The Book of Chakras: Discover the Hidden Forces Within You

Rating:
Summary: Aesthetically appealing and general introduction to Chakras
Review:

As someone who knew nothing about Chakras prior to reading this book, I found it to be an easy-to-read, general introduction.


The most striking thing about the books is its aesthetic appeal, which is refreshing, - and appropriate considering it's mandate to impact us spiritually. Its pages are large, thick and colorful and the material is an interweaving of photos, diagrams and artistically presented text. I point this out because it is such a striking contrast to most books these days, crammed with small, nondescript black and white text on cheap paper. I actually found that I enjoyed just holding the book and flipping through it to soak in the visual aspect.


As for the content, as a beginner I can't speak to it's accuracy but it struck me as a light, easy-to-read and apply overview for the spiritual seeker who is knew to the concept of energy centers in the body. The author stays away from religious discussions and instead provides basic, and somewhat generic information on each of the 7 main Chakras. For each Chakra the author provides affirmations, a meditation and a questionnaire (which sounds hokey, but which I actually found quite useful).


My biggest gripe is that not enough instruction or suggestion was given regarding how to apply this information to my life. Should I meditate on only one Chakra at a time? How long should I meditate on a particular Chakra? Am I supposed to "feel" something and if so, how long does it take? What should I do next?


Also, the author provided a variety of informational tidbits (neatly organized) about each Chakra such as the color, shape, crystal, musical note, astrological sign, internal organ, positive and negative archetypes, etc. associated with each Chakra, but almost no explanation as to why these particular attributes were assigned to particular Chakras. Consequently I got the impression that some of the information was cheesy and a bit new-agey for my tastes.


Overall, I found that for me the books main value was in setting up a mental construct that I could use to evaluate my life and spirituality rather than in providing significantly detailed information to really understand what Chakras are and how to use them.



Rating:
Summary: Solid basic introduction to Chakras.
Review: Having read quite a few books on Chakras I would have to say that this is a really good book for learning the basics of the Chakra system and how it applies to you. It is definitely the most colourfully illustrated book on Chakras out there, but there are better ones that go allot deeper into how Chakras work and how to work with them.