In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement -- and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement - a chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body.

The word comes from the Sanskrit "cakra" meaning "wheel, circle", and sometimes also referring to the "wheel of life". The pronunciation of this word can be approximated in English by 'chuhkruh', with ch as in chart and both instances - the commonly found pronunciation 'shockrah' is incorrect.

The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics.

The chakras are thought to vitalise the physical body and to be associated with interactions of both a physical and mental nature. They are considered loci of life energy, or prana, which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis.

In Mysticism, a Nadi (plural: Nadis) is an energy channel in which prana energy flows and may connect chakras. It is not accepted by mainstream science. The main nadis include Shushumna, Ida and Pingala.

Nadis are thought to carry a life force energy known as prana in Sanskrit, or qi in Chinese-based systems. They are also said to have an extrasensory function, playing a part in empathic and instinctive responses.Nadis are sometimes viewed as extending only to the skin of the body, but are often thought to extend to the boundary of the aura.

The Ida and Pingala nadis are often seen as referring to the two hemispheres of the brain. Pingala is the extroverted, solar nadi, and corresponds to the left hand side of the brain. Ida is the introverted, lunar nadi, and refers to the right hand side of the brain.

The two nadis are stimulated through the practice of pranayama, which involves alternate breathing through left and right nostrils, which would alternately stimulate the left and right sides of the brain.The word nadi comes from the Sanskrit root nad meaning "channel", "stream", or "flow".

Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system.

The New Age movement has led to an increased interest in the West regarding chakras. Many in this movement point to a correspondence between the position and role of the Chakras, and those of the glands in the endocrine system. Some people in New Age also claim that other chakras, besides the above, exist - for instance, ear chakras.

The chakras are described in the tantric texts the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, in which they are described as emanations of consciousness from Brahman, an energy which comes down from the spiritual and gradually crudifies, creating these distinct levels of chakras, and which eventually finds its rest in the Muladhara chakra.

Muladhara is positioned close to anus, at the perineum, and it has four petals which match the vrittis of greatest joy, natural pleasure, delight in controlling passion, and blissfulness in concentration.

In Samkhya philosophy, the concept of Muladhara is that of moola prakriti, the metaphysical basis of material existence. Muladhara is the chakra that draws down spritual energy and causes it to assume a physical existence. It is like the negative pole in an electrical circuit, which provides the potential for the evolution of form.

Within this chakra resides sleeps the kundalini shakti, the great spiritual potential, waiting to be aroused and brought back up to the source from which it originated, Brahman.

Muladhara is the base from which the 3 main psychic channels, nadis, ida, pingala and sushumna, emerge.It is related to the physical processes of reproduction and excretion, and also to the various fear and guilt complexes associated with them. All a person's Samskaras ( potential karma ), are expressed here, in a physical form.

This chakra is associated with the deities Indra, Brahma and Dakini, the element Earth and the color red.

They are therefore part of an emanationist theory, like that of the kabbalah in the west, or neo-platonism. The energy that was unleashed in creation, called the Kundalini, lies coiled and sleeping, and it is the purpose of a tantric yogi to arouse this energy, and cause it to rise back up through the increasingly subtler chakras, until union with god is achieved in the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head.

Sahasrara is positioned above the head or at the top of it and it has 1000 petals which are arranged in 20 layers each of them with 50 petals. For a discussion about the petal count see also petal (chakra)Often referred as thousand-petaled lotus, it is said to be the most subtle chakra in the system, relating to pure consciousness, and it is from this chakra that all the other chakras emanate. When a yogi is able to raise his or her kundalini, energy of consciousness, up to this point, the state of samadhi, or union with god, is experienced.

Apart from this primary text from India, different western authors have tried to describe the chakras, most notably the Theosophists. Many new age writers, such as the Danish author and musician Peter Kjaerulff in his book, The Ringbearers Diary, or Anodea Judith in her book Wheels of Life, have written their opinions about the chakras in great detail, including the reasons for their appearance and their functions.

The seven chakras are said by some to reflect how the unified consciousness of man (the immortal human being or the soul), is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body/instinct/vital energy/deeper emotions/communication/having an overview of life/contact to God). The chakras are placed at differing levels of spiritual subtletly, with Sahasrara at the top being concerned with pure consciousness, and Muladhara at the bottom being concerned with matter, which is seen simply as crudified consciousness.

Crown Chakra

Brow Chakra

Throat Chakra

Heart Chakra

Solar Plexus

Spleen Chakra

Root Chakra

Additionally, there is a Transpersonal Chakra above the crown chakra. There are also many minor chakras, for example between the major chakras. The Transpersonal chakra is a chakra that many meditation practitioners say is located above the crown chakra. The transpersonal chakra is said to be located about 4-5 fingers above the head. This chakra is associated with spiritual connection between individuals, as well as connection to one's Higher Self. The transpersonal chakra is sometimes seen as several chakras above the head, with the lowest chakra located about 4-5 fingers above the head and the highest chakra located about 1 foot above the head. The highest located transpersonal chakra is also often referred to as the Soulstar. Our souls are sparks of light, the little twinkling lights you see from time to time out of the periphery of your of field of vision.

The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the later Upanishads, including specifically the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad. These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras.It is the shakta theory of 7 main chakras that most people in the West adhere to, either knowingly or unknowingly, largely thanks to a translation of two indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon, in a book entitled The Serpent Power.

This book is extremely detailed and complex, and later the ideas were developed into what is predominant western view of the Chakras by the Theosophists, and largely the controversial (in theosophical circles) C. W. Leadbeater in his book The Chakras, which are in large part his own meditations and insights on the matter.

That said, many present-day Indian gurus that incorporate chakras within their systems of philosophy do not seem to radically disagree with the western view of chakras, at least on the key points, and both these eastern and western views have developed from the Shakta Tantra school.

There are various other models of chakras in other traditions, notably in Chinese medicine, and also in Tibetan Buddhism. Even in Jewish kabbalah, the different Sephiroth are sometimes associated with parts of the body.

In Islamic Sufism , Lataif-e-Sitta ( Six Subtleties ) are considered as psychospiritual "organs" or faculties of sensory and suprasensory perception , activation of which makes a man complete .

Attempts are made to try and reconcile the systems with each other, and notably there are some successes, even between such diverged traditions as Shakta Tantra, Sufism and Kabbalism, where chakras , lataif and Sephiroth can seemingly represent the same archetypal spiritual concepts.

In Surat Shabda Yoga, initiation by an Outer Living Satguru (Sat - true, Guru - teacher) is required and involves reconnecting soul to the Shabda and stationing the Inner Shabda Master (the Radiant Form of the Master) at the third eye chakra.

Yoga view of chakras

Parallels have often been drawn, by supporters of the existence of chakras, between the positions and functions of the chakras, and of the various organs of the endocrine system.

The highest crown chakra is said to be the chakra of consciousness, the master chakra that controls all the others. Its role would be very similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones to control the rest of the endocrine system, and also connects to the central nervous system via the hypothalamus. The thalamus is thought to have a key role in the physical basis of consciousness.

The Ajna Chakra, or third eye, is linked to the pineal gland. Ajna is the chakra of time and awareness and of light. The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland, that produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates the instincts of going to sleep and awakening. It also produces trace amounts of the psychedelic chemical dimethyltryptamine.

(Note: some argue that the pineal and pituitary glands should be exchanged in their relationship to the Crown and Brow chakras, based on the description in Arthur Avalon's book on kundalini called Serpent Power)

The throat chakra, Vishuddha, is said to be related to communication and growth, growth being a form of expression. This chakra is paralleled to the thyroid, a gland that is also in the throat, and which produces thyroid hormone, responsible for growth and maturation.

The heart chakra, Anahata, is related to love, equilibrium, and well-being. It is related to the thymus, located in the chest. This organ is part of the immune system, as well as being part of the endocrine system. It produces T cells responsible for fighting off disease, and is adversely affected by stress.

The solar plexus chakra, Manipura, is related to energy, assimilation and digestion, and is said to correspond to the roles played by the pancreas and the outer adrenal glands, the adrenal cortex. These play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter into energy for the body.

The sacral chakra, Swadhisthanna, is located in the groin, and is related to emotion, sexuality and creativity. This chakra is said to correspond to the testes or the ovaries, that produce the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle, which can cause dramatic mood swings.

The base or root chakra, Muludhara, is related to security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. It is said the kundalini lies coiled here, ready to uncoil and bring man to his highest spiritual potential in the crown chakra. This center is located in the region between the genitals and the anus. Although no endocrine organ is placed here, it is said to relate to the inner adrenal glands, the adrenal medulla, responsible for the fight and flight response when survival is under threat. In this region is located a muscle that controls ejaculation in the sexual act. A parallel is drawn between the sperm cell and the ovum, where the genetic code lies coiled, and the legendary kundalini, ready to express itself as a fully developed human being.

Chakrology is a neologism sometimes employed by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers for the study of chakras. There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Hindu Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, or Western occult analyses, as well as ancient Greek and Christian references. Croatian esoteric philosopher and physicist Arvan Harvat notes that it would be very difficult to develop a unified coherent chakra science that would integrate all the elements of the various present chakrologies.

Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes eight primary inner chakras:

1. Sahasrara

2. Ajna

3. Vishuddha

4. Anahata

5. Manipura

6. Swadhisthana

7. Muladhara

8. Bindu

The idea of chakras as understood in Eastern philosophy does not exist in Western medical science. In Eastern thought, the chakras are thought to be levels of consciousness, and states of the soul, and 'proving' the existence of chakras is akin to 'proving' the existence of a soul. A mystic deals with these metaphysical concepts on the metaphysical plane, as a model for their own internal experience, and when talking about 'energy centres', they are generally talking about subtle, spiritual forces, which work on the psyche and spirit, not about physical electrical or magnetic fields.

The primary importance and level of existence of chakras is therefore posited to be in the psyche and in the spirit. However, there are those who believe that chakras have a physical manifestation as well. Although there is no evidence that Indian mystics made this association themselves, it is noted by many that there is a marked similarity between the positions and roles described for chakras, and the positions and roles of the glands in the endocrine system, and also by the positions of the nerve ganglia (also known as "plexuses") along the spinal column, opening the possibility that two vastly different systems of conceptualization have been brought to bear to systemize insights about the same phenomenon. By some, chakras are thought of as having their physical manifestation in the body as these glands, and their subjective manifestation as the associated psychological and spiritual experiences.

Indeed, the various hormones secreted by these glands do have a dramatic effect on human psychology, and an imbalance in one can cause a psychological or physical imbalance in a person. Whether these changes in body state have a bearing on spiritual matters is a subject of dissent even among the Indian theorists, and the different systems of conceptualization, Indian and Western, make only a partial convergence in this case.

Perhaps the most psychologically dramatic and potent secretion of these glands is the psychedelic drug DMT (which is synthesized by the pineal gland, corresponding to the brow chakra). At least in the West, some individuals have sought spiritual breakthroughs through the use of such chemical aids, occasionally referred to as entheogens in this context.

References:

Morgen, Robert (2005). Personal Mastery: Develop Your True Inner Power by Awakening Your Kundalini, 1st, Windhaven Press

Sharp, Dr. Michael (2005). Dossier of the Ascension: A Practical Guide to Chakra Activation and Kundalini Awakening, 1st, Avatar Publications

1st Chakra - base/perinium, red, Earth, survival, grounding, stillness, elephant, earth

2nd Chakra - lower abdomen, orange, water, emotions, sexuality, desire, tears, crocodile, moon

3rd Chakra - solar plexus, yellow, fire, will, power, anger, joy, laughter, ram, sun

4th Chakra - heart, green, air, love, balance, compassion, antelope

5th Chakra - throat, blue, throat, ether, sound, communication, creativity, expansion, excitement, deer

6th Chakra - (third eye or adjna centre) forehead, indigo, forehead, light, clairvoyance, psychic abilities, imagination, dreaming, owl

7th Chakra - top of head, violet, top of head, thought, spiritual connection, understanding, knowing, bliss, God

    CHAKRAS AND SOUND    

Chakra color frequencies also follow correlate with the musical scale.

A near-death experience (NDE) is the perception reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead and revived. They are somewhat common, especially since the development of cardiac resuscitation techniques, and are reported in approximately one-fifth of persons who revive from clinical death. The experience often includes an out-of-body experience. Some people refer to this phenomenon as an 'After Death Experience'.

The phenomenology of an NDE usually includes physiological, psychological and transcendental factors (Parnia, Waller, Yeates & Fenwick, 2001) such as subjective impressions of being outside the physical body (an out-of-body experience), visions of deceased relatives and religious figures, transcendence of ego and spatiotemporal boundaries and other transcendental experiences.

Typically the experience follows a distinct progression, starting with the sensation of floating above one's body and seeing the surrounding area, followed by the sensation of passing through a tunnel, meeting deceased relatives, and concluding with encountering a being of light (Morse, Conner & Tyler, 1985).

A 'core' near-death experience reflects - as intensity increases according to the Rasch scale - peace, joy and harmony, followed by insight and mystical or religious experiences. The most intense NDEs involve an awareness of things occurring in a different place or time (Lange, Greyson & Houran, 2004).

Dr. Raymond Moody is recognized as the father of NDE research. He has chronicled and studied many of these experiences in several books (Moody, 1975;1977;1999). Another early pioneer is Dr. Kenneth Ring, co-founder and past President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS).

Major contributions to the field include the construction of a Weighted Core Experience Index (Ring, 1980) in order to measure the depth of the Near-Death experience, and the construction of the Near-Death Experience Scale (Greyson, 1983) in order to differentiate between subjects that are more or less likely to have experienced a genuine NDE. These approaches include criteria for deciding what is to be considered a classical or authentic NDE.

Well-known researchers in the field who support a moderate view, or sympathize with aspects of the after-life view are Kevin Williams, Bruce Greyson, Michael Sabom, Melvin Morse, PMH Atwater, Yvonne Kason, Sam Parnia, Peter Fenwick, Jody A. Long and Jeffrey P. Long.

Much of this research is co-ordinated through the field of Near-Death Studies.Among the researchers who support a naturalistic and neurological base for the experience we find the British psychologist Susan Blackmore (1993), and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer (1998).

The possibility of altered temporal lobe functioning in the near-death experience is suggested by Britton & Bootzin (2004). In this study Near-Death experiencers were also found to have altered sleep patterns compared to subjects in the control group. Dr. Rick Strassman has attempted to induce NDE in a clinical setting by injecting subjects with DMT. This research is described in his book DMT - The Spirit Molecule (2001).

According to Martens (1994), the only satisfying method to address the NDE-issue would be an international multicentric data collection within the framework for standardized reporting of cardiac arrest events. The use of cardiac arrest-criteria as a basis for NDE-research has been a common approach among the European branch of the research field (Parnia, Waller, Yeates & Fenwick, 2001; van Lommel, van Wees, Meyers & Elfferich, 2001).

Many commentators see near death experiences as an afterlife experience, and some accounts include elements that, according to some theorists, are most simply explained by an out-of-body consciousness. For example, in one account, a woman accurately described a surgical instrument she had not seen previously, as well as a conversation that occurred while she was understood to be clinically dead (Sabom, 1998).

In another account, from a proactive Dutch NDE study, a nurse removed the dentures of an unconscious heart attack victim, and was asked by him after his recovery to return them (van Lommel et.al, 2001).

However, researchers have been unsuccessful in running proactive experiments to establish out-of-body consciousness. There have been numerous experiments in which a random message was placed in a hospital in a manner that it would be invisible to patients or staff yet visible to a floating being, but so far, according to Blackmore (1991), these experiments have only provided equivocal results and no clear signs of ESP.

Other commentators see near death experiences as a purely naturalistic phenomenon. For example; a Swiss study (Blanke. et.al, 2002), published in Nature Magazine, found that electrical stimulation on the brain region known as the right angular gyrus repeatedly caused out-of-body experiences to the patient.

According to this perspective the etiology of the NDE is understood as a result of neurobiological mechanisms, related to such factors as epilepsy and brain stimulation. The similarities amongst the experiences of the many documented cases of NDE may be understood to signify that the pathology of the brain during the dying and reviving process is more or less the same in all humans, as suggested by Russian specialist Dr. Vladimir Negovsky (Unkn. publ. year) in Clinical Death As Seen by Reanimator.

However, this model fails to explain NDEs that result from close brushes to death where the brain does not actually suffer trauma, such as a near-miss automobile accident.A well-known scientific hypothesis that attempts to explain NDEs was originally suggested by Dr. Karl Jansen (1995;1997) and deals with accounts of the side-effects of the drug Ketamine. Ketamine was used as an anesthetic on U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; but its use was abandoned and never spread to civilian use because the soldiers complained about sensations of floating above their body and seeing bright lights.

Further experiments by numerous researchers verified that intravenous injections of ketamine could reproduce all of the commonly cited features of an NDE; including a sense that the experience is "real" and that one is actually dead, separation from the body, visions of loved ones, and transcendent mystical experiences.

Ketamine acts in part by blocking the NMDA receptor for the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate is released in abundance when brain cells die, and if it weren't blocked, the glutamate overload would cause other brain cells to die as well. In the presence of excess glutamate, the brain releases its own NMDA receptor blocker to defend itself; and it is these blockers Dr. Jansen (amongst others) hypothesize as the cause of many NDEs. Shawn Thomas, director of Neurotransmitter.net, has suggested that agmatine is the key substance involved in near-death experiences.

Dr. Jansen's own shifting perspective on the conclusions to be drawn from the ketamine-NDE analogy has been notable. He started out as an unequivocal debunker of the notion that NDE's are evidence of a spiritual (or at least transnormal) realm. But with time he has developed a more agnostic hypothesis: that ketamine may in fact be one particularly powerful trigger of authentic spiritual experiences - of which near-death may be another.

In each case, according to Jansen's more recent pronouncements, all we can say is that the subject gets catapulted out of ordinary 'egoic' consciousness into an altered state - we cannot comfortably rule out the possibility that the 'worlds' disclosed in these 'trips' have ontological status. Latterly, therefore, Jansens position appears closer to thinkers like Daniel Pinchbeck (2002), who has written a book on hallucinogenic shamanism, and other names like Carl Jung, Ken Wilber and Stanislav Grof, than to thinkers like Susan Blackmore or Nicholas Humphrey (two particularly high-profile materialist skeptics).

Ultimately, the hallucination theory is one which is very convincing to materialists, and very unconvincing to the vast majority of NDE experiencers

Spiritual and psychological after-effects

NDE subjects often report long-term after-effects, and changes in worldview, such as an increased interest in spirituality, an increased interest in the meaning of life, increased empathic understanding and a decrease in fear of death (van Lommel et.al, 2001).

Some subjects also report internal feelings of bodily energy and/or altered states of consciousness similar to those associated with the yogic concept of kundalini (Greyson, 2000). Greyson (1983) developed The Near-Death Experience Scale in order to measure the after-effects of a near-death experience.

This research note that the aftermath of the experience is associated with both positive and healthy outcomes related to personality and appreciation for life, but also a spectrum of clinical problems in situations where the person has had difficulties with the experience (Orne, 1995). These difficulties are usually connected to the interpretation of the experience and the integration of it into everyday life. The near-death experience as a focus of clinical attention, and the inclusion of a new diagnostic category in the DSM-IV called "Religious or spiritual problem" (American Psychiatric Association, 1994 - Code V62.89), is discussed more closely by Greyson (1997) and Lukoff, Lu & Turner (1998).

Simpson (2001) notes that the number of people that have experienced an NDE might be higher than the number of cases that are actually reported. It is not unusual for near-death experiencers to feel profound insecurity related to how they are going to explain something that the surrounding culture perceives as a strange, paranormal incident.

Metaphysics

In a near-death experience the spirit - soul spark - leaves the physical body usually after a major trauma - accidents, illnesses, problems in surgery - cardiac arrest - anaphylactic shock, coma, fever, anesthetic, unconsciousness, physical injury, arrhythmia, seizures, suicide, or severe allergic reactions. It is a moment of release by the soul from the physical.

Most people report that they are outside of their physical bodies - traveling through a tunnel toward a source of white light - the creational source of our reality.

They usually report meeting a deceased relative or heavenly being, coming to a precipice or place where a decision about life or death must take place, seeing one's life pass before their eyes, sometimes in order called a 'life review', acute awareness, a feeling of timelessness, and intense emotions.

Most near-death experiences are positive but occasionally negative experiences do occur. Upon awakening the near-death experiencer may return with unusual abilities previously unknown to them. Some of these include: seeing auras and other related paranormal abilities, awareness of science and other technologies regarding time and space, change in personality and spiritual transformations.

In what seems like a long period of time to the soul, though perhaps only several seconds or minutes in our linear time, the soul may get to review what will happen to it should it return. There are always the physical ailments that may or may not heal. Then there are those that would be left behind to consider. As linear time does not exist in other than our physical dimensional reality, the soul will often ponder it's choices.

Sometimes a soul will come back even if it does not want to as it has issues to work out. Usually that soul will consider this a second chance and become more spiritual in the remaining time it has here on earth. Many of these souls have gone on to write about near-death experiences to help others understand what is going on, on the other side.

Many believe that have returned because they have been chosen to do something spiritual for the planet. Most people who return do have a more spiritual slant on life. After all they have faced the other side and should return on a higher frequency and with more knowledge. Some go on to become healers or helpers.

Some people remember their near-death experiences while others have some vague memories.

This is similar to dreamtime wherein some people wake up and remember events on the other side - while others have no memory of anything.

I had a near-death experience at age 5 when I had pneumonia and nearly died. I was in the hospital and saw myself out of my body watching. Next thing I knew I was sitting on the branch of a tree with a little boy my age - talking about meeting again in this lifetime - much later on - to do something related to the tree. (This could symbolize the Tree of life - based on they way my life path has unfolded.) I don't think I've met him yet - but I feel him connected on another level where we still meet on the other side. I also know this links with Alexander in my book Sarah and Alexander.

In January 2000, I had a dream that was like a near-death experience in that I remember being in a source of light. Then hearing water whooshing and remember moving backwards through the tunnel as I looked at 2 entities that I recognized as other aspects of my soul. Quickly, I returned to my physical body and woke up.

The media has given much publicity to near-death experiences as the are reported more openly and freely. They are another way for souls to remember their connection to a Source of Consciousness or Light of Consciousness Creation.

Show me heaven BBC - January 2004
As more and more people come forward with accounts of near-death experiences, new research is about to examine the out of body experience to see whether mind and body really do separate at the point of death.

Scientists Validate Near-Death Experiences ABC News - January 2002
A new study validates near-death experiences reported by heart attack patients.

October 23, 2000 - BBC

Scientists investigating 'near-death' experiences say they have found evidence to suggest that consciousness can continue to exist after the brain has ceased to function.

However, the claim has been challenged by neurological experts.

The researchers interviewed 63 patients who had survived heart attacks within a week of the experience.

Of these 56 had no recollection of the period of unconsciousness they experienced whilst, effectively, clinically dead.

However, seven had memories, four of which counted as near-death experiences.

They told of feelings of peace and joy, time speeded up, heightened senses, lost awareness of body, seeing a bright light, entering another world, encountering a mystical being and coming to "a point of no return".

None of the patients were found to be receiving low oxygen levels - which some scientists believe may be responsible for so-called "near-death" experiences.

Lead researcher Dr Sam Parnia, of Southampton General Hospital, said nobody fully understands how brain cells generate thoughts.

He said it might be that the mind or consciousness is independent of the brain.

He said: "When we examine brain cells we see that brain cells are like any other cells, they can produce proteins and chemicals, but they are not really capable of producing the subjective phenomenon of thought that we have.

"The brain is definitely needed to manifest the mind, a bit like how a television set can take what essentially are waves in the air and translate them into picture and sound."

Dr Chris Freeman, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said there was no proof that the experiences reported by the patients actually occurred when the brain was shut down.

"We know that memories are extremely fallible. We are quite good at knowing that something happened, but we are very poor at knowing when it happened.

"It is quite possible that these experiences happened during the recovery, or just before the cardiac arrest. To say that they happened when the brain was shut down, I think there is little evidence for that at all."

February 4, 2000 - BBC News

From the corner of the room, Christine Ellingham says she could see emergency medical staff crowding around an unconscious body.

They were desperately trying to revive the woman, and to save her unborn baby.

"I knew that it was me lying on the table. But I was outside of my body, floating in the corner of the room. I was very calm and it made perfect sense to me that I should be watching what I understood to be the final moments of my life.

"I felt absolute peace and serenity. There was light around me and it grew and grew until I couldn't see my body any more.

"Then I felt an amazing sensation of rushing forwards through the light, or rather that the light was rushing back over me. I couldn't see him, but I knew that my father, who had died four years previously, was there with me, and I felt totally, totally safe."

"I felt that my father was almost carrying me, like I was a child again, and then the light slowed and stopped and my father told me that my baby needed me. I felt very sad that I had to leave, but I wanted to be with my baby.

"There was another instant where I was still surrounded by light, and then, bang! I slammed backwards."

She said that the next thing she experienced was "excruciating pain" - and her eyes opened and she saw the nurses she said she had seen from behind just moments ago.

"I cried and cried. I was in so much pain, but I felt an elation and a certainty that both me and my baby were going to live."

Christine underwent an emergency Caesarian operation, and her son Liam, her first child, was born six weeks early. She said that she had been planning to go back to work as soon as possible, but instead decided to look after Liam full-time.

he said: "I was spared, and I was spared to look after Liam. I have never been a religious person, but the experience has made me feel secure that there is an afterlife, and the people that I love and have passed away are still there, watching over me and my family."

Professor Paul Badham of Lampeter University - who studies the philosophical implications of near death experiences - said that despite media hype, the phenomenon is quite rare.

However, he says the reports of people who have had near death experiences tend to contain similar elements.

"It is very common for people to report going out of their body and looking down on their body," he said

"Going through a tunnel is also a common experience, as is being surrounded by light. The meeting of deceased relatives or friends is also commonly reported.

"People will also say that they feel they are in the presence of a spiritual reality. A Christian may interpret this as Jesus. One atheist who had an out of body experience said that he later realized that this presence was responsible for the governance of the universe."

Prof Badham said that the numbers of people experiencing the phenomena are rising, as medicine improves and pulls more people back from the brink.

He says that people who report near death experience sometimes "see" things that it would have been impossible for them to see if they had been unconscious on an operating table.

He said: "Not everyone who is near death has this experience - it just does not follow that it is a last physical response to death.

"This is an experience which transcends cultures, religions and classes - I believe this experience is probably the base for our belief in an afterlife."

Within our bodies there are focal points of energy that we use, whether consciously or unconsciously, to affect reality and allow us to fully experience and realize events that unfold before us. These focal points are called Chakras.

Chakras are located in important parts of your body such as your head or heart. Any organs within the area of these Chakras are used to control; and are, therefore, directly affected by the properties of that Chakra. There are seven Chakras located throughout the body, each with their own unique attributes and characteristics:

The Root Chakra is located directly at the base of the spine, also known as the coccyx. This Chakra is closely related to the body and our ability to master it. Ones health, constitution and security are linked to this Chakra. In addition, the realization of how our bodies connect to the material world is focused here.

Color: Red
Gems: Ruby, Garnet

The Naval Chakra is located in the lower abdomen. This Chakra is associated with the acts of giving and receiving, and is tied into the more physical feelings of love, passion and sexuality. The feeling of pleasure is also linked with this Chakra, so one may feel focus and feedback in this Chakra during moments of harmony, generosity, group creativity and selflessness.

Color: Orange
Gems: Amber, Coral

The Solar Plexus Chakra is located just above the navel and below the chest. This Chakra is a focus point for our force of will and our sense of transformation. Concentration and control of our personal energies originate from this point. Ones sense of power and authority, as well as self-control and discipline of the ego converge here. This Chakra can be used to sense the very use of ones internal energies to affect what is outside the body.

Color: Yellow
Gems: Amber, Gold

The Heart Chakra is located at the center of the chest and is the focus for love and understanding. Feelings that stem from this love such as forgiveness, compassion, balance and harmony radiate from this point. This Chakra also nurtures the rarified feeling of unconditional or divine love, love that goes beyond the physical.

Color: Green
Gems: Emerald, Malachite

The Throat Chakra is located in the throat area between ones chin and the top of the sternum. This Chakra is linked to ones powers of communication. Through this Chakra, one can realize truth and knowledge; honesty, kindness and wisdom and how these elements can be conveyed through thoughtful speech.

Color: Sky Blue
Gems: Turquoise, Blue Topaz

The Brow Chakra is located in the forehead, right above our eyes. This is also known as the region of the "Third Eye" in Buddhist and other belief systems. This Chakra is related to our perception beyond the physical realm. Intuition, insight, imagination and clairvoyance can all be associated with this Chakra. One can also focus their realization of their own soul, divine wisdom and peace of mind in this point.

Color: Indigo
Gems: Lapiz Lazuli, Sapphire

The Crown Chakra is located at the very top of the head. As one might guess, this Chakra is associated directly with dealings of the mind and spirit. This Chakra is deeply tied to the exploration of ones consciousness and place in space and time. Oneness with the universe, your spirit and will, inspiration, divine wisdom all the things that deal with the Higher Self are rooted in this Chakra.

Color: Violet
Gems: Amethyst, Diamond, Quartz Crystal