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

Remembered the other day that when we meditate with a crystal, the body stores the energy in a storage area conected to the body and releases it overtime. When I saw what I saw it seemed like there was enough to last a while from just the 1 session of meditation, although I didnt see it again afterwards so I have no idea how long it would take. The storage area seems to be infront of the skin.
Also just recently whilst meditating I've experimented with energy balls and absorbed them into my chakra's. In view I guess they are set behind the chakra because of they way im thinking about it, which is that the chakra in thought is where the skin is. And the same would go for the energy ball of being released over time and have no idea though how long for.
However, when doing other mediation exercises from this link... http://reiki-for-holistic-health.com/chakr...meditation.html
is that they are viewed inside you, not where the skin meets the air or the oposite, where the skin meets the muscle. I would guess from this that it would have to be near where the chakra is mostly considered. This makes me wonder though if you can effect your chakras from projected thoughts that are else where. I was doing just that when I thought what it says about the red chakra from the link above, when I visualized the roots connecting to the ground and it felt like it did something.

Not too sure what im babbling on about though but there's some more info on chakra's for you! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Hope that makes sense,
Thanks.

This post has been edited by Coffee: Oct 15 2006, 12:36 PM