Tuesday, April 13, 2004
What Is Kundalini?
A Thousand Ways
The Beloved knows a thousand ways
to enter your body.
When you were young,
she sent you a lover of flesh
who stood near
to awaken your nature.
Now god is your unseen paramour
arriving without notice
on unexpected occasions.
To discover her,
turn gently, and follow your breath
to the center of your being.
from Marrow of Flame
Of all human phenomena, Kundalini is one of the most mysterious and least understood. According to ancient yogic texts, Kundalini is a serpent resting at the base of the spine. When aroused, it ascends in spiral fashion through the various chakras (wheels) of the body until it reaches the crown, where its energies unite with those of the immensity which sustains all. At that moment, the small self loses itself in forgetfulness, and regains its primal condition as part of the ever-flowing consciousness which is the final reality. This--a state of unimaginable bliss--is known as enlightenment.
Kundalini means "coiled," for in the Hindu symbology the snake is coiled two and a half times in its resting place. Each chakra is an energy center, a "wheel" which presumably begins to spin as the energy passes through. On each side of the spinal column is a major channel for ascent, one known as Ida and the other Pingala. These form a helix around the central channel, the Sushumna, a tiny thread rising from the base to the very top of the spinal column.
Many devout students of yoga devote their lives to perfecting the technique of awakening and then lifting the Kundalini energies. To this end, they adhere to a strict yogic discipline, including the practice of asanas (positions), a restricted diet, and performance of austere purification measures. Only the very pure in body and spirit are deemed fit to follow this path with impunity. Those less prepared expose themselves to dangers of every sort, from physical illness to emotional unbalance. Because of the difficulties inherent in the practice, the student is cautioned to proceed only under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Once the technique is mastered, the student is said to be gifted with many "supernatural" powers--such as the ability to see or hear at a distance, to travel out of body, and to charm without effort.
Kundalini has also played a prominent role in many other cultures, where it has been a key element in spiritual practice. Kundalini (under various names) has been identified as central to such spiritual traditions as the esoteric practices of early Egypt, Taoism in Asia, and shamanism throughout the world. Some feel that even the ecstatic states reported in mystic Christianity reflect the workings of Kundalini. Kundalini, by whatever name, is universally treasured as a sacred experience, and venerated as a means of passage to other worldly realms.
In contemporary thought, Kundalini is widely viewed as the essential electromagnetic system which undergirds and sustains all of the operations of the self--from physical to mental to emotional. This guiding force generally operates below the level of consciousness, keeping the body in balance and performing in a "normal" fashion. However, spontaneous Kundalini experiences--even full awakening--can occur and unexpected arousal is being reported more and more frequently across the globe. In the majority of cases, this "awakening" is imbued with a deeply spiritual cast. It generally begets in the subject a response of humility and awe. She is now able to experiences states far transcending anything known before. It is as if she now thinks and feels at the "cellular" level, with a capacity for knowing deeper and swifter than any perception achieved through the familiar "rational" mind. She may now be vulnerable to states of both ecstasy and pain beyond any previously imagined. Some may develop rare healing powers or acute mental abilities. In its perfect manifestation, Kundalini purges the self of all its latent illness and psychological perturbation, leaving a being empowered to express her fullest potential.
Gopi Krishna maintained that Kundalini would be the engine for the evolutionary transformation of humanity. Those who experience its high bliss and overwhelming sense of connectedness to divine purpose and direction can only concur. Whatever else it does, Kundalini permanently changes the nervous system, making it capable of states of awareness well beyond the familiar spectrum. These changes lead to a shift not merely in what we see but how we see. The threshold is lowered for both pleasure and pain, the defenses are stripped away. One experiences the interconnectedness of all beings and levels in the most personal and intimate sense--one resonates at the deepest centers with this new found knowledge.
Kundalini opens the system to infusions of the divine; one is held by unmitigated, unimaginable, pure love. And this love is the sustaining force of the cosmos itself.
(from Unmasking the Rose
The Beloved knows a thousand ways
to enter your body.
When you were young,
she sent you a lover of flesh
who stood near
to awaken your nature.
Now god is your unseen paramour
arriving without notice
on unexpected occasions.
To discover her,
turn gently, and follow your breath
to the center of your being.
from Marrow of Flame
Of all human phenomena, Kundalini is one of the most mysterious and least understood. According to ancient yogic texts, Kundalini is a serpent resting at the base of the spine. When aroused, it ascends in spiral fashion through the various chakras (wheels) of the body until it reaches the crown, where its energies unite with those of the immensity which sustains all. At that moment, the small self loses itself in forgetfulness, and regains its primal condition as part of the ever-flowing consciousness which is the final reality. This--a state of unimaginable bliss--is known as enlightenment.
Kundalini means "coiled," for in the Hindu symbology the snake is coiled two and a half times in its resting place. Each chakra is an energy center, a "wheel" which presumably begins to spin as the energy passes through. On each side of the spinal column is a major channel for ascent, one known as Ida and the other Pingala. These form a helix around the central channel, the Sushumna, a tiny thread rising from the base to the very top of the spinal column.
Many devout students of yoga devote their lives to perfecting the technique of awakening and then lifting the Kundalini energies. To this end, they adhere to a strict yogic discipline, including the practice of asanas (positions), a restricted diet, and performance of austere purification measures. Only the very pure in body and spirit are deemed fit to follow this path with impunity. Those less prepared expose themselves to dangers of every sort, from physical illness to emotional unbalance. Because of the difficulties inherent in the practice, the student is cautioned to proceed only under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Once the technique is mastered, the student is said to be gifted with many "supernatural" powers--such as the ability to see or hear at a distance, to travel out of body, and to charm without effort.
Kundalini has also played a prominent role in many other cultures, where it has been a key element in spiritual practice. Kundalini (under various names) has been identified as central to such spiritual traditions as the esoteric practices of early Egypt, Taoism in Asia, and shamanism throughout the world. Some feel that even the ecstatic states reported in mystic Christianity reflect the workings of Kundalini. Kundalini, by whatever name, is universally treasured as a sacred experience, and venerated as a means of passage to other worldly realms.
In contemporary thought, Kundalini is widely viewed as the essential electromagnetic system which undergirds and sustains all of the operations of the self--from physical to mental to emotional. This guiding force generally operates below the level of consciousness, keeping the body in balance and performing in a "normal" fashion. However, spontaneous Kundalini experiences--even full awakening--can occur and unexpected arousal is being reported more and more frequently across the globe. In the majority of cases, this "awakening" is imbued with a deeply spiritual cast. It generally begets in the subject a response of humility and awe. She is now able to experiences states far transcending anything known before. It is as if she now thinks and feels at the "cellular" level, with a capacity for knowing deeper and swifter than any perception achieved through the familiar "rational" mind. She may now be vulnerable to states of both ecstasy and pain beyond any previously imagined. Some may develop rare healing powers or acute mental abilities. In its perfect manifestation, Kundalini purges the self of all its latent illness and psychological perturbation, leaving a being empowered to express her fullest potential.
Gopi Krishna maintained that Kundalini would be the engine for the evolutionary transformation of humanity. Those who experience its high bliss and overwhelming sense of connectedness to divine purpose and direction can only concur. Whatever else it does, Kundalini permanently changes the nervous system, making it capable of states of awareness well beyond the familiar spectrum. These changes lead to a shift not merely in what we see but how we see. The threshold is lowered for both pleasure and pain, the defenses are stripped away. One experiences the interconnectedness of all beings and levels in the most personal and intimate sense--one resonates at the deepest centers with this new found knowledge.
Kundalini opens the system to infusions of the divine; one is held by unmitigated, unimaginable, pure love. And this love is the sustaining force of the cosmos itself.
(from Unmasking the Rose
