Review: Chakras Explained
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2012
It is with a sense of intimidation that I approach the subject of chakras. I am markedly inexpert. However, the word itself is not strange to me because of the intercultural times in which we live and because I have read Caroline Myss and Joseph Campbell, both of whom refer to chakras in their work. But in both cases their work I was exposed to did not explain or describe them in any detail.That's where this focused book by Robert Jirda comes in. Jirda provides a clear brief exposition of the seven chakras that lets the novice walk away with an introductory understanding.Of course, what is given in this case is that to find this an acceptable or gratifying read, one must be open to the notion of exploring a belief system that may be  contrary to her own. It is to be willing to enter the book as a comparative or adjunct learning exercise. For example, a Buddhist or Christian may feel that his tradition offers a superior explanation why mankind feels and acts the way it does, and better remedies for shortcomings as well.For a similar example, we might turn to psychology. The three colleagues in Vienna--Freud, Jung and Adler--considered the "Holy Trinity" of modern psychology, had their differences. Freud had his Id, Ego and Superego to explain and Jung had his Anima and Animus--somewhat similar to chakras. Adler, less mechanistic, had his Style-of-Life which he defined as a person's "organized set of convictions about life of which the individual, at best, is only dimly aware," the actual behavior letting us know if a life was basically a guardian presence or a looming threat to self and others.The book is short, and even though a painfully slow reader, I completed it in 45 minutes and came away finding it a rewarding experience. I recommend it highly.