The Chakra System: Sacral - Svadhisthana
“When you learn to let thoughts and feelings go without taking them seriously or giving energy to them, you will also develop freedom in daily life.” – Lama Ole Nydahl
There is a parable of two wolves.
One has a coat of black fur, while the other has a coat of white.
The black wolf carries the energy of anger, fear, and greed.
It moves with its head down and ears back, threatening the white wolf.
Its mind, closed to what the white wolf tries to teach it, as it lives in a world of denial and fear.
The white wolf carries the energy of compassion and love.
He stands tall, ears alert, constantly looking for creative ways that he can heal the black wolf’s anger.
They advance on one another, their movement’s fluid, like a dance.
The black wolf having the upper hand, and then the white wolf. Back and forth they go, struggling to win the fight.
These wolves live inside each of us. Their home is our sacral chakra.
The sacral chakra is located two inches below the navel and three centimeters above the root chakra, between the coccyx and the sacrum.
It is our chakra of raw emotion.
Our center for creativity.
The residing home of our sensuality.
Within this chakra dwells all of the complex emotions that we utilize in order for us to be able to navigate our reality.
It is the true essence of our individuality.
The sacral is the second chakra to awaken in this physical life.
It activates at 6 months through 2.5 years. As a child moves from being an infant into a toddler, they also move from the self-absorbed state of the root into the emotional centered state of the sacral.
During this activation, a child is introduced to emotion. They begin bonding with family and friends. They express joy, excitement, love, anger and frustration.
Everything that a child experiences during this activation will be the foundation of this chakra.
These experiences play a large role in the emotional health of an individual, throughout the entirety of life.
Psychologically, the sacral chakra initiates and sustains bonds between ourselves and other people.
It links our emotional reactions with emotional attachment.
When I was a child, my dad and I would go for walks throughout our neighborhood together several times a week.
On these walks, we would watch with keen eyes for money dropped or discarded by unbeknownst patrons of our neighborhood gas station.
We mostly found pennies here and there and if we were lucky, maybe even a quarter or two.
When we would get home, we would put our treasure in a glass building block that served as my coin bank.
We called this the F.M.C., “Found Money Collection”.
Once the glass block was filled to the top, we’d roll all the coins and he would take me to buy ice cream with the money that we had found on the street.
This tradition has long since fallen by the wayside. But still to this day, when I’m out for a run and I see a penny on the ground, this memory jumps to mind and my heart fills with love and joy.
This is the sacral chakras emotional reaction-attachment quality at play.
But its versatility doesn’t stop there.
This chakra also introduces us to our shadow self.
Your shadow self is the piece of your emotional body that stores and reflects the darker aspects of your personality.
The sacral has the power to illuminate our inner shadow so that we have the opportunity to break old self-destructive patterns.
It does this so that we can create new patterns of self-vigilance that will serve us better on our journey.
Often times we perceive the aspects of our shadow self as purely negative. But it holds a purpose for our soul’s evolution.
Carl Jung states, “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.”
It is the nature of balance.
Yin and yang.
Light and dark.
Sacral provides us a doorway, so that we can look into the deeper aspects of our emotional body.
There we can meet our shadow in order to see what needs to be balanced and healed.
But, the emotional aspects of our body are not the only ones that this chakra governs.
Chakras generally tend to physical areas of the body surrounding their location.
The sacral is no different, and it manages our reproductive organs and the health of the pelvic bowl in general.
It rules the lower spinal vertebra, most digestive organs including the upper intestines and the appendix and also has influence on certain parts of the kidneys.
Discomfort or dis-ease within these parts of the body is a prime indicator that there is dysfunction of some sort in the sacral chakra.
Some of the main physical symptoms of an imbalanced sacral are:
Health issues with the Reproductive System
Health issues with the Urinary System
Sexual dysfunctions
Loss of sensual pleasure
Chronic lower back pain
Sciatica
Joint problems, including arthritis
Appendicitis
All “itis” diseases of the bowels
Compulsions, including carbohydrate addictions
Psychologically, the sacral is associated with emotions, creativity and sensuality.
The primary belief governing this chakra is that we are worthy of love in relationship to other people and also that we can trust our inner emotions to help guide us through the turbulence of life.
You may see an imbalance to the sacral manifesting in the following psychological ways:
With a blocked and deficient sacral:
Rigidity of both body and beliefs
Frigidity
Self-denial
Fear of change
Lack of social skills
Lack of Desire
Lack of Creativity
With an over-active and excessive sacral:
Addictions (to: sex, romance, shopping, carbs, wine)
Irresponsibility
Emotionalism
Invasiveness toward others
Seductive manipulation
Codependency
Obsessive attachments
If, as you read through these items, you identified with any of these symptoms, physical or psychological, you may have some blockages or imbalances in this chakra.
Here are some tools that you can use in your daily life to help bring balance back to your sacral.
Be in Water: The element of the sacral chakra is water, so incorporating this into your daily life will help balance this chakra. External support such as swimming or taking a bath, as well as internal support such as staying hydrated will be a great help.
Aromatherapy: Essential oils beneficial for the sacral include: orange, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosewood, clary sage, grapefruit, bergamot, geranium
Color Therapy: The color of the sacral is Orange, so bringing more of that color into your daily life is an easy way to nourish this chakra.
Sound Therapy: The frequency of the sacral is 288Hz and Keynote D. Find music that plays mainly at this frequency and close to this keynote. Also sounds of water, ocean, waterfalls, rain
Reflexology: Massage these areas to stimulate energy flow to the sacral: On the arm, just below the base of the wrist; also, on the internal edge of the foot, about one inch toward your arch from the back heel of your ankle.
Nutrition for the Root Chakra: Eat orange foods such as almonds, papaya, melon, passion fruit, pumpkin, orange, coconut, mandarins, mangos, and walnuts
Affirmations: Create a positive affirmation for this chakra. Write an affirmation that feels right to you and state it several times throughout your day.
I am creative.
My senses are alive and connected.
I embrace life with passion.
I am healthy, beautiful and strong.
When the sacral chakra is in balance you will find ease and enjoy being friendly toward others.
You will have physical vitality and healthy sensuality and sexual expression.
It will be easy to show compassion toward others and also feel in return, a sense of bonding with your fellow man.
As we experience this life, we are constantly changing; physically, emotionally and energetically.
That is the nature of growth.
When you bring your awareness to areas that need to be released and healed, you are giving yourself the gift of progress.
Progress moves us closer toward balance and inner peace.