How does one become a philosopher? Very simply: take some meaningless thesis, say, «Anarchy is the mother of order», add «and daughter», and you are already a spontaneous dialectician.

Podvodniy. "Selected Aphorisms".

Chakras

We have discussed the division of the energy flow into seven broad bands corresponding to the bodies (atmanic, buddhic, and so on), and within each body—into seven levels, referred to as chakras. Each person (as well as society as a whole, and any group of people—family, factory collective, country, ethnicity) exists at a certain evolutionary level, which is characterized by a chakra or, more precisely, a triad: level-plan-sublevel. As development occurs, this refined level changes—it generally increases, but sometimes decreases for a period.

Chakras open up, meaning they become capable of allowing a strong energy flow to pass through, as a person evolves. Nevertheless, even the least developed homo sapiens have all of them slightly open, and at certain moments in their lives, they can open quite significantly. A developed person differs from an undeveloped one by a certain average degree of chakra opening, while a harmonious person differs from a disharmonious one by the uniformity of their openings and the absence of damage caused by the energy flow, which makes the chakra vortex-like. During evolutionary leaps, unprepared chakras open almost forcibly, like a flower from an unripe bud, and although they may allow a strong flow for some time, it is difficult for the person to maintain it due to the strong disharmonious effects of their external and internal lives that accompany the turbulence of this flow. Falling back to their original level or close to it, a person experiences mixed feelings of disappointment and relief: after all, that life was not meant for them. This is how a former department head feels when an administrative wave carries them to the position of deputy minister, only to throw them back into their native institute.

It is not entirely correct to speak of chakra opening in general. First, it is necessary to specify the particular body of the person in question, since, for example, the mental Vishuddha and the physical Vishuddha can be developed in completely different ways (the perfection of thought and physical body rarely accompany each other in our time). Second, it is important to clarify whether the discussion concerns a level, plan, or sublevel, as Sahasrara, as a chakra of a certain body, may be poorly developed, while as a plan, for instance, of Svadhisthana, it may be open—popular religiosity serves as a vivid example of this.

In this nomenclature, there are 74 = 2401 possibilities, and the author, of course, cannot describe them all, especially since at any given moment, different chakras (as well as planes and subplanes) may be activated in a person across various bodies. Therefore, the number of (principally) possible energetic states is (73)7 = 3437 = 6 × 10^17, which is a number with seventeen zeros, incomprehensible to the mind.

It takes a great deal of wisdom to recognize and feel the specifics of the vibrations of the levels of one's bodies, and humility to accept the disharmony of these levels... and then visible evolutionary growth begins, compelling a person to adapt anew to new external and internal conditions and to seek within themselves new hidden possibilities and reserves, since the old ones will not suffice — and this realization must come in time, just as it must be understood that in new situations, which are very similar to the old ones, the old methods for some reason do not work, and it can be very difficult to come to terms with this, even simply to acknowledge it can be challenging.

Evolutionary Levels

Muladhara — the surviving person, whose main life background consists of the struggle for existence in the most literal sense. The environment surrounding them is so hostile that it poses a constant threat to life. This is the savage, the primitive man, the slave, the soldier, the convict. It is constantly activated, for example, in participants of a difficult expedition in natural conditions, where they have to procure food and ensure minimal living conditions with a certain level of stress. Thus, the joys of muladhara are a hard-earned dinner, a peaceful night after a tough day, hard-won money necessary for the most urgent needs, and safe living conditions for the family.

Svadhisthana — the living person. This means that the problem of survival has been resolved, and there is confidence in tomorrow for oneself and one’s family. Here, the surrounding environment is friendly, or, at least, does not pose a significant threat to life, and at the same time provides conditions for flourishing and reproduction — if there is desire and energy. It is active when a person (or people) emerges from poverty with its muladhara pathos (the highest happiness is a piece of cheese that suddenly falls from the sky, which can fill the eternally hungry belly, or the long-awaited bonus that can partially patch the gaping holes in the family budget), they enter the zone of prosperity with its completely different laws and problems. Now one can comfortably settle into the surrounding space, contentedly stating, “We are well settled!” Enjoy delicious food, having carefully studied the menu. After which, one can indulge in more questionable bodily pleasures. The ideal of a svadhisthana person is a home filled with abundance, a family with many children, and perhaps wives and concubines. Here, family and children play a very significant role: the family (especially sexual life) is a way to expand and embody one’s ego, and children are seen as a continuation of oneself in the future, that is, a guarantee of personal immortality.

Manipura — the controlling person. Here, the main life background is competition in strength with nature and peers. The nature that generously fed in svadhisthana must now be “conquered” and “controlled”; people who previously lived peacefully in a community suddenly become fierce and seek to dominate one another; intrigues aimed at gaining such power become the natural background of life in all its manifestations. A manipura person is a willful person in the ordinary sense of the term, meaning someone whose explicitly stated will is difficult to resist. Another key word for the energy of manipura is (direct) pressure, which is again a force that is almost physically felt. Manipura is the chakra of athletes (“sporting anger”), officials, and strict religious preachers who hammer faith into human souls with a whip. The celebration of manipura is the intoxication of a teacher with their power, strict discipline that has subjugated a class, a military parade with drilled troops, or a similar scene within a family, and any authoritative act within a compliant bureaucratic system. In general, as warm and, at first glance, “soulful” as svadhisthana is, manipura is harsh and cold — and yet its temptation, that is, the temptation of direct power over the world, is subtler and more dangerous than the temptation of luxurious idleness and lazy sexuality of svadhisthana.

Anahata — the loving person. Here, the main life background of a person is the inexpressible love that they feel directed toward them from everywhere. Of course, any events can occur against this backdrop, but the Divine light illuminating everything that happens never dims. This light comes from the person themselves, but for those at the level of manipura, it is somewhat cold (though, of course, pleasant) and diluted, as from their perspective, the highest love is best enjoyed in moderate quantities, like a delicate sauce for a roast. For the person of anahata, this light represents the foundation of life, and in its absence, they literally suffocate. Love for the world is the true content of all their actions and deeds, but at the level of anahata, it does not find clear expression, and to feel it, one must be appropriately attuned. Only then will its true power become apparent. The flow of anahata gives an inexpressible feeling of Divine presence, which can be experienced by a person as the elevated love of the world (or part of it) for them, but this is not obligatory. The light in the flows of anahata can manifest as a special vision of the subtle harmony of the world, or as an inexpressible secret knowledge, or as a feeling of hidden understanding of one’s life path, and in many other ways. The colors of the chakras traditionally follow the rainbow: muladhara — red, svadhisthana — orange, manipura — yellow, anahata — green, vishuddha — blue, sahasrara — violet. The green flows of anahata are cold; they create a sense of alienation of the person from the world, but also a tremendous potential power over it, as anahata is above manipura. They bring a person the joy of liberation from the dense shackles of the manifested world and a clear, albeit intuitively felt, connection with the subtle. At the same time, in anahata, the subtle world has not yet manifested in any forms. It seems to say, “I am the primal source, the cause, and the secret content of the visible world, but I am not it.” Therefore, the love of anahata people is always somewhat distant and alienated; it can be very effective but not personally warm. An anahata person sees God in another person but not in their immediate manifestations: suffering, problems, or whims. In other words, they clearly see and love the higher principle in people but not their worldly shells. Similarly, a person of anahata can see the high harmony standing behind the external world, but not finding adequate expression in it (in their perception), or the perfection of the intertwining of life’s vicissitudes of their acquaintances, but not their (acquaintances’) specific behavior in their own lives, that is, feeling the wisdom of Providence’s design, but not the executors of His roles.

Vishuddha — the achieved person, or master, who knows how to find the exact expression of the light of the energies of the high egregore leading them. Looking at this person, their behavior, gestures, and actions, it seems that one is witnessing a manifest miracle. They are so perfect that it is as if Krishna has reincarnated on earth. Next to such a person, the surrounding world fades, which is why they are usually tried to be isolated in some way, for example, placed on a stage, while others modestly take their seats in the audience and try not to interfere. Great individuals emerge at this level: beauties (physical vishuddha), mimes (etheric vishuddha — perfection of gesture), actors (astral vishuddha — perfect expression of emotions), enlighteners (mental vishuddha — perfect formulation of thought), politicians and financiers (causal vishuddha — perfect management of the flow of events), psychologists and moralists (buddhical vishuddha — perfect formulation of life views and positions), and religious preachers (atmanic vishuddha — perfect formulation of the highest ideals and life goals). A vishuddha person is an ancient God, perfect in their manifestation, which is always filled with divine love and is one or another of its forms and embodiments. But only a person of anahata can see and appreciate this. Vishuddha is the chakra of artists with a strong religious channel. These are icon painters, composers, and performers of spiritual music, and so on. Of course, “secular” art can also flow from vishuddha, but then, regardless of the plot, the Divine presence and perfection of expressive means are still felt in it.

The perfection of form itself, irrespective of the embodiment of the Divine within it. This is the temptation of vishuddha and the dream of Gagtungr regarding creative people, whom he would like to compel to create perfect forms with hellish content, that is, to effectively transmit their will through them. At the level of vishuddha, people are very rarely embodied, and usually, it is achieved meditatively: with an actor on stage, an artist before a canvas, and so on. Often, the level of anahata's unfolding does not correspond to the level of vishuddha's unfolding, leading to the creation of a dead work of art, in which careful examination usually reveals certain traits of Gagtungr. The level of anahata for the creator is the agony of silence. But vishuddha is opened to a person by the high egregore when it considers them ready to fulfill the high mission of Its embodiment in the world. And the mastering of technique itself, without His sanction, is nothing more than the preparation of a good conductor (human instrument) for the planetary demon.

Ajna — the wise and versatile person, connected to many high egregores and able to establish contact between them, being with each at the level of vishuddha. They are, so to speak, a high egregorial diplomat or synthetic thinker. In the physical body, this is, for example, a master — a jack of all trades, who has mastered numerous technologies and is capable of shoeing a flea with programmed control; in the etheric — a multi-sport athlete; in the astral — a writer creating symphonies from the emotional expressions of their characters; in the mental — a scientist working at the intersection of sciences and creating synthetic concepts and models; in the causal — a brilliant diplomat, a prominent international politician; in the buddhic — a person reconciling the mutual ethics of various high egregores, for example, finding common ground between unfriendly nations; in the atmanic — a creator of a strong religion uniting various sects and currents (an ecumenist). Here, sectarianism is overcome, and the principle of spiritual cooperation is realized, which is very difficult for high egregores. At a low level, this materializes as some eclecticism; at a high level — as a synthetic religious-philosophical teaching leading large nations.

Sahasrara — the person of God. Here, the main goal is achieved — the person merges with the Universe, and through every movement and manifestation, the vibrations of the Absolute are directly transmitted. Key words: fullness, unity with the world, mystical rapture of being. If in anahata God revealed Himself indirectly, behind the world, in vishuddha the high egregore was formed with the help of a person for the world, and in ajna various high egregores clarified their relationships with each other through a person, then with an open sahasrara, a person feels that the whole world is God, and they themselves are primarily also God, rather, a certain obedient emanation of Him, closely connected with all other emanations of Him, which are other people, trees, bushes, cinder blocks, and everything else without exception. Here, the feelings of total unity of the world, the meaningfulness of each of its manifestations, and the dynamics of development are characteristic: both as a whole and for any of its parts in particular. With an open sahasrara, everything finds its place, and as it is; everything is filled with love, grace, and the highest meaning. A person feels themselves to be a happy and beloved servant of the Great Lord, who personally and with pleasure takes care of all the details of the person's life.

The temptation of sahasrara lies in the unnoticed collapse of servitude when the channel leading the person is intercepted by Gagtungr, and then lifelong slavery (the zombie variant) is not excluded. However, an honest religious person will feel that the source of involution has changed and will prefer to live without a channel rather than serve a harsh egregore.