|
The
Swadhisthana Chakra.
Chakra
2
|
|
|
In the Indian
Tantric tradition, this chakra, called the Swadhisthana or "Self
or Own Abode", is figured as having six petals, white in colour,
and with a crescent in the center, the tattwa
of water. This chakra therefore corresponds to the element
Water and is traditionally associated with the sexual impulses and
sexual energy.
I would be
suggested that it does not, however, correspond to the sex-organs
as such, which are under the supervision of the Sacral and Pubic
Centres, but to the original subtle energy behind the sexual impulse.
|
Indian
teachings place a lot of emphasise on celibacy, in order to raise and
transmute this powerful sexual energy to the brain (or, more correctly,
the Upper Tien Tan Centre, to use the Taoist paradigm), increasing
higher consciousness. This is actually the basic principle behind
celibacy in all religions, including Catholicism. In practice however,
this noble ideal flounders, because the individual is not yet ready to
renounce physical sex, and may become psychologically unbalanced, full
of guilt, or turn to paedophilia or other unnatural forms of sex.
Deities
within the Swadhisthana
Chakra.
Clockwise
from the bottom:
Varuna, Vishnu, Rakini.
|
Table
for Swadhisthana
Chakra 2.
Terminology |
Tantric |
swadhishthana,
adhishthana, bhima, shatpatra, skaddala padma, wari-chakra |
Vedic (late
Upanishads) |
swadhishthana,
medhra |
Puranic |
swadhishthana |
Position |
externally,
genital region |
Petals |
number |
six; arranged
from right to left |
colour |
vermilion,
deep red, shining red, whitish red, lightning-like, golden |
Matrika-letters |
on petals |
six in number:
Bang Bhang Mang Yang Rang Lang,
arranged from right to left |
colour |
lightning-like,
diamond-white, white, vermilion |
Vrittis |
on petals |
six in number;
arranged from right to left |
name |
1 affection;
2 pitilessness; 3 feeling of all-destructiveness; 4 delusion; 5
disdain; 6 suspicion |
In
the pericarp |
half-moon-shaped
'water'-region |
colour
of the Water Region |
white |
Water-bija
(in Water Region) |
Wang |
colour
of Water-bija |
moon-white |
Form
of Water-bija |
deity Varuna |
Concentration
form of Varuna |
Varuna is
white in colour, four-armed, holding a noose, and seated on a makara
("crocodile" - "water monster") |
In
the bindu of Wang |
deity Vishnu |
Concentration
form of Vishnu |
Vishnu is
shining dark-blue (or black), golden, crystal-white, moon-white,
and white; youthful and graceful; three-eyed, four-armed, holding
a conch, wheel, mace and lotus; dressed in yellow raiment; wears
shriwatsa-mark, Koustubha-gem and wanamala; seated on garuda |
Presiding
divinity |
power Rakini |
Concentration
of Rakini |
Rakini is
dark-blue (or black), or red in colour; beautiful-faced, vermilion-mark
on forehead; three-eyed; dressed in white raiment; two-armed, holding
a sword and a shield; or, four-armed, holding a trident, a lotus,
a drum and the Vajra, or a chisel; seated on a red lotus |
Further
Associations.
Ann
Ree Colton links this Centre with the god Jehovah (perhaps because of
Rudolph Steiner, who, curiously, associates Jehovah with the Moon),
who she describes as the "Race Lord", responsible for the moulding of
races, and also for wars. It may well be that Jehovah represents
the negative or destructive polarity of this chakra, just as the Pagan
Goddess (more usually associatyed with the Moon) represents the positive
or creative polarity. In any case, this centre is very much tied
up with the drive to physical procreation and, hence, biological evolution
of the species.
Astrologically
then, this centre perhaps corresponds to the Moon - not the actual physical
moon of course, but the subtle-causal or etheric counterpart (relative
to which the gross or external moon is simply the physical body), the
first "Celestial Sphere" relative to Earthly existence. Relative
to the Sun and the Solar System as a whole, however, this Centre corresponds
to the first Macrocosmic Chakra, represented by the etheric (non-physical)
planet Vulcan.
|