Chakra
Two:
Water
Opening Meditation
Quietly you lie at peace, alive against the Earth. The Earth that is still, solid, unmoving. You are still, yet for every ebb and flow of breath there is movement in your body. There is change. From inner to outer and outer to inner, the path between the worlds is woven through you. The path of change.
As your chest rises, the breath moves through your nose, throat, and lungs. It ebbs and flows, as evenly and gracefully as waves upon a shore. Back and forth . . . empty and full . . . in and out.
Inside, your heart beats, your blood pulsates, a river of life connects each and every cell within you. Blood flows outward . . . blood flows in toward the center again. Your cells expand and contract, ever reproducing, dying. Wiggle a finger back and forth. Impulses of nerves run down your arms. Your breathing continues . . . in . . . out . . . in . . . out.
Deep in your belly you become aware of a warm glow of orange, pulsing through your pelvis, through your abdomen, through your genitals. Pulsations of orange light move in rivulets down your legs, up again through your thighs, flowing through your belly, and up through your back to nourish all of you.
You are alive. You are a wave of motion. Nothing within you is truly still. Nothing around you is still. Everything is constantly changing at each and every moment. Every sound, every ray of light, every breath is an oscillation, back and forth, constantly moving, swaying, flowing. A flow of constant change, changing every moment from the last. By the time you finish this meditation, both you and the world will be different.
Within your body is a river of change. Find the subtle inner flows of movement and thought, moving up, down, around, and through. Find them and follow them. Allow them to gain momentum—removing obstacles by easing any tension you may find. Exaggerate their flow with outward movements: sway in your chair, rock back and forth, creating a rhythmic motion. Let the rhythm build until you feel like getting up—even with this book in your hand—get up and move around, swaying on your feet, circling with your hips, bending your knees, always keeping the flow even and steady . . . remembering roots below. You sway, back and forth . . . up and down . . . in and out . . . expanding, yet ever returning to your core self once again.
You move with the flow of water, sometimes slow like a great river, sometimes quickly like a spring stream, sometimes languishing like a quiet lake, sometimes passionate like the waves of the sea. Raise an arm and imagine water flowing down through it. Feel the wet fluid run down your back, your buttocks, your toes.
Think of the water as it flows from the sky, caressing the mountains, running in rivulets to its various pools. Imagine water raining down on you, caressing your body, running in rivulets down your pelvis and legs, down to soften the Earth below. You are the rain as you fall effortlessly from Heaven to Earth.
You are many droplets as your thoughts fall from your mind. In tiny movements, the tides within you grow and move—faster as they plunge downward, cascading over pinnacles of earth—then slowly as they slither serpentine across great valleys of your fertile fields.
Until, as one, you ebb and flow with the tides of the sea, pulled by the moon in its dance of dark and light. Your oceans, vast and deep, abound with life. Your passion reaches outward, spills onto the shore, and returns again within you. You drink in all the change around you, pulling its movement through you as your life ebbs and flows. In . . . and out . . . you breathe.
From the vast depths of ebb and flow, you reach. You touch. You find your body. Sensation flows into your hand across your skin. Sensation known to none but you. Your hand moves across curves of flesh and follows lines of movement You sway to the sensuality of your touch. Inside you rise emotions—churning, yearning, flowing, bubbling. They reach and touch and rise, becoming movements, waves change, the water flows, within, without.
You are alone, yet others are around you. They, too, ebb and flow, and change and touch and yearn. Your movements flow to join them, desiring to unite, to merge, to move toward something new. Your hands long to touch, to pull the oceans closer, to feel the flow of other tides mixing with your own.
Your belly heaves, your sex awakes, you thirst for touch, and reach beyond yourself. You find your “other”—different yet the same. Exploring, you begin to merge. The movements build within you, exalting you, expressing you, caressing you. Your passions swell in ocean waves to crash upon the shore and satisfy your needs. The waters ebb and flow, nurture, cleanse and heal, as they flow with each yearning, each movement, each breath. Ecstatic in uniting, you merge, complete within yourself and completed once again within another. You dance, and rise and fall . . . and rest.
You are water—the essence of all forms, yet formless. You are the point from which each direction flows, and you are the flow. You are the one that feels, you are the one that moves. You are the one that embraces the other.
Shall we flow together and join our souls in this journey down the river of life? Shall we flow together to the sea?
CHAKRA TWO
SYMBOLS AND CORRESPONDENCES
|
Sanskrit Name: |
Svadhisthana |
|
Meaning: |
Sweetness |
|
Location: |
Lower abdomen, genitals, womb |
|
Element: |
Water |
|
Function: |
Desire, pleasure, sexuality, procreation |
|
Inner State: |
Feelings |
|
Outer State: |
Liquid |
|
Glands: |
Ovaries, testicles |
|
Other Body Parts: |
Womb, genitals, kidney, bladder, circulatory system |
|
Malfunction: |
Impotence, frigidity, uterine, bladder or kidney trouble, stiff lower back |
|
Color: |
Orange |
|
Sense: |
Taste |
|
Seed Sound: |
Vam |
|
Vowel Sound: |
Oo as in “due” |
|
Guna: |
Tamas |
|
Tarot Suit: |
Cups |
|
Sephira: |
Yesod |
|
Celestial Body: |
Moon |
|
Metal: |
Tin |
|
Food: |
Liquids |
|
Corresponding Verb: |
I feel |
|
Yoga Path: |
Tantra |
|
Incense: |
Orris root, gardenia, damiana |
|
Minerals: |
Carnelian, moonstone, coral |
|
Petals: |
Six |
|
Animals: |
Makara, fish, sea creatures |
|
Hindu Deities: |
Indra, Varuna, Vishnu, Rakini (name of Shakti at Svadisthana level) |
|
Other Pantheons: |
Diana, Jemaya, Tiamat, Mari, Conventina, Poseidon, Lir, Ganymede, Dionysius, Pan |
|
Archangel: |
Gabriel |
|
Chief Operating Force: |
Attraction of opposites |
CHANGING LEVELS
We often think that when we have completed our study of one we know all about two because two is one and one. We forget that we still have to make a study of “and.”1
—A. Eddington
We began our upward journey through the chakras by going down—into the Earth, into stillness and solidity. We gained an understanding of our bodies, our grounding, and things associated with one. We are now ready to introduce a new dimension: that which comes about when one meets another and becomes two.
It is here that our initial unity becomes duality. Our point becomes a line, giving it direction, dividing one side from another. We move from the element of earth to that of water, where solid becomes liquid, stillness becomes movement, form becomes formless. We have gained a degree of freedom but also more complexity.
Our consciousness moves from a feeling of unity to the realization of difference. Our understanding of self now includes an awareness of the other. Connecting with another, desire arises, and with it our emotions and sexuality. We long to unite, to overcome our separateness, to reach out and grow. These are all aspects of consciousness at the second chakra—all of which induce change.
Change is a fundamental element of consciousness. It is what commands our attention, awakens it, makes us question. A sudden noise awakens us from slumber. Changes in the length of the days caused us to study the Earth’s movement in the heavens. Without change, our minds become dull. Without change, there is no growth, no movement, and no life. Consciousness thrives on change.
In Chinese philosophy, the I Ching (“Book of Changes”) is a system of wisdom and divination based on the concept of change as the result of two polaric forces, yin and yang. They represent, respectively, feminine and masculine, earth and heaven, receptive and creative. Change is produced by the constant interaction of these forces, fluctuating around a state of balance. (See Figure 3.1.)
Yin-Yang symbol, showing how each is balanced and
contained by the other.
Consciousness in the second chakra, like the I Ching, is stimulated by the dance of polarities. In the upper chakras we reach levels of consciousness that transcend dualism, but in the second chakra, duality becomes the motivating force for movement and change. Duality, rising out of our initial unity, seeks to return to unity. Hence, opposites attract. Polarities, by their mutual attraction, create movement. If we are to begin in solid earth and transform all the way to infinite consciousness, there must be some movement to get the process started. This movement is the essence of the second chakra’s purpose in the overall Chakra System. It is the opposite of the first chakra’s stillness. Where the first chakra seeks to hold on and create structure, the second chakra’s purpose is to let go and create flow. Flow allows one thing to connect energetically with another. It is the difference between a point and a line.
Motion exists within every known part of the cosmos and is an essential characteristic of all energy, matter and consciousness. Without movement the universe is static, fixed, and time ceases to exist. There is no field to create the illusion of solid matter and we would instead experience its emptiness. To quote Dion Fortune:
It is pure movement in the abstract which gave rise to the Cosmos. This movement gave rise eventually to the locked up nodes of opposing forces which are the prime atoms. It is movement of these atoms which forms the basis of all manifestation.2
We are all part of this constant process of movement, moving through many dimensions simultaneously. We move through physical space, as well as through feelings, through time (from one moment to the next), and through consciousness (from one thought to the next). We move through a world in motion, a world in constant change. Movement is an essential part of the life force—the essence of what separates life from death, the animate from the inanimate. Rocks don’t move—people do. Let us flow then through the element of water in this second wheel of life—discovering how it brings us movement, pleasure, change, and growth.
SVADHISTHANA—
THE WATER CHAKRA
We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.
—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel3
The second chakra is located in the lower abdomen centered between the navel and the genitals, although it encompasses the whole section of the body between these two points. (See Figure 3.2.) It corresponds to the nerve ganglion called the sacral plexus. This plexus hooks into the sciatic nerve and is a center of motion for the body. Because of this it is often called the “seat of life.” (Some people associate this chakra with the Hara point in martial arts, though I believe this area to be midway between the second and third chakras.)
Sacral plexus and nerve ganglion.
The second chakra is also described by some to be located over the spleen. This pushes the chakra out of alignment with the rest, and theoretically, I find no conclusive evidence that the energy some clairvoyants perceive at the spleen is one of the major chakras. In male anatomy the genitals are very close to the first chakra, and the differences between the first two chakras are very subtle, allowing for possible confusion. But in female anatomy the womb is a definite second chakra, and is easier to perceive as a separate center than the male second chakra. It is possible that these theories (largely from the Theosophists at the beginning of this century) were based on male bodies, and that they were further influenced by the sexually repressive values of that time, thus subduing the second chakra. The spleen does seem to be sensitive to emotional changes, yet it is not to be confused with the second chakra in the System presented here.
The element of this chakra is water, therefore, the chakra corresponds to bodily functions having to do with liquid: circulation of blood, urinary elimination, sexuality, and reproduction, as well as all the qualities of water, such as flow, formlessness, fluidity, and surrender.
This chakra is the center of sexuality as well as emotions, sensation, pleasure, movement, and nurturance. In the Tree of Life, the second chakra corresponds to Yesod, the sphere of water and the moon. Its associated celestial body is the moon which pulls the oceans of water to and fro in a dualistic rhythmic motion.
In Sanskrit, the chakra is called Svadhisthana, usually translated as “one’s own abode,” from the root sva meaning “one’s own.”4 We also find in it the root svad which means “to taste sweet” or “to taste with pleasure, to enjoy or take delight.”5 When the plant has deep roots and is well-watered, then the fruit is sweet. To open the second chakra is to drink with delight in the sweet waters of pleasure.
The Tantric symbol for Svadhisthana has six petals, generally of a red (vermilion) color, but also contains two more lotuses within the chakra. (See Figure 3.3.) At the base of the middle lotus, shines a crescent moon, which contains an animal called a makara, an alligator-like creature with a coiled tail, reminiscent of the coil of Kundalini. He is a water creature believed to represent consuming desire and passions which must be harnessed in order to pass onward. I think of him as the animal instincts that lurk in the vast depths of the personal unconscious.
God: Vi•s•nu / Goddess: Shakti Ra-kini-
Sva-dhis•t•ha-na chakra.
(Courtesy Timeless Books)
As mentioned in chapter 1, the chakras are connected by a nonphysical channel running straight up the center of the body called the sushumna. Two alternate channels control the yin and yang energies, Ida and Pingala, twisting in figure-eight patterns around each chakra and running alongside the sushumna. (See Figure 1.6.) These channels are among thousands of subtle energy channels called nadis, Sanskrit for “flowing water.”6 Ida and Pingala represent the lunar and solar aspects, respectively.
In terms of the brain, specific stimulation of these channels, such as in alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), would alternately stimulate the right and left hemispheres of the cortex (see page 217 for instructions). Research shows that these two halves of the brain are responsible for vastly different kinds of thinking and that both halves are quite necessary for balanced understanding. The right side of the body is run by the left half of the brain, responsible for speech and rational thinking. The left half of the body is run by the right half of the brain, the more intuitive, creative side.
The two nadis, Ida and Pingala, meet in the first chakra and again in the sixth. Balance between the two halves of the brain constitutes a necessary condition for the clairvoyance characteristic of the sixth chakra. In the second chakra, the nadis cross above and below, surrounding the chakra on either side. (See Figure 3.4.) In order to benefit equally from both these energies, it is important to exalt in the dance of dualities, without getting caught in extremes and losing our center.
Movement and flow along these nadis contribute to the spinning of the chakras. (See Figure 3.5.) As energy flows upward to the right nostril through the Pingala, for example, we have a directional flow around each chakra complemented by its opposite, a downward energy on the other side of the chakra, flowing through the Ida. The two movements, turning in opposite directions around each side of the center, causes the chakras to spin. The crossing of the nadis between the chakras makes each center spin in an opposite direction to the one above and below. As each chakra spins in opposite direction to the one above and below, the chakras can then act like gears that mesh together and form a sinuous movement of subtle energy up and down the spine.
The major and minor chakras and their chief pathways.
The concepts of yin and yang also apply to the chakras themselves. Chakra one is yang, as it is our beginning, our foundation, and an odd number. Chakra two is yin, thus encompassing more of the “feminine” qualities associated with receptivity, emotions, and nurturance. The bearing of new life, centered in the area of Svadhisthana (the womb) is distinctly feminine. Water is receptive, adopting the shapes of that which it encounters, following the path of least resistance, yet gaining power and momentum as it flows.
The second chakra is related to the moon. Like the moon’s pull on the tides, our desires and passions can move great oceans of energy. The moon rules the unconscious, the mysterious, the unseen, the dark, and the feminine. This gives the center a very distinct power of its own as we move from our depths outward to create change in the world.
The spinning of the chakras as a result of polaric currents,
Ida and Pingala.
THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Every perfect action is accompanied by pleasure. By that you can tell that you ought to do it.
—Andre Gide7
The human organism, as well as other living creatures, has a natural inclination to move toward pleasure and away from pain. Freud called this the pleasure principle. Like the instinct to survive, it is an innate biological pattern, closely related to the survival instinct of the first chakra. Pain is an indication that something is threatening the organism, while pleasure generally indicates that the situation is safe, freeing our attention for other things.
The pleasure principle extends far beyond the realm of mere survival, however. Many things are pleasurable that do not directly assist our survival at all. In some cases, they may actually be detrimental to it, such as spending money on frivolous items or activities or ingesting harmful drugs. These activities may deplete our resources, both in the body and the checkbook. In other cases, pleasure enables us to move more deeply into the temple of the body and, feeling fulfilled, have a foundation for power, love, creativity, and meditative concentration, which are all aspects of the chakras above.
Pleasure, as befits the duality of the second chakra, is a two-edged sword. It’s an easy chakra to get trapped in, yet the trap can result from avoiding pleasure as much as indulging in it. The balancing of any chakra requires opening to its particular energy, without becoming excessively attached.
Pleasure and emotional sensations are processed in a lower section of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system controls the hypothalamus, which in turn controls the hormonal levels and the regulation of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Therefore, soothing stimulation to this part of the brain actually helps regulate and relax these hormones and processes,8 and there is some indication that it actually helps us live longer and stay healthier.9
It has been suggested that the segregation in humans between the cerebral cortex (conscious thought centers) and the limbic system has resulted in self-destructive and violent tendencies in modern humans.10 The connection between the cortex and limbic system is conducive to grace of movement, as there is no separation of mind and body to “check” movements and impulses, which can make them overly controlled or awkward. This segregation is nonexistent in other animals.
Pleasure invites us to expand, while pain generally makes us contract. If we are to expand from the fixed form of the material world into limitless consciousness, pleasure may be one of the first steps along that path, inviting consciousness to travel through the entire nervous system as well as to reach out toward others. In addition, pleasure invites surrender, which is a necessary process for spiritual awakening.
Pleasure helps the mind and body establish better communication. Through pleasure, we learn to relax and release tension. Impulses then flow freely throughout the whole organism, without fear of suppression. Gradually these impulses create rhythmic, coherent patterns soothing to the whole nervous system.
Pleasure allows us to tune into our senses. It is emphasized in some Buddhist and Hindu belief systems that both pleasure and the senses are misleading—that through sensation we deprive ourselves of knowing the true nature of reality. Yet the senses are the very extension of that consciousness that seeks to know. If our senses truly deprived us of reality,, would we not all be better off blind, deaf, and tasteless? Is this not senseless instead of sensible? Our subtler senses may allow us to see the inner planes, but the dulling or repression of the gross senses is no way to achieve this! Extrasensory perception is only sensation in its most refined aspect. How else do we become sensitive? As Alan Watts wrote: “Ascetic spirituality is a symptom of the very disease which it intends to cure.”11
Sensation is a valuable information source for all levels of consciousness. It provides the raw data that eventually becomes information, stored and analyzed by the brain. Ignoring bodily sensations cuts us off from the valuable feelings and emotions that play a part in transferring information to the brain and in moving psychic and physiological energy through the body. Sensations are the building blocks of our feelings and emotions. Without them we are lifeless and disconnected.
Pleasure and sensation are essential features of the second chakra. If desire is the seed of movement, then pleasure is the root of desire, and sensation is the medium of pleasure. Pleasure is essential for the health of the body, the rejuvenation of spirit, and the healing of our personal and cultural relationships.
Unfortunately, we are taught to beware of pleasure, that it’s a dangerous temptress waiting to lure us away from our true path. We are taught to repress our need for pleasure, and in so doing, repress our natural bodily impulses, and once again, segregate mind and body. We don’t easily allow ourselves enjoyment of even the simple pleasures—time for a little extra sleep, a leisurely walk, or comfortable clothing. These stringent measures arise from the mind, but seldom from the body. We then may experience a backlash in our emotions.
EMOTIONS
Emotions (from the Latin movere “to move” and e meaning “out”) promote the evolution of consciousness through the body. When we emote, we are moving energy out of the unconsciousness, through the body, and into the conscious mind. This flow of consciousness charges the body, cleanses it, and heals it. It is a movement of our life force through which we achieve change. We are back to the basic elements of the second chakra: movement and change.
In a preverbal child, emotional expression is the only language spoken or understood—the only means for a child to express his inner state. When emotions are appropriately mirrored by adult caretakers, a child forms a reasonable emotional identity. This emotional identity enables us to identify different emotional states later in life, both in ourselves and others.
Emotions are inherently tied in with movement. We repress feelings by restricting movement, and conversely, movement can free the emotional holding that causes chronic tension. We can think of the basis of emotion as wanting to move away from that which is painful, and toward that which is pleasurable. Emotions are a complex, instinctual reaction to pleasure and pain. They begin in the unconscious and, through movement, are allowed to come into consciousness. To block an emotion, we restrict movement. Then the emotion may remain in the unconscious—meaning we are unaware of it—yet still wreak havoc on our lives. It is acting from unconscious motivations that so often gets people in trouble.
It takes energy to repress emotion, so releasing emotions releases tension (if done appropriately). Absence of tension creates a harmonic flow within the body/mind. This creates pleasure of an even deeper level, allowing deeper connections with others.
The suppression of primary pleasures creates a need for overindulgence, turning pleasure into pain. Pain is an indication that we are going in the wrong direction. The suppression of pleasure creates a deprivation in the body that demands more of our consciousness than it deserves. Only through satisfaction and resolution can our awareness evolve safely to broader levels. It is said of Kama, the Hindu God equivalent to Eros: “Kama is worshipped by the yogis, for he alone, when pleased, can free the mind from desire.”12
Pleasure and emotions are the root of desire. Through desire we create movement. Through movement we create change. Consciousness thrives on change. This is the essence and function of the second chakra.
SEXUALITY
Lust, the primal seed and germ of the spirits, existed first . . . The seers, looking into their hearts, discovered the kinship of the existent and the nonexistent.
—Rg Veda 10.129.4
Desire, which is known as Kama or “love,” is dangerous when it is considered as the end. In truth, Kama is only the beginning. When the mind is satisfied with the culture of Kama, then only can the right knowledge of love arise.
—Rasakadamvakalika13
Sexuality is a sacred ritual of union through the celebration of difference. An expansive movement of the life force, it is the dance that balances, restores, renews, reproduces. It is the production ground of all new life—and in that sense—of the future. Mover and healer of the life force within us, sexuality is a profound rhythm pulsing through all biological life.
Sexuality is a life force. Yet we live in a culture where this element of our lives is either repressed or exploited. Television screens allow our children to watch countless murders and crime shows but censor any scenes that involve nudity or lovemaking. Hard work and upward mobility are stressed (and stressful), while those who engage in life’s simple pleasures are called lazy, weak, or self-indulgent. Still, the need for pleasure pushes onward, and people instead seek negative outlets in the form of alcohol and drugs (to loosen cultural inhibitions), sexual addiction, violence, rape, and crude pornography, while millions of dollars’ worth of advertising play on the repressed sexuality in all of us. When something vital and natural is taken away, the resulting gap can be used as an implement for control. What’s taken away is sold back to us, piecemeal, and we are less than whole because of it.
James Prescott has made studies of cultures comparing sexual repression to the incidence of violence. The more stringent the taboos are about sex, the more violent the culture. Conversely, the more sexually permissive the culture, the lower the crime rate.14 For the health of our bodies and for the health of our culture, sexuality is an important essence to understand and preserve.
Sexuality is also an important consideration in terms of the chakras and Kundalini. There is a great deal of indication that higher consciousness and sexuality are closely related, although theories about how are many and divergent.
In yoga philosophy, one hundred drops of bindu (the dimensionless points of focus that comprise physical matter, sometimes also correlated to semen), when sublimated, distill into one drop of ojas (divine consciousness). As a result, many serious yoga disciplines, and most preconceptions about the chakras, prescribe celibacy as a way to transform bindu to ojas. Since this belief is pervasive throughout many mystical paths, it is worth taking the time to examine its pros and cons.
As in the history of most religions, early Hinduism was primarily a magical system for obtaining better material comforts such as larger crops and better animals. This system grew in its rituals to eventually include huge sacrificial slaughterings. It is likely that this produced a reactionary swing in the opposite direction, which commonly occurs with cultural mores. The Jains, among others, founded a heterodox system that believed that one should not kill anything—even vegetables—and because life was not possible without this, they became a “celibate order of itinerant monks, noted for extreme asceticism,” some renouncing even clothes and/or food.15 The purpose of these renunciations was to become free of karma in order to further liberation. Other subsects of Hinduism adopted asceticism as a way of internalizing the sacrifices that were previously expressed in the fire rituals, thus raising one’s tapas or internal fires. This internal heat was felt to be a sign of “magicoreligious power” and more valuable than the pleasures given up.16 The sacrifice of pleasure became the replacement for human or animal sacrifice.
In India, where one’s household life and one’s spiritual life are usually assigned to different chronological stages, the act of sexual union, which could result in children to raise, altered the course of one’s spiritual path—sending it through a householder stage. While this wasn’t frowned on for the average person, it was certainly a deterrent to the person who had already chosen a monk’s life. Therefore, sex was to be avoided.
Celibacy, as a road to enlightenment, is also based on male physiology, where the retention of semen may have had a physiological basis of preserving bodily strength in a purely vegetarian and often sparse diet. The reality for women may be entirely different.
In Hindu mythology sexuality is everywhere. Shiva is often worshiped and represented by his phallus, the Shiva lingam, a symbol which appears abundantly throughout India. Krishna was known for his frequent amorous adventures, and erotic images are carved on temples everywhere in India. Shiva and Shakti are eternally making love. Among the Gods, sexuality was sacred. Why not then for mortals?
There is some research that shows there are chemical reactions involving sexuality, which may affect the raising of Kundalini and the opening up of psychic faculties. The pineal gland, often associated with the sixth chakra (clairvoyance), is rich in a derivative of serotonin, called melatonin. This chemical may easily transform into a compound called 10 methoxyharmalan, which is potentially hallucinogenic, giving inner visions.17 The pineal gland contains photo-receptors, and as we discuss the sixth chakra in further chapters, we will see that light and visionary experiences play a large part in this level of consciousness.
Evidence suggests that melatonin and the pineal gland in general exhibit an inhibitory effect on the female and male gonads in mammals. The reverse is also true: sexual hormones, such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone inhibit the production of melatonin as well.18 Therefore, stimulating these hormones through increased sexual activity could adversely affect the opening of this third-eye chakra, and too much activity in the higher centers could adversely affect the sex drive.
Unfortunately, research on Kundalini and psychism is still limited and there is not enough evidence to establish firm conclusions. What causes this chemical change? Is the state of “hallucination” possibly caused by the catabolism of melatonin, necessarily a beneficial state to be in? Are there other ways of triggering it? Is it that undue emphasis in one part of the chakra spectrum would decrease energy in its opposite end? While evidence is not yet conclusive, the implications are still worth noting.
Celibacy, under the right conditions, can help open the doorway to altered states of awareness, and raise energy up the sushumna. However, it must be stressed that without training in the techniques of channeling this energy, whether it be yoga, martial arts, or simply meditation, it may do the practitioner little benefit, instead creating nervousness and anxiety. If these techniques are unfamiliar, find a teacher with whom you can study who has already been through some of these experiences.
Celibacy can help one to break away from old, nonbeneficial patterns and habits. Sexual force that is not permitted expression as sexuality will find an outlet in another way. Yogis believe that bypassing this center will send this energy up the spine to higher centers. This is generally true for those who practice Hatha or Kundalini yoga and have the channels open and ready to handle this energy. However, among the numerous clients and students I have encountered over the years, I have not found any celibates who struck me as any higher, happier, or better adjusted than those who include healthy sexuality as part of their lives.19 Repressing sexuality often decreases the life force itself, and deprives us of the incredible pleasure and learning experience that comes from a relationship.
If celibacy is used to open previously blocked channels, it is not necessary to remain celibate all the time. Once these channels are open, they may remain clear, whether or not sex is engaged in. Often it is merely a matter of breaking old patterns, much like fasting is a way of breaking poor eating habits.
It is not always the case that celibacy will be beneficial to the growth of an individual, even under the proper circumstances. Some people, for example, habitually wall themselves off from others. For them, a sexual relationship could be one of the most enlightening things they could engage in. A relationship (which by necessity involves more than just the second chakra) can be a profound impetus for growth. We extend our experience by uniting with another. Within our bodies we are quite individual, but as we climb up the chakra column, the boundaries become more and more diffuse, and the realization that we are all one becomes more apparent. The path to enlightenment is often a matter of breaking through these illusions of separateness. Celibacy can enforce separateness, and sexuality can open the way for dissolving boundaries.
The drawbacks to celibacy can be as plentiful as the rewards. The sacrum is the center of our emotional feelings and the initiator of movement within the body, giving us a feeling of vitality and well-being. Frustrated sexuality can lead to lower back pain, leg cramps, kidney troubles, poor circulation, and stiffness through the hips.20 Stiffness in the sacrum may result in knee trouble as well, for it throws the body weight off from the central line of gravity. This stiffness gradually works its way through the body, and a feeling of lifelessness may ensue. Changing this pattern is often difficult, for opening the center may involve encountering emotional pain, hitherto kept in check.
Chakras open and close gradually because they are the result of patterns from actual interactions. Just as we can’t dribble a basketball that’s resting on the floor, people with closed second chakras often have a hard time finding sexual partners to help open the chakra, while a chakra that is already open may attract more partners than it can handle. The only way to combat this is to open and close the chakras gradually and gently.
Denying the body intimacy and sexual release is denying some of the greatest pleasure the body can have. This goes against our biological pleasure principle. Denying this pleasure also cuts us off from the subtler feelings and emotions housed in the lower chakras. We become cut off from our ground, our wholeness, our sense of inner satisfaction and peace.
Wilhelm Reich, in his research into the bioelectric currents of the body, found that sexuality was crucial in the healthy flow of this energy through the body. Reich felt that only through orgasm could we achieve a “complete circuit” of bioelectric flow through the body, essential to mental and physical health. “The complete flowing back of the excitation toward the whole body is what constitutes gratification.”21 He further found that dammed-up sexual energy resulted in anxiety, centered mainly around the cardiac and diaphragmatic region.
The same excitation which appears in the genitals as pleasure, manifests itself as anxiety if it stimulates the cardiovascular system . . . sexuality and anxiety present two opposite directions of vegetative excitation.22
It is likely that this anxiety produced in the “cardiac and diaphragmatic region” is similar to the early sensations of Kundalini, as it rushes into the third and fourth chakras located in those areas. Whether one considers this feeling to be a manifestation of anxiety or the force of Kundalini pushing through the chakras is a matter of opinion. This can only be based on personal experience. One’s spiritual maturity, or readiness to handle psychic energy, has a great deal to do with the effects produced by sexuality or celibacy, and the consciousness-expanding effects that either of these experiences can bring.
In keeping with the theory of this book, each chakra needs to be open and active for a healthy flow of energy through the whole body/mind. Sexuality is a resolution and celebration of our differences. Healer of the body, joiner of hearts, movement of life, sexuality is the water wheel of life that moves the earth below and tempers the fire above. We wouldn’t be here without it.
TANTRA
Sexual union is an auspicious Yoga which, through involving enjoyment of all the sensual pleasures, gives release. It is a Path to Liberation.
—Kaularahasya23
It must be remembered that the Chakra System came out of Tantric philosophy. Tantrism, in reaction to the dualistic nature of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and other ascetic ideals, teaches that the body is sacred and the senses can bring enlightenment, ecstasy, and joy. It is for this reason that Westerners often equate Tantra with sexual practice, even though Tantric philosophy is far wider in scope, and embraces a combination of many yogic and Hindu philosophies, of which sexual union is only a minor part.
Among elements of Tantric philosophy is a polytheistic worship of deities, of which the union of Shiva and Shakti, mentioned earlier, are said to bring supreme bliss. Through weaving together complimentary threads, such as masculine and feminine, spirit and matter, light and darkness, self and other, we escape the separation of dualistic thinking and enter a more wholistic philosophy. Tantra seeks to embrace rather than deny, yet still has as its goal, the liberation of consciousness into supreme realization.
The word tantra comes from the Sanskrit root tan meaning “to stretch.” Tantra literally means “a web or loom.”24 This Sanskrit term has also come to mean “essence,” “underlying principle,” or “doctrine.” The same root also appears in words for family and birth in Sanskrit as in tanaya, “to continue a family,” and tanus, “of the body.”25
Tantra, therefore, symbolizes the weaving of the basic underlying fabric of existence. Through stretching and reaching out, we both encounter and create this divine fabric. Shiva and Shakti, in their constant interaction as pure consciousness and its manifestations, are the divine threads. The weaving is done when we allow these divinities to work through us.
The perception of duality is often considered to be a source of pain and alienation. Tantra is the sacred dance of reuniting duality—of restoring that which is separate into oneness again. The result of this is an ecstatic experience of unity—with ourselves, our partners, and the universe around us.
The passage of energy between the couple engaged in sexual activity is far more than an exchange between the genitals. A couple, face to face, have all their chakras aligned between them. Through the intensity of sexual excitement, each chakra vibrates more intensely, and passage of energy between one body and another is enhanced and woven together at all levels. Whether the couple then chooses to focus this energy at a physical, mental, or heart chakra level becomes a matter of mutual choice.
Sexual symbology is plentiful in Indian art and mythology, and the Shiva lingam, with or without a Goddess (yoni), was fervently worshiped by the ancients. While the female was highly regarded as a sacred tool for obtaining liberation, it was the male who was the target for this enlightenment.
Whether the female was considered to be enlightened already, or whether she was not considered at all is unclear. Even today, it’s generally the males who go off to join the temples and lead a spiritual life, just as it’s most often the males who become the “enlightened” masters and spiritual teachers of these students. It is often these male gurus who prescribe celibacy and austerities for pursuit of the spiritual path, and teach that liberation cannot happen without an approved teacher. Sometimes, however, the woman, or Tantrika, is considered the guru.
Yet, the Goddess was considered indispensable, if not supreme, where it is said: “Shakti performs all the physical needs of Shiva. The bodiless Shiva, being the nature of Pure Consciousness, must have the creative energy of Shakti for support.” Another says: “Without Shakti, the lover is but a corpse.”26 As Shiva and Shakti live within each of us, partners practicing Tantra may elect to represent one or the other.
The purpose of Tantra is the same as any other aspect of yoga—to attain liberation from limited consciousness, most commonly by raising energy up the spinal column. The transcendental experience of union with another soul serves to bring one into an altered state of consciousness. In this state, entry into the higher worlds is more accessible.
Most Tantric practices attempt to use the force created by the arousal of sexual energy to awaken the Goddess Kundalini, and push Her up the spine. It is not believed that the untrained can achieve this liberation without previous instruction and practice in disciplines designed to open and arouse these centers, such as meditation or yoga. Like the use of celibacy, it is only through knowledge of psychic pathways that this experience can bring transcendence. Yet, there are many cases of spontaneous awakenings from tantric sexuality without gurus. Whether it’s Kundalini that is triggered, or merely an ecstatic state of union, tantric sexuality is a religious experience—achievable by anyone.
In Tantra, it is believed that the body, both male and female, is a temple—a place of worship. This means keeping the body purified and healthy as well as bringing it sexual pleasure. Tantrics practice yoga asanas (postures) and breathing exercises regularly, maintain proper diet, and study the psychic pathways. It is also necessary that one’s partner regard the body with the same respect, or true merging of the energies is unlikely.
Correct practice of the Tantric Arts leads to the creation of the mystic child, a vehicle of liberation through which one may attain magical powers (siddhis). This child is not a physical being, although conception of a child under these circumstances would certainly charge the fetus with the highest of our personal divine energy. The mystic child refers instead to a psychic “aura body,” experienced as an added energy source of a higher dimension. This body of psychic energy can then be used in a particular circumstance, i.e., healing, performing some task, or self-protection. Western practices of sex magic are very similar in this regard, using deities as interpenetrating forces that, when combined, endow the receiver with paranormal power.
NURTURANCE
To be tender, loving, and caring, human beings must be tenderly loved and cared for in their earliest years, from the moment they are born.
—Ashley Montagu27
Nurturance is the final summation of sexuality and a fundamental need of the body, the mind, and the soul. Nurturance means caring for, feeding with energy, love, and touch. Nurturance is the essence of maternal qualities, our first experience of blissful transcendence, of warmth and security.
The simple act of touching is of extreme importance to the healthy functioning of the human organism. The skin can be considered the outer layer of the nervous system. The skin is the boundary of our bodies. Through touch, that boundary is gently broken down, permeated by another, and our whole internal system enhanced and stimulated.
In laboratory studies with rats, it has been shown that small mammals will choose being touched over eating when deprived of both. When all other conditions are equal, petted rats learn faster and grow faster than those treated coldly.28
In humans, those treated with adequate doses of touching and mothering grow to greater emotional stability than those who are deprived. Without touching, the important mind/body interface may remain seriously underdeveloped.29
Nurturance helps control the production of hormones responsible for growth by stimulating the limbic system of the brain. This also aids in relaxation of the heart and breathing rate, controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
Stimulation alone is a factor in increasing intelligence and developmental progress in infants. Pleasurable stimulation adds stability and trust to this development.
It is not only infants that are profoundly affected by the touch of other living creatures. Emotional satisfaction and fulfillment—be it nurturance, pleasure, or sexual release—is generally soothing to the whole organism.
The first step in learning to work with others is the mutual enhancement of our internal energy. Through these pathways we pave the way for further growth, harmony, and peace. The simple act of touch, of reaching out to soothe, is the healing aspect of the second chakra. We are saying to another, “We are here.” We allow ourselves to transcend our separateness, get out of our egos, and feel the sense of connection so vital to our harmonious survival on this planet. The role of the second chakra is an important one indeed. Suppression of this chakra provokes vital imbalances that inhibit rather than enhance the flow of expanding consciousness.
Anyone can nurture. Everyone needs it. Like watering a thirsting plant, we respond to flow, to movement, to the dance of life in its infinite pleasures and mysteries. Through this act, life is renewed and preserved.
CLAIRSENTIENCE
Clairsentience is the psychic sense of the second chakra, the first stirrings of “higher” consciousness and the development of greater sensitivity toward others.
Clairsentience is the ability to sense other people’s emotions, also called empathy. Like the feeling level discussed earlier, this “sensing” does not always become information recognized by the cognitive properties of the brain. It is experienced more as a subtle feeling, as if we were experiencing the feeling ourselves. Just as we can ignore some of our own emotions, many clairsentient people do not recognize the emotions they pick up from others, yet their body and ensuing actions still respond. Still others may recognize the emotions while not understanding that the source was outside of themselves.
Mothers psychically tuned to their children are the most common group of clairsentients. A child may be at school, away from the mother, and the mother will sense a difficulty in which the child has suddenly found him or herself. The mother may or may not consciously recognize the source of the disturbance, though it affects her nonetheless. Other people experience clairsentience by walking into a party and becoming immediately aware of the expectations and feelings of all their friends that are present. They may suddenly feel expected to act in a certain way. They may also experience abrupt mood changes as they involuntarily take on the moods of one friend or another. Often these people have an aversion to crowds and avoid parties.
Most people are clairsentient to some degree. The phenomenon usually occurs more strongly in people who have a proclivity for clairvoyance or telepathy, characteristic of the upper chakras. If the upper chakras are not open enough to be conscious of this psychism, the clairsentient is often unpleasantly influenced. Their attention is constantly whisked outside of their central column, and others’ difficulties speak more loudly than their own voices. A confusion about the self ensues, especially confusion about the motivation for one’s actions. “I don’t know why I’m doing this—I don’t really want to.” “I feel so depressed since talking to Sally and I don’t know why.” These feelings can often be the result of someone else’s moods or wishes.
Clairsentience is a valuable source of information and helpful in the development of psychism. With conscious attention, it is an aid rather than a detriment. Many people get psychically bombarded by the unconscious broadcasting of surrounding difficulties. For these people, grounding is of utmost importance for it brings our attention into the central line of our body, helping us sort out “whose energy is whose.” Recognition of the phenomenon is the next step. Knowing the difference between your own and another’s emotional needs helps to consciously tune out unwanted broadcasts. Many clairsentients feel compelled to respond to the needs they psychically pick up from others and, with recognition, this can become a choice rather than a duty.
Awareness of the other should be balanced by awareness of the self. The two should never be without a good dose of common sense. Only we, from inside ourselves, can judge.
CHAKRA TWO EXERCISES
Exercises for opening the second chakra involve working with movement in the hips and lower abdomen. Some are aimed merely at opening, while others are aimed at stimulating and moving energy in and through this area.
Exercises for the whole body involve touching and nurturance, such as massage and sexual activity. Simple self-nurturing activities such as long, hot baths, showers, or swimming (all having to do with water) should not be overlooked. Nurturing ourselves is the first step in receiving or giving nurturance to others.
Water Meditation
Step One
Water is cleansing, both internally and externally. Begin with a large glass of water, and sit quietly while you drink it. Feel it pouring down inside you. Feel the coolness of it, the wetness, and feel it as it hits your stomach. Imagine it passing all through your body—your veins, muscles, digestive system. Take a wet finger and rub it on your face, feeling the cool, refreshing quality.
Step Two
The next step is to clean yourself. This is a ritual water cleansing and should be both thorough and enjoyable. You can use a shower, a bath, a lake, stream, or even a hot tub. Make sure the area around you is clean; it is hard to feel clean in a dirty environment.
If it is a bath or shower you are choosing, pick your favorite towels, soaps, and lotions and have them nearby. If it is a stream, have a smooth, flat area where you can lie out to dry. If a hot tub, arrange for some privacy for yourself afterward.
As you soak yourself in water, go through each part of your body, saying: “Now my hands shall be clean; now my feet shall be clean; now my face shall be clean,” etc. Become one with the water. When you are through, visualize the water taking away any negativity you don’t want in your life. If you are in a natural environment, you could throw something (non-polluting) in the water to signify that negativity; if you are in an urban environment, some symbolic liquidcan be thrown in the toilet, or down the drain.
As you lounge in your bath with the water around you, think of the ebb and flow of cycles in your life. Look at yourself as an instrument of movement. If you were to stand back and look at yourself from another dimension, what patterns would you notice in your movements through life?
Think of the things you would like to get rid of in your life at this time—habits, tendencies, hurts, or fears. See them flowing out of you, through your grounding cord, like a river flowing out to the sea. Imagine the rain coming down and refilling the river with fresh water, replenishing it.
Then think of the things you would like to have come into your life—new patterns, people, or events. Imagine a waterfall over your head, pouring these blessings upon you. Feel yourself taking them in and letting them flow through your whole body.
Yemaya is the African Goddess of the sea, the great Mother. “She is envisioned as a large and beautiful woman, radiant and dark; nurturing and devouring; crystal clear and mysteriously deep.”30 She is the nurturer, the consoler, the healer, the maternal one whose belly is as big as all life. As you sit in your bath, imagine yourself being rocked and nurtured by this great sea-mother. Feel yourself in the womb of the Goddess, about to be born. Ask Her what purposes She has for you in this birth. Ask Her for help in making your birth smooth and easy. Accept Her nurturing. Take it into yourself, and imagine sharing it with others. Thank Her for your birth.
Dress yourself in clean clothes. Pour yourself another glass of water, and drink it silently, thinking about the cyclic nature of water, and how you fit into those cycles. If possible, visit a large body of water soon.
The Goddess Pose
Lie flat on your back and relax, especially in the legs, pelvis, and lower back. Bend your knees, bringing your feet in close to your buttocks.
Slowly allow your knees to part, allowing the weight of the legs to stretch the inner thighs. (See Figure 3.7.) Try to relax. Do not push your legs farther than is comfortable. Hold this position for two minutes or more.
Bring your knees together again. This should be done very slowly and smoothly, at all times breathe deeply and remember to relax. This puts you in touch with your sexual vulnerability, which paradoxically must be understood before you can fully open yourself up on this level.
From this pose you can then slowly open and close the legs, breathing in as you open and exhaling as you close. This may produce a kind of quivering vibration in the legs and pelvis.
Pelvic Rock I
Starting on your back with legs bent, slowly begin to rock your pelvis upward and downward with each breath. Inhale fully into your chest and belly (see Figure 3.8), then exhale fully. At the end of each exhale, push slightly with your feet so that your pelvis comes off the ground, pushing the small of your back into the floor beneath you. (See Figure 3.9.)
Pelvic Rock II
On a soft surface such as a mattress, do the Pelvic Rock I sequence, but this time moving the pelvis up and down more quickly and with as much force as possible. (See Figure 3.8 and Figure 3.9.) Let yourself make any sounds that are natural. This helps to release blocked energy.
Hip Circles
From a standing position, bend your knees slightly, and drop your pelvis forward, so that it is directly in your central line of gravity.
Keeping the knees bent and flexible, rotate the pelvis in smaller, then larger, circles. (See Figure 3.10.) The head and feet should remain in the same place while the pelvis alone does the moving. Try to make the movement as smooth as possible.
Goddess Pose.
Pelvic Rock I.
Scissors Kicks
This exercise helps to move energy through the pelvis, often into the upper chakras. It is a classic, strong Kundalini-raiser with powerful results. It is important not to strain and to avoid sore muscles. Stay in tune with the body.
Lie on your back and relax. Lift your legs six to twelve inches off the floor and spread them apart.
Bring the legs together again and then kick apart again. (See Figure 3.11.) After about five of these, I’m sure you will want to rest.
After resting, bring your legs (knees straight) perpendicular to the floor and spread apart. Bring them together and down. Repeat until tired. Raising the legs should be accompanied by an inhale, while lowering the legs should be accompanied by an exhale.
Walking from the Pelvis
Have you ever seen jazz dancers? This walk is like the movement of a jazz dance.
While bending the knees and keeping the pelvis very flexible, walk with your weight low and swing your hips in an exaggerated motion. What does it feel like to move from this level? What does the motion feel like in your body? Allow your whole body to swing freely as you walk.
Emotional Release
There are many exercises using breathing, massage, and various postures that facilitate the expression and release of emotions. These are quite powerful and should be undertaken only with an experienced therapist. Reichian bodywork, bioenergetics, and rebirthing are three such disciplines. If you are interested, find books or therapists who can tell you more.
It is important to remember, however, that any emotions that arise during these exercises should be processed—that is, moved out. Crying, yelling, kicking, or merely asking someone to hold you are all acceptable and encouraged ways of working through the blocks that may reside in this (or any) chakra. It is good to find friends who can work with you and provide the nurturance that is needed.
Hip Circles.
Scissors Kicks.
ENDNOTES
1. A. Eddington, “The Nature of Physics,” as quoted by Richard M. Restak, M.D. in The Brain, The Final Frontier (Warner Books, 1979), 35.
2. Dion Fortune, The Cosmic Doctrine, 55.
3. Georg Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel, as quoted by Jack Hofer in Total Sensuality (NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1978), 87.
4. Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 1274, ff.
5. Ibid., 1279.
6. Ibid., 526.
7. Andre Gide as quoted by Jack Hofer, op. cit., 111.
8. Bloomfield, Transcendental Meditation: Discovering Inner Awareness and Overcoming Stress, 78-82.
9. Theresa Crenshaw, M.D., The Alchemy of Love and Lust: How Our Sex Hormones Influence Our Relationships, 276, ff.
10. Bloomfield, op. cit., 43–45.
11. Alan Watts, as quoted by John Welwood, Challenge of the Heart, 201.
12. Alain Danielou, The Gods of India, 313.
13. Douglas and Slinger, Sexual Secrets, 169.
14. James Prescott, “Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence,” The Futurist.
15. Margaret and James Stutley, Harper’s Dictionary of Hinduism, 123.
16. Ibid., 300.
17. Philip Lansky, “Neurochemistry and the Awakening of Kundalini,” Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment, John White, ed. (NY: Anchor Books, 1979), 296–7.
18. Ibid., 296.
19. This does not include gurus, who have entered an entirely different level of consciousness than the average Westerner, though many gurus have inappropriately transgressed sexual boundaries, indicating there was some kind of flaw in their practice of celibacy. See Kramer and Alstad, The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power.
20. Twenty years of personal experience doing private and group therapy and teaching.
21. Wilhelm Reich, The Function of the Orgasm, 84.
22. Ibid., 110.
23. Douglas and Slinger, Sexual Secrets, opening quote.
24. Stutley, Dictionary of Hinduism, 298.
25. Monier-Williams, Sanskrit English Dictionary, 435.
26. Lizelle Raymond, Shakti—A Spiritual Experience.
27. Ashley Montagu, Touching, 208.
28. Ibid., 12ff.
29. Ibid., 208.
30. Luisah Teish, Jambalaya, 118.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTAL READING FOR CHAKRA TWO
Anand, Margo. The Art of Sexual Ecstasy: The Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers. LA: J.P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1989.
Bass, Ellen and Laura Davis. The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse. NY: Harper & Row, 1988.
Douglas, Nik and Penny Slinger. Sexual Secrets. NY: Destiny Books, 1979.
Eisler, Riane. Sacred Pleasure. SF: Harper & Row, 1995.
Feuerstein, Georg. Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1998.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam, 1995.
Sanders, Timothy L. Male Survivors: 12 Step Recovery Program for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1991.
CHAKRA THREE
Fire
Power
Autonomy
Will
Energy
Metabolism
Technology
Transformation
Self-esteem