Avatar:Chakras

  

"The water flows through this creek, much like the energy flows through your body. As you see, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras."

— Guru Pathik using the analogy of a stream to explain how chakras work to Aang.

Guru Pathik used the pools of water along a stream as an analogy for the chakras.

Chakras are a series of points throughout the body where chi energy is heavily concentrated. There are seven chakras in total, all located on a central vertical axis.

Each chakra has a specific purpose and deals with a different type of emotion. As such, each one can be opened and closed depending on the individual's state of mind. When a chakra is open, energy is free to flow about the body, whereas a sealed chakra restricts this flow of energy. The chakras must be opened in a specific order, or the energy will not be able to flow properly. Each chakra also has a correlating color. Drinking onion-banana juice helped cleanse the chakras.

Guru Pathik used a series of connected pools as an analogy to illustrate how chakras worked. These pools were connected by waterfalls and channels, and were initially blocked by algae or muck, representing an individual's own emotional debris. Due to this blockage, the water, representing energy, stagnated and could not pass through the channels. When the clogs of algae were removed, symbolizing the opening of the chakras, it allowed the water to flow smoothly through the channels again, streaming through each pool fresh and clear.

History

In 296 BG, Lao Ge advised Avatar Kyoshi that her water and air chakras were overflowing during her spiritual training. Though Kyoshi did not know what chakras were, he informed her that he preferred working with people who either had all seven chakras open or all seven closed, as an accomplice with only some chakras unblocked could be swayed by their strongest emotion. He told her that although he could work with her feelings of grief, her guilt would make for a poor killer.

During the spring of 100 AG, Avatar Aang attempted, with Guru Pathik's help, to open his chakras so that he could enter and control the Avatar State at will. Pathik warned Aang that once the process began, it could not be stopped until all seven chakras were open, or he would lose the ability to enter the Avatar State.

Aang was immersed in cosmic energy after meditating upon his seventh chakra.

While opening his chakras, Aang received visions that Pathik explained were not real. Albeit challenging, Aang successfully opened the first six chakras. However, when Pathik told him that opening the seventh would require letting go of his earthly attachment to Katara, Aang became reluctant. When Aang meditated on his final chakra, he had to walk toward a giant version of himself known as the "Celestial Avatar Spirit Aang", who represented his mastery over the Avatar State. Aang began entering the Avatar State, but upon seeing a vision of Katara in danger, bound in chains and shouting "Let me go!" during his attempt to open the seventh chakra, Aang promptly chose his attachment over cosmic energy. This decision blocked his seventh chakra, preventing him from entering the Avatar State.

Aang reunited with Toph and Sokka and lied to them, claiming that he had mastered the Avatar State with Pathik. Later on, Aang told Iroh that he refused to let go of someone he loved to master the Avatar State. Iroh commended Aang for his choice, stating that perfection and power were overrated and not worth sacrificing for the sake of happiness and love.

Nevertheless, when Aang and Katara were attacked by Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li, Aang made the choice to try to master the Avatar State by letting go of Katara. He began to enter the Avatar State once more, but was interrupted when Azula struck him in the back with lightning, which killed both himself and the Avatar Spirit. Due to his inexperience, Aang remained in the process of meditating on his final chakra for too long and left himself vulnerable. Consequently, Aang was prevented from opening the seventh chakra and mastering the Avatar State, leaving his attachment to Katara intact. Although Katara managed to revive Aang and the Avatar Spirit with spirit water, his seventh chakra became blocked again and he was unable to enter the Avatar State.

Azula's attack left Aang deeply traumatized and disrupted the flow of his energy, leaving a large amount trapped around the wound in his back where the lightning had struck. He continued to display the negative feelings that blocked his chakras during his journey around the Fire Nation. On the day before the planned invasion of the Fire Nation, these feelings intensified, resulting in sleep deprivation and paranoia. Aang remained unable to use the Avatar State throughout the entirety of his travels in the Fire Nation archipelago. During an intermission of The Boy in the Iceberg on Ember Island, Aang's failure to master the Avatar State was highlighted when he told Katara that he was so angry with the play that he probably would have already entered the Avatar State if his chakra had not been blocked.

As Aang fought Ozai during the passing of Sozin's Comet, he earthbent a solid stone sphere around himself to give him time to think of a solution to defeat the Fire Lord without taking his life. While inside the sphere, he received a vision of Katara and feared that if he lost, he would never see her again, and that his sacrifice of the ability to enter the Avatar State to preserve his attachment to her would have been for nothing. Although he acknowledged his responsibility as the Avatar, Aang still prioritized his love for Katara over his duty to the world. Ozai broke through the sphere and violently knocked Aang onto a protruding rock that pressed hard against the lightning's entry wound on his back. This impact released the trapped energy, causing Aang to involuntarily enter the Avatar State. He panicked as his vision of Katara faded, not wanting to let go of the moment, but he realized he was back in the Avatar State and had full control over it. The surge of pent-up energy had opened his seventh chakra, allowing Aang to accidentally master the Avatar State without needing to let go of his attachment to Katara.

Different chakras

These are the chakras in the order one must unlock them.

Chakra	Deals with	Blocked by	Location	Color	Aang's experience
Earth Chakra	Survival	Fear	Base of the spine	Red	Aang went into meditation and saw his fears laid out before him, including the Blue Spirit charging at him with dual swords, Katara being dragged underground by General Fong, Sozin's Comet arriving, and even himself in the Avatar State destroying his surroundings. Finally, he saw himself surrounded by fire, sitting before a man who appeared to be Fire Lord Ozai. After clearing his thoughts, the images disappeared and Aang breathed a sigh of relief as he came out of meditation. Guru Pathik congratulated him and announced that the first chakra had been opened.
Water Chakra	Pleasure	Guilt	Sacrum	Orange	When asked what he blamed himself for, Aang reminisced of the day he fled the Southern Air Temple upon finding out that he was the Avatar. On top of this, he remembered the time that he hurt Earth Kingdom soldiers at General Fong's fortress while in the Avatar State. Pathik told Aang to accept that these things happened and urged him to prevent them from clouding his judgment and poison his energy; he stated that Aang must forgive himself if he wanted to be a positive influence on the world. Aang did so and successfully opened the second chakra.
Fire Chakra	Willpower	Shame	Stomach	Yellow	Guru Pathik proceeded with the unlocking of Aang's third chakra by asking the Avatar of what he was ashamed and for what reason he was disappointed in himself. Aang had a vision of when he first attempted firebending and severely burned Katara's hands. He told Pathik that he would never firebend again. Pathik responded that in order to obtain balance, he must accept all the aspects of his life. Aang was the Avatar and therefore he was a firebender. Aang accepted his duty and successfully opened the third chakra.
Air Chakra	Love	Grief	Heart	Green	Laying his grief before him, Aang saw all of the Air Nomads who were eliminated by the Fire Nation during the Air Nomad Genocide in the early stages of the Hundred Year War, with Gyatso being the first among them. They faded away and became smoke. Love, according to Pathik, was a form of energy that swirled all around people. He stated that the Air Nomads' love for Aang still existed inside Aang's heart and was reborn anew, in the form of new love — Katara. With his tears, Aang also let his pain flow away.
Sound Chakra	Truth	Lies	Throat	Blue	When Pathik explained that the fifth chakra was blocked by the lies we tell ourselves, Aang remembered the instance when he concealed his true identity from Sokka and Katara, stating that he did not tell them that he was the Avatar at first, because he never wanted to be. Pathik said that Aang could not lie about his own nature and that he needed to accept his destiny as the Avatar. With a sigh and a vision, Aang accepted this idea and successfully opened the Sound Chakra.
Light Chakra	Insight	Illusion	Forehead	Indigo	Guru Pathik began by explaining that the greatest illusion of the world was the one of separation; things thought to be separate and different were in fact one and the same. Aang instantly connected this concept with the four nations and Pathik told him that every individual was part of one collective people, yet lived as if divided. Aang realized that Pathik was saying that everyone was connected, thus making divisions meaningless. Pathik continued to explain that even the separation of the four elements was an illusion, as they are four parts of the same whole. He continued by stating that even metal was simply refined and purified earth, concurrent with Toph's discovery of metalbending elsewhere.
Thought Chakra	Pure cosmic energy	Earthly attachments	Crown of the head	Violet	Aang was asked to meditate on what attached him to the earth, only images of Katara came mind. Pathik stated that Aang needed to let go and forget his attachments. Taken aback, Aang questioned how he could let go of Katara when he loved her and wondered why he would choose cosmic energy over Katara, stating that the attachment was perfectly acceptable "three chakras ago". Reluctantly, Aang tried to let go of Katara and his earthly attachments. However, as Aang was meditating and about to clear the final chakra, he had a disturbing vision of Katara being held captive. Aang immediately ceased his meditation and was thus disengaged from his potential entrance to the Avatar State. Pathik warned Aang that if he quit his training before unlocking this chakra, he would ultimately be unable to enter the Avatar State at all. Aang ignored the warning and left to rescue Katara. When he was later forced on the defensive while under attack in Ba Sing Se, Aang isolated himself and meditated, hoping to let go of his attachment to Katara and unlock the seventh chakra. Though Aang began to release the chakra and entered the Avatar State, he was unable to complete the process due to being shot by Azula's lightning bolt. Consequently, Aang was prevented from opening the seventh chakra and mastering the Avatar State, leaving his attachment to Katara intact. While Aang fought Ozai during Sozin's Comet, he feared losing because it would mean never seeing Katara again, and that giving up the Avatar State for her would have been for nothing. Although he understood his duty to the world, his love for Katara still took precedence. The final chakra was eventually opened for good when Aang was knocked by Ozai's firebending attack into a pointed rock; the rock pushed against Aang's scar and released the pent up energy locked there. This allowed Aang to accidentally master the Avatar State without needing to let go of his attachment to Katara.

Connections

• In real life, the concept of chakras originated in ancient India and forms a part of many philosophical, spiritual, and religious systems.
• The chakra points, specifically where they are located, to what they refer, and by what they are blocked, are somewhat the same according to chakra charts.

Trivia

• The process of opening the chakras through meditation to acquire mastery over the Avatar State is similar to the real-life yogic tradition of kundalini awakening. Kundalini is described as a coiled energy at the base of the spine, located in the first chakra (Muladhara). When awakened, this energy rises through the central energy channel (Sushumna Nadi), activating each chakra as it ascends toward the seventh chakra (Sahasrara), resulting in expanded consciousness or spiritual enlightenment.
• In Hinduism, the second chakra is located in or near the sexual and reproductive organs, as it is related to pleasure. Due to this fact, it is the one chakra whose location was not stated in the show's dialogue.
• Though chakras are primarily blocked by certain emotions and states of mind, physical attacks can also block them. In Hinduism, the first six chakras can be directly blocked by bodily injury. The seventh chakra, however, can only be blocked by mental or spiritual disturbances. It cannot be blocked physically, as it is not tied to the material body.
  • Aang attempted to open his seventh chakra, but Azula struck him with lightning and killed him before he could clear it. He was resurrected by Katara, but his seventh chakra became blocked, and a large amount of energy was trapped around the wound on his back where the lightning had entered. He finally managed to open the seventh chakra and master the Avatar State by accident when the wound on his back struck a rock. This contradicts Hindu tradition, as the seventh chakra is notable for being the sole chakra that cannot be opened by purely physical means. Physical interventions can open the first six chakras because they correspond directly to tangible parts of the body, but the seventh chakra represents pure consciousness and transcends the material realm. Its association with the crown of the head is primarily symbolic, serving as the energetic exit point of kundalini. The seventh chakra can only be opened through spiritual practices such as meditation, contemplation, and other forms of inner work.
  • The third eyes of Combustion Man and P'Li are located where the Light Chakra would be, at the center of the forehead between their two eyes. While the location makes their abilities powerful, it later proves to have a critical downside, as the flow of chi concentrated around the chakra can be temporarily blocked by a single strike to the forehead, something that resulted in Combustion Man's death.
• Pathik stated that in order for the Avatar to master control of the Avatar State, they must let go of every earthly attachment, including those they love. However, how exactly this concept functions in the Avatar franchise is unclear. In Buddhism, attachment refers to clinging to or desiring impermanent things under the false belief that they will bring eternal happiness. Letting go of attachments has nothing to do with giving up on love or relationships themselves. Love is highly regarded in Buddhism, as it is seen as a selfless, compassionate, and unconditional force. In contrast, attachments are inherently harmful because they are the root of suffering and obstruct enlightenment. Romantic relationships with attachments are unhealthy because they feature co-dependency, possessiveness, and delusion.
  • Both Avatar Kuruk and Avatar Roku demonstrated mastery over the Avatar State while being in love with Ummi and Ta Min, respectively. On the other hand, Zaheer was only capable of achieving flight when he let go of his last earthly connection, his girlfriend P'Li, when she died.
• The main objective of opening the chakras is to detach one's soul from the world, so that, in the case of an Avatar, they would have free access to the cosmic powers at their disposal. When Aang met Yangchen in the Spirit World, she explained to Aang that the reason the Avatar Spirit is born as a human in every life is because the Avatar must be compassionate toward all people, and the only way to achieve that is by living among them. The Avatar must experience emotions in order to understand how precious human life is, so they will do anything to protect it. Later on, when Aang summoned Yangchen for advice, she told him that the Avatar can never detach themselves from the world because their sole duty is to it.
  • Yangchen's explanation of the Avatar's role most closely resembles that of a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. A Bodhisattva is someone on the path to enlightenment who deliberately remains within the cycle of birth and death (samsara) to guide others. They care deeply for all beings and embody the "four divine abodes" of compassion, loving-kindness, empathetic joy, and equanimity. However, Yangchen's claim that the Avatar is incapable of detaching themselves from the world because of their duty to it is fundamentally incompatible with Buddhist principles, which view attachment as never beneficial and detachment as essential to genuinely care for the world. The Avatar franchise never defines what "attachment" and "detachment" mean within its own spiritual framework.
• In Hinduism, the seventh chakra is considered the gateway to cosmic energy, which flows into the lower chakras. When open, the energy flows freely and helps align the entire chakra system. If it becomes blocked, the other chakras can still function, but they operate primarily on an ego-driven level, and spiritual disconnection may arise. During his travels through the Fire Nation, Aang could still bend but he exhibited various negative emotions and behaviors because of his blocked Thought Chakra.
• Toph displayed great mastery over the Light Chakra when she overcame the "illusion" that natural earth and refined metals were two completely different things, this insight allowed her to realize that the forging process would always leave small natural impurities, and in doing so created metalbending.
• Though the flow of energy, otherwise known as chi, within the body is mentioned many times, chakras were not introduced until Avatar Aang's encounter with Pathik at the Eastern Air Temple.
• Opening the Fire Chakra appears to have been more difficult for Aang than most of the others, as Pathik commented that it opened "less like a flowing creek and more like a burping bison".
• The cosmic projections Aang and Korra see when they meditate on their attachments were based on the Hindu concept of self, specifically an individual's essence distinct from their mind and body, known as Ātman.
• During Aang's attempts to unlock the chakras, the visions he experienced were filtered through the colors of the visible light spectrum, starting at red and followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally violet in the order in which he unlocked his chakras.
  • Additionally, the physical location of where each attempt was made reflected the nature of the chakra itself: the earth chakra in a cave, the water chakra behind a waterfall, the fire chakra at sunrise, the air chakra in a large open space, the sound chakra in an echoing space, the light chakra when the sun was high in the sky, and the thought chakra atop the temple and open to the heavens.

See also

• Spiritual beliefs in the World of Avatar