Cuerpo de Oriente, mente de Occidente: Psicología y sistema de chakras como vía de autoconocimiento y equilibrio personal

by Anodea Judith

Brand New. Ship worldwide

Genres: Spirituality, Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Health, Philosophy, Personal Development

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Anodea Judith, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Sacred Centers, and a groundbreaking thinker, writer, therapist, and spiritual teacher. Her passion for the realization of human potential matches her concern for humanity’s impending crises — her fervent wish is that we “wake up in time.” She holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Psychology and Human Health, is a 500 hour registered yoga teacher (E-RYT), with lifelong studies of psychology, mythology, sociology, history, systems theory, and mystic spirituality. She is considered one of the country’s foremost experts on the combination of chakras and therapeutic issues and on the interpretation of the Chakra System for the Western lifestyle. She teaches across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Europe, Asia, and South and Central America.

Reviews

[Jennifer Shreve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine my horror. A yoga teacher references a book that sounds interesting to me: western psychology meets eastern philosophy. I buy it. I open it. Oh noes. It's a book about chakras, that new age rainbow bullshizzy that makes me cringe. But I keep reading and surprise, surprise, it's really good. I mean, sure, there's some woo-woo in there, especially in the "exercises," but if you're borderline woo-woo, like me, as in you prefer Jung to Freud and yoga to painkillers, then you might just discover that in this system, this grand metaphor, there's some interesting tools with which to examine your own life. So if you lean to the east and are willing to overlook a few awkward exercises, then I highly recommend this book.

[Kelly]

Western white ladies love calling Eastern philosophy "woo woo" but this book is a reminder that the things western folks believe in in psychology and call scientifically sound actually comes from Eastern philosophy from centuries ago. (I have a huge problem with the word "woo woo" and other hand-waving belittling of anything outside of a Western Scientific Method of Belief, if that weren't clear).

This book is a slow read and one that is fabulous. A great look at the chakra system, as well as how western psychology slots right into what has been known and believed and practiced and followed for a long, long time.

I annotated the heck out of this and cannot wait to return to it again and again for reference. It's readable and approachable.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is right up my alley. If you're interested in chakras (and yoga) and how we actually think (psychology), this book has it all. You'll finally understand how/why we are such amalgams of body, mind and spirit, and how they interact with each other.
I'm a yoga teacher, teaching these past 13 years, with a degree in psychology, and I've been trying to bring the both together and help those around me, but until this book, the information was scattered all over the place.

2024 Update: for those interested in the body-mind-psychology integration, the recent work on more of the integrative look at us, humans, you can check out my “somatic experiencing” books reviews. I’d recommend a few of the books from Dr. Peter Levine like “Waking the Tiger” & “In an unspoken voice”, Dr. Gabor Mate’s - one of which is “The Myth of Normal”, or Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s books, such as “The Body Keeps the Score”.

[Stephanie ~~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

About 28 years ago a friend gave this book to me. Growing up in a household in the United States, as someone who had strictly adhered to Western medicine and began the first half of my life with a Judeo-Christian belief system, all of this was foreign to me.

Fast forward to today, this is a favorite that I pull off my bookshelf and utilize quite often. Admittedly, I have not dismissed all things "Western." However, I do incorporate somatic healing, and have an amazing energy worker who I trust in as well. This was where I began to learn about energy getting "stuck", chakras, meditation, somatic work, energy workers (balancing chakras), misalignment, and more.

In a world where everything seemed extremely straightforward, I got curious about what else I could tap into when Western theory and Western medicine didn't yield the best results. I had done extensive studies in mythology, symbolism, and learned quite a bit about Jungian and Campbellian theories. When I began experiencing anxiety and depression in my early twenties, I wondered what alternatives there were to the limited utilization of psychiatry and prescription medications.

This is a fantastic resource for curious minds, who might want to learn a little bit about Eastern medicine, energy work, chakras, balance, imbalance, and more. If nothing else, it's really fascinating. ~

*Disclaimer: I am not a physician, nor a naturopath. In no way am I encouraging anyone to stop taking necessary prescription medications, or stop seeing any specialists. I'm speaking strictly from my personal experience.

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 1 out of 5]

2/25/2022 Update: I would not now recommend this to anyone to read if they want to decolonize their understanding of chakras. I am keeping my original review as is as a learning for me and a remembrance of where I was on my journey.

Detailed review to come. Enjoyed this.

FULL REVIEW

Eastern Body, Western Mind is a great book to learn more about chakras from a psychological perspective. This is a very important distinction to make. Anodea Judith does not draw from eastern tradition beyond the baseline, and it is why, despite the fact that this is incredibly readable with practical insights, it's not a 5-star.

Judith covers her base by being very clear about what Eastern Body, Western Mind has to offer. She very clearly states where she has taken the liberty to add on, such as for the example of adding sound, light and thought as "elements" to correspond with a given chakra.

It's not enough. Judith should have named the "ancient yogic texts" which are the source and actual written material from which we learn about chakras, especially when every white scientist or doctor is quoted in every new section heading. Like why.

It was also a pet peeve when Judith kept generalizing what all spiritual teachers say to prove a point, a point that, to be honest, I've heard spiritual teachers make too. For example, spiritual teachers tell us to detach from the sensory world but the world is great. The physical plane is great and we need to honour it and know how to work with earth energy.

Yes, sense withdrawal is one of the limbs of yoga, but the physical plane is also honoured in yoga. In fact, knowing how to be present and go with the changing dance of life is one of the desires that fuel yogis in their practice.

Judith also says how we are taught desire is bad but desire is needed so that we have fuel to do stuff, including transcendental stuff. I remember reading the same sentiment from Swami Satchidananda's Commentaries on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras about how desire is not bad because without desire we would not have any will to do anything. Whether or not this is a common enough argument, it just seemed that Judith was generalizing, making "spiritual teachers" and "eastern teachings" a monolith when it's not.

Overall, this is a highly recommended book but just keep your eyes open and stay critical.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the most New Age book I have ever read.

It's interesting, and even very insightful at points.

Also, just incredibly frustrating. I'm not clear on Judith's justifications for claiming to be a "chakra authority." The blurb here lists her first non-western credential as being a 500-hour yoga teacher training? Please say you've actually studied the eastern tradition on its OWN terms...?

The book's deep structure suggests that she has not. I don't know how much "eastern body" is really here at all. New Age and Human Potential movement ideology is not Eastern. It's Californian.

And, in terms of psychological theory, the attributions of "plagues" throughout the book are more that a little upsetting. Judith looks out at the world and sees a whole lot of damage that her Rainbow Bridge theory is going to fix. People are repeatedly described as "plagued." I don't understand. Is this psychology?

The underlying justification for the existence of this Meta Theory of Human Psychology feels really Christian to me. First we have this proposition that this psycho-analytic and metaphorical version of the chakra system can act as a mediator of body and mind. So... her theory is some sort of middle path between the Cartesian brain and Cartesian jar that organize modern western theory of mind? This doesn't sound anything like "eastern body." In the eastern traditions, notably the formidable tradition of Indian philosophies of consciousness, the meta-theoretical discussions of what is a human are endlessly more interesting than this.

Early in the book, and implicit throughout, there is a highly engaging, very Christian sounding, discussion of immanence and transcendence. It's great to have these concepts introduced circa 1996 to New Age type readers. But... it also feels like I'm reading Rhinehold Niehbur. What about the thousands of years of Indian philosophy that addresses such matters?

Among other readerly confusions, I think the most important to note is that I struggled to understand the use of the word "energy" throughout the text. In the yoga tradition, at least, there are many different kids of energy. There's some analytical clarity about energy. By contrast, it's hard for me to get much metaphysical (not to mention epistemological) traction on Judith's theory of consciousness-drenched energy centers. I'm willing to bracket "consciousness," but given the subject matter it's really hard to get my mind around the arguments here when I'm not clear on what the word "energy" denotes from one section to the next.

Despite my frustration at the very shallow, perhaps appropriative, relationship to whatever "eastern" wisdom is here.... and despite my even GREATER discomfort with dozens of pages of incredibly condescending and projective attributions of "plagues" and "character" problems to people with different physical bodies, I did sometimes enjoy this book. Judith really loves the ideas here, and really cares about the writing process. This was intended for better or worse as an act of generosity. The work put in is detailed and careful in its own unique way. And there are some very interesting practical insights that do resonate with me, especially to the degree that I can dislodge them from the fraught theoretical framework.

I'm also struck by what a uniquely creative, and even insightful, this book was for its time. And from the vantage of 2019 looking back 25 years, it's really helpful, informative historical reading.

Specifically, EBWM is almost the perfect encapsulation of the "postmodern" and "new age" mindsets that have now grown in to commercial yoga studio culture. I feel like I appreciate the good intentions, and very serious confusion, of that world better now that I've spent time with this book on its own terms. It's creative in its own way, and was surprisingly absorbing to read. For those who now understand that the New Age and subsequent "modern yoga" movements would later spin off irretrievably into vague abstraction and hopeless misunderstanding of eastern healing traditions, this noble and loving attempt at synthesizing new ideas is an interesting bit of background.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I bought this book 3 days ago, I had no idea what a chakra was. But having been plagued with a feeling that 'something is wrong' for the last year or so, I was led right to it. I'm sure the title had something to do with it as well being that I'm half Japanese- though opposite the title, I live in a very western body and have always thought with a more eastern mind. Of course after reading this, I'm not sure some of what I have been thinking or believed all these years was really even me.

This book made me angry, relieved, sad, excited, determined, and everything in between. It led me to another book, (by Alice Miller) which I bought this afternoon and devoured in 3 hours. For the first time in months, I know I'm on the right path.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made all the western psychology I've read over the years make sense. The author describes the development of the chakras with reference to traditional western theories of psychological development. The result is that it puts the psychology in the BODY, and illuminates the reasons why the asana practice can be so emotional and psychologically liberating.

It's not in your head! It's in your body.

And, it makes approaching emotional issues through the physical body seem reasonable. Talking things out forever is not the fix for all problems or all people.

We are complicated systems. This is a wonderful book for thinking about it.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing reference book to have on your shelf when you need to understand what you might have in your backpack that's tripping you up. Judith has a a stellar reputation that is well-deserved. I appreciate the combination of the disciplines she has expertise in, and the sense she's made for us of the esoteric and the mundane in combination. Challenges in life might come from birth order, chakra blocks, unfortunate karma or any assortment of all, but this book is the key to unraveling what can be done, what to avoid, and how to make you fit better in your world.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't personally thrilled with what was claimed to me to be "an intellectual masterpiece."

Having been a part of a tradition of Classical Hatha Yoga, and under the instruction of a teacher, I find her mixing of Western Psychology with Eastern Energetic systems to be... unfortunately a waste of time. I can see she put a good deal of thought into the book, but for people who are really interested in utilizing either Eastern Systems for healing, or Psychotherapy I would say this is just confusing, based in a surface understanding and... a mix and match, which especially does a disservice to Eastern systems, which have their own inherent psychology.



not my favorite.

[Frances Krumholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a reference book than an audiobook, but still got a lot out of this one. (And grateful that I bought the book on Libro rather than renting it from Libby so I can return to it when I want to )

[Jessy Goat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very informative on both the chakra system (eastern body) and the psychological developmental stages a person goes through (western mind). From an infant to a teenager to an adult and beyond, this book covers it all.

The book is mainly seperated in seven chapters covering in all the chakras in detail. The book becomes more abstract by each chapter (or rather chakra), but that is of course no coincidence. Though I have to say it did lose me a little bit by the final couple of passages.

Later in life, before I decide to have kids, I'm definitely picking this one up again to read the first couple of chapters on the lower chakras, as I feel they contain great insights on how to lovingly and consciously raise a child.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend who’s psychologist told me this is the only book I need to read, and now I’m worried I have a sixth chakra deficiency. 😰

“Many people who consider themselves spiritual have greatly improved their lives when they learn to send their energy downward as well as upward. We are typically taught that spirituality is only found in the non-physical realms, yet to truly experience our body’s aliveness is to experience a profoundly spiritual state—achieved by embracing our natural tendencies rather than denying them through ascetic practices.”

“How would it have felt at three years old to have had this kind of support and love? How would it have felt to go to school if you had had this kind of love? How would it have felt going through puberty? Would you walk, talk, or reach out differently?” *weeps*

“Should one ignore the beauty of the rivers, lakes, and oceans because they are not the clouds? Should we look only at the sun instead of the delicate play of light and the flowers? Should we ignore the child and go straight to the mother? If I write a book, do I want people to ignore it and instead call me on the telephone? Absolutely not. Creation is the expression of the divine, and it is often more profound, refined, and detailed than the source itself, which is enormously vast and abstract.”

[Steve Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extraordinary read for me! I have been involved in Buddhist practice and meditation for some years now, and there has been a major internal shift in the way I experience myself and the world. That shift has been hard won through the working through of some major personal issues relating to an abusive childhood, substance addiction and combat related ptsd; a kind of triple whammie. As part of my own recovery process I have mixed my reading of Buddhist psychology with more standard views, and of course over time I have heard of the chakrs system though I had never expolred it as a reference point before. Over the last year my journey has taken its own turn into a realm that is far removed from the intellectual emphasis that so typified much of my life. I have been exploring dreams and dreaming and the level of consciousness to which that leads that is not of mind but more pointedly for me derived from some other place.

This book was a evelation, the chakrta system as a reference grid for the tremendously intircate and complex weave of the human mind, including mine, is much less reductivist than much of the more traditional theory behind my , it dovetailsneatly with the Jungian slant that I seem to have absorbed over time and it describes well much of my own personal experience of the phenomeon that appear as an integral part of the journey within. There is more here for me and I am grateful to the friend who directed me to this book. Another way of viewing the whole catastrophe but more akin to the sense of fluidity that has evolved around my life than the reductivist "fix it" orientation that much of te profesional help I have encountered adopts.

[fringedecon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some cool things, and many parallels with the Body Keeps the Score (which I am currently reading) - this was interesting.

Also disclaimer (? I guess): The notion of chakras doesn’t weird me out too much. In fact, I quite enjoy the visualisation and the idea of opening up the body in certain ways through a practice that has been followed for thousands of years. In particular, the discussion of the first 4 chakras in this book was great, enlightening and I followed the just of it quite well.

However, the higher chakras (where you start thinking about intuition, spirituality, intellectualisation) got too out there for me I’m afraid. I couldn’t buy into a lot of the stuff here and the stuff I could reason with consisted of truisms already well known... I am also not a fan of the ‘self-help’ genre and I found that these sections read a lot like this, whereas I would have preferred a more detached account (haha I suppose this indicates something about my higher chakras being overactive and out of touch with my emotions...).

From here, things got too much for me... maybe I feel safer putting scientific labels on stuff that essentially symbolises the same things. Either way: it’s pretty esoteric.

Overall, I enjoyed learning about the chakras more. It has definitely enhanced my yoga practice. Buuut I also can’t say I fully back solving mental illnesses with chakra energy (that’s a gross oversimplification by me and I think others should read first and make their own opinion).

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get over how great this book was. I really feel like this one is like the ultimate psychology/self-help book out there. It covers material in nearly every other book out there that I've read so far (which is possibly too many) -- plus has given several insights and references to other books and areas I'm not as aware of. She perfectly aligns the theories of western psychology into eastern spirituality beautifully. Each chapter describes what each chakra will look like in excess, deficiency, and balanced. She also goes into the somatics (body language) that can show the state of the chakra, as well as general words to describe each so you can easily reflect upon each chakra for yourself and others. At the end of each chapter, she also lists various methods and techniques in order to help balance each chakra. At the end of the book, she explains how to create an assessment for yourself or a client. She also gives plenty of pointers and tips for anyone who is working as a therapist. Since it is a book covering a very wide variety of topics, there are definitely other books that someone interested in the field may want to read to better understand certain blocks and methods. However, this book I could being a great resource to look back to for reference. It's a great "base" to work off of.

[Sharon Yulong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durante l'unione del mondo esterno con quello interiore, ci si allinea spiritualmente, mentalmente, emotivamente e fisicamente: la disconnessione del corpo è un epidemia culturale; infatti sanare il nostro rapporto con il nostro corpo significa sanare il nostro rapporto con la Terra.
Attraverso la coerenza, la coscienza trova il suo significato, e attraverso il cambiamento trova stimolo ed espansione. Non possiamo guarire ciò che non possiamo sentire e non possiamo 'vedere' ciò che non sappiamo provare... Senza amore vi è dis-integrazione. Vivere in modo intelligente significa evitare le sofferenze e vivere con grazia e leggerezza.

[Judy Croome · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third time I've read this book. Each time, I've gained more insight and grown a little bit deeper. Easily accessible while dealing with profund spiritual and psyhcological matters, Anodea Judith's revised edition is still a life changer. You can use this book to help you face some pretty dark and scary shadows in your unconscious. After the journey, the insights gained are rewarding.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent a lot of time with this book and then spent some more struggling with what to make of it. Ultimately I felt it tried really hard to force two disparate systems together and it didn't work well for either one. Coming from a Western psychology background I worry that much was lost from the Eastern though to force it into am unnecessary Western framework.

[Marily_p88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting a hippie lecture, I've been wrong. Written with a fair & scientific tone, a timely life changing lecture for whoever is in quest for equanimity and balance.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man that took a while

Chakras are immaterial but affect the material. They are part of the human biocomputer. Our life force runs through them between the 2 poles of the body (earth) and mind (consciousness). When it flows we are plugged into Source. Energy flows horizontally in each chakra as well, through currents of reception and expression. Energy is blocked when equal forces meet- these opposing forces must be integrated. An excessive chakra is blocked by overcrowding. It shows overcompensation. It needs to discharge energy. A deficient chakra is empty. Its been avoided. It needs to receive energy.
Chakra development takes place in cycles. The first runs from 0- leaving home. The second if it is to happen at all, runs through the end of life where stages are revisited and unresolved childhood issues are addressed.

The 1st chakra is associated with developing the right to be here and take up space. Develops from ages 0-1. Its counterforce is fear. When balanced the individual is grounded, comfortable in their body, they trust the world, they can relax and be still.
They need to physically bond with the mother or they will disconnect from the body, be anxious, feel unsafe, have poor boundaries. In order to heal they need to reconnect with the body. To listen to the subtle energies of the different body parts. Recognize and sit with and understand the fear. Fear is a sacred adversary and teaches us our own importance. We must accept our limitations here in order to transcend them.
Those deficient in lower chakras retreat to upper chakras of the mind. They think something is wrong but dont know what it is. These people retract. They can be depressed - because they dont allow energy in. Or anxious - because they they dont process with the energy which comes their way and it ends up going in chaotic directions.

The 2nd chakra is associated with the right to feel and desire/want. Guilt undermines its flow and diminishes our connections with others. This chakra is developed between 6mo. - 2yrs. Antipleasure religious severity or hampering the childs ability to express feelings can result in rigidity, lack of passion (deficiencies) or oversensitivity, emotional dependency (excesses), or physically as premature ejaculation or sensual/emotional numbness. An excess here would be evidenced by a desire to overshare, frequent sexual fantasies, always moving (or tapping ones foot). Sexuality needs to be reoriented as sacred. You need to “dance with Eros”. To develop a capacity for surrender. Work on a capacity for containment. Tolerate increased excitement. Dont act on every urge. This is a maladaptive way to discharge energy before it comes into consciousness. Let energy and aggression fill the body with excitement and pass excess energy to the center, to the heart. Thought patterns may need to be treated like addictions. Show rebellion against the voice in your head and have compassion on your inner child. Integrate your shadow by embracing feminine, body, outer experience. You have repressed energies and are cut off from your wholeness. You project your shadow onto others because you wont acknowledge it in yourself. It makes you uncomfortable to be around them because it awakens your own rejected self. You attract those who embody the rejected part of your shadow and cant stand them. (The frigid or numb person fixated on the overt sexuality or emotional expressiveness of others). The greater the repression, the louder the shadow yells and becomes demonic. Dont surrender to the shadow, bring it into consciousness. A child absorbs the emotions of the parents on a somatic body level. If they grow to distrust their own feelings, they dissociate from them. Its sexual abuse for punishing a child for touching his genitals. A blockage in the 2nd chakra splits the mind from the body internally and the self with the environment externally. Remove the guilt that blocks the feelings. Engage with life fully but know that emotional release cant happen and isnt advisable when the ground is too weak.

The 3rd chakra is associated with the right to act and how you define yourself. Shame (which can be inherited) turns its energy in on itself and prevents you from feeling your will is valid and somehow not corrupt. It inhibits your impulses and playfulness. Its lack of development leads to a life of looking for something to obey- “shoulds”. It is associated w development between 18mo - 4yrs.

The solution to a deficient 1st chakra and an excessive 2nd chakra may involve the 3rd chakra - not blaming others and claiming the self as an authority and autonomous. 1 and 2 are passive and dense. 3 is dynamic and light.

The ego is unaware of the unconscious. The ego is a house. It is where we live. We need to leave the house sometimes so we can transcend the ego

We cant declare war on ourselves or else our ego will fight and the shadow will erupt. We have to be mindful of the presence of the shadow.

Shameful people retreat to their heads and doubt their instincts. They put negative thoughts in a loop and believe they are more real than what their heart says because they believe their heart is not a reliable barometer.
Shame finds penance in suffering, it needs to create misery because its deserved.

The 3rd chakra distributes all of the raw energy that comes our way. Endurer types are unable to feel all of / or release the energy
Encourage aggression and expression of tender feelings in order to move energy upward. These “Oral” types may feel little anger or aggression and not have the energy to deal with it because they are depressed.

Show rebellion to the voice in tour head by having compassion for the inner child. This will dissipate shame. Make a 5 yr plan, do things that invigorate you. Laugh at yourself.

The 4th chakra has associations with love, with grief, with being in conditional loving relationships (god), self loathing, depression, loneliness, poor boundaries, overly sacrificing, short breaths. It is associated with the period between 4 and 7 yrs old.

We have psychically inherited the myth of a broken home. We live with the father (god) and we dont speak of mother. We have separated from eachother into lonely heterosexual dyads

The common block here is the absence of self love. We find others who treat us the way we expect to be treated.

There is an internal sacred alchemical marriage when the anima and animus are balanced. Nature seeks balance

The soul needs to attach, the spirit needs to be free. Its a divorce of the divine if the transcendent father and imminent mother are not both present. Coming together and pulling apart are part of an inseparable dance.

Grief sits in the heart like a stone. If its expressed, the heart lightens. You can carry it for the loss of your own authenticity.

As a child, we create a persona in order to win love. The parts not integrated in the persona are cast off, and become shadow

Lower chakras have to heal first in order for the heart to open up.

When we give everything we are bankrupt, there is no center, no one home to love

Fear of rejection is the reason we hold back our love.

All wounds cry for the universal medicine of love.

The inner masculine makes love with the inner feminine

Breath- notice how you feel and dont block the feelings. Deep breaths can let out grief

As an exercise Imagine your life feeling loved every step of the way, let your cells soak in the feeling

The 5th chakra is associated with the right to express yourself truth creatively as well as lies. Development here is between 7 and 12. Small weak voice, shyness.

Resonate with the universe. Find the rhythm. A string needs to be both taut and flexible to sound a note.

An excess here doesnt listen and dominates conversation.

A fullness here lives life creatively without fear, in each moment.

Sing, chant

The 6th chakra is associated with the right to see what is real. To establish an archetypal identity. It is developed in adolescence. Deficiencies can show as poor memory or difficulty envisioning a future. Excesses can result in nightmares and difficulties concentrating

It is opening the third eye, loosing illusions

archetypes of the chakras are:
Mother
Lover
Hero
Healer
Artist
Seer
Sage

We dont encounter archetypes, only their symbols. Archetypes resonate within a larger metastructure

Dreams allow us to maintain homeostasis

Envision a new way of being, a possibility. Shame hampers this ability. A perfectionist looks inward to a paralyzing degree and cant look out to envision a better future

Try a vision quest. Fast for a few days in the woods. Wander, find a spot, meditate

The 7th chakra is associated with the right to know. To know yourself. Attachment thwarts this effort. This stage is associated with adulthood. In its excess, one over intellectualizes and dissociates from the body. We do this to avoid feeling. We can also become addicted to spirituality - vows and obedience. Deficiency in the 7th chakra manifests as infantile relationship with parental god figure who will take care of you. Psychosis is an excess of liberating current w no grounding. Neurosis is a deficiency w little consciousness, resulting in compulsive repetition.

Ordinary existence has spiritual meaning. Denying our nature will not lead to unity. We can foolishly swim upstream or allow Source to take us on a journey. Let go. Jump into the stream of energy flowing through your life. Expand into universal mind. You are the witness to thoughts, emotions, attachments, desires. To awaken this chakra is to derive meaning, to question your beliefs. To discover the immensity of the system we are in. To witness the dance.

Attachments keep us in time. We attach because we try not to suffer instead of seeing suffering as a teacher. If you are attached to your desire for enlightenment and willing to sacrifice your family for it.... you are still attached. You can be attached to an ideal future, a belief system. To your resentment, to your victimhood. To be attached is to be addicted. We attach in order to avoid growth, in order to sooth pain. Or we avoid (attaching to the idea of not having something). We have to surrender our attachments in order to experience universal identity. We cant defend the belief in our own limitations. We need to wake up

Meditate on how the hero myth has carried you

The seed contains the program to be the flower. The self contains the program to be whole.

The elevation of psychic wholeness occurs only when energy previously invested in an external deity is withdrawn and returned to its source in the psyche

-Jung

[Danni Schaust · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dense but incredibly powerful and potent read. Required reading for any yogi or person aspiring to become more balanced and conscious of their energetic body. This read more as a text than a novel, so proceed slowly and intentionally. I believe I will continue to use this text as a resource for many years to come!

[Paige Bruland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book is such a work of art! I can’t even imagine how long it took this author to gather all of this information and assemble it into this book. I learned so so much. This book is a Bible for life, healing, and evolving. Already thinking about integrating these practices in my yoga flows. 10/10

[Sara Galisteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque es un libro muy denso está bien explicado, y lo cierto es que aunque he estado tentada de dejarlo varias veces porque se me hacía un poco pesado al final me ha acabado gustando.

[Karstee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right on time.

[Megan McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with so much information - I just know I’ll be reaching for it again. I really love the whole eastern philosophy meets western psychology theme and enjoyed learning about the childhood development aspect and mother/ child impact.

[Crystal Reaume · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slog.
I've never spent so many months trying to get through so much information.
It was valuable information and interesting but a lot.

[Steffan Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very insightful into the many facets of human behavior and psychology and spirituality. In fact the integrative nature of the book and its explanations is often what makes it so intriguing and insightful.

Underlying almost any behavior or tendency, positive or negative, you might witness in your life or those around you, basically has an underlying energy pattern that can be traced to one or several of your chakras and the way they might interact and compensate or overcompensate for each other (for instance, one might have an excessive 6th and 7th chakra which has them stuck up in their heads as a response or defense to trauma they've experienced in their base 1st chakra which has to do with the right to be here, physical existence and more grounded and practical matters).

I anticipate coming back to this book to look up various things from time to time, whether its a relational pattern I'm noticing in my life or some kind of negative habit I witness in someone I love for example.

All in all, this book is an excellent guide to the self and the spiritual journey and path to self-actualization or enlightenment.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that shines in its accessibility. The marriage of Western (particularly Jungian) psychology and Eastern philosophy was an idea that greatly appealed to me, and it makes so. much. sense.
If you “have it all” and still struggle in any mental aspect, I encourage you to read this book. It’s one that I will refer to for years to come.
Get this book, get real and ask yourself the difficult questions, forgive yourself and forgive everyone who’s ever intentionally or unintentionally hurt you, shake hands with your demons. And you’ll be on the ever-curving, loop-de-looping path to healing.

“All the tragedy in the world, in the individual and in the multitude, comes from lack of harmony. And harmony is best given by producing harmony in one’s own life.”
-Hazrat Inayat Khan

[Eva Lorenzoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro denso e illuminante, una immersione nella consapevolezza che cerca di costruire un ponte fra discipline orientali e occidentali. All'inizio ero un po' scettica, e nel corso del libro non tutto mi ha convinto al 100%, in particolare gli esercizi... Ma l'ho divorato, sottolineato, ho trovato similitudini col mio percorso terapeutico e spunti nuovi su cui riflettere, senza pregiudizi.