens through subtle motion of invisible light in
similar, but different movements to the already known electro-magnetic,
radio- and micro-waves. A fact is that it occurs quite naturally,
similar to the way in which our body continuously transforms material
food and water automatically into subtle life-energy. We are indeed
wonderful living energy-transformation-creatures: without fully
understanding how, we are constantly changing food-atoms into
energy-atoms with the help of our body.
Since Albert Einstein proved, about 100 years ago, that all matter can
be transformed into energy, his formula E=mc² has been accepted by
physicists and science in general and has revolutionised many areas of
modern life. It is used by countless professors and students with the
aim of understanding and explaining the laws of physics and the
exoteric world of the universe. Though it is debatable, how many of
them give the wisdom of the inner, esoteric world of human beings
just as much consideration in their work. Although there is a trend in
orthodox western medicine to accept such eastern treatments as
acupuncture, herbal medicine and yoga for physical fitness, but the
psychology of an inner wisdom is still often regarded as esoteric
nonsense.
The following diagram by C.W. Leadbeater, (Booklist No.5) shows the
channels of subtle chakra energy in relation to the human nervous
system and may well prove helpful in future research. Although
Leadbeater’s books appeared 100 years ago, to my knowledge no
serious research has been done in this field but you can find related
Google and Wikipedia articles in the appendix. However, since we
know that correlation exists between chakras and the psyche via the
body’s glandular system, the chakras can also be regarded as subtle
glands An acceptance of this fact is long overdue and it would be
extremely helpful if this knowledge were to be researched as soon as
possible.
BUT there is HOPE in the field of biophysics and biochemistry
where the research into peptides, the “Molecules of Emotion” by
Candace B. Pert (Booklist No.8) and other scientists are proving that
body, mind and soul form an indivisible entity. This opens up a new
vision of the immune-system and leads to a wider interpretation of
health and illness. It also makes it clear how vital it is for the individual
to embark on that inward journey to explore his or her own
consciousness. It is not an easy task but the only way to reach a
harmonic balance between our inner world and that of the everyday
outer world.
© Ingrid Benning 2024
William Morris Angel from Cattistock Church