Spiritual Centers
In our earthly experience we function as dual beings—we have a physical body and a spiritual body. The purpose of the physical body is to provide a vehicle for the expression of the soul. The purpose of the spiritual body is to give us a sense of mastership over earthly matters and also to guard and control the perfect operation of the physical body. Clearly, then there must be some means of communication between the spiritual self and the physical self.
It has been found that the seven endocrine glands (glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream) are the means of communication, or points of contact, between the two bodies; they are the gonads, the cells of Leydig (endocrine cells contained within the gonads), adrenals, thymus, thyroid, pineal, and pituitary. The Edgar Cayce readings tell us that when these seven endocrine glands become properly attuned through daily meditation, they become spiritual centers through which information and energy can flow from God to humans. In the Eastern philosophies, these centers are called chakras—meaning wheels. They are so called because that describes the way they are sometimes felt and seen; many psychics have spoken of vortices of energy at points in the body corresponding to these seven glands.
An energy, or Creative Force, rises during meditation, starting at the gonads (the motor of the body) and flowing through the whole system. The energy fills the pituitary where it spills over, cleansing and purifying the body, mind, and soul. This is the significance of the expression "My cup runneth over." This is the same energy raised during the sex act. There is only one force in the body just as there is only One Force, or God, in the universe. The use of the energy wholly on a sexual level, however, can cause sexual imbalance, as well as inhibit the creative and intellectual capabilities. The ideal condition is to have a proper balance in our activities. Dreams can give us indications of when we are imbalanced. For example, each center has its own rate of color vibration which is identical to one of the seven colors of the spectrum. If a dream, or series of dreams, emphasizes a particular color, maybe some work needs to be done on the center with which it corresponds—not the physical gland, but the attitudes, emotions, and activities associated with it.
A knowledge of the symbology of the centers can also be a powerful tool in understanding dreams by pinpointing which area of one's life may need extra attention. In the following list we have attempted to clarify some of the connections between the centers and other aspects of our life and dreams. For more information on these important glands and how they assist in our spiritual development, we refer you to Meditation and the Mind of Man by Herbert Bruce Puryear, PhD, and Mark Thurston, PhD.
GONADS • the first spiritual center; color—red; element—earth; direction—south; obstacles—indulgence, laziness, and desire; opportunities—creativity, self-reliance; level of consciousness—security, sustenance; dream themes—sex, artistic pursuits. Symbols—the bull; sex organs; intercourse; planet—Saturn.
CELLS OF LEYDIG • the second spiritual center, associated with duality, balance, color—orange; element—water; direction—west; obstacles—temptation, sexual imbalance; opportunities—learning balance, mystical marriage of male/female characteristics; level of consciousness—pleasure; dream themes—meeting an unknown figure of the opposite sex, sexual dreams in which typical male/female roles are altered; marriage, eclipses. Symbols—male/female characters, king and queen, sun and moon; planet—Neptune (correlation between spirit and matter, mystic).
ADRENALS • the third spiritual center, associated with the emotions, the "fight or flight" urge. The adrenals in people are larger than in any other animal, showing how much we have developed our emotions. Negative emotions (anger, resentment, hate, etc.) block the flow of healing energy. Color—yellow; element—fire; direction—north; obstacles—fear, desire for personal power, anger, aggression; opportunities—courage, initiative, use of energy; level of consciousness—energy, self-preservation; dream themes—war scenes, fighting, being chased, taking initiative. Symbols—sword, warrior, fire; planet—Mars (war, madness).
THYMUS • the fourth spiritual center, the heart center, completes the four earth centers; color—green; element—air (overcoming earth like birds in flight); direction—east; obstacles—jealousy, fear of loss of love, manipulation through emotions; opportunities—compassion, warmth, affection; level of consciousness—relationships, love; dream themes—romance, making friends, losing a loved one. Symbols—heart, green plants, "great mother" figure; planet—Venus (love).
THYROID • the fifth spiritual center, associated with the will, where you make choices, "thy will be my will"; color—blue; obstacles—selfishness, self-centered; opportunities—personal sacrifice to a higher calling, discernment; level of consciousness—Divine Will; dream themes—having to choose between two things or two ways, authority versus irresponsibility. Symbols—the cross, mouth, or the spoken word, neck; planet—Uranus (creativity through destruction, extremes, psychic activity).
PINEAL • the sixth spiritual center, the Christ center—higher mind and deep memory, enlightenment; color—indigo; obstacles—other worldliness; opportunities—purposefulness and perspective, insight; level of consciousness—Christ mind; dream themes—transcending time and space, gaining a new vision of life and oneself, meeting the Christ. Symbols—single eye, third eye, light, the Son/Sun, star or heavenly body, a guru, book or library, fish, UFO; planet—Mercury (mind, communication, service).
PITUITARY • the seventh spiritual center, the master center, the heavenly heart; the healing center; color—violet, purple, or golden (silence is golden as in meditation); obstacles—lukewarm attitude; hesitance to serve; opportunities—service, wisdom, integration, mastery; level of consciousness—oneness of life, one God; dream themes—harmonious inner-working of parts as in music. Symbols—father, God, wise old man, mountain top, elephant (power and might, almighty power), the number seven: seven senses—touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, intuition, thought trans-transference (in the state of evolvement at the present time). Each of these senses is matched with a soul sense, and can be experienced inwardly as well as outwardly. Planet—Jupiter. (See seven in Numbers chapter)
The obstacles (negative attitudes) and opportunities (positive attitudes) mentioned in the list are the responses or possibilities that may be aroused as the energy flows through each center. There are others as well, each linked to the level of consciousness associated with that center: for example, responses concerning sustenance (hard worker, creative, controls appetites; lazy, unimaginative, indulges appetites) are related to the first spiritual center, the gonads.
By level of consciousness, we mean the motivations, impulses, or purpose directing our actions and attitudes at that level. For example, since sustenance is the level of consciousness associated with the gonads, our response at this level has to do with the survival instinct, the supplying of basic needs.