I have been reading several different books about spiritual things, chakras, auras and healing lately. I've always dabbled in these practices but wanted to learn more for a specific art project i'm working on. I've been asked to create some chakra art for my friend's shop in Glastonbury and so ive been mixing paints to create the exact shades of the chakras, looking at the chakra symbols (aka yantras) and learning about energy blockages. As someone who has suffered with various chronic health conditions all her life, it makes sense to me that by clearing the stagnant energy at certain chakra points on the body, the ailments would start to dissipate also. I believe in creating harmony and balance in my body, but also in my paintings, to achieve healing.

Chakra facts from 'The Chakra Project" by Georgia Colleridge that i found fascinating:

Chakra means 'wheel' in Sanskrit.

The Yantras/chakra symbols are geometric formations and each one includes a centre point representing the universe, triangles showing directional energy, squares for North/East/South/West, the moon stages and varying amounts of lotus petals. When each yantra is focussed on in meditation, it can act as a deity and can transform the flow of energy at the chakra point.

Chakras are spirals of light and as they spin, they draw energy in and out of the body.

The chakras are made up of 7 colours and represent the following aspects:

Violet-white: Crown/Brain stem/Spiritual compassion, joy

Purple: Third-eye/Eyes, pineal gland, brain/Perception, intuiton, dreams, wisdom

Blue: Throat/vocal chords, mouth, bronchial tubes/Expression, communication

Green: Heart/Heart, lungs/Love, internal reality, relating to others

Yellow: Solar plexus/Liver, stomach, intestines, pancreas/Power, identity, self control

Orange: Sacral/Bladder, prostate, ovaries, spleen, bowel/Sex, feelings, creativity, adaptability

Red: Root/Spine, testes, kidneys/ Survival, security, acceptance, confidence

Id like to incorporate these ideas, colours, yantras into my chakra art and attach my own affirmations that i think correspond well to each one. I'm playing around with thoughts on spirals, circles, triangles, stripes, dreamy sky backgrounds, plus some shiny areas of silver to emanate light/energy or the moon. I might even add in the mantras for each chakra. I want all of the aspects of the chakras to be available in each piece of art.

There are 6 important aspects of each chakra which are:

1/ Colour

2/ A specific amount of petals

3/ Yantra (geometrical shape)

4/ Beeja mantra (sound vibration)

5/ An animal symbol that represents evolution and instincts

6/ A higher/divine being representing higher consciousness

You can rebalance the chakras using mantras (sanskrit chants), meditation whilst looking at the yantra/chakra symbols, pranayama (breathing techniques) and asanas (yoga poses).

You can read more on this at yogasigns.com where i found some of these facts.