IN A NUTSHELL
This chakra is located at the base of the spine and is locked by fantasy and imagination. It opens when one drops the fantasy and welcomes reality.
In this diagram, we see a folding mirror. The mirror facing you is 'reality', or the life circumstances as they are. There are two mirrors which fold into the reality mirror. The one on the left is the 'fantasy' mirror; what the man in the picture wants to create for himself, while the 'true' mirror shows what the man is not yet willing to accept: that he himself is a manifestation or expression of God.
The man in the 'reality mirror' is holding a hammer and chisel. Because we are not content with ourselves and our circumstances, we are always trying to 'chisel' our partner, our family, our friends; to change them in ways which we think will make us happier. The man in the picture is trying to chisel his wife into 'the perfect woman' because he believes that will bring him happiness. His wife, of course, at the same time, is trying to chisel her husband into becoming her idea of 'the perfect man.' These images are built up through interactions with our parents, our experiences as we are growing up, and from the media. We are interacting with our ideals, and not with our mates.
At the same time, the man in the reality mirror is dreaming of a better car and a larger bank account. We are all the time chasing material things in the vain hope that acquiring more and more things will make us happy. We also constantly look around to see what our neighbors have and 'borrow' their desires. The truth is that happiness flowers from within and has nothing to do with material things or outer conditions. In fact, the more successful we become, the more depressed we are likely to be, because we can no longer sustain the illusion that happiness is just around the corner. When we accept conditions just as they are, we begin to appreciate what we have. We can relate with our actual mate, drop the chisel, and accept reality as it is.
The key is in becoming aware of our fantasies and how we chase them looking for fulfillment. Through increased awareness and meditation, we can begin to accept ourselves as we are, accept and love our bodies. Only then do we have access to the energy that is locked up in this chakra. When we acquire the intelligence to see things as they really are, we will shift our identity to our true nature and know ourselves as we truly are; a manifestation of God.
Swadhishtana