Svadhishthana\/Sacral Chakra

When balanced, the sacral chakra plays a crucial role in personal development and growth.

Svadhishthana is a Sanskrit word with two specific meanings: swa (one’s own) and adhisthana (abode or place). A third Sanskrit word also features: swad (taking pleasure in). Therefore, we can translate it as “one’s own abode to take pleasure in.”

Despite being located on the lower half of the physical body, the sacral chakra is closely linked to the five senses of sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch, and for good reason. It starts influencing us as soon as we become mobile as tiny babies. Exploration is vital for a little human’s development and survival. Through the five senses, the svadhishthana opens us up to healthy exploration, creativity, and moving beyond the boundaries of what’s comfortable and familiar.

The more we open up and learn with awe and amazement, the greater our confidence in our abilities and the higher our self-esteem. Ideally, that process should continue throughout our lives. Sadly, many adults become bogged down by fear that can become anxiety or apathy. Either way, our lives become stagnant.

Since body, mind, and soul exist as a divine trilogy, growth that’s blocked or impaired in any area impacts the whole being.

Traditionally, the svadhishthana is symbolized by six petals in a circle with a crescent moon in the center. Usually, the crescent is either silver or white, signifying a connection with lunar energy. The moon affects all water bodies on earth, including water in the human body, so fluctuations in our energy flow and emotions can be attributed to lunar cycles. Water is also the sacral chakra’s element, meaning its characteristic energy is flexibility and flow.

Vermillion, a shade of orange that leans towards red, dominates the svadhishthana and fades into a translucent orange. These are the shades of dawn heralding a new day. Occasionally, it has pale blue or white hues, referring to its connection with water.

The sacral chakra’s sound is VAM (वं), representing creativity and sensuality. Use it in chanting to express its power and clear blockages, or draw the symbol during rituals and spells.

There’s a close association between women, conception and birth, and the svadhishthana. The average menstrual cycle equals the number of days in a lunar cycle. As the sacral chakra is physically connected to the sexual organs, reproduction, and the birth channel, it also represents conception, development, and birth. Spiritually, it signifies the beginning of a new way of life, embracing and nurturing it and birthing change to a more joyous and wiser lifestyle.

Mentally and emotionally, our ability to control our role within our environment, relationships with other people, self-esteem, creativity, and sense of joy are all closely linked to the sacral chakra. Physically, it’s related to the lymphatic system and reproductive organs in men and women. It also impacts the lower spine, pelvic bones, and lower digestive tract.

Symptoms of a blocked or out-of-balance sacral chakra include:

Crystals are excellent for healing the svadhishthana for several reasons.

Firstly, you don’t have to know much about them to harness the power of their healing energy. Also, crystals continue doing their work 24/7/365 once programmed with an intention. Finally, they’re small, discreet, and clean, so you can easily wear a crystal as jewelry or tucked into a pocket or purse.

Gifted to us by trees, amber is an organic crystal packed with earth energy. Because it’s mainly comprised of resin, amber holds the energy of the sun and nature, which is reflected in shades of orange through to brown. Amber gently encourages positivity, the retrieval of personal power, and the willingness to embrace change by clearing inner pathways of blockages. It reinforces intuition and reconnects you to more primal instincts.

Use it for building self-confidence, authenticity, spontaneity, courage, and letting go of anxiety and fear.

Celestial-like aragonite crystals form a cluster, making a star crystal reminiscent of beautiful sparkling, distant galaxies. On the other hand, golden-apricot aragonite can also be likened to a glimmering treasure trove. Aragonite boosts creativity, curiosity, and concentration, making it a powerful ally when tackling anything new. It’s also excellent for grounding and releasing negative energies and patterns to make space for new beginnings.

Use it for building self-confidence, self-reliance, self-motivation, and success in any venture.

Fiery carnelian vibrates with the root and sacral chakras, bringing effervescent, positive energy to remind you of all the joys of life that are meant for you. It’s much like the word svadhishthana: “one’s own abode to take pleasure in.” Carnelian fires up inspiration, creativity, and the courage to follow through on ideas and manifest them as reality.

Use it when you’ve gone through a healing process but still doubt your true potential.

Citrine lights your world with warm, nurturing rays of sunshine, radiating with pure healing energy. It’s an optimistic crystal that casts a golden light on even the darkest days. As the warmth of citrine flows through and about your aura, it raises your vibrational energy, helping remove debris and blockages. Time spent meditating with citrine can open you to the golden light of the Divine. Sometimes called the merchant’s stone, citrine can attract wealth or an abundance of different kinds.

Use it for confident, authentic self-expression and to manifest the universal abundance meant for you.

All that glitters might not be gold, but glittering goldstone can help you achieve your goals. Whether your ambitions are finance and career-related or personal achievements, goldstone will ground you in reality. Its calming energy helps you soothe emotions, clearly see things, and make realistic decisions.

Use it when you’re aiming at a goal of any kind but lack confidence.

Unlike some powerful crystals we’re looking at here, moonstone radiates with a gentle, loving, feminine energy. Don’t be fooled, though. There’s nothing timid about this stone. The orange moonstone aligns perfectly with the sacral chakra. All moonstones are bathed in the white lunar energy of the full moon that illuminates the night sky. Like a full moon, moonstone is ideal for new beginnings, letting go, and embracing change. Moonstone reminds you of the impermanence of everything in life. It encourages you to accept change as the natural state of flow.

Use it when battling to accept life’s cyclical nature and break attachments to people and things.

Calcite is an affectionate and compassionate crystal. Orange calcite brings warm, sunny vibrations that lift the mood and enrobe you in a cloak of peaceful comfort. In other words, it’s an energizer and nurturer. Open your heart and soul to orange calcite, and it will cleanse your pain and lift your burdens. Its soothing energy removes blockages, clears out encumbrances, and frees you from anything weighing you down. In its place, you’ll find truth and light that lead you beyond the boundaries of your comfort level.

Use it if you’re burdened by anything and feeling stuck.

Impeccable for grounding, snowflake obsidian keep you anchored in reality while opening you up to the Divine. It can bring thoughts and emotions standing in your way to the surface and help you process them so you can let them go. While it may initially be unsettling working with snowflake obsidian, chaos will soon come to order as past wounds are healed. This allows you to let go and move on, breaking destructive, ingrained patterns in the process.

Use it to free yourself from past experiences that create negative thinking and behaviors.

Sunstone didn’t get its name for nothing! It’s a renowned stone of leadership, confidence, empowerment, enthusiasm, transparency, and motivation. Despite its powerful energy, sunstone is gentle and more of a life coach than an enforcer. Get a sunstone companion crystal if you want a piece of sunshine in your pocket.

Use it if you’re feeling disempowered, lethargic, or out in the cold.

Gleaming with the colors of earth and sun, tiger’s eye has imposing energy that grounds, protects, and imbues confidence, wisdom, and a sense of quiet invincibility. It provides inner strength, courage, and clear communication. Tiger’s eye clears negativity and helps you face life with poise, knowing that you’re entitled to your rightful place in the world.

Use it if you fear voicing your needs and desires and are held back by self-doubt.

There are various ways to use healing crystals. Often, the way that feels right is best.

When healing the sacral chakra, you want to have the crystal close to your waist. Once the chakra is in balance, it’s not as essential.

An excellent way to heal and maintain the svadhishthana is to find a companion crystal, program it to focus only on the chakra’s wellbeing, and keep it with you always.

Unless you already have one, you can do this by first selecting a stone that resonates with you. Browse crystal selections with an open mind and notice any that call to you. Hold those that beckon in the palm of your receiving (non-dominant) hand. Breathe in deeply and hear what it tells you.

A potential companion will immediately bring feelings of safety, comfort, and familiarity.

Once you’ve made a selection, cleanse the crystal and charge it.

Next, hold it in both hands and visualize yourself whole, balanced, and living your best life. Transfer the crystal to your receiving hand. Feel the cleansing, soothing energy of water flowing from your palm to your sacral chakra and throughout your body and aura.

Now transfer the crystal to your giving hand and channel your purest healing intentions.

Finally, make a pact that you are companions. Use your companion in rituals, meditation, and spells, and keep it with you always.

In the early healing stage, put it in a pouch and attach it to a piece of string. Wear it around your waist under your clothes day and night.

Pine cones have been a symbol of regeneration, resurrection, the circle of life, eternal life, and enlightenment since the beginning of time. They can be found in religious and cultural figures and representations and have been found on ancient artifacts.

In ancient Egypt, the staff of Osiris has two spiraling snakes rising up to meet at a pine cone.

To the ancient Romans, pine cones were associated with Venus, the goddess of love.

Ancient Assyrian carvings dating back to 716 BCE show winged people holding pine cones as a symbol of awakening, consciousness, enlightenment, fertility, and immortality.

Various Hindu deities are frequently depicted holding pine cones in their outstretched hands.

The Mexican goddess of agriculture, Chicomecōātl, was sometimes depicted with an offering of pine cones in her hands.

The Celts used pine cones as fertility charms and placed them under their pillows or mattresses at night.

A pine cone is carved into the ceremonial staff carried by the Roman Catholic pope. There’s also an enormous bronze statue of a pine cone in the Vatican City.

In Finland and Sweden, cone cows are a traditional toy for children dating back hundreds of years. They’re still commonplace today.

The brow chakra, ajna, or third eye is associated with the pineal gland, which is frequently closely linked with the pine cone. The pineal gland is nestled between the two hemispheres of the brain and resembles a pine cone in shape. It produces melatonin, is interconnected with the body’s perception of light, and modulates our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns.

Mabon is the second of three harvest celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. Also known as the autumn equinox or Harvest Home, it honors the goddess and god for the bounty they bring throughout the harvest. It also celebrates the equal daylight and night of the equinox.

In Wiccan mythology, the goddess is transitioning into the crone. The god has almost wholly transitioned to the next world, awaiting rebirth. Ancient pagans stored their harvest while making offerings of cider and herbs to the trees and plants. Harvesting was done with gratitude in the waning sunlight, in the full knowledge that the sun and fertility would return once again.

The emphasis of Mabon is balance and acceptance that rebirth follows death, as is proven by the new seeds harvested and stored for sowing, followed by the emergence of new life. Autumn is a time of balance, reflection, gathering, and gratitude, as well as a time to contemplate the concept that what we sow is what we will reap.

The pine cone represents all of these, making it an excellent correspondence at Mabon. Whether used to decorate your home, your Mabon altar or as the focus of a spell or ritual, pine cones’ vibrational energy will enhance your intentions.

While this spell can be used for conception and healthy pregnancy, it can also be used to manifest any intention. If you want something, make sure it comes from a place of purity, that you’re willing to take responsibility and work for it. Remember the universal code: as you sow, so you reap.

Hang the bonded pine cones as a talisman somewhere close to where your dream will manifest. For example, hang it in your bedroom if you want to become pregnant. Conversely, hang it close to your desk or workstation if it's an educational or career goal.

Once your intentions have manifested, thank the talisman and bury it in your garden or an area of forest.

Visiting sacred places that have higher spiritual, mystical, metaphysical, and magickal energy can be an amazing experience in and of itself. But if you really want to connect to the energy and power of the place, performing a meditation ritual or spell there is an unintrusive way to do so. Certain areas are still in use by those actively practicing their religion, some are popular tourist spots that draw large crowds, and others are in the middle of nowhere with few resources around. So, doing a meditation ritual instead of intricate spell work allows you to connect to the magick of the space without intruding on any other visitors or risking harm to the site.

That isn’t to say you can’t bring any supplies! If you have a portable altar kit made (Wicca Magazine has a how-to article on creating one), you can definitely use that. Or bring crystals or other objects that have meaning to you or share energies with the site you are visiting. For example, if the site is strong in the Fire element, you might bring a crystal or object to imbue with that power or that has Fire as a correspondence.

The most important thing to do before visiting a site and doing a meditation ritual is to research the history and current use of the site. You need to know if the site is sacred to a culture or religion outside your own, actively in use for religious purposes, or if there are restrictions on activities and items you can bring in. You may also wish to research the best time of day to visit, both for crowd sizes and energy surges. Is the site’s energy strongest at sunrise? Does night hold stronger mystical powers? You want to visit when you can best connect with the energies of the site.

Next, plan your meditation. If the site is sacred to another culture (either current or past), make sure the beginning of your meditation offers acknowledgment and respect to that culture and religion. Have a plan for bringing and using any crystals or other tools. If visiting alone or at risky times, have a safety plan in place.

For the meditation itself, begin with any acknowledgments and respect for the culture whose site you are at. Then, move into an acknowledgment of the site itself and its energies. The meditation path is yours from there. Are you on a journey, seeking assistance from the energies of the space? Are you just looking to connect with and express gratitude to the world at large through a sacred space? Do you need some healing or closure that might only be found through the assistance of powerful energies in a sacred space? Whatever your reasons for meditating, feel your body, mind, and spirit connect with the site you are at and visualize the energies around you. And don’t discount the benefits of a walking meditation for larger sites.