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The Wisdom of the Chakras: Tools for Navigating the Complexity of Life
Some people are extremely bright yet emotionally crippled. Others are very loving, yet their daily lives are chaotic. Many have great faith but little clarity, while others are creative but stymied by a lack of confidence. Why are people so lopsided in their development? Why do some of us feel love but find ourselves unable to express it? Why do some of us commit ourselves to an endeavor "from the heart" only to become disenchanted? Why do some of us feel confident and powerful within ourselves, yet become frightened when we try to realize our potential? Answers to such questions may be found in the chakra system, the seven ethereal centers that both reflect and influence the qualities of our nature. Some twenty years ago, the author―a clairvoyant from youth―began her examination of the chakra system to explain the imbalances so prevalent in people today and found that it does much more. In addition to correcting imbalances that prevent us from reaching our aspirations in life, the chakras also help us realize the spiritual beings we truly are already.
- GenresSelf Help
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2010
20 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 13, 2020
Simple but ordered, makes it easy to skip around the second time reading and focus on what points you need to strengthen. This helps with a basic understanding of the chakras if you're newer to this spirituality.
January 9, 2024
I’m a little over halfway and already love it so much. It pertains to reiki & the energy body in a way that really resonates with me. Incredible read tonight focused on living in the solar plexus and if it’s enlarged and flooding to other chakras how that can impact SO SO much
May 7, 2025
I found this book very informative about the chakras. However, I do think at some times the authors spirituality was a bit much for me. I’d be curious to how she came to know her past life as well as her daughters, and why no one is ever just a regular guy in the past life.
January 5, 2013
The whole book can be boiled down to being inspired via the crown chakra, concentrate and focus via the 3rd eye chakra, and execution of ideas via the base chakra. Although I liked her spiritual approach that can blend into any belief system, I still appreciate organized religion as the "base chakra" to place form into her teachings.
Tadd defines spirt as the immutable part of our being that unites us with to God via the Holy Spirit. Each spirit consists of individual souls that contains the spirit. The soul is the accumalation of past lives experiences. Also, personality is the accumalation of our material experiences. According to Tadd, the personality and the soul clouds the spirit. In order to be totally happy and at peace we must allow the spirt to shine through. The question is if the point is to show our spirit all the time; what is the point of individualism? Perhaps in a metaphysical way all she is saying is the Pauline principle of "we are many parts but we are all one body in Christ."
Tadd challenges us to concentrate on our weakness in order to unite us with all humanities struggles.
CROWN CHAKRA:
She describes the crown chakra as one rooted in spirituality. She describes how the crown chakra can be opened through inspiration and/or having devotion to God and others. A signal of an open crown chakra is a feeling of open expansiveness. Tadd states that meditation opens the Crown Chakra to allow the spiritual realm to infect our daily lives. She states that closed Chakra comes from the material world such as social conditioning or overreliance of intellectual world. She states the perfect balance is having both intrinsic wisdom and an intellectual brain.
She notes 3 components the block the Crown Chakra namely:
1) A feeling of inadequacy that stems from identifying oneself with one's behavior instead of one's core.
2) A feeling of being unsafe stems from our identification in our temporal body and not realizing that we are spiritual beings.
3) Anger at other people's ignorance.
3RD EYE CHAKRA:
The 3rd eye chakra uses discernment to create an idea of action. Discernment causes us to empathize with otherss thus creating win/win situation. At its core, the 3rd eye Chakra allows us to be in flow by mastering a skill that you want to have and love to be doing.
CHAKRA: THROAT
Tadd cites that the throat chakra deals with inner self-esteem/confidence and manifest itself in spoken word. To strengthen it, one has to say daily positive affirmation that has meaning to the reciter or visualize something positive in ones life. She says that a person who has this chakra balanced can take both praise and criticism as necessary to ones growth as an individual. She states that perseverance is the quickest way to turn this Chakra into a habit.
CHAKRA: HEART
When the Heart Chakra is working properly, it stimulates love in the appreciation for life while supporting the growth process of our spiritual identity. Tadd separates the heart chakra into the inner which the desire to love and the outer which expresses that love. Tadd states that heart chakra can be blocked by hurt and disappointment influenced by external markers for success and competition. The chakra can also be blocked when one gets attached to outcome from any given action.
Tadd states connecting the heart chakra to 3rd eye chakra brings clarity to the chakra and thus forgiveness can occur. 3rd chakra can allow one to be objective about the outcome and thus not get hurt. It also allows people to turn any negative experience into a learning experience.
CHAKRA: SOLAR PLEXUS
Tadd defines spirt as the immutable part of our being that unites us with to God via the Holy Spirit. Each spirit consists of individual souls that contains the spirit. The soul is the accumalation of past lives experiences. Also, personality is the accumalation of our material experiences. According to Tadd, the personality and the soul clouds the spirit. In order to be totally happy and at peace we must allow the spirt to shine through. The question is if the point is to show our spirit all the time; what is the point of individualism? Perhaps in a metaphysical way all she is saying is the Pauline principle of "we are many parts but we are all one body in Christ."
Tadd challenges us to concentrate on our weakness in order to unite us with all humanities struggles.
CROWN CHAKRA:
She describes the crown chakra as one rooted in spirituality. She describes how the crown chakra can be opened through inspiration and/or having devotion to God and others. A signal of an open crown chakra is a feeling of open expansiveness. Tadd states that meditation opens the Crown Chakra to allow the spiritual realm to infect our daily lives. She states that closed Chakra comes from the material world such as social conditioning or overreliance of intellectual world. She states the perfect balance is having both intrinsic wisdom and an intellectual brain.
She notes 3 components the block the Crown Chakra namely:
1) A feeling of inadequacy that stems from identifying oneself with one's behavior instead of one's core.
2) A feeling of being unsafe stems from our identification in our temporal body and not realizing that we are spiritual beings.
3) Anger at other people's ignorance.
3RD EYE CHAKRA:
The 3rd eye chakra uses discernment to create an idea of action. Discernment causes us to empathize with otherss thus creating win/win situation. At its core, the 3rd eye Chakra allows us to be in flow by mastering a skill that you want to have and love to be doing.
CHAKRA: THROAT
Tadd cites that the throat chakra deals with inner self-esteem/confidence and manifest itself in spoken word. To strengthen it, one has to say daily positive affirmation that has meaning to the reciter or visualize something positive in ones life. She says that a person who has this chakra balanced can take both praise and criticism as necessary to ones growth as an individual. She states that perseverance is the quickest way to turn this Chakra into a habit.
CHAKRA: HEART
When the Heart Chakra is working properly, it stimulates love in the appreciation for life while supporting the growth process of our spiritual identity. Tadd separates the heart chakra into the inner which the desire to love and the outer which expresses that love. Tadd states that heart chakra can be blocked by hurt and disappointment influenced by external markers for success and competition. The chakra can also be blocked when one gets attached to outcome from any given action.
Tadd states connecting the heart chakra to 3rd eye chakra brings clarity to the chakra and thus forgiveness can occur. 3rd chakra can allow one to be objective about the outcome and thus not get hurt. It also allows people to turn any negative experience into a learning experience.
CHAKRA: SOLAR PLEXUS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2010
Lantern Books offered me the opportunity to read and review The Wisdom of the Chakras by Ellen Tadd which I graciously accepted. I started reading it, got about halfway through and noticed I had so many post-its sticking out of my book, that I might as well start over with a highlighter. So, I did.
The book is filled with insights on how the chakra system affects our thoughts, words and actions; and how we can use simple practices to create harmony and balance in our daily life.
I have read quite a few books on the chakra system and this book is very unique. This book is written with all levels of experience with the chakra system in mind; through experience not just information. This style of writing makes balancing the chakras more attainable to those just starting their meditation practice as well as beneficial for those with a deeper practice. It is also beneficial to those who have no attachments spiritually and are just looking for ways to divert their focus from everyday challenges and struggles.
Ellen Tadd wrote the book in reverse, starting with the Crown Chakra, whereas most start with the Root. Tadd reasons that, "Starting from the base, we must do all the work ourselves. When the crown is open and functioning well, we connect to spirit, and we become aware that we are never alone in the process of growth and transformation." This ideal is a wonderful way to visualize and open the chakras.
A Must Read!! I recommend this book to everyone.
The book is filled with insights on how the chakra system affects our thoughts, words and actions; and how we can use simple practices to create harmony and balance in our daily life.
I have read quite a few books on the chakra system and this book is very unique. This book is written with all levels of experience with the chakra system in mind; through experience not just information. This style of writing makes balancing the chakras more attainable to those just starting their meditation practice as well as beneficial for those with a deeper practice. It is also beneficial to those who have no attachments spiritually and are just looking for ways to divert their focus from everyday challenges and struggles.
Ellen Tadd wrote the book in reverse, starting with the Crown Chakra, whereas most start with the Root. Tadd reasons that, "Starting from the base, we must do all the work ourselves. When the crown is open and functioning well, we connect to spirit, and we become aware that we are never alone in the process of growth and transformation." This ideal is a wonderful way to visualize and open the chakras.
A Must Read!! I recommend this book to everyone.
October 25, 2010
Over the years, I have read quite a few books and descriptions about the chakras. Except for a few new tidbits or useful variations on chakra balancing techniques, most are pretty repetitive. The Wisdom of the Chakras, of course, does include all of this expected material.
With this said, The Wisdom of the Chakras has a slightly different perspective which I found very interesting. Most books about chakras tend to take a base to crown approach, working up from the base to strengthen each chakra in turn. However, in this book the author works from the crown downwards.
By moving backwards, it allows the author to address certain interactions between chakras. This was the part I found most fascinating, particularly on the interactions with the third eye. The author calls the third eye the “kingpin”. This chakra is in charge of discernment which makes all the difference between healthy sustainable choices and a chaotic life filled with good intentions that just never seem to go anywhere. It’s an entirely different perspective that could be quite useful for those needing clarity and a fresh approach.
With this said, The Wisdom of the Chakras has a slightly different perspective which I found very interesting. Most books about chakras tend to take a base to crown approach, working up from the base to strengthen each chakra in turn. However, in this book the author works from the crown downwards.
By moving backwards, it allows the author to address certain interactions between chakras. This was the part I found most fascinating, particularly on the interactions with the third eye. The author calls the third eye the “kingpin”. This chakra is in charge of discernment which makes all the difference between healthy sustainable choices and a chaotic life filled with good intentions that just never seem to go anywhere. It’s an entirely different perspective that could be quite useful for those needing clarity and a fresh approach.
July 29, 2016
This was a required reading for a course of mine freshman year, but I found it's a great tool for relaxation, focus, reflection and peace of mind. It's a quick read in easy-to-follow and relatable terms. If you need help lifting your mood or organizing your life or you just need to spend more time with yourself, I really recommend it!
August 18, 2024
Some parts of this book were life changing, but there were some inconsistencies with other chakra books on the colors and names of a few chakras.
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May 1, 2017This little book by someone I hadn't heard of was quite a surprise.
I've bookmarked practically the entire book.
I've bookmarked practically the entire book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews