.................................................Swadhishtana Chakra
This chakra is located approximately two inches above the muladhara chakra and two inches below the manipuraka chakra. The energy in this chakra shrinks through fear, especially the fear of death and flowers through facing our fears and by accepting the fear of death.
All of our fears are actually manifestations of the fear of death. If we can look at and embrace our fears and totally accept them, they will no longer have power over our lives.
For example, if we have a fear of spiders or snakes, we can meditate on them: actually look closely at a spider, even if just in our imagination. Bringing the mental picture of the spider close and allowing the fear to come up instead of running away from it, is the key to getting over the fear. In fact, we are likely to notice the beauty in the insect and begin to wonder what it was that we were afraid of in the first place.
There are five major categories of fears: fear of loss of name and reputation and outer world things, loss of love of family members, loss of physical health, loss of mental stability and health, and finally, the fear of the unknown and of death itself. It is essential to face each one of these fears in order to have freedom from them. The only way to reach enlightenment is to go through the fear of death itself and then the energy from the swadhishtana chakrawill be free.
Go through the exercise of imagining your own death and allowing the feelings of fear associated with this experience to arise. There are a number of masters who became enlightened through this process. Only when one has conquered the fear of death is one truly able to live.
The fear of death, in fact, arises from our conviction that we have not lived our lives fully, that we have not accomplished what we have come on earth to accomplish. When we live totally, with awareness, we will be ready to let go when the time comes. We can also say 'goodbye' to people and situations that no longer serve us, without regret or guilt.
We need to understand some deep truths about life: When we face death, it will not be there as the terrifying thing that we think it is; it is loving and giving. The second thing is that death is our greatest teacher ever. Lastly, death is the thing that can give us the ultimate gift of enlightenment! Death is never a discontinuity. It is continuity in some other form, or simply liberation, that's all.
Most of our fears in handling fearful situations come from resisting the experiencing of fear in the first place. Once we can look our fears in the face, they will start to evaporate. Then the energy that is locked up in the chakra will be available to us and we will have the confidence to embrace life and live it fully. Then there is no need to depend on societal prestige and identity because you will have deep inner fulfillment and dignity to support you.
....................................... Understanding Fear
Everyone experiences fear, no one can claim to be fearless. One can learn to handle fear without fear, that's all. If anyone professes to be fearless, be very clear that they have not analyzed deeply the subject of fear and the human response to it. Don't start thinking that they are superhumans and you are a lesser mortal.
All your fears are nothing but the fear of your fears. If you shake off your fears and allow your intelligence to surface, you will find that your fears are just shadows of objects that don't exist.
When you consciously work on this, you will understand that what you call fear is nothing but your response or reaction to an incident or thought. Depending on how you respond, you can claim that you did not have fear or had fear. And, with more and more awareness, you can respond towards fear without fear!