Chakra Symbols & Their Meanings: How to Unlock Your Energy Body

Triangles, circles, petals, squares, and colors — all chakra symbols reveal each energy center’s profound meaning and application.

Apart from their intellectual description, their visual representation holds enormous transformative power. 

To unlock the power of chakra symbols and colors, here’s what you need to know:

• What Are Chakras?
• The 7 Chakra Symbols Explained
• Chakras & Animals: Symbols

By merely contemplating each symbol, you can heal, open, and balance your energy centers — this is how mysteriously powerful the language of symbols can be.

What Are Chakras?

According to Anodea Judith, leading authority in the field of chakras and trainer of Mindvalley’s Chakra Healing Quest, chakras are the organizational principles for receiving, assimilating, storing, and expressing the life force energy. 

“They are portals between your inner and outer worlds and keys to unlock your energy body,” she adds.

In Sanskrit, chakra stands for “wheel,” referring to the spinning energy center that makes it up. There are seven chakras in the human body.

What are the 7 chakra symbols?

The chakra symbol is a symbolic representation of the energy center and its meaning. For example, its name (wheel) suggests that all chakras have one symbol in common — a circle, representing the infinite and cyclical nature of energy.

Other symbols include shapes like triangles, squares, and petals, and their usage has its unique meaning and correspondence to each energy center. The chakra symbols also include chakra colors, describing a unique vibration.

The 7 Chakra Symbols Explained

Each chakra has its symbols and color and corresponds to a particular element. You can use chakra symbols for chakra healing and manifesting your desires. Let’s dive deeper into chakra symbols and meanings:

The root chakra symbol — Muladhara

Your root chakra is responsible for grounding, your sense of safety on this planet, and your individual path. It’s associated with the earth element and the color red.

Muladhara symbol consists of the following elements:

• The square: This symbol represents stability as foundational energy, which provides a rigid structure for the entire chakra system.

• The upside-down triangle: This alchemical symbol represents the element earth as the grounded energy of Muladhara. 

• The four petals: These are the four mind-states originating in this chakra — mind, intellect, consciousness, and ego.

• The color red relates to self-awareness, reconnecting your body and the earth. 

The sacral chakra symbol — Svadhishthana

Your sacral chakra is the center of your creativity. It allows you to enjoy the pleasures of life and express your creative essence. It’s associated with the element water and the color orange.

Svadhishthana symbol consists of the following elements:

• The circles: Multiple circles represent the cyclical nature of birth, death, and rebirth. It also reflects the water element associated with your sacral chakra. In the center of the symbol, tangential circles create a crescent moon shape, depicting the connection between your emotions and creativity and the moon’s phases.

• The six petals: These are the six qualities you need to overcome to purify this chakra — anger, jealousy, cruelty, hatred, pride, and desire.

• The color orange is associated with self-expression, creativity, and happiness.

The solar plexus chakra symbol — Manipura

Your solar plexus is the center of your personal power, directly affecting your self-confidence, self-control, determination, and will. It represents the element fire and the color yellow.

Manipura symbol consists of the following elements:

• The upside-down triangle: In this chakra, it represents the combined energy of the lower three chakras reaching up to the higher chakras like an upside-down funnel of earth energy.

• The 10 petals: These are 10 pranas or universal energies within your body.

• The color yellow: Think of your solar plexus as your personal sun. This color is connected to the sun and its fire energy.

The heart chakra symbol — Anahata

Your heart chakra is the fourth energy center, connecting the base chakras with the higher ones. It’s about love, compassion, and empathy towards yourself and others.

Anodea calls this chakra “a great connector through the Cosmic loop of love.” It represents the element air and the color green.

Anahata symbol consists of the following elements:

• The two triangles: The upward and the downward triangles symbolize male and female energies combined to create the six-point star shape.

• The six-point star: This symbol represents your innate desire for union. It’s a symbolic language of the heart that has experiential knowing of union with the divine.

• The 12 petals: The six-point star combined with the 12 petals make up your 72,000 energy channels, where the six-point star equals 6,000 channels (6,000 x 12 = 72,000).

• The color green is associated with life, renewal, and calmness.

The throat chakra symbol — Vishuddha 

Your fifth energy center enables you to communicate your truth authentically and confidently. It’s also your connection to the universal truth. 

It’s the source of your creativity and self-expression, but unlike the second chakra, it’s more conscious and intentional. It corresponds to the element of ether and the color light blue.

Vishuddha symbol consists of the following elements:

• The inner circle: Like a full moon, it represents the lunar phase of resting and letting go. 

• The upside-down triangle: In this chakra, it corresponds to a channel to your consciousness and soul, with the energy moving upwards to the spiritual realm.

• The 16 petals: These are 16 vowels of the Sanskrit language, representing the effortless quality of communication you experience with a well-balanced throat chakra.

• The color light blue relates to purity, expression, and wisdom, three qualities of an open throat chakra.

The third eye chakra symbol — Ajna

This is your seat of intuition and imagination. It allows you to receive the signs from the Universe, see what’s hidden, and be guided by your inner wisdom and beyond. It represents the element of light and the color indigo.

Ajna symbol consists of the following elements:

The third eye chakra symbol features a downward-facing triangle within a circle and two petals.

• The Om symbol: Om represents enlightenment and spiritual connection. 

• The upside-down triangle: In this chakra, it implies that the opening of the lower six chakras opens up this energy center.

• The two petals: These are two subtle energy channels traveling up and down between the root chakra and the top of the head, symbolizing duality between the self and the divine.

• The color indigo is the color of wisdom and integrity, related to devotion to the divine.

The crown chakra symbol — Sahasrara

Your crown chakra is your connection with the divine and the ultimate higher consciousness. According to Anodea, this chakra wants to develop a higher mind. 

As you release your attachments, you’re letting go and surrendering to the highest guidance. It represents the pure spirit, which can be associated with any element as it transcends the physical body and matter. The color of the crown chakra is purple.

Sahasrara symbol consists of the following elements:

• The circle: In this chakra, it represents the full moon and completion of a cycle, as a symbol of opening and awakening.

• The lotus flower: It corresponds to prosperity and eternity.

• The Om symbol: Om represents enlightenment and spiritual connection. 

• The color purple represents wisdom. 

Chakras & Animals: Symbols

Chakra and animals are two symbolic languages that give an extraordinary explanation of energy centers and their meaning. On top of that, animals represent spirit guides in numerous indigenous groups and Native American cultures who see the animals in their environment as “spirit animals.”

When it comes to chakra symbols, each energy center corresponds to a particular animal, reflecting its personality or attribute. Chakra symbols combined with their animals can be used as powerful tools for your spiritual growth and healing.

Let’s look at each chakra animal symbol and its energetic correspondence with the energy center:

The root chakra

Animal symbol: Elephant. It charges and protects. It remembers its roots and loves closeness and togetherness. 

Attributes: Social connectedness and effectiveness.

Elephant’s motto: “I provide.”

The sacral chakra

Animal symbol: Crocodile. It encourages creativity in finding answers and guidance.

Attributes: Change and balance.

Crocodile’s motto: “I develop.”

The solar plexus chakra

Animal symbol: Ram. It motivates you to live by instinct and intuition. Ram won’t make a move unless it’s 100% confident.

Attributes: Determination and expansive power.

Ram’s motto: “I recharge.”

The heart chakra

Animal symbol: Antelope. It moves with tenderness and grace, and inspires you to make decisions from your heart.

Attributes: Sensitivity and empathy.

Antelope’s motto: “I share.”

The throat chakra

Animal symbol: White elephant. It purifies communication and harmonizes relationships.

Attributes: Creative expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

White elephant’s motto: “I express.”

The third eye chakra

Animal symbol: Black antelope. It explores inner realms and enjoys traveling in both physical and invisible worlds.

Attributes: Inner vision and truthfulness.

Black antelope’s motto: “I guide.”

The crown chakra

Animal symbol: Egg. It expresses universal potential and embodies purity. It’s constantly expanding and creating universal change. In other words, an egg can be any animal in its potentiality and all animals combined.

Attributes: Unlimited potential and ultimate truth.

Egg’s motto: “I reveal.”

Enjoying the Ride With Balanced Chakras

Because chakras mean “wheels,” set your wheels right so you’ll be able to enjoy your human journey called life.

Anodea symbolically sees chakras as the best map that takes you to the destination you aspire to go to, helping you navigate multiple choices on the way.

“This map connects you as a human being with your energy body; it connects you both to your earth’s existence up to divine consciousness, everything that’s above and below,” she adds.

If you want to learn how to balance your energy wheels and use them as a guiding principle in life, Chakra Healing Quest by Mindvalley with Anodea Judith is the right place to start. You will go deeper into the ancient chakra system and gain practical tools to unlock your energy body and actualize your potential. 

Welcome in.