A sixteenth part, used in Indian astronomy for the phases of the moon. The sixteen petals of soma chakra are those phases.

Is soma the same as the crown chakra?

No. Soma sits in the upper forehead region, between manas and the crown, and belongs to the secondary centres rather than the main series.

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Secondary centre

Soma chakra

Soma · सोम

Sixteen petals above manas, one for each kala or phase of the moon. Soma is the moon, and the plant, and the drink pressed from it in the oldest Vedic ritual, which is a lot of meaning for one syllable to carry.

moon kalas nectar serenity

Location: Above manas chakra, in the upper forehead
Petals: Sixteen, the lunar kalas
Soma means: The moon, and the Vedic ritual drink
Below it: Manas chakra
Related to: Bindu visarga and the nectar
Quality: Cooling, in contrast to the navel fire

Sixteen phases

A kala is a sixteenth part, and the moon in Indian reckoning has sixteen of them. The petal count is that list, which places this centre firmly on the lunar and cooling side of a scheme that runs on the tension between the sun at the navel and the moon in the head.

The sixteenth kala is the one that does not wane. That detail carries most of the symbolic weight this centre has.

Cooling

Every practice associated with soma is described as cooling: nectar, moonlight, the calm after long sitting. In a system where the navel burns and the head condenses, this centre is where condensation is complete.

That pairing is why hatha practice alternates. Heating breath work at the navel, then chin lock and inversion to bring attention up and slow the burn.

In practice

Soma is not usually a concentration target for beginners. It appears in the region-of-the-head practices alongside manas and bindu, and in descriptions of what a long meditation eventually feels like rather than what to do at the start of one.

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Below it

Manas chakra

Six petals for the five senses and dreaming.

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Its source

Bindu visarga

The drop at the back of the head.

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Its counterweight

Solar plexus chakra

The fire the nectar falls toward.

Frequently asked questions

: A sixteenth part, used in Indian astronomy for the phases of the moon. The sixteen petals of soma chakra are those phases.
: No. Soma sits in the upper forehead region, between manas and the crown, and belongs to the secondary centres rather than the main series.

Manas chakra

Mga sentro ng enerhiya

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