Archetypal Chakras By Arnold Bittlinger|Book Review

Real, actual improvement for your chakras.

Archetypal Chakras by Arnold Bittlinger, was translated from German by Christine M. Grimm. I found this book because Christine M. Grimm is involved in Reiki, which I have been practicing professionally since 2006 and teaching since 2007.

Archetypal Chakras is content-rich. I wrote my first note six pages into the book when I learned that the definition of kundalini is the rolled-up one, which clicked immediately because I was already familiar with the concept of the kundalini unwinding.

Easily one of the best books I’ve read about chakras because Bittlinger has a deep understanding of the subject and an obvious love for the beautiful poetry and functionality of chakras.

Archetypal Chakras explains terminology that seems like common knowledge in the holistic community, but often gets lost. For example, the root or base chakra is called Muladhara, a combination of the Sanskrit words Mula, which means root, and adhara, which means center. The name is common, but the etymology of the name is not.

Each chakra is explained in accessible, useful, detail.

Pages 26–27 focus on exercises to harmonize the chakras. The exercises were inviting and practical, which lead to me trying all three and choosing a favorite because I could feel my energy moving.

Exercises for the svadhastana chakra, a.k.a. the second or sacral chakra, and Manipura chakra, a.k.a. the third chakra or solar plexus, were also unique and I felt myself expanding and feeling free when I practiced them. The visuddhi, a.k.a. fifth or throat chakra, exercise expanded my definition of what expression is.

Meditation didn’t appear in the book until after the individual chakra exercises, but it was worth waiting for. The color meditation is beautifully written and easy to help another person through.

There are power animals for each chakra waiting to be acknowledged, which didn’t occur to me until I read the book.

I think there’s something for everyone here because there are multiple varied approaches.

Reading my notes from this time was a journey in itself because my life has improved 100% since then. Is it in part because of what I learned and did as a result of reading this book? I would say it is a factor because the chakra balancing technique I use in my Reiki practice and teach to my Reiki students was a game-changer. The roots of that technique were born after I read this book.

Highly recommended for those interested in self-development, Reiki, energy medicine, and spiritual seekers, or simply for those who want to see if there is anything to the theory of chakras and their influence in our lives.