108 Chakra Rosary (Version Two)

108 Chakra Rosary (Version Two)

108 CHAKRA ROSARY (VERSION TWO)

Recently Nick developed a system of 108 Chakras (body parts that can be accessed by mind) and a systematic way of exploring these parts in a particular sequence (108 Chakra Rosary). The easiest way to construct such a rosary would be as a loop of 108 beads, as in traditional Buddhist malas. Too many beads I thought. And so I developed a more compact rosary consisting of only 32 beads. But what this small rosary gains in compactness, it loses in the complicated instructions concerning how to fit 108 body parts into 32 beads.

 

After playing with the original instruction set, I have recently revised the counting of the 108 chakras using 32 beads in this second version which seems to me more natural and easier to remember than the first.

Compact 108 Chakra Rosary

This compact 108 chakra rosary consists of an outer loop of 24 beads, half of them dark and half lite corresponding to my division of chakras into dark and lite, the dark chakras located primarily in the lower parts of the body and the lite chakras situated on top. This outer loop is mostly used to count the 48 Limb Chakras--the 24 Right Limbs circling the loop in CW (Clockwise) direction and the 24  Left Limbs circling in CCW (CounterClockwise) direction. This outer loop is bisected by a string of 8 rainbow beads which are used to count the five 8-chakras sets: Spinal, Hindu, Sensual, Pelvic and Rib-Cage Chakras. The outer loop is also used to count the 18 Cranial Chakras.

In the center of the lite beads is a LITE link which attaches to a Lite Disk on which the rosary begins. In the center of the dark beads is a DARK link which attaches to a Dark Disk on which the rosary ends. Two other compact rosary landmarks are the TOP link and BTM link on which the 8-chakra sequences start and end.

Intro or Antiphon Move

Move #0: Starting at the Lite Disk, move onto the LITE link and follow the 6 lite beads to the TOP link. These six beads are merely an excuse to move to the TOP link where the rosary proper begins.  Counting these first beads is the time to formulate why you are focusing your attention on your body's Somatic Stations, whether out of curiosity, exploration, gratitude, meditation or just to practice the moves. These six beads correspond roughly to the Antiphon beads of a Catholic rosary.

Move #1:  24 Right Limb Chakras

 Move #1: 24 Right Limb Chakras. The chakra rosary proper starts at the TOP link and begins with the RIGHT FOOT chakra. Moving Clockwise (CW) around the outer beads, touching all 24 beads and returning to the TOP link. Each of the four chakra symbols: Right Foot, Right Leg, Right Arm and Right Hand represent six chakras. An example of dark/lite symmetry: the Right Hand Chakra is the lite partner to the dark Right Foot Chakra; The Right Arm Chakra is the lite partner to the dark Right Leg Chakra.

Beginning on the first six dark beads: 

1, Right Foot, 2. Big Toe 3. Two Toe.

    

4. Three Toe, 5. Four Toe, 6. Five Toe.

 

As an aid to memorization, the Limb Chakras are counted in groups of three (as are the 18 Cranial Chakras) while the rest of the chakras are counted in groups of two.

 

 7. Ankle,  8. Calf,  9. Knee.

                

10. Thigh, 11. Hip Joint, 12. Right Leg.

 

13 Right Arm, 14. Shoulder Joint, 15. Upper Arm.

               

16. Elbow, 17. Forearm, 18. Wrist.

19. Five Finger,  20. Four Finger,  21. Three Finger.  

22. Two Finger,  23. Thumb,  24. Right Hand.

The purpose of the chakra rosary is to focus your attention on otherwise neglected body parts. It is not a speed contest, although you may want to pay attention to some parts more than others. "Pay attention" -- an unusual phrase: the monetization of consciousness?

Move #2: 8 Spinal Chakras

Move #2: 8 Spinal Chakras. Beginning at the TOP link, move down the 8 rainbow beads, counting the chakras in Lite/Dark groups of two, each lite chakra paired with its dark partner.

 25, Will,       26. Auto    

27. Neck,       28. Tail        

29. Thorax,    30. Pelvis.            

 31. Lumbar,   32. Perineum. 

Where here Will stands for the voluntary nervous system, some of whose plexuses are located along the spine. And Auto represents the Involuntary nervous system to which strictly speaking you cannot really focus your attention. However on this Auto bead one can contemplate the importance of our unconscious bodily operations and give them some appreciation..

Although we humans do not possess tails, the Neck/Tail pairing associates the cervical vertebrae with the coccyx (or tailbone).

The Lumbar is paired with the Perineum because both are saddle-shaped. 

Move #3: 8 Hindu Chakras

 Move #3: 8 Hindu Chakras. These are my own variations on the seven classic Hindu chakras. The major changes are the addition of an eighth chakra (named Ground) so that the Dark/Lite pairing could be preserved. Also I invented simple traffic-sign-like symbols to replace the classic many-petaled lotus designs.

Starting at the BTM link and moving up the rainbow beads in Dark/Lite pairs we go:          

33. Ground,   34. Crown               

35. Root,        36. Brow                                                              

37. Sex,          38. Throat                      

 39. Belly,       40. Heart.

I invented the new (dark) Ground Chakra as a partner to the classic (lite) Crown Chakra. The Ground Chakra represents our connection with the Earth and is located at the soles of the (bare) feet; the lite Crown Chakra represents our connection with Divinity and is situated at the top of the head. The dark circle symbolizing Ground could be the Moon or the Fertile Darkness; the lite circle symbolizing Crown could be the Sun or Cosmic Enlightenment.

The dark Root Chakra stands for Security, a solid place to sit; the lite Brow Chakra represents the Mind, or psychic powers. The symbol for the dark Root Chakra could be a plus sign --what is more basic than arithmetic?--or it could represent the anus, also called the fundament. The symbol for the lite (mind) Brow Chakra could represent the unknown quantity X or the Third Eye.

The vertical stroke in the dark Sex Chakra could represent either lingam or yoni; the horizontal stroke in its corresponding lite Throat Chakra could stand for either the vocal chords or the lips through which the voice emerges.

The dark Belly Chakra represents the center of gravity, the hara of Japanese martial arts. the lite Heart Chakra represents the body's feeling center, the hara of your emotional body.

Move #4: 8 Sensual Chakras

 Move #4: 8 Sensual Chakras. These are eight ways your body interacts with the outside world.

Starting at TOP link we count down the rainbow beads in Lite/Dark pairs.

 41. Eyes,    42. Ears                  

43. Nose,     44. Skin           

45. Mouth,   46. Tongue          

47. Lungs,    48. Bowels.

Note that the symbols for the Lite/Dark Chakra pair Nose/Skin are both two dots. The two Nose dots represent the nostrils and the two Skin dots represent the armpits.

Move #5: 24 Left Limb Chakras

 

Move #5: 24 Left Limb Chakras. Like the Right Limb Chakras, the 24 Left Limb Chakras are counted on the 24 outer beads but this time, starting at BTM link, the beads are encircled in the opposite direction --CCW (CounterClockwise) starting with the LEFT FOOT CHAKRA and counting in threes.

 49. Left Foot,  50. Big Toe,  51.Two Toe.                               52. Three Toe, 53. Four Toe, 54. Five Toe

55. Ankle, 56. Calf,  57. Knee.                                                58. Thigh, 59. Hip Joint, 60. Left Leg.

61, Right Arm, 62. Right Shoulder Joint, 63. Upper Arm.      64. Elbow, 65. Forearm, 66. Wrist

 67. Five Finger, 68. Four Finger, 69. Three Finger.               70, Two Finger, 71. Thumb,  72. Left Hand.

Move #6: 8 Pelvic & 8 Rib-cage Chakras

 

After visiting 72 chakras, we next enter the realm of the Three Bony Containers: 1. the Pelvic Basin, 2. the Rib Cage and 3. the Skull.

Move #6: 8 Pelvic & 8 Rib-cage Chakras. Starting at the BTM link we ascend the 8 rainbow beads in pairs. The Pelvic Chakras are all-Dark but we do not pair them here with their corresponding all-Lite Rib Cage Chakras.

73. Pelvic Basin,          74, Sacrum

75. Right Sitz Bone,     76. Left Sitz Bone

77. Right Pubic Bone,    78. Left Pubic Bone

79. Right Pelvic Bone,   80. Left Pelvic Bone.

Ending at the TOP link we now descend the 8 rainbow beads to BTM link

81. Right Rib Bones,     82. Left Rib Bones

83. Right Clavicle,        84. Left Clavicle

85. Right Scapula,         86, Left Scapula

87. Sternum,                 88. Rib Cage. 

Paying attention to only these 16 bones, you might notice that the Rib Cage resembles an upside-down Pelvic Basin.

Move #7: 18 Skull Chakras

Move #7: 18 Skull Chakras. Starting at BTM link, we ascend the outer lite beads in groups of three, two Right & Left paired lite Chakras plus a single dark Chakra:

89. Right Cheek Bone      90. Left Cheek Bone    91. Maxilla

92. Right Frontal Bone     93. Left Frontal Bone   94. Chin

 

95. Right Parietal Bone     96. Left Parietal Bone  

97. Mandible

 

98. Right Occipital Bone   99. Left Occipital Bone   

100. Inion

 

101, Right TM Joint         102. Left TM Joint       

103. Foramen

 

104. Right Temporal Bone  105. Left Temporal Bone  

106. Skull

 

Visiting these 18 Skull Chakras brings us to the DARK link where we finish off the 108 chakra rosary.

 

Move #8: Whole-Body and No-Body Chakras

 

 Move #8: Whole-Body and No-Body Chakras. Move from the DARK kink to the Dark Disk which represents the Whole-Body Chakra, paying attention to your body as a whole. Putting the rosary away or concealing it in one hand represents the No-Body Chakra, the whole Universe with a you-shaped hole cut out of it. Now expand your attention as best you can to fill the entire Cosmos.