Book Recommendations on the Chakra System from Rev. Susan Snowden
ANODEA JUDITH
I've spent many hours in trance looking at the chakra system to learn my own Truth about how it all works. I believe it is important for each of us to decide what information works for us, and what doesn't. I tend to prefer books that encourage direct experience, rather than a pedantic approach.
I found Anodea Judith's first book in 1987, right after it was published. It helped me understand what was going on in my body as I experienced a spontaneous awakening of kundalini. She continues to write and teach. Her Path is vibrant. There are other titles in her catalogue of books that I am sure are worth reading.
Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System (First published in 1987)
When I moved to Berkeley, California, I discovered that Anodea offered a nine month workshop in town based on this book, which she taught with Selene Vega. I attended the first class, only to discover I'd already worked through the information on my own by using this exercises from Wheels of Life.
I have the first edition, and I understand that this release has been revised and updated to reflect Anodea's Journey and insights over the past twenty years. I believe parts have been cut and are now included in the book below, authored with Selene Vega.
If you seek to understand the chakra system from a profound experiential level, these books are the best investment to discovering your Own Truth on the subject.
The Sevenfold Journey: Reclaiming Mind, Body and Spirit Through the Chakras
This manual, authored with Selene Vega, was an outgrowth of the nine month workshop I began to attend. I believe it contains the exercises that were removed from the first edition of Wheels of Life.
The workshop, and this book, are structured to explore each chakra indepth; to learn the purpose, function, and spiritual gifts of that particular energy center. In this process, we can open, balance, and heal the subtle energy system of Spirit indwelling in physical form. Real growth comes from doing, not thinking.
The Chakra System (Audio CD)
From the Amazon website: "Through her pioneering work with the chakra system, Anodea Judith has mapped the striking connections between the yogic healing arts and modern psychology – and demonstrated how a combination of both can be dramatically more effective than using either one alone.
On The Chakra System, listeners join Judith in 12 sessions of personal, one-on-one guidance to learn how to use the seven chakras, or energy centers, to strengthen and focus their personal power, improve intimate relationships, enhance intuition, and enter into their highest spiritual wisdom.
What, exactly, does it feel like when a chakra is deficient, excessive, or blocked? Can our early life experiences affect the energetic patterns that shape our physical and emotional well-being as adults? If so, how do we clear these blockages? Anodea Judith addresses these and many other issues, using the same proven meditations, visualizations, and moving postures taught in her acclaimed chakra seminars."
CAROLINE MYSS
Caroline is a heavy hitter and considered by many to be at the forefront of the chakra movement. I would be remiss if I did not mention her work here. I think Caroline's gift to us is that she was able to bring awareness of the subject into the common lexicon with programs that aired on public TV during pledge drives in the 1990's.
As a medical intuitive, Caroline looked at the chakra system for herself, as I have. What I find most compelling about her work is that we agree on many things. Yet, we diverge in some critical areas. Non the less, her contribution to this body of knowledge is invaluable, and well worth visiting.
Energetics of Healing (DVD)
From the Amazon website: " In this dvd (running a total of about 3 hours), she outlines seven energy centers in the body and instructs viewers in how to focus the energy positively. She begins with a brief introduction aimed at viewers and then switches to her lecture before a studio audience, during which she illustrates her points using the outline of a human body on a high-tech version of a chalkboard.
Even though she is usually the only person on camera, Myss is active and expressive, peppering her delivery with humor and anecdotes. Her knack for pithy summations ("You can visit the past as much as you want. Just don't live there") and love of wordplay ("You've got your angel kicking you in the astral") keep her audience with her. The included reference booklet outlines the meat of her message and offers a prayer to get you started."
Caroline Myss PH.D. (DVD)
From the Amazon website:
" Disc 1 - Why People Don't Heal and How They Can...Carolyn Myss will change your life! In her no-nonsense high-voltage style, Carolyn provides insights that foster hope and inspiration, unlocking the doors to health and healing. Her motto, "Your biography becomes your biology"; is based on fifteen years of research as a medical intuitive. Carolyn reveals how your thoughts and feelings are recorded in every one of your cells and how this determines your emotional, spiritual and psychological well-being. She explains the cultural blocks to healing and shows how to improve your health with the revolutionary Five Steps to Healing. With humor and compassion, Carolyn Myss shares a bold new vision.
Disc 2 - Three Levels of Power and How to Use Them. Carolyn Myss shows how power and the loss of power are at the root of every health issue. Three Levels of Power and How to Use Them reveals how nature and the inherent energy of power can strengthen and invigorate our lives. Carolyn discusses how the Three Levels of Power (external, internal and symbolic) and the seven energy centers in the body relate to one another. Through riveting stories from those who have undergone the transformation from illness to health, she unlocks the secret role that honor, faith and forgiveness play in the healing process. Carolyn Myss provides the key to preserve your power, enhance your creativity, and infuse your cells with vitality for a more wholesome life."
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