The second chakra is Svadishtana, in Sanskrit “the dwelling of the self” (from sva meaning “one’s own energy”, and sthan meaning “dwelling”)
Physical characteristics
The second chakra is also called “the sacral chakra” precisely because it is located at the level of the sacrum, about 4-5 cm below the navel, in the pelvic girdle. It is connected to the reproductive sexual organs – the ovaries for women and the testicles for men – the appendix, the large intestine, kidneys, bladder, prostate, (uterus), the lumbar vertebrae, and all bodily fluids (blood, lymph, gastric juices, semen).
The element it is connected to is Water – here depicted as nighttime water lit by a quarter moon – representing the primordial womb of Life. The origin of every existing life form, as well as the element that cleans, purifies, eliminates and dissolves all the blocks that hinder it (which is why, on a physical level, it is connected to the kidneys and bladder that handle the body’s purifying functions); on a symbolic level it is the element through which emotions are transferred, and thus it represents the emotional sphere. It is therefore the seat of the unconscious, of the archetypes and of ancestral memories.
“If we think of the body as a vessel for the soul and the spirit, then the earth element in the first chakra offers support and containment for the fluid essence of the second chakra, just like a cup holding water. Without a proper container, the water flows away and the cup remains empty. However, if the containment is excessive, the water cannot flow at all and becomes stagnant. Ideally we need a cup capable of being filled, of holding, and of emptying itself. The task of the first chakra was to build this container. In the second chakra we move on to its content.”[1]
Its polarity is YIN. The concepts of “polarity” apply to the Chakras as well. We have seen that the first chakra has YANG polarity because it represents our base for beginning our journey within our physical body. It is thus masculine and is represented by an odd number, unlike the second chakra, which is feminine and connects to an even number (second/two).
Its color is Orange. Note that Orange contains the strength of Red tempered by the light of Yellow, so, unlike the intense Red of the first chakra, it “warms without burning.” Indeed, the characteristics of Orange consist in knowing how to experience pleasure and how to take care of oneself and others through great emotional intelligence, which draws on the right side of the brain. On the psyche, this brings great serenity, much cheerfulness, enthusiasm and a zest for life. In Eastern culture, Orange is associated with all the properties that favor mental concentration. It is the color that mainly stimulates endocrine action, since it also has a rebalancing effect on psychosomatic dysfunctions and helps the anxious person regain serenity by acting on the emotions underlying affective disorders.
Its sense is Taste.
The Crystals recommended for Svadisthana are:
- Coral
- Carnelian
- Topaz
- Aventurine
- Tiger’s Eye
- Selenite
Symbolic characteristics
It is connected to the sign of Cancer, ruled by the Moon, which expresses fertility, receptivity and a propensity for feelings; it is also connected to the sign of Libra, ruled by the planet Venus, which expresses its energy in “relationship,” with oneself and with others, in terms of pure, primordial emotions; it is connected to Scorpio, ruled by the planet Pluto, which in this chakra expresses the energy of sexual charge, understood as an act of pro-creation and/or of creation (thus an expression of inner creativity).
In the second chakra we find the opposite of the immobility of the first Chakra. Through the first chakra, we sought to create and hold onto a structure, while through the second, the goal is to let go and create flow. Svadisthana is the tantric chakra par excellence, that of union and of evolved fusion through sexuality and sensual and sexual pleasure. We have seen that the element of this chakra is Water, so the bodily functions related to this chakra have to do with fluids and concern circulation, urinary function, sexuality and reproduction.
The symbol used to represent it is the circle, the chakra’s symbol, with at its base a crescent moon turned upward. Around the circle – which also represents the lotus – there are 6 petals, each inscribed with a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet (Bam, Bham, Mam, Yam, Ram, Lam). Inside this circle is a Crocodile, representing our most hidden passions, that is, the natural instincts and those related to sexuality, physical desire and all the pleasures one longs for; thus, desires understood as work projects (on the right) or as life experiences (on the left). The Crocodile, through the chakra’s energy, helps us establish and maintain protective psychological limits and boundaries, without at the same time hindering their expansion and expression.
Its Yantra – a geometric figure that holds within it the element of the cosmos and/or the moving cosmic forces that sustain the psychic forces during meditation, “compelling” the realization of certain inner states of awareness that transform the person who draws or contemplates it, bringing them back to a “re-centering” of their personality, or to an identification with a unifying Principle, or to an awareness of the totality of Being – is a crescent moon on a midnight-blue field, further symbolizing the water element and the feminine energy of fertility.
Psychological characteristics
The Second Chakra is the seat of the unconscious, of the archetypes and of ancestral memories. It is no coincidence that it is connected to the Moon. The Moon, in fact, governs what is unconscious and mysterious. In the second chakra, our work consists in reclaiming the shadow, which represents repressed instinctual energies held blocked in the world of the unconscious. Keeping the shadow blocked requires a great deal of energy, which is drained from the energetic economy of our life system, and at the same time this sabotages our relationships, our health and our evolution, activating compensatory and compulsive patterns. As Judith writes, when the shadow is not recognized, it is projected onto others.
“Reclaiming the shadow does not mean becoming a thief, a murderer, a rapist, or an aggressor. It is more likely that aspects of this kind emerge when the shadow is repressed and its energy builds up to the point of overwhelming the greater conscious self — and the stronger the repression, the louder our shadow must shout to be heard, and the greater the chance it becomes demonized. (…)
Reclaiming the shadow means reclaiming the instinctual energies of our needs and our desires so that we can channel them appropriately. This does not mean surrendering consciousness to the shadow, but rather bringing the shadow into consciousness.”[2]
The second chakra develops between the seventh and fourteenth years of age. Its development and balanced expression determine, at the level of personality, “the permission to feel emotions,” and it is represented mainly through the affirmation “I feel.”
The demon of the second chakra is Guilt. It inhibits the free flow of movement, above all robbing it of pleasure. From a strictly psychological and psychoanalytic point of view, feelings of guilt block and divert behavior exactly as fear does, from which they indirectly derive. If we feel guilty about what we are doing, we cannot fully enjoy our activities. Psychoanalysis teaches us that they manifest in moments of excessive anger, or when this anger is in some way connected to a deep unconscious anger that our inner child still holds toward the parental-educational figures, primarily, and, going even further, carried into our incarnation from situations and dynamics of previous lives. As Anodea Judith writes:
“Guilt imprisons the shadow in its dark, unconscious Realm…and polarizes our personality.”(…)“It divides us into light versus shadow, good versus evil. One day we feel wonderful, and the next day terrible, all over something we did. The brighter the light shines, the darker the shadow. The greater the guilt, the more we try to free ourselves from it through impeccable behavior, which blocks the natural flow of energy rising from the lower chakras and tends to polarize mind and body. A polarized personality is characterized by an either/or attitude. Without the multiplicity of the rainbow, we find ourselves stuck with black-and-white choices. (…) Children who live in terror of punishment freeze in the face of this either/or attitude. It is understandable that they want clear rules, so that they can behave accordingly and be safe.” (p. 157…)
The “illnesses” – that is, the “energetic imbalances” – connected to this chakra are all related to the fear of losing control; the resulting primary fears are therefore those of being controlled by others in every possible way, including dependency – even at work –, violence – including sexual violence –, abandonment, betrayal, powerlessness in all its forms, including physical, that is, the fear of losing the power of the body.
Rediscovering Sexuality
The energy of the second chakra is expressed through the act of creation and/or procreation; whether it is procreation through the sexual act, the creation of personal activities and projects, or the act of creativity expressed in artistic works in the fields of art, music, fashion, architecture, design, the energy of the second chakra brings “out” and to fulfillment the expression of the Self. By working on the second chakra we arrive at what we might call a “process of self-healing.”
“In reclaiming the second chakra, we reclaim our right to feel. We also reclaim passion and pleasure, the sense of need, vulnerability, and the connection of our senses to inner and outer reality. We free the flow of dynamic energy, which is essential for growth, for change and for transformation, and we let go of the armor that separates us. Then we can reclaim the intimacy we long for, putting an end to our fragmented isolation.”[3]
One of the most important characteristics of the second chakra is being able to freely live sexuality connected with the emotions, no longer separated from them and simply relegated to the purely “animalistic and instinctual” drive of the first chakra. Alongside this freedom, its limitations also manifest.
The primary fears of the second chakra are rooted in the eternal conflict between Eros and Thanatos: “Everything is done out of a request for love!”. McDougall writes:
“Happiness comes from the abolition of the difference between self and other. It is no surprise, then, that over the course of the analytic journey, traces emerge of what we might call an “archaic sexuality,” bearing the imprinted marks of a fusion between libido and mortido, in which love is indistinguishable from hate.”[4]
Pleasure is the innate, main road for moving away from pain, and it is the most suitable movement for expanding ourselves and connecting with our senses. Pleasure helps us pay greater attention to our senses and, through them, to fully live the experience and enjoy it, feeling alive! Pleasure brings us closer, unites us, while pain – in a balanced, healthy individual – pushes away, separates.
“When pleasure is denied, we lose the right to it, we feel guilty for desiring it, we feel ashamed of possessing it. Then all emotions are called into question. The child no longer has the screen of their emotions with which to filter incoming stimuli, and consequently loses the discriminating capacity for healthy boundaries. The result is either excessive defenses or a total inability to protect oneself. (…) When healthy primary pleasures are denied, secondary ones prevail, such as the pleasure of drinking, drugs, avoiding responsibility, sexual exhibitionism, or overeating. Since secondary pleasures cannot fully satisfy our desire for the primary ones, our lack of satisfaction makes us desire them even more, forming the basis for addiction.”[5]
Anodea Judith also writes:
“One of the hardest dynamics to accept in the field of love and relationships is the dance between Eros, the life force that attracts and unites, and Thanatos, the force of death that binds and destroys. Eros is the son of Aphrodite, the luminous goddess of love and beauty, while Thanatos, born of the goddess Night, peers out from the darkness of our lack of awareness.”[6]
As Judith explains, in the best-case scenario of union, at the beginning of every relationship, by yielding to Eros we are called – and give our consent – to “merge and dissolve” into the other and, at the same time, into something greater, almost infinite. In practice, by doing so we “expand our vital field.” I agree with Judith when she states:
“It is what hides in the darkness of the unconscious that brings love to its death. Our unconscious patterns sabotage relationships, trigger arguments, drive us away from our beloved, and push our behavior in directions the conscious mind deplores.”[7]
Let us return, then, to a point that seems central to the whole matter: “It is impossible to have Eros without Thanatos.” And this concerns precisely our shadow side: just as the shadow side – as we have seen – contains unconscious and rejected aspects of our personality, Thanatos represents the painful side of our “union” – at least at the level of the first three energy centers.
“We can avoid the painful side of Thanatos,” Judith continues, “if we remember to honor its presence.” In her own words once more:
“We must want, not deny, our need for a certain amount of separateness, our fear of becoming trapped, and understand that our partner’s same fear does not concern us, but rather Thanatos’s need to create balance in the relationship, so that Eros can continue the dance of love and attraction.”[8]
Pregenital sexuality. The libidinal foundation of every creative expression is invariably infiltrated by pregenital impulses, as well as by archaic aspects of sexuality, in which eroticism and aggression, love and hate, become indistinguishable from one another. Although oral, anal and phallic impulses all contribute to creative production, the anal component plays a preeminent role, being the source of the earliest “exchanges” between the infant and the outside world. The first “creation” the child offers to those who care for him is the fecal object, with all the erotic and aggressive meanings inevitably associated with anal activity and fecal fantasy. This unconscious libidinal origin thus takes on a fundamental function for the creative person, in any field. But the repressed fantasies that come into play add an element of uncertainty, because fecal production is invariably experienced in two distinct ways: on one hand it presents itself as something of great value, as a gift offered to an “other” (usually the mother) with love; on the other, it is experienced as a weapon, made to attack and dominate that other. It is worth noting that, while the pleasure resulting from the satisfaction of genital and oral impulses can give rise to conflict, such impulses are scarcely susceptible to sublimation. The spontaneous expression of anal impulses and fecal productions, on the other hand, are subject to rigid control and therefore require a sublimatory solution. The unconscious nature of erotic-anal and sadistic-anal investments in the act of creation thus strongly conditions the creator’s capacity – or incapacity – to continue producing.”[9]
In the second energy center, then, from a psychoanalytic point of view, we find this ancestral dilemma: sexuality merges with destruction. What separates the former from the latter can be identified with what is understood as “separation,” which is, in the end, “non-love.” Everything that does not allow the exchange of information and relationship tends toward “non-love” and “non-life,” and is everything that truly distances us from “vertical” sexual pleasure, that is, the divine kind, offered to God/Light/Cosmic Consciousness, the kind that leads to the ONE. “Horizontal” sexual pleasure, on the other hand, consists of that dictated by the body’s physical needs and is often dominated precisely by separation. Separation distinguishes Eros from Thanatos, thereby granting the latter a kind of intrinsic power precisely because it is split off and thus identified. Even on an unconscious level, what is perceived as Love, in truth, is not, or is so only to a minimal degree. From here we arrive at everything the Ego contributes to separating – as we have seen in the chapter on the Ego and narcissism. It is precisely that narcissism of death – of separation, that is – that tips the scales from Eros to Thanatos, creating an ever more constant block in the transmission of that information which, once shared, exchanged, leads to the ONE, to union, to that which transforms any vice into virtue, since in the end it is exclusively a matter of “percentages.”
This, then, is the particular task the second energy center carries with it on the sexual level.
The sexual act thus ceases to be an “aggressive” act and instead returns to being that act of spiritual fusion where Love for the other finally surpasses Love for oneself! This condition can occur only and exclusively when the second chakra is in perfect balance both with the first, which deeply supports it in this, and with the third, which is in part an extension of it, and when Serenity, Peace and Respect for the Love toward oneself are total and so unquestioned as to allow complete openness to Love, without constraints and disinterestedly toward the other. It is this that activates and favors a willingness to exchange without any Fear, without any Anger, without any Judgment, and thus as free as possible from the conditioning of all the Ego’s forms of servitude.
The energy of self-sufficiency through a healthy physical Ego and an adequate narcissism of life (as we will also see in the third chakra) allows us to be whole in our physical body and allows us to be in the world without compromising ourselves. In a word, to respect ourselves. And whoever truly and deeply respects themselves cannot help but respect the “other than self.” The power of this energy center is thus surely represented by the power of choice in a world of duality. Choice – and consequently intention – literally allows us to create the reality around us. The wisdom that moves our choices makes us co-responsible for our destiny, which is, at the same time, entrusted to the Universe: ultimately, what we choose is exactly what we were meant to choose within the logic of a Higher Design. But it is our awareness of our reaction to the choices we need to make that determines our reality! And symbolically, this represents “birth.” Transcending duality allows us to perceive ourselves as ONE with others and with All That Is.
Functional characteristics
The second chakra in balance allows for a natural flow of life energy, which spontaneously leads to building a relationship with the opposite sex, feeling the flow of spontaneous emotions that make us feel part of creation, to the point of perceiving and also transmitting to others feelings of wonder and enthusiasm, in a continuous flow of giving and receiving security such that one feels one is “moving in unison.” Svadhisthana in balance, therefore, allows us to achieve sexual satisfaction, physical pleasure and a general enjoyment of life. It also allows for harmonious movement, joyful intimacy, and the ability to care for oneself and others within healthy sexual and emotional boundaries.
When the second chakra is not in balance, as happens for example during puberty, the energy of the second is often not properly channeled, and the result is a state of insecurity. This imbalance often has its roots in a lack of tenderness and physical contact in early childhood, and manifests as a denial, a rejection/repression, or an improper expression of sexuality, and an inability to spontaneously express the creative potential of sexuality. All of this results in difficulty, uncertainty and tension in relationships with the opposite sex. Svadhistana out of balance leads to a loss of natural spontaneity and innocence, causes sex to be lived in a morbid or manipulative way, with an obsessive pursuit of pleasure, even to the point of aberration, or causes sex to be seen as a “dirty” act.
There is also the possibility that the second chakra is “deficient,” that is, when the energy is blocked, often because in infancy and childhood one experienced parental repression of sexuality, or had to block and repress one’s own sensuality and the manifestation of one’s own sexual energy. The result of this induced or self-imposed repression is a lack of self-esteem, a state of emotional paralysis, and a condition of sexual frigidity.
Tool for balance
The Bija Mantra for the second chakra is VAM (that is, the letter VA pronounced by making it resonate in the nose), and while pronouncing this mantra, we perceive and visually imagine ourselves radiating an irresistible charisma that makes us ever more irresistibly fascinating to the sexual partner we wish to attract.
Seated, keep your eyes closed, bring your attention to the area of the second chakra, four centimeters below the navel; pronounce the Bija Mantra VAM and begin to vibrate to its sound. While vibrating, bring your attention to the waters of your own body and let them dissolve and cleanse the body of all the blocked emotions and energies stirred up by the Earth, that is, the memories. Move on to observe the inside of the body associated with this chakra: the gonads (ovaries for women and testicles for men), and imagine a bright orange color spreading through these organs, cleansing and dissolving whatever it finds “stuck,” “blocked.” On this plane of consciousness, one feels one’s own projects and one’s own sexual desires surface, and continues vibrating to the sound of the mantra VAM.
[1] p. 145, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [2] p. 156, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [3] p. 143, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [4] p. 1, Joyce Mc Dougall, Eros. Le deviazioni del desiderio [5] p. 149, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [6] p. 300, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [7] p. 301, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [8] p. 301, Anodea Judith, Il libro dei Chakra [9] p. 73, Joyce Mc Dougall, Eros. Le deviazioni del desiderio
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