Eco-Tantra and the Elemental Chakras

The concept of the “subtle body” is one of tantra’s great contributions, and contained within the works of subtle body physiology are what is known as “chakras”.

The subtle body is perhaps best understood as an energy body that exists alongside (and inside) the physical body. The subtle body is conceived as various channels through which energy flows and, at certain points along these channels, there are chakras. The word chakra tends to be translated as “wheel”, but chakras are best understood as intersections where energy channels converge. It is widely believed by energy healers that energy can get blocked at chakra points and so, for tantric practitioners seeking to master their subtle body and raise kundalini energy through their energy channels, unblocking these chakras is a key part of their yogic practice.

But how many chakras are there? In truth, the number and location of chakras within the subtle body varies according to different traditions, ranging from 4 (or 3 in some related Chinese traditions) to 88,000. This can get confusing for the practitioner, especially those in the modern era who are not associated to any particular tradition and are perhaps looking to engage with something such as eco-tantra. It might be worth trying to understand why there is so much variation then.

Perhaps one explanation can be traced to the tantric philosophy that everything in the macrocosm also exists in the microcosm. In other words, everything that exists in the universe also exists in the human body. According to this, the subtle body can be understood as the microcosmic version of shakti, the subtle energy that drives the cycle of creation and destruction that is always at play throughout the universe, and which is deified within many Indian religions. It is this deification that helps explain the multitude of chakras, because within Indian religious culture Shakti has various forms and incarnations, consequently, different traditions have tried to identify and accommodate each of these individual Shakti’s as a chakra within the subtle body.

But the earliest tantric texts weren’t quite as complicated. Whilst the macrocosmic shakti was recognised within the practitioner’s body (and eventually became known as Kundalini or Kundalin-shakti) the chakras were not associated with other deities. Instead, practitioners were encouraged to internalise the five universal elements – which in ancient Indian tradition are: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether (or Space). Consequently, these five elements became associated to five chakra points within the practitioners body: Earth was conceptualised as being located at the perineum; Water is located at the pubic symphysis or mons pubis; Fire is associated with a chakra point located just below the navel; Air can be found in the middle of the chest, where your heart is located; and Ether or Space (that is, the space that exists between and around all things) is associated to the “third eye” between your eyebrows.

From an eco-tantric perspective, not only does this system present a simplified concept of chakra anatomy, but it also allows practitioners who are unfamiliar with Indian (or even tantric Buddhist) deities to engage in the meditative process of internalising elements of the external universe. But this five-chakra system shouldn’t just be seen as a mere simplification. The significance of these five elements was re-enforced by the Mahanirvana Tantra, which linked them to the Panchatattva – the five elements of Kaula ritual worship also famously known as “the five M’s”. According to the Mahanirvana Tantra grain is associated to the Earth element, fish to Water, wine to Fire, meat is associated to Air (perhaps hinting that birds are the preferred food), and sexual intercourse is associated to the element of Ether.

There are several reasons why this association is important to any tantric practitioner. Firstly, several Tantras state that there cannot be any devotion to or recognition of Shakti (either as a deity or the creative-destructive energy that courses through the external universe and our own internal bodies) without the ritual use of these five elements. Secondly, it highlights that even in the medieval period, elaborate external tantric rituals were performed to enhance an internal process – the awakening of kundalini and the connection between the subtle body and the physical plain. Thirdly, it hints at something that is explicitly stated later in the Mahanirvana Tantra and is repeated by various other tantric philosophers – that ritual is not always necessary. It is the internal transformation that is the practitioner’s primary goal; the recognition that everything that exists externally also exists internally; the experiential knowledge that comes from an awakened kundalini; the connectivity that can be felt between the practitioner’s energy body and the unending wave of energy that constitutes the physical world. To some, this awakening can only be achieved through ritualisation and repetition, but to others, meditation and concentration maybe a more appropriate path.

Consequently, meditating upon the five chakras and their associated elements, and incorporating them into your yogic practice alongside pranayama (breathing exercises) and nyasa (touch), presents modern practitioners of eco-tantra with the opportunity to experience many of the transformational benefits that were previously enjoyed by ancient Tantrikas, without the need to understand or incorporate many of the ritualistic and culturally specific practices that are described in the Tantras.

I would therefore encourage you to explore your own subtle bodies, find the five chakras, and then take your practice into the wilderness. Find places in your local area that represent the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether and meditate on the corresponding chakra. Maybe even take the relevant Panchatattva with you, to incorporate into your practice. Make it as ritualistic (or not) as you want. But remember the primary goal of the practice: to recognise everything in yourself, and yourself in everything.