I have here a book teaches that Anahata (heart) chakra is linked with Air element and Vishuddha (throat) is connected with Ether. Now I watching a Kundalini course and the person says the oppesite. Does anyone know which is true?
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It depends on the source of the system being taught. What you most often find when you go looking for information on the chakras are systems that were created by the followers of the “New Age,” and which are quite different from the classical Hindu systems, usually due to the fact that most, if not all, of the information they are drawn from is based on a faulty understanding of the original Sanskrit sources. Most things commonly attributed to the chakras within occultism, such as certain psychological states being assigned to each, are modern inventions of the West, and are not actually part of the original sources. This includes the elements.
What this means is, you can actually attribute whatever element you want to any chakra. In the West, Earth is most commonly attributed to the Muladhara, or root, for example, but in the Saiddhantika tradition of Tantra, Earth is placed at the Anahata, or heart, to ground the emotions.
Also, the Bija mantas that are often used with each chakra, correspond to the element one assigns to that chakra, not to the chakra itself. So, if you wanted to, you could vibrate LAM, the mantra usually given for the root, for the solar plexus, and you wouldn’t be wrong.
All that being said, the most common elemental attributions in the West are as follows: Root = Earth; Sacral = Water; Solar plexus = Fire; Heart = Wind or Air; Throat = Space (this attribution comes from a 16th century scripture which is the main foundation for modern systems; however, in earlier Sanskrit sources, Space is generally attributed to the upper chakras).
In Jason Miller’s work, which is based on his training in Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra, he puts the element of Water at the heart, and Air at the throat to set up a specific elemental alchemy, so my advice to you is to follow whichever attribution you feel will work best for what you are seeking to accomplish. If you are following the kundalini course you mentioned, for example, use that elemental pattern, as it most likely serves a specific purpose within the system that is being taught.
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Yeah, that is the point, the book also teaches how to raise the kundalini. I hoped to find out which source I can give more validity to.
What is the applicational value of an element that is assigned to a chakra anyway? I mean how can one utilize that information in a practical sense or then just being a handy knowing when playing Trivia?
The Kundalini is simply the sexual energy of the body, and as such, is essentially elementally neutral. What the elements are generally used for within Western occultism is opening and balancing the chakras to help clear the path for the energy to flow unhindered. Otherwise, when the energy rises, it will burn through any obstructions and potentially cause damage.
The elements can be used to strengthen your physical and energetic bodies. However, this can also be accomplished by utilizing any kind of external energy, not just the elements. Cosmic, celestial, infernal, and cthonic energies can all be similarly used.
They are both equally valid. There are many paths up the mountain.
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Thank you for taking your time and energy to share this information.
Is this because they create same result such as the grounding? Is there a difference between working with root chakra and earth element meditation when it comes to the final results?