12 Chakra Reiki System
Expanding Beyond the Traditional Energy Centers
When many people first encounter Reiki, they’re introduced to the seven primary chakras, the energetic centers that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. These chakras help us understand how energy moves through the body, influencing our emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.
But in many modern Reiki and energy healing traditions, practitioners also work with an expanded system: the 12 chakras.
This expanded chakra model recognizes that we are not only physical beings, but energetic, emotional, ancestral, and spiritual beings as well. The additional chakras extend beyond the body, connecting us more deeply to the earth below and the consciousness above.
Rather than replacing the traditional seven chakras, the 12 chakra system builds upon them, offering a broader framework for healing, intuition, grounding, and spiritual connection.
Understanding the Chakra System
The word “chakra” comes from Sanskrit and translates to “wheel” or “disk.” Chakras are often described as spinning wheels of energy that help regulate the flow of life force energy throughout the body.
When energy moves freely through these centers, we often feel balanced, grounded, emotionally clear, and connected. When energy becomes stagnant or depleted, we may experience physical tension, emotional overwhelm, fatigue, or disconnection.
Reiki works gently with these energetic pathways, helping restore flow and harmony where it is needed most.
The Traditional Seven Chakras
Before exploring the expanded system, it’s helpful to understand the seven foundational chakras:
Root Chakra
Located at the base of the spine, the root chakra relates to safety, stability, grounding, and survival.
Sacral Chakra
Located below the navel, this chakra governs creativity, emotion, pleasure, sensuality, and flow.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Located in the upper abdomen, the solar plexus is associated with confidence, personal power, motivation, and self-worth.
Heart Chakra
The energetic bridge between the lower and upper chakras, the heart center relates to compassion, connection, love, grief, and forgiveness.
Throat Chakra
Connected to communication and expression, the throat chakra helps us speak truthfully and authentically.
Third Eye Chakra
Located between the brows, this chakra is linked to intuition, inner wisdom, imagination, and insight.
Crown Chakra
At the top of the head, the crown chakra represents spiritual connection, higher consciousness, and divine awareness.
The Expanded 12 Chakra System
The additional chakras extend both above and below the physical body. These centers are often explored in advanced Reiki practices, meditation, intuitive development, and spiritual healing work.
Different lineages may describe them slightly differently, but the following is one common interpretation of the 12 chakra system.
Earth Star Chakra
Located several inches below the feet, the Earth Star Chakra anchors us deeply into the earth’s energy.
This chakra is associated with grounding, ancestral healing, embodiment, and feeling supported in the physical world. In Reiki healing, connecting with the Earth Star can help clients feel more centered, stable, and present.
When this energy center is nourished, we may feel rooted, safe, and deeply connected to nature and the rhythms of life.
Soul Star Chakra
Positioned several inches above the crown of the head, the Soul Star Chakra is often associated with the soul’s wisdom and higher purpose.
This chakra is believed to hold spiritual gifts, karmic lessons, and deeper intuitive insight.
The Soul Star reminds us that healing is not only physical, it is also deeply spiritual.
Universal Chakra
Located farther above the body, the Universal Chakra represents unity consciousness and connection to universal energy.
This chakra reminds us that Reiki is not generated from the practitioner alone, but flows through us from a larger source of universal life force energy.
Working with this chakra can encourage feelings of interconnectedness, trust, and spiritual expansion.
Divine Gateway Chakra
The Divine Gateway Chakra is considered the highest energetic center in the 12 chakra system.
It is associated with divine wisdom, transcendence, and profound states of spiritual awareness.
While this chakra may feel abstract or mystical, many people experience moments of connection to it through meditation, prayer, nature, creativity, or profound stillness.
How Reiki Supports Chakra Healing
Reiki does not force energy or attempt to “fix” the body. Instead, it gently supports the body’s natural ability to return to balance.
During a Reiki session, practitioners may notice sensations, emotions, or energetic shifts within different chakra centers. Some people experience warmth, emotional release, clarity, deep relaxation, or a renewed sense of grounding.
Working with the expanded chakra system can help create a more holistic understanding of healing, one that honors both our human experience and our spiritual nature.
A Gentle Reminder About Chakra Work
Chakra healing is not about becoming perfectly “aligned” all the time. Energy naturally shifts and changes depending on life experiences, seasons, stress, growth, and emotional processing.
The goal is not perfection, but awareness.
Sometimes healing looks like grounding more deeply into the body. Sometimes it looks like softening the heart. Sometimes it looks like reconnecting with intuition, creativity, or rest.
Reiki invites us to listen.
The 12 chakra system offers a beautiful reminder that healing extends far beyond the physical body. We are connected to the earth beneath us, the energy within us, and something greater than ourselves.
Whether you are brand new to Reiki or deepening your spiritual practice, exploring the chakras can become a pathway toward greater balance, self-awareness, and connection.
Healing is not about becoming someone new, it is about returning to yourself.
Looking to explore the chakra system more in depth? Check out my Chakra Embodiment series on Youtube by clicking here
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu 🤍
-Chas