I think it depends on what you define as "spiritual development" or "spiritual growth".

To my understanding, the traditional spiritual path IS a gradual unfoldment of the psychic centers/chakras. You just overlay it with your preferred philosophy, way of life, or moral system.

I spent many years doing that kind of stuff (in the traditional way) but I think the world is different now.

The vibrations on this planet have been increasing rapidly for a few years, though we often don't realize it because we are surfing along with it and it's only looking back that you can see how dramatically things are changing.

So it doesn't seem necessary to me for people to spend all that time engaged in plodding along a traditional spiritual path of gradual chakra unfoldment.

The insights that one gained "the hard way" when the vibrations were slower (through the gradual activation of those energy centers) are now available to one and all. Everyone's being swept along with this tide of vibrational energy that is sweeping the planet whether they want to or not.

Those that go with it are experiencing higher highs than ever before and those who are stubbornly trying to stand still are experiencing lower lows than ever before.

So, in my view, there's not a lot of need to speed up further. :) Humanity, as a whole, is going at a tremendous speed already and things are still accelerating.

As for whether the chakras are really real...I would say they are as real as you allow them to be.

I might tell someone that there is a beautiful clear blue sky outside today (and there is) but that someone might decide to sit indoors with the curtains drawn and then tell me that it isn't real for them.

And they would be right ...but I would also be right :)

I tend to agree with Stingray on this. Humanity is riding the increased energy wave and each of us, through our understanding, realizations and remembering, will either go with it in joy or resist it in pain and suffering; but ride the wave we will.

I've known about chakras for years and other than superficially I wasn't really that interested. However, recently I became more interested in them, particularly the earth chakra locations. I've even been researching in the past few days and then bang, two questions about chakras in one day. You gotta notice and love the synchronicity of that.

Are the chakras real? Is anything other than our experience real? To quote Stingray:

I might tell someone that there is a beautiful clear blue sky outside today (and there is) but that someone might decide to sit indoors with the curtains drawn and then tell me that it isn't real
for them.

Watch this power of words video about perspective (have a hanky handy).

If you have strong feelings about focusing on any particular chakra, then there is something in that that will help you in some way. Do the research and through synchronicity, you'll be drawn to what you now need to know and what will help you the most to be able to ride the wave in joy while enjoying yourself.

Believe it 8-)