Second Chakra: Svadisthana

In my mind, Anna Nueva Villanova defined the second chakra with this poem:

Settle for:
Settle for nothing
Settle for nothing less
Settle for nothing less than
the object of your desire.

Desire. The weight of. The weight of our desire.
Then laugh. Cry. But laugh more than you cry and when you hold the world in
the palm of your hand, love her.


~~~~

The second chakra is called the Svadisthana Chakra which translates loosely to "one's own seat or base" and is located in the area below the navel, and even though it is physically located on the spine, it encompasses the pelvis, hips, lower back, reproductive organs and genitals and lower intestines. The second chakra processes all feelings of desire and want inherent in the human experience, consequently, it's a very active area of the body. Particularly for the woman, whose womb is the symbolic vessel for incubating creation, the Svadisthana energy center is the seat of all need to create. One of the most basic truths in this chakra is that we MUST create or die. Whether it's a beautiful garden, a work of art, a turkey and avocado sandwich or a cup of tea, everything we do and every thought we think is an act of creation.

Given that the lessons of the root chakra are related to survival and influences of a group mind or "tribe of origin", the second chakra has everything to do with one-on-one relationships. Your self-esteem lives in your second chakra, your relationship with your spouse, partner and friends live here. Your sensual and sexual experiences of the world live here. Your fears or faith with money lives in your second chakra as well, and in our western culture, money issues can take up a huge amount of energy that must be processed by the second chakra. It goes without saying that the healthier and more vital you are in this area, the same will be reflected in your relationship to income and out flow of resources.