This is a study, of sorts; it is a fascinating look at something that almost anyone interested in “hippy-mystical” concepts will enjoy. I’ve found this to be an interesting comparative analysis ever since I heard the medical intuitive Carolyn Myss’ seminar about the chakra systems being the foundation of good -- emotional, physical and spiritual -- health. So, as with any study, let’s begin by identifying our terminology.

THE CHAKRA SYSTEM:

The chakra system is a concept that has been around since ancient times. Although I am not a scholar, I know that this philosophy is an essential part of the spirituality of the eastern religions, for these seven basic chakras are seven energy fields, or vortexes, in the body -- in the spine, actually, which contains the life force.

Envision your body as a tree. Your tree trunk is your spinal column, through which the sap of life flows to all other parts of the body, much as the nervous system extends out from the spine to all parts of the body.

Each chakra relates to a specific part of the body as an energy vortex, which feeds prana (life) to our existence. Generally speaking, the seven chakras are identified thus:

1. The root chakra, at the base of the spine.
2. The abdominal chakra.
3. The stomach chakra.
4. The heart chakra.
5. The throat chakra.
6. The “third eye” chakra in the center of the forehead; and
7. The crown chakra, located slightly above the head, as a halo.

In meditation techniques, these vortexes of cosmic energy are often envisaged through colors. Although there are variations, generally speaking, the first chakra is red, depicting a passion to live. The second chakra is seen as orange, the building block of life and relationships. The third chakra is yellow and represents the ego. The fourth chakra is green, representing the energy of life, and is often used in healing. The fifth chakra is represented by the color blue. The sixth chakra is seen as violet and represents the eye of perception. The seventh chakra is white, which is said to be all color (whereas black is the absence of any color), representing the beautiful lotus blossom, or the “white light” of Nirvana -- our divine Self.

THE SEVEN ADJUTANT MIND SPIRITS

The seven adjutant mind spirits, like the chakras, are not personalities but are circuits; they are bestowed on all living creatures on the material plane. My appreciation for these mind-circuits, a gift of the Mother Spirit, stems from studies in the Urantia text and is corroborated by an enhanced understanding of myself as a result of conscientious attempts to identify the influence of the adjutant mind spirits in my own personality system.

The Urantia text purports that humans share the ministry of five of these seven adjutant mind spirits with the animal kingdom, but the lower levels of animal life are only able to access the first five, whereas human beings are able to access all seven.

From bottom to top, they are:

1. the spirit of intuition;
2. the spirit of understanding;
3. the spirit of courage;
4. the spirit of knowledge;
5. the spirit of counsel;
6. the spirit of worship; and
7. the spirit of wisdom.

Even though these circuits are not personalities, there is little question that they are Planetary Helpers of a most fundamental nature. In both cases (chakras and adjutant mind spirits) they minister to the very existence of the creature they serve. Let’s take the example of the first adjutant mind spirit and the first chakra as an illustration of how these formulas are compatible and even complimentary.

The first chakra relates to the will to live, the survival instinct; so, too, does the first adjutant mind spirit, which is the spirit of intuition. The urge to live is instinctual and is found in the most elementary forms of life, even the one-celled amoebae which reacts to the stimuli of its environment in an instinctual urge to live. This self-preservation a priori of survival is a reflex instinct so innate as to be mechanical and without conscious thought, noted in such functions as breathing or blinking.

The next step up from here in the chakra system is the reproductive system, an enhancement of the urge to survive, and as an adjutant mind spirit, it is the spirit of understanding, the impulse of coordination which is also necessary if life is to persist. Ms. Myss’ demonstration of this chakra includes the elements of Power, Sex and Money as elementary self-defense mechanisms, essential to the maintenance of life.

The spirit of understanding might at first seem to be unrelated because we consider understanding to be a component of the intellect, but if we consider it to be more of an instinctual comprehension, such as knowing something “in our gut”, it is apparent that we can understand on a primal level whether or not we are safe, where we may be losing power or being subjected to someone else’s power, and certainly where sex and money are concerned as essential to the maintenance of life.

The third adjutant mind spirit is the spirit of courage. The third chakra is in the stomach and is depicted as yellow. It helps me to think of a “yellow-bellied sap sucker” because I recall that this chakra relates to the self, the human self, and when I perceive myself as having been attacked, I feel the response in my stomach, as if I’d been punched in the stomach. At the same time, when my stomach is full, I have a sense of well-being. Thus yellow can either connote a cheerful disposition or, on the other hand, sickly or jaundiced personality. Courage could well be the spirit necessary to rise above the yellow (as in coward) into yellow (as in sunshine).

The fourth chakra, located in the heart, is the seat of love, as is often depicted in Catholic art. The fourth adjutant mind spirit is knowledge. Again, we might think that “knowledge” is an intellectual comprehension of facts, but the spirit of knowledge is also the curiosity mother of invention, the adventurer and investigator of other realities. Thus, the fourth chakra and the spirit of knowledge are both pivotal points where the lesser self may leave off and allow the higher self to emerge.

The fifth chakra, at the throat, is simultaneously the adjutant mind spirit of counsel, or the social urge. It is also said that the throat is the seat of the Will, the free will aspect of the creature’s right to choose. In making decisions one may counsel with oneself or with others through expression, by way of communication -- through the voice.

These first five adjutant mind spirits we share with the animal kingdom. Depending on their intelligence quotient, you will find four-legged creatures also reflect intuition, understanding, courage, knowledge and counsel. The next two mind spirits, however, are reserved for the mind of man which is capable of God-consciousness. It could be surmised that the same value holds true for the chakras, if indeed the eastern mystics ascribed a chakra system to the animal level.

The correlation between the chakra system and the adjutant mind circuits here takes on even more interest because, as Ms. Myss points out, if the heart and the head are not in synch, the throat will clam up, will freeze. No expression is forthcoming. But if the heart (chakra) and the head (third eye/perception) are in synch, there will be an outpouring of words or work. Similarly, if the desire to know (spirit of knowledge) is in harmony with the religious impulse (spirit of worship), then the social urge is given impetus, ambition is communicated and accomplished with good orderly direction.

The final two chakras, the sixth represented by the eye of perception and the seventh indicating enlightenment, are a wonderful parallel to the sixth adjutant mind spirit of worship and the seventh adjutant mind spirit of wisdom. It is the eye of perception (or belief) that perceives what is worthy of the adoration of all mankind; the lotus blossom of enlightenment is a state of mind and being that equates naturally with wisdom.

I once thought worship ought to be the highest adjutant mind spirit but then I realized that unenlightened mortals tend to worship indiscriminately, such as when we pay undue homage to money or power; I could then see it was wisdom that rightfully wore the “crown” of enlightenment.

In practicing healing arts, whether focusing on the physical illness, the intellectual conflict or the emotional dis-ease, a consideration of the chakra system is a natural part of my techniques. Augmenting the ancient art with an appreciation for the circuits of the seven adjutant mind spirits, gives me even more to look at in considering what is involved in attaining mastery and full consciousness of wellness -- physically, emotionally and spiritually.