As portals between the physical and spiritual planes, chakras represent the sacred architecture of body and psyche. The pioneering Wheels of Life, published in 1987 and here extensively revised and refined, “describes the underlying metaphysical theory behind the Chakra System. More than just an assemblage of energy centers located in the body, the chakras reveal a profound mapping of universal principles, intricately nested within each other as progressively transcendent planes of reality. The levels of consciousness that the chakras represent are doorways into these various planes.”

This book looks at both outer and inner realities. It looks at the Chakra System as a profound system for spiritual growth, as well as a diagram of the sacred architecture in which we are embedded—the larger structure that holds us. If we are indeed “fashioned in the image of God,” I believe the sacred architecture found in nature is the blueprint for our internal structures as well, both in the body and the psyche. When the bridge is made between our inner and outer worlds, they become seamlessly one, and inner growth is no longer antithetical to outer work in the world. Therefore this book uses many models that are scientific in nature, as a way of illustrating ancient wisdom with modern metaphors.

In addition to extensive chapters on each of the seven chakras and chapters on “How Chakras Interact,” “Chakras and Relationships,” “An Evolutionary Perspective,” and “Fostering Healthy Chakras in Children,” Judith also includes guided meditations, artwork and personal anecdotes to help the chakras come more alive, and to connect readers intuitively to the information. Plus appendices on “Divination and Healing” and “Chakras and Magic,” and a helpful glossary.

Also by Anodea Judith are The Sevenfold Journey and Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System.