In energy healing and spirituality, chakras are energy centers located throughout the body that correspond to specific aspects of our consciousness. There are said to be 7 main chakras aligned along the spine from the base of the tailbone to the crown of the head. However, some healing systems describe up to 12 primary chakras that expand beyond those centered on the spine. Each chakra is associated with a specific colour that reflects its vibrational frequency. Understanding the chakra system and the colour meanings can help us tune into the subtle energies within us for balance and wellbeing.
Overview of the 12 Chakras
The traditional 7 chakras located along the spine are the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. The 12 chakra system expands this to include 5 additional major energy centers located in the soul star above the head, causal chakra behind the third eye, earth star below the feet, and left and right side chakras near the shoulders. Here is a brief overview of the 12 main chakras:
| Chakra | Location | Associated Aspects |
|---|---|---|
| Root | Base of spine | Survival, grounding |
| Sacral | Lower abdomen | Emotions, creativity, sexuality |
| Solar Plexus | Upper abdomen | Willpower, self-esteem |
| Heart | Center of chest | Love, relationships, compassion |
| Throat | Throat | Communication, expression |
| Third Eye | Between eyebrows | Intuition, insight |
| Crown | Top of head | Spirituality, bliss |
| Soul Star | Above head | Soul purpose, destiny |
| Causal | Back of head | Karma, perception |
| Earth Star | Below feet | Stability, prosperity |
| Left Side | Left shoulder | Masculine energy, action |
| Right Side | Right shoulder | Feminine energy, intuition |
This provides a map of the major energy centers in the 12 chakra model. Next we’ll look at the specific colours associated with each one.
Colours of the Root Chakra
The root chakra, or Muladhara, is located at the base of the spine. It is associated with the colours red, brown, and black.
Red resonates with the root chakra’s connection to primordial energy, survival instincts, and our sense of physical vitality. Red brings an energizing and grounding influence.
Brown represents earthiness, stability, and a sense of security. It helps reinforce our foundations.
Black is the colour of stillness and inner peace. It facilitates grounding and presence.
In balance, the root chakra colours reflect health, vitality, stability, and connection to the physical plane. When overactive, they may show excessive attachment to the material world. When underactive, they can indicate issues with vitality or feeling ungrounded.
Sacral Chakra Colours
The sacral chakra, or Svadhisthana, resides in the lower abdomen. Its associated colours are orange and yellow.
Orange embodies creativity, fertility, pleasure, and sensuality. It energizes the sacral chakra and fuels creative flow.
Yellow represents vitality, intellect, and empowerment. It inspires confidence, joy, and channeling emotions constructively.
Balanced sacral chakra colours reflect healthy sensuality, emotions, intimacy, and energetic flow. Imbalances can manifest as emotional extremes, creative blocks, or sexual issues.
Solar Plexus Chakra Colours
Found above the navel, the solar plexus chakraManipura is linked to the colours yellow and gold.
Yellow, as mentioned, represents vitality, inspiration, and harnessing mental faculties. It empowers the solar plexus with clarity and intellect.
Gold holds energies of prosperity, wisdom, and manifestation. It enhances willpower, leadership, and personal power.
When the solar plexus is balanced, these colours reflect empowerment, self-esteem, inspiration, and the ability to translate ideas into reality. Imbalance can show as self-limiting thoughts, diffused focus, and issues with self-confidence.
Heart Chakra Colours
Located at the center of the chest, the heart chakra, or Anahata, vibrates with the colours green and pink.
Green represents compassion, kindness, harmony, and balance. It promotes healing energies and unity consciousness.
Pink embodies unconditional love, acceptance, and emotional openness. It allows us to freely exchange love and affection.
The heart chakra colours in balance reflect compassion, affection, forgiveness, and an open, loving nature. Imbalance can manifest as co-dependency, jealousy, heartache, or holding grudges.
Throat Chakra Colours
The throat chakra, Vishuddha, located at the throat is connected to the colours blue and turquoise.
Blue represents effective communication, inspiration, and expressing inner truth. It enhances vocalization and conveys inner peace.
Turquoise bridges the energies of the heart and throat. It represents wisdom, sensitivity, and speaking with care and compassion.
When balanced, these throat chakra colours reflect positive self-expression, peaceful communication, and the ability to speak one’s wisdom. Imbalance shows as shyness,speaking without care, or difficulty manifesting desires.
Third Eye Chakra Colours
Between the eyebrows resides the third eye chakra, Ajna, associated with the colours indigo, purple, and deep blue.
Indigo reflects intuition, imagination, and insight. It opens the third eye to perceive subtle energies and higher consciousness.
Purple embodies spiritual awareness, mystical attunement, and connecting to one’s highest purpose.
Deep blue represents wisdom, trust, and an inner knowingness. It promotes clear insight and focus.
Healthy third eye chakra colours indicate intuition, imagination, wisdom, and spiritual awareness. Imbalance shows as mental confusion, inaccurate intuition, or unwillingness to listen to inner guidance.
Crown Chakra Colours
Located at the crown of the head, the crown chakra, Sahasrara, resonates with violet, white, and gold.
Violet represents spiritual awakening, mystical experiences, and conscious connection to the Divine. It opens us to the transcendent.
White holds the energies of perfection, purity, insight, and unity. It facilitates clarity and higher awareness.
Gold symbolizes enlightenment, spiritual mastery, and merging individual with cosmic consciousness.
When balanced, these crown chakra colours reflect spiritual insight, conscious awareness, transcendence, and immutable inner peace. Imbalance can show as spiritual disconnection, confusion, or inability to access higher wisdom.
Soul Star Chakra Colours
The soul star chakra, located slightly above the crown, relates to the colour white. This represents purity, insight, and perfect universal consciousness. By raising vibrations, it facilitates soul awareness and connection to higher spiritual planes.
Causal Chakra Colours
Behind the third eye is the causal chakra, linked to the colour silver. This represents purity, higher perspective, and access to karmic wisdom and patterns underlying our existence. It allows us to transcend illusion and limitation.
Earth Star Chakra Colours
Found below the feet is the earth star chakra, resonating with the colour brown. As with the root chakra, brown represents stability, grounding, prosperity, and trusting physical experience as a teacher. It connects us firmly to the earth plane.
Left Side Chakra Colours
The left side chakra, near the left shoulder, is associated with the colour blue. As discussed for the throat chakra, blue represents calm, relaxation, flowing communication, and awareness through the masculine divine aspects.
Right Side Chakra Colours
Opposite this, the right side chakra is linked to the colour pink, channeling unconditional love, compassion, receptivity, and the feminine divine qualities.
Conclusion
This provides an overview of the 12 chakra system and the colours associated with each energy center. While interpretations may vary between healing systems, the colours give us an essence of the vibrational frequency and spiritual qualities of each chakra. Understanding this symbolism can help us balance our subtle energies, empower our consciousness, and tune into our highest purpose. Work with the colours intuitively and find which resonate most strongly for you.
