Imagine this. You have known about the seven chakras for years. You can name the Root Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Third Eye and the Crown without thinking twice. Maybe you have even worn a 7 Chakra Bracelet through some of the most important seasons of your life.
Then one day you come across a 9 Chakra Bracelet, and a question pops up immediately:
"Wait... I thought there were seven chakras. Where did nine come from?"
I understand this question completely, because for most of us, the seven-chakra system is where the journey begins. I hear it often, and I love it, because it tells me people are thinking and not just collecting crystals.
So let me sit with you for a few minutes and explain 7 chakras vs 9 chakras the way I would explain it to a friend. The seven chakras are a foundation. The nine-chakra framework builds on that foundation. It does not replace it.
Why the 7 Chakras Feel So Familiar
The seven-chakra system is the one most of us meet first. It draws on older Indian yogic and tantric traditions, and the version most people know today became popular through the twentieth century. Those older traditions describe chakras in different ways, so I think of today's seven-chakra system as a simple, modern map. A very helpful one.
What I love is the story the seven chakras tell when you read them together:
- Root: Do I feel safe and grounded?
- Sacral: Can I feel, create and enjoy life?
- Solar Plexus: Do I trust myself?
- Heart: Can I love and receive love?
- Throat: Can I express myself honestly?
- Third Eye: Can I see beyond what is immediately visible?
- Crown: Can I connect with something greater than myself?
Read that again slowly. These are not seven dots on a chart. They are a journey through safety, feeling, confidence, love, truth, insight and connection.
If you are just beginning, you can explore the 7 Chakra Bracelet on my shop. It brings the seven chakras together in one bracelet and is a gentle way to start working with this journey.
The Seven Chakras as a Journey, Not a Checklist
People often come to me and ask, "Which of my chakras is blocked?"
I understand why. It feels simple and clear. But over the years I have started asking a different question: "What is this chakra teaching me about myself?"
Here is an example. Someone finds it hard to speak up in family conversations. They might say, "My Throat Chakra is blocked." That sounds neat, but it does not take them anywhere.
Now imagine they ask instead: "Why do I find it difficult to say what I really feel? What am I afraid will happen if I do?"
That one question starts an honest conversation with yourself. In my experience, chakra work becomes powerful when it turns into reflection. A crystal or a chart can point to the door, but you are the one who walks through it.
If you would like to learn this in a guided way, you can explore my crystal courses and workshops at drneetikaushik.com/crystal-courses.
Meet the Two Additional Chakras: Earth Star and Soul Star
The expanded framework includes your familiar seven chakras and adds two more.
Earth Star Chakra
In this framework, the Earth Star sits below the Root Chakra, often described as being 6-18 inches below your feet. It is traditionally associated with:
- Grounding
- Connection with the Earth
- Feeling anchored
- Being present in physical life
Soul Star Chakra
The Soul Star sits above the Crown Chakra, often described as being 6-12 inches above your head. It is often described in connection with:
- Higher awareness
- Spiritual connection
- Expansion beyond the individual self
- A sense of connection with something greater
Many practitioners view these two not as measurable points but as spiritual ideas to reflect on.
If this expanded framework speaks to you, the 9 Chakra Bracelet on my shop brings the Earth Star and Soul Star into the same journey as the seven you already know.
The Most Important Difference: The Journey Expands in Both Directions
The seven-chakra model gives us a journey through seven familiar centres. The expanded nine-chakra framework extends that journey downward and upward:
Earth Star
↓
Root
↓
Sacral
↓
Solar Plexus
↓
Heart
↓
Throat
↓
Third Eye
↓
Crown
↓
Soul Star
Look at what this shows. The journey is not only about going higher. It is also about becoming more grounded.
I think this is the most beautiful part of the nine-chakra idea.
Why Grounding Matters As Much As Higher Awareness
Spiritual conversations love big words: higher consciousness, intuition, manifestation, awakening, raising your vibration. I enjoy those conversations too.
But I always come back to one simple question:
"What is the use of talking about higher awareness if I am not fully present in the life I am actually living?"
I have met people who meditate every morning and speak beautifully about spiritual growth. Yet when a bill arrives, a relationship gets difficult or a work deadline looms, they feel completely scattered. The meditation is not the problem. Something is simply missing: the ground under their feet.
Grounding shows up in very ordinary places:
- In relationships, when we show up honestly
- In responsibilities, when we finish what we begin
- In work and decisions, when we take one clear step
- In emotions, when we feel them without drowning in them
- In the physical world, when we look after our body and our space
The expanded chakra framework gives us a chance to ask: Am I only trying to go higher, or am I also learning to stay grounded?
What the Soul Star Adds
Now let us move upward again. Within expanded chakra practices, the Soul Star represents an idea that goes beyond the Crown. I see it as a spiritual concept, not something to measure.
Here is the question I like to ask myself: what happens when my spiritual journey moves beyond understanding myself and begins to explore my connection with something greater?
For me, that touches things like:
- Quiet reflection and meditation
- A sense of purpose
- Higher awareness
- Connection
- Surrender, which does not mean giving up, but trusting that I do not have to control everything
7 Chakras vs 9 Chakras: So, Is Nine Better?
No.
I would never want someone to read this and think their seven-chakra practice is somehow incomplete because they have not moved to nine.
Here is how I look at it. Learning the seven chakras is like learning the main roads of a city. Later, you may discover smaller roads, neighbourhoods and routes that take you further. Those new roads do not make the first map wrong. They simply give you more of the map.
That is the real difference between the seven-chakra and nine-chakra systems. One is a foundation. The other is an expansion.
Who Should Start With the 7 Chakras?
The seven-chakra framework can be a beautiful starting point if:
- You are completely new to chakras
- You are new to crystals
- You are new to spirituality
- You want to understand the basic chakra journey first
- You prefer a simpler framework
- You feel overwhelmed by too many spiritual ideas
I often tell people: there is no prize for understanding everything at once. Start where you feel comfortable. Stay as long as you like.
Who May Want to Explore the 9 Chakras?
The expanded framework may appeal to you if:
- You already understand the seven chakras
- You have worked with chakra meditation
- You already use chakra crystals
- You are curious about the Earth Star and Soul Star
- You feel ready to deepen your practice
- You are curious about grounding and higher awareness as two connected parts of one journey
Notice the word I keep using: explore. Nobody has to "graduate" to nine.
What If I Already Have a 7 Chakra Bracelet?
You do not need to stop using it.
Maybe you have worn your 7 Chakra Bracelet for years and feel deeply connected to it. Please keep wearing it. It remains a beautiful part of your daily practice.
If one day you feel curious about the Earth Star and Soul Star, the 9 Chakra Bracelet can become your next addition. Think of it as growth, not replacement.
Why I Created the 9 Chakra Bracelet
The seven-chakra journey has been deeply loved by our community, and I never wanted to take that away from anyone.
I did not create the 9 Chakra Bracelet because the seven chakras suddenly became insufficient. I created it because I saw an opportunity to expand the journey.
I wanted to make something that carried the seven chakras people already knew and loved, while also bringing the Earth Star and Soul Star into the same bracelet. Nothing left behind. Two things added.
The Nine Crystals as a Journey
Let me walk you through the bracelet the way I walk through the journey itself, from Earth Star to Soul Star.
Grounding first. Hematite represents the Earth Star Chakra and is associated with grounding and feeling anchored in your body. Red Jasper represents the Root Chakra, linked with safety, security and the courage to stand firm.
Then feeling and doing. Carnelian represents the Sacral Chakra, associated with creativity, joy and motivation. Citrine represents the Solar Plexus Chakra, associated with confidence, willpower and self-belief.
Then heart and voice. Green Aventurine represents the Heart Chakra, linked with love, compassion and emotional balance. Lapis Lazuli represents the Throat Chakra, associated with honest and clear expression.
Then vision and connection. Amethyst represents the Third Eye Chakra, linked with intuition and inner vision. Clear Quartz represents the Crown Chakra, associated with clarity and connection to something greater. And Angelite represents the Soul Star Chakra, linked with higher awareness and alignment with your soul's purpose.
You can see the story. The bracelet begins with the ground and ends with the sky, and you wear all of it together.
How the 9 Chakra Bracelet Can Become a Daily Reminder
I never want a bracelet to feel like a magic object that does the work for you. It is a tool for conscious practice. Here is how I would suggest working with it.
During meditation: Use the bracelet as a physical reminder to move your awareness slowly from grounding toward higher awareness.
During intention setting: Hold it in both hands before wearing and ask, "What part of this journey needs my attention today?"
During reflection: Instead of asking, "Which chakra is broken?", ask, "What quality am I being invited to develop?"
Care for your bracelet:
- Cleanse it regularly with sage, palo santo or camphor smoke
- Place it on a Selenite plate overnight
- Recharge it in full moon or new moon light overnight
- Keep it away from water, perfumes and harsh chemicals. Angelite should never be soaked, and Hematite may rust with prolonged water exposure
If you would like to build a more intentional crystal practice, you can browse the chakra crystals on my official website. Every crystal there is natural, authentic and energetically cleansed before it reaches you.
Which One Is Right for Me?
|
If you are... |
You may prefer to start with... |
|
Completely new to chakras |
7 Chakra |
|
New to crystals |
7 Chakra |
|
Already familiar with the seven chakras |
9 Chakra |
|
Curious about Earth Star and Soul Star |
9 Chakra |
|
Looking for a simple foundation |
7 Chakra |
|
Ready to explore an expanded framework |
9 Chakra |
And remember: these are not rules. Your spiritual journey is personal.
A Note From My Heart
After years of learning and teaching, I have realised something. I do not want spirituality to become one more thing people feel pressured to master.
You do not need to know everything. You can start with seven. You can stay with seven for years. And when curiosity rises naturally, you can explore nine.
The journey should feel curious, personal, gradual and conscious. Never competitive.
Conclusion
Seven chakras are not less. Nine chakras are not automatically better. Nine simply gives you a wider map.
The seven chakras help us explore the journey within. The expanded nine-chakra framework invites us to also look at what lies below us, which is grounding, and above us, which is higher awareness.
You do not have to leave the seven chakras behind to explore the nine. You simply take everything you have learned with you and become curious about what lies beyond.
If that curiosity is calling you, I would be happy to have you explore the 9 Chakra Bracelet at shop.drneetikaushik.com. And if the seven feel right for you today, that is a beautiful place to be.
The ground and the sky were always part of your journey. Now you simply have a map for both.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between 7 chakras and 9 chakras?
The seven-chakra system covers the familiar centres from Root to Crown, while the nine-chakra framework adds the Earth Star below the Root and the Soul Star above the Crown. The nine-chakra framework builds on the seven and does not replace them.
2. Are 9 chakras better than 7 chakras?
No. Nine is not automatically better than seven. The seven chakras are a complete and valuable foundation, and the nine-chakra framework simply offers a wider map for those who want to explore further.
3. What are the two additional chakras in the 9-chakra system?
They are the Earth Star Chakra and the Soul Star Chakra. In this expanded framework, the Earth Star sits below the Root Chakra and the Soul Star sits above the Crown Chakra.
4. What is the Earth Star Chakra?
The Earth Star Chakra is, in this framework, a point below the Root Chakra associated with grounding and connection with the Earth. Many practitioners work with it to feel anchored and present in everyday life.
5. What is the Soul Star Chakra?
The Soul Star Chakra is, in this framework, a point above the Crown Chakra associated with higher awareness and spiritual connection. Many practitioners view it as a spiritual idea about our connection with something greater.
6. Should beginners start with 7 chakras or 9 chakras?
Beginners may find the seven-chakra framework easier to understand first. It is a simple foundation, and you can explore the nine-chakra framework whenever you feel curious.
7. Can I use a 7 Chakra Bracelet if I want to explore the 9 chakras?
Yes. You can keep using your 7 Chakra Bracelet as part of your practice. If you want to explore the Earth Star and Soul Star as well, you can add a 9 Chakra Bracelet later.
8. Does the 9 Chakra Bracelet include the seven chakras?
Yes. The 9 Chakra Bracelet carries crystals for the seven familiar chakras along with Hematite for the Earth Star and Angelite for the Soul Star.
9. How can I work with a 9 Chakra Bracelet?
You can wear it daily, hold it while setting an intention, or use it as a reminder during meditation and reflection. Cleanse it regularly with sage, palo santo or camphor smoke, and keep it away from water.
