Swadisthana Chakra/ Navel Chakra

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Swadisthana Chakra, “one’s own place”, is located between the
pubic bone and the navel. It is said to be orange in colour and is
associated with the kidneys, suprarenal/ adrenal glands, the bladder,
and the hypogastric plexus.
Traditional symbols are: the silver crescent of Apas (Water
Element) and the crocodile. Swadisthana is said to control the arms
and the sense of taste. It works through the balance of male and
female and through the dynamic of creativity and relationship.
Swadisthana is the heart of our animal nature -- that is, of the human
animal.
The association of male and female connects swadisthana to
creativity and creative energy (including sexual energy and sexuality).
Other associations include: pleasure; well-being; flexibility;
equanimity; immunity. You can explore these a bit more by
contemplating the nature of water as you see it around you and the
functions that water has within the body.
The Water Element in the West is associated with our emotional
nature in general. And we can see this in the association with the
Kidney and Bladder which relate to holding and expressing emotion
generally. We need to feel and to flow our emotions to empower this
centre and its associated functions. Negative sexual conditioning, for
example, is a block at this chakra – the block is an emotional one and
working (usually from the perspective of the higher centres as well as
this one) to release and transmute the negative emotions will restore
sexual potency and enjoyment in men and women.
The association with the Kidney and Bladder also relates with
discrimination/ discernment issues, both in the mental and physical
sense – the two are, of course, related. There is also the link here with
the spleen, as the gland that holds our apathy patterns. Discrimination
at the level of the body relates to the immune system (amongst other
things) – the body has to decide what is itself and what is alien
(viruses, bacteria, toxins and so on) so that it can destroy the alien
substances in order to maintain health. A breakdown in discernment
here means compromise of the immune system.

The great causes of lack of discernment are:

i. Not knowing our true Nature – from which arises confusion.

This is seen in all areas of life, and for our present purposes we
can say, especially in:
ii. Unconsciousness – where the pattern has been suppressed out
 of consciousness altogether; and
iii. Apathy – which never decides between this and that.

In terms of the discriminating function we can also include the

Small Intestine which, in oriental medicine, sorts the ‘pure’ from the
‘impure’. Apart from the obvious physiological reference to digestion,
the metaphorical association with the immune system is very
suggestive. Similarly suggestive is the small intestine’s proximity to
swadisthana chakra.
On the negative side, the small intestine also carries the
emotional patterns of embarrassment and humiliation. The negative
impact of these emotions in the topics we have been discussing is
clear.
The Large Intestine is also in this region and has some
connection, not only with maintaining the water balance of the body,
but also with boundary and letting go in the emotional/ mental sense,
as well as the physical sense. Excretion is the body saying ‘no’ –
rejecting material that is no longer helpful. Saying ‘no’ is a very
definite and useful way to establish boundary. Also, excretion is the
final process of digestion – it is literally ‘letting go’. If you have issues
surrounding endings, completion, letting go then swadisthana is a good
place to start looking. Such issues, will also no doubt, take you into the
realm of muladhara and manipura.
From it’s location in the physical body swadisthana is that which
gives us our centre of mass, the central point from which we can
determine our place on the earth, the moment of material and spiritual
forces, and especially attraction and repulsion. It is the umbilicus.
Swadisthana links with the hara of Japanese medicine and
martial arts and with the dan tian (cinnabar or elixir field) of Taoist
alchemy – the cauldron for mixing the elixir of immortality. In Taoist
longevity practices and inner alchemy the dan tian is supremely
important, as is the preservation and transmutation of the sexual fluids
which form the basis of the alchemical elixir. We can see how these
elements come together in swadisthana and through its associations,
find ways to cultivate our Jing (essence energy).
It is the centre of desire in both its positive and negative
manifestations. In the magical tradition, we find the association here
with Undines.