The past three decades has seen a substantial shift in
consciousness in Western Civilisation, and it's continuing to grow. This
shift is termed 'New-Age,' and although it is not entirely accurate, it
is appropriate.
The reason it is not entirely accurate, is due to the fact that most of
the beliefs that make up the new-age core, are all ancient - having derived
from beliefs which existed in many different civilisations, thousands of
years prior to where we are now, such as; Aztec, Mayan, American Indian,
Asia-Minor Indians, Celtic, etc. Yet, the appropriateness of the term, new-age,
stems from the fact that we have embraced not just one of these beliefs,
but aspects of all.
The main lore of all ancient and new-age beliefs stems from one central
core:
There are many ways in which to achieve this harmony, the
most common and widely known is meditation. Through the practice of meditation
a calmness of being is experienced, which gently transposes you from feelings
of negativity and a sense of being out of control, to placing you within
a balanced state of existence.
This gradual change begins a cycle of subtle shifts under the surface of
awareness, bringing contentment due to feeling more in tune with life. Unfortunately,
being unaware of what is actually happening, makes it very easy to slip
back into an out of balance state, and a lack of understanding can once
again, lead to a state of negativity.
To ensure this does not happen, knowledge needs to be gained into what is
under the surface - our chakra system.
The chakras are the energy centres of the body, and are
located at specific points throughout. This energy system is such, that
once the major chakras are brought into alignment, the minor chakras follow
suit.
The number of chakras will alter depending upon which text is read, however,
all ancient texts agree that there are seven major chakras.