Replacing Chakras: Using Five Energy Centers In My Practice

Not long ago, I wrote a post stating there are common practices I’m rethinking. Chakras are chief among them. Why? Taking a deeper look into their origin within Hinduism, other religions that have their own version, and how they have been re-interpreted for Western use, I cannot use the Chakra system in good conscience. However, I do believe there are energy centers within the body that can be accessed. So, over the past months, I have been working on a way to honor the concept of energy centers without depending on Chakras.

Finding A New Way To Intuit Energy Centers

While leading online guided meditations in the last six months, I considered how I access personal and spiritual energy. There are five points on which I focus when meditating. The top or crown of my head, the minds or witches eye, the core at my solar plexus, the palms of my hands, and the soles of my feet. I consistently use these areas when accessing personal or spiritual energy. Let me break it down:

Top/Crown Center: This is where spiritual, universal, lunar, and solar energy are received, experienced, and then move down through the body. The Top/Crown is where I visualize moving from when entering the Astral realm.

Minds/Witches Eye Center: The projector screen of the brain, this is where psychic and other skills take shape and where visualization happens for meditation, spellcraft, and anything having to do with focusing my intention or thoughts. “Witches Eye” is also what Mat Auryn calls this space in Psychic Witch. I love that so I am working with it.

Core/Solar Plexus Center: In this place, the largest amount of my personal energy coalesces, resides, collects. This is where extra energy is stored when received. The Core Center is where I can focus to create,  expand or strengthen personal shields. From here, I build energy for release during spellcraft or ritual.

Palm/Hand Centers: It is through the palms of my hands I can receive or release energy. Holding a stone or plant in my left hand to experience the spirit within. Placing that hand on a tree to sense its strength and wisdom. With my right hand, I can send out energy to cast circles and direct a spell. With both hands, I can implore or compel, invoke, or give thanks.

Soles/Feet Centers: With my feet firmly planted or striding in confidence, the energy from the feet roots into the earth, confirms foundation, allows deep understanding through the visceral exchange of spiritual energy as we draw and release energy with the planet.

Yes, There Are Overlaps In The Five Energy Centers

While there is certainly overlap between the Five Centers and the Chakras, the centers have no colors, symbols, hand movements, and are not attached to emotions or spiritual states of being. They do not become blocked or need to be aligned. They are simply the access points.

And I realize there are people who have no issue with incorporating Chakras into their practice of witchcraft, meditation, etc. That’s fine for them. However, adapting to this understanding of energy centers works for me. I’m also incorporating their use into the Green Earth Witchcraft Tradition.

So, if you (like me) are uncomfortable with incorporating Chakras or wish to phase them out, then perhaps consider the Five Energy Centers. While it may take a bit of focus to re-train the language (as with using “smoke cleansing” or “cleansing herbs” to replace “smudging” in your lexicon) it’s worth the time to make the adjustment.

Five Energy Centers Meditation

Here is a simple exercise you can do to begin adjusting to using the Five Centers. You can do this while seated in a traditional, passive pose or during a focused walking meditation. Obviously, if you are walking be aware of your surroundings as you meditate.

Five Energy Centers Meditation

• Take a deep breath, hold it, then let it out slowly.
• Repeat a deep breath two more times, then breathe normally.
• Focus your attention on the crown of your head. See or feel a white light, golden glow, or gentle warmth infuse that place.
• Allow the light/glow/warmth to begin moving down your forehead to the space of the mind’s or witches’ eye (toward the bottom of your forehead between your eyes). Notice as the light/glow/warmth reaches this space and pay attention as it intensifies a bit. This is the place of visions, dreams, psychic awareness.
• Then the light continues down, over your face, past your neck and shoulders, then your arms into your hands. The light/glow/warmth will also intensify as it rests in the palms of your hands.
• Notice now that the light infuses you from the top of your head to your hands. Then allow it to move into your torso where it pauses at your core center (your solar plexus). As you gently breathe, the light/glow/warmth increases.
• From here, the light/glow/warmth moves down through your hips, into your legs, settling in your feet.
• The light/glow/warmth infuses you now, with the brightest points at the Crown, Minds Eye, Core, Hands, Feet. Stay in this place, aware of the energy of each center.
• When you are ready, begin to draw the energy back into the centers starting from the feet until you reach the top of your head.
• Take a deep breath. Wiggle your fingers. Roll your shoulders. And go about your day.

You can use this meditation to relax your body and clear your mind, to form a personal shield, to ground and center, to work on opening individual energy centers such as the hands for receiving/projecting spiritual energy.

You can focus on the minds/witches eye center, envision it as an eye that opens, or a screen upon which images are projected, or if you are unable to use visualization, imagine the warmth opening to allow yourself to experience psychic sensations, scents, smells.

This meditation can be as short or long as you need or want. Learn to open the five centers at a thought. Apply this meditation and the Five Energy Centers in a way that best serves you and your practice.