CHAKRASTUFF                                             HILOCHAK.TXT
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       Writen by Rose Dawn on the Tantra echo of Modem Majik

       Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Namaste!
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       I'm pretty fried myself, so I'll keep it brief...otherwise we"d have to
       get into a big discussion about Hindu Cosmology, including Lokas,
       kalas, Tattwas, Kosas, Sariras and the various divisions and
       sub-divisions thereof, and I"m not a Vedic-Agamic scholar in *any* way,
       shape or form! ;>
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       I"m not surprised you haven"t heard of the "heavens above" and "hells
       below;" they aren"t commonly know or even discussed outside of esoteric
       Hinduism. The "seven higher" are not actually Chakras, but higher
       levels of consciousness, more refined "states of being/non-being" that
       are part of the Satyaloka. Some of the oldest descriptions of what"s
       now commonly called "kundalini yoga" introduce the precept that when
       the Sahasrara Chakra is pierced by the kundalini serpent, and
       SivaShakti Union takes place and moves one out into samadhi, the
       process of evolution does *not* stop. The _Yoga Upanisad_; _Devata
       Acintyanatha_; and _Yoga Kundalini Upanisad_ contain a bunch more info
       about these states than I could possibly give.

       The first "level of consciousness" "above" Sahasrara--and these aren"t
       really "above" as in hovering over the crown of your head, but
       contained within Sahasrara, as refinements and progressions of the
       original Moksa-experience--is known simply as _Bindhu_; meaning
       "point." Its symbol looks kind of like the mathematical division sign
       with an upward-pointing half-circle with a dot or point in the center.
       It represents the "two poles" of "zero" and "infinity;" or mass/energy
       projecting itself; or the energy of Sakthi compressed into mass and
       then absorbed into an undifferentiated point ready for "Creation" in
       its most elevated sense.

       Above that is Ardhacandra which means simply "half-moon." It represents
       light and subtle energy manifesting as "sound;" the beginning of the
       elimination of differentiation on the vibratory/sonic level that"s
       first experienced at the Ajna Chakra.

       Next is Rodhini, another stage of _nada_ or "sound," subtler yet than
       Ardhachandra. Its symbol is a downward-pointing triangle with a
       curlicue to the right of its apex. <The reason, or one of the reasons,
       these states aren"t discussed too frequently is that they don"t make a
       whole lot of sense for most of us living below the Samadhi Saguna
       state! It has to do with increasing awareness of Pranava <AUM>, the
       "primordial Sound," which of course symbolizes creation, preservation,
       and destruction, both manifest and unmanifest.

       Above Rodhini is Nada, whose glyph is a line with two circles on either
       side--resembling the male genitalia somewhat. Nada means "sound" but in
       the sense of "vibration." Paranada is the "Soundless Sound," the first
       vibration, which is too pure to be withstood by any creature, and thus
       gives birth to Pranava <AUM> and the less-subtle "Nadas." Nada
       represents the cosmic "Sound" as it approaches manifestation. Nada is
       actually a triune state; containing Nada, Nadanta <whose glyph is a
       sideways-pointing crescent with a bindhu-dot to its left tip>, and Kala
       Sakthi <Time Energy or "Eternal" Energy, whose glyph is a straight line
       with two points next to one another to the right of the line>. The
       three together are called the Loka <Plane of existence> of the Creative
       Pulsation of Sound/Light.

       The next Loka is dual; containing Vyapika, a black upward-pointing
       triangle with a white dot in its center; and Nirvana--the first
       *glimpse* of the "Void"--symbolized by two black bindhu-circles, one
       atop the other, forming a sort of figure-eight. The dual Loka is called
       the Sakthi-Tattwa; the state of "Thatness" that manifests as pure
       energy. It is at this point that *full* realization of the Self takes
       place: Atma-Vyapti.

       The next state is Unmani: "Beyond Mind." Also called the Siva Tatta,
       the state of "Thatness" manifesting as pure Consciousness...or "super"
       consciousness. At this stage, the realization not only of the Self, but
       of the entire Universe as an aspect of Self, can unfold. This complete
       Consciousness, and absolute undifferentiation, compares to even the
       most sublime "ordinary samadhi" kind of like a cruise down the road on
       a nice Honda 650 would be to a ride through the desert under a full
       moon on 37 Harley knucklehead springer. smile

       Finally, we have Mahabindhu, whose symbol is a 0 or a large black
       circle. This is the Absolute Void, where one journeys beyond even the
       realm of the gods themselves. Some Saivite traditions equate Mahabindhu
       with Paramasiva, and it represents macrocosmic consciousness on a level
       which does not end or pause, knows no bounds--a "Void" which contains
       "All" and yet is "Not."

       <Deep breath!>

       The seven lower chakras, also called the _Talas_ <"level," "base,"
       "bottom">, and are considered to reside on a cosmic level *below*
       Bhurloka <the earth, physical plane, subterranean regions>, and on a
       microcosmic level to states of the unconscious mind which contain the
       most basic devolutional instincts, developed in the vestigal
       "animalistic" <pre-evolutionary> brain. The qualities of the Talas
       could be considered "perversions" of the natural human instincts such
       as fear, rage, self-centeredness, etc., that serve useful purposes for
       survival of the species, when controlled. When they control *you*,
       however, all kinds of bad things result.

       These lower chakras are not colorful lotuses like the seven higher
       ones, but very small, murky circles, from cloudy grey to matte black,
       and whirl in a widdershins <counter-clockwise> manner. They are:
       _Atala_, "bottomless" or "baseless", which corresponds to the
       subterranian area known as _Put_ <without offspring>, and is located in
       the physical body in the region of the hips. Atala represents fear of a
       non-useful type, such as phobias, lack of courage, paranoia, etc. There
       are some *truly* nasty and dangerous exercises designed to look Atala
       in the eyes, some of which I tried, but I am not about to post them
       public! They deal with encountering and overcoming fears of a basic
       sort, and are connected to the elements and fear of death and pain.

       Next is _Vitala_, "negation," which is in the area called _Avichi_
       <without Joy>. Darker and muddier grey than Atala, Vitala is located in
       the region of the thighs in the human body, and governs raging anger,
       outbursts, and fits of violence. As you can see, these Talas govern
       adrenaline, the fight-or-flight response, but at unhealthy,
       dysfunctional and extreme levels, whereas the f-f instinct has its
       "normal" function in Muladhara.

       CHAKRASTUFF II--TALAS, CONT ---------------------------

       This is a continuation of my reply to your "Chakrastuff" post, and
       picks up at the third "Tala" or "lower chakra." Go back and read the
       other post for info on the Higher States of Consciousness, and the
       beginning of the info on the Talas, or "seven lower chakras."

       Next is _Sutala_, "a great depth," which is located physically in the
       subterranean region called _Samhata_, which means "Abandoned." The
       color is more a muddy brownish-grey, like swamp slime. In the physical
       body, it is located in the region of the knees, and governs jealousy
       and revenge taken for petty reasons. As a Scorpio, I have just a little
       acquaintance with the functions of Sutala! -smile- This type of
       jealousy transcends mere envy, and encompasses possessiveness,
       especially of other people, and acts of vengeance taken for this type
       of reason, rather than out of a "good cause." The exercises for this
       one can be very unpleasant as well.

       _Talatala_ means "bottom bottom," or "lower depth." Its abode is
       Tamisra, "Dark and Inert." It is located in the calves, and governs
       prolonged mental confusion, not the transitory synapse-sizzles that
       most of us are prone to; but sort of a psychological Alzheimer"s. Utter
       confusion and helplessness are qualities of Talatala, as is having no
       idea what to do to break out of these states.

       _Rasatala_ means "tasting the bottom," or "taking pleasure in the
       bottom," or even "eating the dirt." Its psychic realm is called
       Rijisha, "the expelled." It"s located in the ankles, and governs
       selfishness of a more than healthy nature; complete self-absorption
       <rather than Self-Absorption!>; need to be the center of attention, not
       caring about how one"s actions will affect others, wanting one's way at
       any and all costs. This color is a light matte black, rather than the
       luminous black of the void, or of Kali Ma.

       _Mahatala_ means "great bottom," and its abode is called Kudmala, which
       means "leperous." The true intensity of "hell" begins in this area,
       which corresponds to the tops of the feet in the physical body.
       Mahatala governs sociopathy--an utter lack of ethics or the quality of
       empathy in even the slightest way. People "stuck" in Mahatala could be
       serial rapists, or Wall Street Wizards--the lack of empathy can
       manifest in seemingly "positive" or successful ways, such as people
       destroying others" lives and livelihood in pursuit of financial
       success.

       Finally, we have _Patala_, the "fallen" region. Its abode is Kakola,
       which means "Black and Poisonous." It manifests in the soles of the
       feet, and governs murder and malice. It's associated with Mahatala, and
       a serial killer or child abuser/spousal abuser who kills his/her victim
       would exemplify Patala. This type of individual takes a malicious
       pleasure, and power-trips on their ability to dominate--thinking
       him/herself godlike because they have the ability to *take* a life,
       rather than *create* a life, also a godlike function! Someone who
       commits murder in the heat of angry passion would *not* be residing in
       Patala; a professional hit-man, for-instance, would more properly
       belong in Mahatala. Sadism is a trait of Patala.

       Ok...there we go...complete microcosm!

       I should point out that the Talas, while obviously not "active" in all
       individuals, do represent qualities of possibility...we all have our
       minor moments of jealousy, rage, selfishness, unwarranted fear, etc. In
       one sense, we're all potential nastypeople, and these Talas represent
       that reality in a potent, albeit unpleasant, way. Ignoring them doesn"t
       make them go away. Some of them need to be examined and worked with.
       Others probably should *not* be actively touched, other than to realize
       that due to the things that happen to us in our lives, any of all of
       these Talas *could* become active, manifesting in a "human monster"
       <which I believe are created, and not born>. NEwayz...hope it was
       informative. Anything else I can tell ya in more detail, as always,
       feel free to post at me! smile

       Love is the law, love under will.