carsten888's MAP Journal

**carsten888** · 21st December 2009, 08:34 AM

I know, sounds like a really silly question.

But I am seriousy confused

On the image in the book the heart-energy-center is in the middle of the body. My heart is left in my chest.

Where to do the energy stimulation?

**Korpo** · 21st December 2009, 10:38 AM

Hello, carsten888.

I'd say the energy center itself is at the center. Energy centers are more related to your first energy body, the etheric body. Its main energy lines run for example down the center of your front, of your back, through your spine and exactly through your body's center. They intersect with the energy centers / chakras - all of this on the center line of the body.

Oliver

**carsten888** · 22nd December 2009, 08:15 AM

so the stimulation is also on that point in the middle, on the height of the heart?

[slighty off topic]
Long time ago when I started learning to meditate, I did not like to focus on breathing much, as I would force breath. So I experimented with focusing on the heart, which seamed more stable. I noticed clear shifts in contiousness, feeling stoned-like full of love, my heart feeling like a huge balloon. I stopped doing that by for fear of getting a heartattack or my heart exploding. Now I read the warnings in the book, I can relate to that.
[/slighty off topic]

**Korpo** · 22nd December 2009, 10:04 AM

Yes, I would say so.

Never had anything negative coming from working with my heart.

What I would really recommend against, though, are energy-building techniques in combination with working that area. I used to try out some techniques that built energy rather quickly, but the enhanced flow could trigger sensations that could be even frightening and out-of-control. It was quite unpleasant. (But don't worry, none of those techniques are in the book.

)

Oliver

**carsten888** · 22nd December 2009, 10:33 AM

thank for reply

Rayson · 26th December 2009, 07:31 PM

In most sources, you will see the chakras mapped out in a straight line up the body, from base to crown. I read it so many times, that when I started by spiritual development path, I used to stimulate and look for the heart chakra in the dead-center of that line, on the chest. And I always felt that I was hitting the mark- I could tell that there was something energetically large there.
*edit: I still call the "Primary Centers" chakras. Don't mind me.

One day I spoke with a mentor, and he told me that the heart chakra is actually about one inch off-center, on the right side. I was surprised, but experiemented for myself to try and see. I was further surprised when I found that 1-2 inches to the right of center seemed to stimulate the chakra more directly.

So then I was left with the question- have I actually found an improved piece of information about the energy body, or have I merely given in to a mental suggestion, wherein each time I found the chakra in exactly the place I was expecting to find it? This question is valid, and worth exploring, for myself, and for yourself (I find that almost everyone will have to confront an issue similar to this at some point in their spiritual development- "did I really sense this, or did I detect something because my mind told me I was?").

That said, I will throw in a few more pieces of info, to further flush this all out.
1) Chakras are large enough that even if you don't "hit" them directly, you still are likely going to make contact with them, as long as you are close.
2) There are deviations in the chakra system from person to person. Even those these are kind of rare, there are people with more or less chakras. I've twice met someone with 6 chakras. I myself have 8, and I've met others with 8 as well.
3) I've found that if a person has 2 heart chakras, they tend to have their primary one on the right, and the second develops on the left, usually about 1-2 inches away from the breast bone.
4) Chakras can also move off of center due to energetic or emotional trauma. It's also very rare, but they might retreat away from one's energetic center.

So maybe you have a second chakra. Maybe yours just tends towards the side naturally. Or maybe you have a significant energy structure or even block on the left that makes the area highly stimulated when you work near there.

It's worth exploring. However- don't stress. If you're not quit sure now what's going on, you'll probably learn it when the time is right, and you'll probably walk away having learned even more about your energy systems than someone who had a "by the books" experience. As far as proceeding on your work in the MAP Program, I'd suggest following your intuition on wherever you feel you should be targeting for the heart center

**carsten888** · 27th December 2009, 08:12 AM

I will explore (after the holidays).

thanks.

**Tom** · 27th December 2009, 10:51 PM

It is where you "instinctively" point to when you point to yourself and say "I" or "me" in conversation.

**heliac** · 29th December 2009, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tom

It is where you "instinctively" point to when you point to yourself and say "I" or "me" in conversation.

What?? i point to my face!

**Tom** · 29th December 2009, 10:22 PM

The explanation I was trying to avoid was that it is supposed to be in the middle, in line with the nipples. It only works well for men who are not overweight - because as they get larger their nipples move, too. Instead of talking about nipples I thought I'd go with the other explanation I read that didn't seem to be mentioned: when you point at your chest and say "I" or "me". Now you've gone and made me say chest and you made me say nipple.