By Christin Snyder

Cleansing and balancing chakra system is important to overall health of individual. There are several different techniques that can be used to cleanse and balance each of charkas. The important thing is finding one that is most comfortable. The exercise below is simple. It can be done in a few minutes. Practiced each day, it will leave individual feeling more energetic and focused.

The technique that follows can be modified by individual to suit his/her own needs. Start off by sitting in a chair or standing somewhere comfortable with your feet flat on ground/floor. It is particularly important to sit or stand if you are new to meditation practices. Laying down cues body that it is time for sleep.

Once you are positioned, take a few deep but slow cleansing breaths. The idea isn't to gasp for air, nor is it to breathe unnaturally, but to get blood deeply oxygenated. Breath is a natural healing mechanism, and many of us in west will find that we breathe in a very shallow manner which starves our bodies and brain of oxygen. Breathe in at a slow steady pace and feel oxygen enter your body, continue slow steady inhale until breath has expanded chest and abdomen just as a balloon fills with air.

Hold breath for as long as it is comfortable, and then release and do exhale at same slow relaxed pace, blowing through lips as though you were blowing out a candle. Be sure to fully empty lungs before beginning next inhalation.

After three of these breaths release tension and relax more deeply. Take a few comfortable normal paced breaths as you do this. Once you are comfortable and ready to continue, close eyes and envision a golden white ball of light above head. This is holy light, representing connection between yourself and Divine.

--- Faith vs. Knowledge ---

While many religious zealots view idea of knowledge-based spirituality as "agnostic", indeed, it is not. As a matter of fact, even agnosts believe in something, which provides them an alternative stance to organized religion and gods. You have to believe in something to take a stance!

Faith-based spirituality is belief and trust that things will be as they will be in future. It is acceptance of "great mysteries" of life and death for which religion and society teaches that there are no "definitive answers." Such an approach to spirituality creates a fear-based environment based on gods who are vindictive and uncaring. Believers place their lives into hands of an unseen being in hope that all will "work out for best."

Knowledge-based spirituality is understanding and kinship of all and desire to achieve and progress through life toward one's own Vision and goals. The "great mysteries" become topics of personal research and, with an open mind, answers can be acquired from environment and Universe. This type of spirituality invites one to set aside fears and examine information and entities of surrounding environment. One has chance to take life into one's own hands and guide it along a path to one's own desires.

--- Hatred and Faith ---

One of problems of today is that, in our world, wars, hatred, and bias begin in moral grounds established by religion and society. Religion creates a solid separation between different factions of humanity. These factions take core ideals of society and mutate them to suit needs of their particular beliefs. In end, when societal boundaries are breached, and control languishes over ranks, uprisings and bitter conflicts begin to restore order. The stronger of factions wins and forces their beliefs on weaker.

In faith-based factions, fear is instilled and faith that a great hereafter exists. People fight to maintain their beliefs because they've finally "forced" their conscious minds to accept unanswered questions based on invisible and unfounded guesses by their "noblemen". The battles are fought to ensure that their foundations and comfort zones are not affected by infidels of intruding factions.