Jose ATID LEIIA STEVENS 157commonly used cave entrances and other openings in the
earth discussed so far.
Tunnels to the Spirit World
Tunnels or entrances to the spirit world exist throughout
the environment. Caves, holes in trees, hot or cold springs,
and orifices in the body are all gateways to enter into the
world of spirit. This method of accessing power plays an es-
sential role in the shamanic journey. Shamans travel through
these tunnels into other worlds for the purpose of accessing
and retrieving power, knowledge, and lost guardian spirits.
According to shamanic lore and many derivative mystical
traditions such as Sufism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Hinduism,
to name but a few, some of the most fundamental tunnels are
to be found within the human spirit body itself. There is rela-
tive agreement cross-culturally about where these tunnels or
energy vortices are located. And at the same time, there is
some discrepancy as to how many there are. Some systems
list three, some four, five, and some seven. For our purpose,
we are going to follow the yogic system that describes seven
openings. The Hindus and Buddhists call these openings
"Chakra" or "Cakra," a sanskrit word meaning wheel or
vortex. They are so named because to those who see them
they appear to be rapidly moving whirls of colorful energy.
Whatever their name, these round energetic openings are
depicted both in religious and shamanic art throughout the
world.
In a healthy person, the energy from each vortex extends
within and outward in a complex of fine tendrils that form a
colored, somewhat egg-shaped cloud around the body. Seven
tunnels, each generating energy, form seven layers creating
this egg-shaped spirit body. This, in fact, is the same spirit
body you were introduced to and worked with in the first
chapter. We are now going into greater detail with regard to
its energetic makeup so you will begin to understand the in-
tricacies of its inner workings, an understanding that will fur-
ther help you in successful shamanic visioning.
Each layer that emanates from one of these energy vor-
texes is colored according to the frequency and the quality
associated with that particular tunnel. In a healthy person,
the colors tend to be pastel; in an unhealthy person they can
appear to be dense, spotty, or dark.
The wheels themselves are like rapidly spinning tunnels or
tubes that appear to go all the way through the spirit body