Susan Shumsky - The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing: How to Unlock Your Seven Energy Centers for Healing, Happiness, and Transformation

This edition first published in 2019

by Weiser Books, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

65 Parker Street, Suite 7

Newburyport, MA 01950

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2019 by Susan Shumsky

Foreword copyright by Anodea Judith

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may
quote brief passages. This is a new edition of The Power of Chakras
published in 2014 by New Page Books.

Divine Revelation is a service mark registered with the U.S. Patent Office.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-671-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover and text design by Kathryn Sky-Peck

Interior images by Susan Shumsky

Printed in the United States of America

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This book is dedicated to the beauteous kundalini, subtle and radiant
as 10 million suns. To her lotus feet all worshippers bow,
for she invents this mirage by her maya,
and she absorbs it again by her all-consuming flame.

T he chakra system is an idea whose time has come. Or perhaps I should say come again, as chakras are elements of an ancient yogic system for spiritual evolution that has roots in the distant past. The revived interest in chakras today is a testament to the need for spiritual systems that are mapped on the body and encompass the full spectrum of human experience, from heaven to earth.

While it's wonderful that so many people are now drawn to learn about the chakra system, the danger of such popularization is that the chakras can become trivialized. The word is bandied about in general conversation, without people understanding its original context as esoteric wisdom for seekers of higher states of consciousness. In my 40 years of working with the chakra system, I have seen chakra dog collars, chakra underwear, chakra chocolates, and of course the usual candles, mugs, cushions, yoga mats, t-shirts, hats, posters, and greeting cards. I've even sold some of these items myself at my workshops!

This popularization does the important service of bringing the chakra system out to the general public, but it only skims the surface. What is missing is the deeper knowledge.

The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing represents that deeper knowledge. With writing that is both friendly to the layperson yet true to a deeper mystery, this is the book to which I refer my students who are interested in the esoteric wisdom and practices of the ancients. While normally it takes intense research with a Sanskrit dictionary and lifetimes of patience to discover these subtle principles and practices, Susan Shumsky has done that work for you, making this information accessible to the average reader.

Where else are you going to find a description of the inner sheaths of the sushumna, as well as of the smaller subchakras of the heart and higher chakras? Within these pages you can find descriptions of the meaning of the individual petals, the deities associated with each chakra, and discussion of mudras (physical gestures), bandhas (inner locks), pranayama (breathing practices), and mantras (sounds) associated with the chakras.

In addition, she discusses the importance of Shiva/Shakti, the divine couple who represent the polarities of the Tantric tradition, where the chakra system originated, along with the sheaths of the human aura, the tattvas of manifestation, and much, much more.

This book is for seekers. It is not for the dabblers but for those interested in serious practice. For behind all the information offered in books and other media, knowledge of the chakras ultimately comes from within oneself, through direct access. But that access takes practicesustained and consistent effort over many years. Susan Shumsky has done that work as well, and its rewards are hidden within these pages for you to discover through your own practice.

Enjoy the journey!

Anodea Judith, 2013
Author of Eastern Body, Western Mind

The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing can familiarize you with the complex field of meditation, spiritual development, and yoga, but in no way claims to fully teach the techniques described. Therefore, personal instruction is recommended. The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing is not an independent guide for self-healing. Susan Shumsky is not a medical doctor and does not diagnose diseases or prescribe treatments. No medical claims are implied about any methods, exercises, or postures suggested in this book, even if a specific benefit or healing of diseases or conditions is mentioned. The methods and suggestions in this book should be followed with permission from a medical doctor or psychiatrist. Susan Shumsky, her agents, assignees, licensees, and authorized representatives, as well as Divine Revelation, Teaching of Intuitional Metaphysics, and Weiser Books, make no claim or obligation and take no legal responsibility for the effectiveness, results, or benefits of reading this book, of using the methods described, or of contacting anyone listed in this book; deny all liability for any injuries or damages that you may incur; and are to be held harmless against any claim, liability, loss, or damage caused by or arising from following any suggestions made in this book, or from contacting anyone listed in this book or at www.divinerevelation.org.

T here is no doubt the planet has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 50 years. I was fortunate to participate at the forefront of the spiritual revolution of the 1960s, which changed the world. In 1950s America, there was no meditation, no mantra, no yoga, and certainly no chakra. These terms did not exist in the West. There were a total of two esoteric bookstores in the United States. Now, half a century later, we see yoga and martial arts studios in strip malls. Esoteric information proliferates on the Internet. Metaphysical books are available in every bookstore. And chakra is a term found in magazines at grocery store checkout counters.

Yes, the world has risen to an extraordinary new high in vibrational energy. What used to be on the fringe is now mainstream. Yet there is still a great deal of ignorance about what a chakra is. And quite a bit of misinformation gets disseminated in such a democratic medium as the Internet. Because of the confusion about what the subtle energy system is, how it relates to our personal wellbeing, how it fits into the cosmos, and why its importance is vital to recognize, we offer this additional edition of the book known under the titles