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of self. Every chakra also serves as a channel for a specific psychic ability. WHAT DOES SCIENCE SAY? Science explains chakras in many different ways. The most basic level is biological. Chakras interact with our nervous system, and each chakra is associated with an endocrine gland. Chakras are therefore involved with our electromagnetic functions and our biochemistry—aspects of us that control everything from our bodily functions to our moods. Another scientific perspective involves electromagnetic fields, which are composed of all the different speeds and wavelengths of light. We are actually a collection of oscillating fields of light—as are our chakras. Chakras express the magnificence of this fact, each operating on a differently colored band of frequencies. This is one of the reasons most experts typically perceive the seven in-body chakras as particular colors—rainbow colors, in fact. The lowest in-body chakra is red and the highest is white. The other colors of the rainbow lie in between. For this reason, chakras are often referred to as a "rainbow bridge." Then there is the aspect of sound. Most ancient cultures also ascribed sounds to the chakras. In fact, there are often several sounds associated with each one. In the Hindu tradition, the chakra tones are called bija or "seed sounds," and the 50 sounds within the Sanskrit language are spread out among all seven chakras. Some of these sounds are the seed, or core, tones of the chakras, while others are sounds associated with the petals that make up the lotus shapes of the chakras. 1 So far, we've been explaining the science of chakras through the lens of classical physics, which explains that energy is the force that makes things happen. This limited definition brings us to the doorstep of the chakras, but doesn't invite us into the room. For that, we have to pass through the gate of quantum physics, the study of the subatomic ingredients that compose the universe. Quantum physics explains the "weirdness" of the chakras—their ability to transcend time and space, alert us to psychic information, and evolve us spiritually. Quantum physics also explains why subtle energy structures such as chakras connect us to one another across distances. According to quantum theory, a particle can sense the activity of another particle close to it or millions of light-years away. 2 The nature of this interconnectivity has led quantum physicists to call all of reality nonlocal, or unbound within time and space, rather than local, or only located in one place. The ultimate implication of nonlocality is that everyone and everything is inseparable. We exist within an ocean of oneness. There is no distinction between communicator and recipient. We play a dualistic role of observing our own actions and participating in them. And a vortex—one of the definitions of a chakra—has a nonlocal origin and expression, even though it can be, at one level, located in time and space. 3 Because of nonlocality, a chakra can be both here and everywhere at the same time. Nonlocality also explains why some chakra systems present dozens, if not hundreds, of chakras. CHAKRAS AS PART OF A GREATER FAMILY As powerful and transformative as they are, chakras function within an even greater subtle anatomy. One partner set is the energy channels, or riverways of subtle energy. These are known as meridians in traditional Chinese medicine and nadis in traditional Indian medicine. Among the thousands of meridians and hundreds of thousands of nadis, there are 14 main meridians and 14 main nadis. This has led some to theorize that meridians and nadis are equivalent; others insist they are different systems. Also associated with the chakras are energetic fields, which include the human auric field. Every auric layer is partnered with a chakra, and together they exchange energy inside and outside of the body. However, there are thousands, if not millions, of other energetic fields that affect our chakras. These include the seven rays, made famous by several esoteric circles. We are truly made of field upon field of oscillating energy, our own swirling dramas interacting with those of others. And while the famous chakra might like to portray itself as a solo act, there are dozens of other subtle energy bodies composing the self. These often function as various planes of reality as well as energetic fields. Ultimately, the message of the chakra is this: we are each a mini-universe, a beautifully choreographed composite of subtle structures. Whether we call them bodies, energy layers, channels, tubules, or any other name, each constellation points us toward the heavens, our birthplace. FEATURED CHAKRA SYSTEM: THE YORUBA CHAKRA SYSTEM Peel back the layers of time and travel deep into the African continent, and you will meet the practitioners of the Yoruba religion, originally developed among the people of Nigeria and Benin. Yoruba religious principles also apply to a medicine as comprehensive C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 105