Taking a redemptive posture doesn’t always mean reclaiming whatever needs redeeming. It can also mean redirecting to a Kingdom truth. With chakras I am not proposing that we study them and embrace them as good. What I am proposing is that we take a redemptive posture as Paul did at Mars Hill.
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.” Acts 17:22-23 NASB
Paul didn’t call them a bunch of pagan idol worshippers and warn everyone to avoid them. He recognized their religious fervor and redirected it to the truth.
When you hear someone talk about chakras, what’s your immediate reaction? Do you make clear you don’t believe in chakras and put distance between you and that person? Do you write them off as New Age or a heretic?
What if instead we could hold firmly to our beliefs without being afraid of those who hold different beliefs, and even use it as an opportunity to share the gospel?
People who are concerned about their chakras care deeply about health and wanting to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.
Nothing about those desires is unbiblical, in fact 1 Thessalonians 5:23 supports the idea that physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health is exactly what God desires for us.
So when you hear someone talk about chakras, think about how Paul would respond — “I see that you care deeply about holistic health, can I share what I have found to be helpful for healing?” Knowing a little bit about chakras and their Kingdom counterparts will help with that conversation.
What are Chakras?
Chakras are generally understood to be centers of energy in the body. Each chakra has specific emotions and functions associated with it.
Those who believe in them seek to achieve physical, emotional, and spiritual health by having a healthy flow of energy between chakras. When that flow is not healthy a chakra is said to be “blocked” and physical or spiritual practices are used to “open” the chakra.
It’s important to note that when energy is talked about with chakras is it a metaphysical, spiritual energy, not a literal electric current as with meridian lines.
You will hear some people compare chakras and meridian lines and say they are connected, but they are not the same. One theory on chakras is that they are centers in the body where multiple meridian lines cross, and that very well could be true. However, we have scientific evidence of the meridian system and how it works and the same cannot be said for chakras.
The seven chakras are the: crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root. Each chakra has a set of needs associated with it. When those needs are not being met the chakra is said to be blocked or out of balance.
Each chakra also has a color associated with it that is supposed to symbolize the energy of the chakra.
The Seven Chakras
Crown: highest chakra, represents spiritual connection, center of consciousness
Third Eye: knowledge, thinking, imagination
Throat: communication, self-expression, truth
Heart: love, compassion, joy, relationships
Solar Plexus: confidence, self-esteem, decisiveness
Sacral: well-being, pleasure, identity
Root: safety, basic survival needs, provision
Knowing the basics to understand what someone means when they say their throat chakra is blocked will help you engage them redemptively rather than than just rebuke and reject them.
Wouldn’t you rather have someone understand that you feel stuck in trying to communicate and express yourself and offer help instead of beating you up for the terminology you use?
Don’t get hung up on the fact they are using chakra language, learn to translate.
Missing Puzzle Pieces
It’s often said that we all have a God shaped hole inside of us that only God can fill. That doesn’t stop people from trying to fill those holes with whatever they can find though. All of the needs listed above for each chakra are legitimate needs every human experiences.
Instead of viewing those needs as chakras, think of them as missing puzzle pieces within every person.
Each of us tries our best to fill that missing space with whatever puzzle piece we can find that seems to fit. The key is to have another puzzle piece to offer them.
Seven Spirits of God
Scripture is full of significant groupings of seven: days of creation, colors of the rainbow, armed lamp stands, seals, stars, and Spirits of God. Just as the trinity is 3 in 1, the Holy Spirit carries 7 in 1.
The Seven Spirits of God are mentioned directly in Isaiah 11:2-3 and in Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; and 5:6 and each spirit is evident independently throughout scripture as well.
Seven Spirits of God
The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord: Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
The Spirit of Knowledge: Intimate knowing of who God is and his ways, having the mind of Christ 1 Corinthians 2:16
The Spirit of Might: 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (NKJV) The Spirit of Might is not fearful but is powerful from a rightful place of authority.
The Spirit of Counsel: Scripture speaks often of Holy Spirit as our counselor, helper, comforter, and guide. Under his counsel we can live joyfully and at peace in our relationships. (Acts 9:31)
The Spirit of Understanding: Colossians 1:9 talks of knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is experiential and a personal experience of truth. Understanding is the clarity to know what that experience means and how to teach that truth to others.
The Spirit of Wisdom: In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prays that we would be filled with the Spirit of Wisdom so that we may know the Lord better. James 3:13-18 explains what that Spirit of Wisdom looks like in our lives — purity, mercy, good fruits, and an identity of peace.
The Spirit of the Lord: This spirit is mentioned all throughout scripture and has many functions: he gives rest, rests upon people, speaks through people, empowers, and anoints. 2 Corinthians 3:17 also tells us that freedom and liberty are found with the Spirit of the Lord.
Redeemed Conclusions
Each of these spirits fulfill the needs that chakras describe. The issue isn’t with the need itself, it’s with the source we seek to fulfill it. The Holy Spirit in these seven expressions is totally sufficient to meet our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
As we press into deeper understanding and experience of the Seven Spirits of God we will naturally carry the solutions to the needs of people around us.
This chart will help you remember which of the Seven Spirits of God most directly correlates to each chakras so that you may more redemptively engage with those that believe in chakras.
Bonus Thoughts
I won’t be going in to detail on the Seven Mountains or the Redemptive Gifts in this post, but this chart I’ve compiled of some other sevens that may be helpful to those that are familiar with those teachings.
Redemptive Postures Series
This post is the tenth in a monthly series. The heart of redemptive postures is that God created everything and said it was good. Redemptive postures looks at various health and wellness topics that Christians have concerns about and seeks to find what if any of those topics can be brought back to the good God originally intended for them.
Click here to read the rest of the series. Subscribe to the newsletter below to join the Shelemah tribe and have new posts in the series emailed to you. You’ll also get exclusive access to the free resource library.