Chakras, What are they and how to work with them? Options

Ive been reading about the chakra's and am not exactly confused but then am not finding out what I want to know about them. It would be healpful to know other peoples oppinions? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused012.gif)

For example is it right to think that they are energy centers of our being that deal with the flow of information with the out side world? Ive read that we can protect them with covering them with leaves. And to stop them from working is to picture them as a flower closing up. And of course to open them again would be to open the flower. Ive read someone's topic on chakras and they mentioned...

"Imagine a lotus flower growing up from a seed in the earth through the chakras. Grip the stem with a light root lock at the Muladhara Chakra at the base of the spine. Then steady the stem with a light diaphragm lock and neck lock. Now, Imagine a Lotus Flower blossoming open at the crown. You can visualize a beautiful violet color in the middle of the flower getting lighter at the tips of the petals. Visualize two pathways on either side of the spine like the double helix of a DNA molecule. Spiral the inhale down either side of the stem as the lotus closes and exhale up through the center as it blossoms open. Inhale think Sat Nam. Exhale Wah Hay Guru. Time open."

Another recent idea I had for some reason although not too sure what I was doing or why but I formed a couple of pink astral energy balls and absorbed them to the heart and solar plexus, not sure if this would work. I guess the idea was to form an emotional understanding between me and the persons involved.

Something else ive been wondering is about telepathy sort of as a chakra, picturing a black lotus flower opening or closing, im not too sure why this is but i had an experience a while ago and wanted to shut down telepathy but hadnt actually done so, so i dont know if this would work. I just pictured it one day but dont realy know why black or even if it would work.

So many people have different ideas on the chakras im not too sure what to do. But then again there are things missed from what we can do or i havnt found what im looking for. I wonder how they came to their opinions. Often the colors are different too. Any help here is greatly appriciated.

Thanks.

This post has been edited by Coffee: Oct 5 2006, 11:14 AM

If anyone reads this topic, dya think this is right for a start?...

In the womb our chakra's are blooming, but then at birth we are very scared once released out into the open so our chakra's get damaged. As we grow older into a child they start to heal and open more once again, we get to a certain point in our lives (teenager or yunger) and then start to think and feel differently and our chakras change becomming more open or closed, depending on our strife and understanding.

They are not just an in and out comms unit for the outside world?
Not too sure what it would do to close them or open them fully though. What would happen to our being?

This isnt a chakra right but can work in the same way I guess. As mentioned above, one day I wanted to shut off telepathy bacause of too much interferance (annoying spirits), so for some reason I pictured a black lotus flower with a yellow center closing. Havent tried it yet but I may have been on to something.

This post has been edited by Coffee: Oct 10 2006, 05:43 PM