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The concepts closest to the chakras in the west were first developed by Plato. This Greek philosopher lived in the fifth century
B.C.E. and taught that our psyche consists of: epithymia or desire, thymos or righteousness, and nous or logos or
the ability to contemplate the divine. He relegated these three levels of the psyche to three types of people:
|
| Level |
epithymia
desire |
thymos
righteousness |
nous or logos
contemplate the divine |
| Type |
the masses |
warrior class |
philosopher class |
| Location |
stomach |
chest |
head |
The later Neoplatonist expanded to some extent on these levels of the psyche. They developed symbols for these
levels somewhat similar to those developed for the chakras. For example, nous was referred to as the "flower"
and even more specific, sometimes as the "flower of the whole soul", much like the thousand-pedaled lotus symbolizes
the crown chakra. The later Neoplatonist understood that by unifying the mind, we could contact the divine.
It is also interesting to note that the Rig Veda, considered to be the origin of the Chakra System, describes how
the four (rather than three) basic types of people "sprang" from the four parts of the body of Purusa, the Cosmic Person.
Those four parts of the body were: the mouth, from which sprang the Brahman caste; the arms, from which
sprang the Rajanaya (Ksatriya) caste; the thighs, from which sprang the Vaisya caste; and the feet, from which sprang
the Sudra caste.
Only one fourth of Purusa's body remained on earth; three quarters went to heaven and became immortal. The moon was born
from Pursua's mind, the sun was born from the eye; from the mouth both Indra and Agni (fire) came; and
from the breath Vayu (wind) was born. Air arose from the navel and heaven from the head. From the feet of Pursua
came the earth and the four directions from the ear.
Plato also described parts to the soul in Timaeus. There are similarities to the Chakra System as described on this website:
The Parts of the Soul A Greek System of Chakras (first draft)
©1994, John Opsopaus.
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Plato and the Chakras: