Chakras – what they are and why they continue to fascinate people after thousands of years

There are moments when the body seems to be just a body: bones, muscles, organs, breath. An extraordinarily complex biological structure that allows us to live, move, feel, and interact with the world.

And there are moments when the body becomes more than that. It becomes a map: a map of how we learned to love, a map of how we survived, a map of the fears we carry, the dreams we follow, and the stories we inherit.

For thousands of years, people have tried to understand this mysterious relationship between the body, emotions, consciousness, and what we call—lacking a better word—spirit.

Many models have emerged: the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine, the sefirotic tree of the Kabbalah, the subtle bodies of various spiritual traditions, and the chakra system.

Chakras represent one of the most well‑known and widespread maps of the human being. They are not the only map. They are not a universally accepted explanation of reality. But they are one of humanity’s most persistent attempts to describe the way life seems to organize itself within us.

In yogic traditions, chakras are described as subtle centers of energy and consciousness. In modern psychology, they have been interpreted as symbolic images of inner development. In many contemporary schools of personal development and energy work, they are seen as meeting points between body, emotions, and human experience. And in recent decades, they have become part of a global language that tries to speak about transformation, meaning, and inner evolution.

But perhaps before asking what chakras are, it is worth asking something else: why do we continue to need such maps?

When the need for a map appears

Very few people look for information about chakras out of pure intellectual curiosity. Most of the time, the search begins at a moment when something can no longer be explained through logic alone.

Sometimes it is a relationship that repeats itself again and again. Other times it is a fear that returns, even when external circumstances have changed. Sometimes it is the feeling that you have done everything you were supposed to do, and yet a part of you still feels stuck.

Maybe you have read books. Maybe you have taken courses. Maybe you have gone to therapy. Maybe you have tried to understand. And still, a question remains: what is truly happening inside me?

In such moments, people look for maps. Not because the map is the territory. But because a map offers orientation when the path is unclear.

For some people, this map is psychology. For others, spirituality. For others, contemplative practices. For others, the body.

Chakras have become, for millions of people, one of these maps. Not because they offer all the answers, but because they offer a language through which inner experiences can be explored.

Perhaps when we speak about the root, we are not only speaking about energy. Perhaps we are speaking about safety, belonging, the right to exist.

Perhaps when we speak about the heart, we are not only speaking about a subtle center. Perhaps we are speaking about the capacity to love and to receive love.

Perhaps when we speak about the throat, we are not only speaking about vibration. Perhaps we are speaking about truth, voice, all the words that were never spoken.

For this reason, chakras have survived the centuries. Because regardless of the interpretation, they continue to speak about deeply human experiences.

The yogic tradition – chakras as steps of consciousness

The origin of the chakra concept lies in the spiritual traditions of India. The Sanskrit word chakra means “wheel,” “disc,” or “circle.”

In tantric and yogic texts, chakras are described as subtle centers where vital energy, called prana, organizes and circulates.

It is important to understand that the modern system of seven chakras did not always exist in the form we know today. Ancient texts do not describe the same model. Some traditions spoke of five centers. Others of six. Others of much more complex structures.

Among the most influential texts are:

• Shiva Samhita
• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Sat-Chakra-Nirupana

These works describe chakras as meeting points between the physical body and the subtle dimensions of existence.

In this view, the body is not just matter. It is a temple. A space in which consciousness can evolve.

Muladhara, the root chakra, is associated with earth and stability. Svadhisthana with water and creativity. Manipura with fire and will. Anahata with air and love. Vishuddha with expression and ether. Ajna with perception. Sahasrara with the transcendence of individual limits.

For yogic traditions, these centers were not mere psychological concepts. They were part of a complex cosmology that tried to explain the relationship between body, universe, and consciousness.

“What is in the universe exists also in the body,” many yogic texts affirm. The human being was seen as a microcosm reflecting the order of the entire creation.

From tantric texts to the seven colored chakras

When people speak today about chakras, the image that appears almost instantly is that of seven colored centers arranged along the spine.

Red for the root. Orange for the sacral. Yellow for the solar plexus. Green for the heart. Blue for the throat. Indigo for the third eye. Violet for the crown.

For many, this image seems ancient, as if it comes directly from classical India. And yet, the history is more complex.

The original tantric and yogic texts do not describe a universal system of seven colored chakras. In fact, many of the associations we consider “traditional” today are the result of an evolution that continued into the 20th century. What we call the “classic seven‑chakra system” is, in many ways, the result of the meeting between India, Western esotericism, and modern spirituality.

This does not make them less valuable. But it helps us understand that maps evolve—just like the people who use them.

The Theosophical Society – the bridge between East and West

At the end of the 19th century, Europe and America were experiencing a wave of fascination with the spiritual traditions of the East. In this context, the Theosophical Society emerged, founded in 1875 by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, and William Quan Judge.

The goal was ambitious: to explore the universal wisdom underlying all spiritual traditions.

Blavatsky was one of the first to bring concepts such as karma, reincarnation, subtle bodies, and yogic teachings to the Western public. Although her descriptions did not always match the original Indian sources, her influence on modern spirituality was enormous.

For the first time, ideas that had circulated in small circles began to reach the general public. And chakras began to be reinterpreted through a new lens.

Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater – the birth of the modern chakra image

If Blavatsky opened the door, Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater were the ones who shaped the modern Western image of chakras.

In 1927, Leadbeater published The ChakrasThe book would influence almost all later Western representations.

For the first time, chakras were described in detail as energetic structures with specific shapes, colors, and functions. Many of the images we see today in books, online, or in wellness centers originate directly or indirectly from this work.

Here appear:

• the colored representations
• the descriptions of petals
• the idea of spiritual evolution through chakras
• the relationship between chakras and subtle bodies

Historically, it is important to understand that these descriptions are not identical to those in medieval tantric texts. They represent a Western reinterpretation—a synthesis, a new map built from older maps.

Alice Bailey and the expansion of energetic architecture

In the first half of the 20th century, Alice Bailey continued this development. In her works, chakras were integrated into a much broader cosmology.

Concepts such as:

• planetary centers
• the evolution of the soul
• cosmic energies
• spiritual rays
• collective consciousness

In this stage, chakras ceased to be only individual centers. They became part of a universal architecture.

Many ideas circulating today in New Age literature have their roots here:

• the light body
• activation of spiritual DNA
• higher centers
• new chakras
• planetary consciousness

All of these are relatively recent developments in the long history of the concept.

What anthropology says about chakras

When looking at the history of chakras, it is easy to fall into two extremes: either to consider them absolute truths, or to reject them entirely.

Anthropology proposes a third perspective: to observe how different cultures have built models to understand human experience.

Historian of religions Mircea Eliade was one of the scholars who studied yogic traditions in depth. In works such as Yoga: Immortality and Freedom, he describes yoga not merely as a set of exercises, but as a spiritual technology.

For Eliade, the body was not an obstacle to transformation. It was the very instrument of transformation. Within this perspective, the chakras appeared as part of a sacred geography of the body—not simply abstract concepts, but landmarks within a process of transforming consciousness.

Anthropologist Geoffrey Samuel has shown that tantric traditions evolved within complex cultural and historical contexts. They did not emerge from a single source, nor did they remain unchanged over time. Like any living system, they were shaped by the eras, cultures, and communities that transmitted them from one generation to the next.

Gavin Flood emphasized that Hinduism is not a single, uniform system. There are many schools, traditions, and interpretations. Therefore, the idea of a single “true” version of chakras does not reflect historical reality.

Joseph Alter studied the transformation of yoga in the modern era. He observed how traditional practices were reinterpreted through the lenses of medicine, psychology, and contemporary culture. In a sense, the modern story of chakras is part of this transformation.

What science says about chakras

One of the most common questions is: are there scientific proofs for chakras?

The short answer is: there is currently no scientific consensus confirming the existence of chakras as distinct and measurable energetic structures. There are no validated instruments capable of identifying a chakra in the same way that we can measure the electrical activity of the heart or the functioning of the brain.

From this perspective, chakras are not recognized as anatomical entities. And yet, the story does not end here. Many experiences associated with chakras are real and observable:

Psychology studies the relationship between emotions and the body. Neuroscience explores how emotional experiences influence the nervous system. Research on interoception examines the ways in which we perceive and interpret the body's internal states.

Trauma is now studied not only through its psychological effects, but also through the ways it manifests in the body.

Thus, even if the language of chakras does not belong to modern science, many of the experiences described through this language have correspondences in contemporary research on the body and consciousness.

Perhaps the question is not whether chakras exist anatomically. Perhaps the question is whether they describe something people continue to experience.

Where do we encounter chakras in direct experience?

We may never see a chakra under a microscope. But almost everyone has lived experiences associated with these centers.

The lump in your throat before speaking an important truth. The sinking feeling in your stomach when you receive difficult news. The pressure in your chest after a loss. The sense of expansion in your heart when you feel deeply connected to someone.

These experiences do not prove chakras exist. But they show something essential: the body and consciousness do not function separately.

When we are afraid, the body knows. When we love, the body knows. When we hide our truth, the body knows.

Perhaps from this simple observation all these maps were born.

How I came to work with chakras in constellations

The model used today in multidimensional constellations did not begin in a single school or moment. It formed gradually, at the intersection of many influences: family constellations, psychogenealogy, bodywork, IFS, breathwork, classical chakra models, and contemporary approaches to subtle bodies.

A significant influence was the nine‑chakra model proposed by Matías De Stefano, which introduces two additional centers: the feet and the knees. This model resonated deeply with what appears in constellations: direction and ancestral belonging often emerge before any other theme.

Thus, the system used today is not a faithful reproduction of a single tradition. It is a synthesis—a map built from experience, study, and direct observation.

Extended models – from 7 to 9, 12, or 13 chakras

As the concept of the chakra continued to evolve, new models emerged that extended beyond the classical system of seven centers.

For some authors, this extension represents a deepening of old traditions. For others, it is the result of new ways in which people try to understand the relationship between body, consciousness and the collective field.

Today there are systems that work with nine, twelve, thirteen or even more chakras. Some include centers located below the level of the body, related to roots, belonging and the relationship with the Earth. Others include centers located above the head, associated with the transpersonal dimensions of experience.

One of the models that has inspired me in a special way is the one proposed by Matías De Stefano. In this approach, two additional centers appear: the feet and the knees. At first glance it may seem surprising. And yet, when we look at human experience through the lens of constellations, this extension begins to make sense.

Because before talking about love, expression or spiritual consciousness, there are two fundamental questions: Do I have permission to walk my path? And do I feel supported by those who came before me?

The feet speak about direction, about walking, about the capacity to move forward in life. The knees speak about the relationship with the past, about flexibility, about support, about the way we carry the ancestral line within us.

In many systemic processes, these themes appear before any other exploration. Perhaps that is why, for certain people, the nine‑chakra model offers a map that reflects their direct experience better.

But maybe the important question is not how many chakras exist. Maybe the question is what each model is trying to describe. Because each map places the emphasis on something different.

Some on spiritual evolution. Others on psychology. Others on the body. Others on the relationship with the family system. And all of them try, in their own way, to speak about the same human search.

Chakras in multidimensional constellations – a living map of the field

In multidimensional constellations, chakras do not appear as energetic objects that must be repaired. They appear as relationships, as voices, as expressions of some deep aspects of human experience.

In this approach, each center can become a representative in the field, can speak, can feel, can express a hidden dynamic, can show a story that has not yet been seen.

• The feet can speak about the direction of life, about the place where the person stops, about the path they have not yet allowed themselves to follow.
• The knees can speak about ancestral support, about the relationship with those who came before, about the difficulty of receiving what the system is trying to offer.
• The root can express safety or its absence.
• The sacral can express the way closeness and intimacy have been lived.
• The plexus can express the relationship with power.
• The heart can express the capacity to remain connected without losing oneself.
• The throat can express unspoken truths.
• The forehead can express the way meaning is constructed.
• The crown can express the relationship with something greater than the individual story.

Over time I have observed that when these centers are represented in the field, they do not always follow the theories. They follow experience.

• Sometimes the root does not speak about safety, it speaks about grief.
• Other times the heart does not speak about love, it speaks about boundaries.
• Sometimes the throat does not speak about expression, it speaks about loyalty.

This is one of the reasons why I do not use chakras as fixed formulas. I use them as meeting points. As invitations to exploration. As doors that can open different stories for different people.

In this perspective, integration does not appear because we have applied the correct theory. Integration appears when something important can be seen. Can be acknowledged. Can be included.

A map that is rewritten in every era

If we look at all these perspectives together, we notice something fascinating.

Chakras have never remained unchanged. They have crossed centuries. They have crossed continents. They have crossed religions, philosophies and systems of thought. And each time they have been reinterpreted.

In yogic traditions they were centers of awakening. In Western esotericism they became organs of spiritual perception. In psychology they became archetypes. In energy therapies they became instruments of transformation. In New Age movements they became architectures of the light body. In contemporary approaches they became bridges between body, emotions, psyche and field.

Maybe some see in this evolution a problem. Maybe others see it as proof that the system has lost its original form.

But there is another perspective. Maybe it is precisely the capacity to transform that explains why chakras continue to be relevant.

Because people change. Cultures change. Languages change.

And the maps that survive are those that manage to speak to each generation in a new way.

Maybe none of these versions holds the absolute truth. Maybe each captures only a part of a larger mystery.

Chakras as a map of light – a synthesis

If we were to reduce all these perspectives to a single idea, perhaps it would be this: chakras are an attempt to describe the way human experience organizes itself within us.

They try to speak about the relationship between body and consciousness, between instinct and meaning, between belonging and freedom, between past and becoming.

Maybe the question is not whether chakras exist. Maybe the question is what people have been trying to understand through them for thousands of years.

How fear transforms into courage. How separation transforms into connection. How suffering transforms into understanding. How experience transforms into consciousness. And how a life comes to become a coherent story.

At present there is no scientific consensus that confirms the existence of chakras as distinct energetic structures. And yet, people continue to use this language.

They continue to speak about roots, heart, voice, vision and meaning.

Perhaps because these words describe something that does not cease to exist simply because it cannot be measured. Perhaps because they point to experiences we all recognize.

The feeling of being safe—or unsafe. The capacity to love. The courage to speak the truth. The need to belong. The search for meaning.

Maybe the beauty of chakras does not lie in the fact that they offer definitive answers. Maybe their beauty lies in the fact that they invite us to ask questions. And sometimes, a deep question can transform a life more than an answer.

“We are not human beings having spiritual experiences. We are spiritual beings having human experiences,”wrote Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Maybe, regardless of the language we use, chakras represent one of the places where these two worlds meet.

The place where the body becomes story. And the story becomes light.

Frequently asked questions

What are chakras?

Chakras are energy centers described in the yogic and tantric traditions of India. Depending on the perspective, they can be seen as points of organization of vital energy, as symbols of the development of consciousness or as maps that describe the relationship between body, emotions and human experience.

Is there scientific evidence for chakras?

At present there is no scientific consensus that confirms the existence of chakras as distinct and measurable energetic structures. However, many of the experiences associated with chakras—such as the relationship between emotions and the body, the reactions of the nervous system or the awareness of internal states—are studied by psychology, neuroscience and research on the mind‑body relationship.

Why are there systems with 7, 9, 12 or more chakras?

There has never been a single universal tradition of chakras. Different yogic, tantric, esoteric and contemporary schools have developed different models. Some work with seven main centers, others include additional centers related to the ancestral, spiritual or transpersonal dimension.

Are chakras part of Hinduism?

The origin of the concept lies in the spiritual traditions of India, especially in certain yogic and tantric currents. However, over the last two centuries, the idea of chakras has been taken up and reinterpreted by numerous Western, psychological and spiritual schools.

What is the connection between chakras and psychology?

Carl Gustav Jung interpreted chakras as symbolic images of the development of consciousness and of the individuation process. In many contemporary approaches, they are used as metaphors for different dimensions of human experience: safety, relating, personal power, expression, meaning and connection.

What does a “blockage” in a chakra mean?

The term is frequently used in contemporary literature, but there is no universally accepted definition. In many approaches, a “blockage” describes repeated difficulties in a certain area of life or emotional experience. In others, it is seen as a metaphor for tensions, conflicts or aspects that need attention and integration.

How are chakras used in multidimensional constellations?

In this approach, chakras are not treated only as energy centers, but as representations of fundamental themes of human experience. They can be explored through representatives in the field, just as relationships, emotions, family loyalties or different aspects of the self are explored.

Is it necessary to believe in chakras in order to work with them?

Not necessarily. Some people perceive them as energetic realities, others as psychological symbols, and others as tools for inner reflection. The value of a map does not always depend on how we explain it, but also on its capacity to help us explore human experience.

An invitation to exploration

Maybe after all these perspectives, the question is not whether the chakra system is perfect. Maybe the question is whether this map helps you understand something deeper about your own experience.

Maybe, for you, the root speaks about safety. Maybe the heart speaks about relationships. Maybe the throat speaks about truths that are still waiting to be spoken. Or maybe another part of this map is calling you to look more closely.

If you feel that certain themes from this article resonate with your own inner journey, they can be explored more deeply within multidimensional constellation sessions , where the body, emotions, personal history and the symbolic dimension of experience are seen as parts of the same whole.

Sometimes transformation does not begin when we find the right answer. Sometimes it begins when we have the courage to ask the right question.

If you feel there's room for more, I invite you to discover the systemic way I work — through circles, conversations, and spaces of reflection dedicated to the inner process. Explore the approach through circles or the take a first step to see what opens up for you.

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Chakras constellations - what do the energetic centers say about you