Kundalini Splendor

Ivan Granger posted this poem on his poetry-chaikhana site today:

We awaken in Christ's body

By Symeon the New Theologian
(949 - 1032)

English version by Stephen Mitchell



We awaken in Christ's body
as Christ awakens our bodies,
and my poor hand is Christ, He enters
my foot, and is infinitely me.

I move my hand, and wonderfully
my hand becomes Christ, becomes all of Him
(for God is indivisibly
whole, seamless in His Godhood).

I move my foot, and at once
He appears like a flash of lightning.
Do my words seem blasphemous? -- Then
open your heart to Him

and let yourself receive the one
who is opening to you so deeply.
For if we genuinely love Him,
we wake up inside Christ's body

where all our body, all over,
every most hidden part of it,
is realized in joy as Him,
and He makes us, utterly, real,

and everything that is hurt, everything
that seemed to us dark, harsh, shameful,
maimed, ugly, irreparably
damaged, is in Him transformed

and recognized as whole, as lovely,
and radiant in His light
he awakens as the Beloved
in every last part of our body.



-- from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell

It reminded me somewhat of a poem I wrote several years ago, which was later included in "Marrow of Flame":


The Prankster

Let the breath come in,
and if a god, too,
make this her subtle path,
do not deny her
entry.
He wishes to build transparent monuments
in your heart,
chambers whose quiet bells will resonate
into your farthest reaches,
your soles, your lids,
your elbows, even.

For the god does not disdain
even the humblest part,
the clumsiest joining.
This is his sly jest,
his coy affirmation
of you as oneness.

Do not fear the god.
As the wind wafts through light,
she wafts through you--
Ruach, Prana, Chi --
lifting bone, cell, and tissue
into that other world.

Even in this one,
trees bend to her
in their slow spirals.
Dolphins breathe her.
Herons glide to her fluid rhythms.
Do not fear the god.
She is yourself, returning.

Dorothy Walters, "Marrow of Flame"

These poems have the same essential theme:

where all our body, all over,
every most hidden part of it,
is realized in joy as Him,
and He makes us, utterly, real,

Both express the joy and wonder of transcendent bliss which arises as a sense of delight within the physical body. Symeon refers to this "bliss source" as Christ. My poem simply uses the less specific term "the god." Both acknowledge a sense of divine connection through the coursing of the "heavenly currents" through the self.

Symeon asks (as many of us do when we encounter this experience

"Do my words seem blasphemous? -- Then
open your heart to Him"

Kundalini traditionally is considered something mysterious, totally esoteric. Indeed, the mystic is often condemned by orthodox religious institutions. Even today, many who experience kundalini do not talk about it or reveal it to others for years. Often they keep silent for fear of being labeled unbalanced or dangerous or somehow aligned with dark forces. This state of being is outside the norms, and hence is a threat to conventional "ego consciousness."

Yet Kundalini as a manifestation of the divine energies finds ways of coming into consciousness in many eras and under many guises, despite all social conditioning against it.

(I wonder what Symeon would think of this blog site, if it would seem "blasphemous", at least in its terminology, or a welcome avenue of connection with others who share (or have shared) similar experiences.)

In the poem above, Kabir described the nectar of the divine embrace. Here is a summary of an experience which occurred recently to a "friend of a friend," a young man who doesn't even describe his "opening to love" in terms of kundalini per se

Having reached a point of deep frustration in his spiritual journey, he simply gave up and released all yearning, all striving, all goals. Instantly, he felt the "uprush of divine love" ascend quickly up the back of his legs and spine, leaving him with a feeling of absolute openness. In the weeks that followed,
he felt he saw deeply into the innate perfection of all those he encountered. Externals no longer mattered, as he basked in the bliss of his new consciousness.

One wonders how many others are experiencing such "moments of divine encounter." Is the process of sacred union with the true Self and others indeed creating an ever widening net of "initiates"? Are we all involved in a process which is "growing exponentially," as some believe, moving us ever more swiftly toward "critical mass," a universal leap into a new stage of consciousness?

Even when we are in pain or grief, the words of Kabir are comforting, for they remind us that all states are temporary, and all conditions of the mind and spirit constantly change, one into the other:


My body is flooded
With the flame of Love.
My soul lives in
A furnace of bliss.

Love's fragrance
Fills my mouth,
And fans through all things
With each outbreath.

-- from Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from the Sufi Wisdom, by Andrew Harvey / Eryk Hanut

Here is my own "playful translation" of this poem by Milarepa. I call it "playful" because I am not a trained translator, and am, in fact, simply offering my own sense of what some of the verses might mean. (Somehow, I think this (original) version of the poem does indeed sound like something created by a committee, more dedicated to literal meaning than poetic rendition.)

The Profound Definitive Meaning

By Milarepa
(1052 - 1135)

English version by Marpa Translation Committee

(This version was printed by Ivan Granger on www.poetry-chaikhana.com this morning. Thanks, Ivan.)


For the mind that masters view the emptiness dawns
In the content seen not even an atom exists
A seer and seen refined until they're gone
This way of realizing view, it works quite well

When meditation is clear light river flow
There is no need to confine it to sessions and breaks
Meditator and object refined until they're gone
This heart bone of meditation, it beats quite well

When you're sure that conducts work is luminous light
And you're sure that interdependence is emptiness
A doer and deed refined until they're gone
This way of working with conduct, it works quite well

When biased thinking has vanished into space
No phony facades, eight dharmas, nor hopes and fears,
A keeper and kept refined until they're gone
This way of keeping samaya, it works quite well

When you've finally discovered your mind is dharmakaya
And you're really doing yourself and others good
A winner and won refined until they're gone
This way of winning results, it works quite well.



============
My version (which is not literal):



Ultimate Essence

When you see with clear eyes, your perceive that everything is emptiness.
Then you know that what you are looking at does not contain a single atom.
Even the looker and the thing looked on disappear.
This way of perception--it works quite well.

When meditation becomes clear like a river of light,
You no longer need to experience it only in formal sittings and breaks.
Both meditator and object of contemplation are refined until they disappear.
This central core, this heart of meditation, it beats quite well.

When your conduct is pure, like luminous light,
And you finally understand that things which exist only in relation
to other things are in fact nothing but empty illusions,
Then doer and deed are refined until they're gone
since in truth neither exists at all--
This way of proceeding in your actions , it works quite well.


When biased thinking has vanished into space
No phony facades, eight dharmas, nor hopes and fears,
A keeper and kept refined until they're gone
This way of keeping samaya, it works quite well

When you've finally discovered your mind is dharmakaya
And you're really doing yourself and others good
A winner and won refined until they're gone
This way of winning results, it works quite well.

(I left the last two verses in the original version, since I lack sufficient knowledge to interpret the technical terms.)



============

The friend who sent me the earlier quote from Meister Eckhardt added some further reflections:

> I understand her (Dorothy's) distress with knowledge getting in the
>way (of the transcendent moment). At the same time, love without knowledge doesn't
>"do" much. We need a love which "knows" what we ought
>to seek in life with others. Love alone will never
>cure physical or social ills, will never cure the sick
>or write a wise law, nor save an imperilled social
>order. To quote St.Paul. Your love must be more and
>more rich in knowledge. to quote in full; "And it is
>my prayer that your love may grow richer and richer in
>knowledge and perfect insight to the end that you may
>have a sense of what is vital."

This interesting response raises once again the important question of the relation of action and contemplation. Some of us seem called to active, intense engagement in the affairs of this world, striving through deep dedication, to change, amend, restructure,heal and thus redeem our social order. Others seem primarily called to witness and receive the influx of divine love, to "carry the vibration," as one friend puts it.

True, if we huddle in caves in continual prayer, never paying heed to the chaos and catastrophes occurring without, then we must ask, Is such withdrawal from the world and its struggles justified, especially in the light of the current global crisis? On the other hand, those who throw theselves fully into the realms of social action and change, without some sense of divine connection and purpose, seem (to me) to lack a crucial element--a dimension which says, "There is more to us than the "merely human," the palpable and visible realms." These are wonderful people, and I count many among my dearest friends, but still I long for the "added dimension," the secret sense of belonging to something more, beyond, within--well, it is difficult to word this undefinable essence, but it is that which the mystic feels and affirms and longs for.

Perhaps the answer is to combine the two--to engage in "mystical activism," as many now term it. Carolyn Casey, the amazing astrologer who has a radio show on current affairs, is such a "mystical activist." Andrew Harvey, in his presentations, urges his listeners to become such spiritual actors in the world.

I want to say, however, that no one can choose to become a "mystic" (in the sense of embracing on a personal level the concept of a higher reality) by dint of desire alone. You cannot force yourself into such states of awareness. They are, I think, a gift of grace. (You can, of course, have religious belief and live a life of spiritual commitment, without becomeing a full blown mystic.) And you can live with a sense of openness to possibilities beyond your present experience, and thus prepare for deeper awakening. And all of us can choose to join the ranks of the activists, who, whatever their personal beliefs, often demonstrate fully the principles of compassionate service to humanity.

But the mystic is not, as is often charged, one who is seeking to "escape" reality. The mystic is called on to confront a truth that is indeed terrifying and often overwhelming--that we are in fact more than we seem, and are a part of that which is more than we know or are capable of knowing. Surrender to the mystic embrace is the final act of courage. Perhaps some are afraid to know god (the divine reality), especially the intellectuals who use mind as a defense against deeper revelations.

Sometimes I think we each inwardly know what our "world assignments" are. Some are called to become dedicated activists, others to explore the mystical realms. Certainly both are needed and both make major contributions to a humanity in extreme need.
>

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin speaks as follows on the sense of oneness with all that is:

"Thank you, my God, for having in a thousand different ways led my eyes to discover the immense simplicity of things. Little by little, through the irresistible development of those yearnings You implanted in me as a child, through the influence of gifted friends who entered my life at certain moments to bring light and strength to my mind, and through the awakenings of spirit I owe to successive initiations, gentle and terrible, which you caused me to undergo: through all these, I have been brought to the point where I can no longer see anyhthing, nor any longer breathe, outside that millieu in which all is made One."

(from "Hymn of the Universe")

And Meister Eckhart, speaking in a similar vein, says:

"It is not by love but by intelligence that the mystic reunion takes
>place with God; by knowledge we are one with God; that
>which knows and that which is known are one>"

At first glance, I would say just about the opposite. At least, in my own "moment of awakening," (the closest I have every come to a very, very deep mystical state of consciousness, that sense of oneness, of being nothing at all except some minute fragment of something infinitely larger , more vast, more potent than I could ever comprehend) it seemed to me that it was by surrendering the "mental faculty," that realization occurred. This is what startled me. I had long tried to "think my way to truth," but discovered that only when I surrendered the mind, did a powerful sense of ultimate reality manifest. And it came as a sense of overwhelming love, love for and love in, a totally enveloping awareness that "god" was in fact infinite rapture, and once we gave up the sense of the "little self," we could be swept into that rapture and feel its currents coursing through us, but only when we did not think about what was happening. At the key moment, lover and beloved were one, and that one was both god and self. Apparently, the high mystics remain in that state all the time. I don't--I flicker in and out, and often go along for weeks in "mundane consciousness."

However, as I reflected more, I realized that on some level mind was also involved; otherwise I would have had no awareness of what was occurring in that "moment of splendor," nor would I have been able to contemplate it later as I strove to integrate this new knowledge into my life. So--feeling entirely void of mind does not in fact exist, except in random moments of exaltation. But mind without feeling ("love," as Eckhard calls it) is arid and cannot carry us to the goal of union which we seek.

Now, I also am a sometime nature mystic, but in a slightly different sense. Here, I seem to enter a state of consciousness, in which everything is indeed lovely--trees, flowers, all the surroundings--and I feel a sense of "oneness" with all this. I forget who I am, and fall into a lovely state of delight or joy, but it does not include ecstasy or rapture as a somatic response.

For people like me, it is best, I believe, to "feel my way to god (divinity) " rather than to try to "think my way to god," since I am too much a skeptic not to challenge every assertion and question every proposition. But I can also see that intense feeling alone (unleashed emotion) could be dangerous if it were not accompanied by a capable intellect.

One further thought: when you have such an overwhelming experience, there are very few with whom you can communicate about it. I recognize that others may not be convinced by my "story" of what happened to me. But for me, it was a "self-validating experience." It was the Big Bang of the soul, and I have chosen to live by its truth ever since.

In today's San Francisco Chronicle, the lead article on the front page was about Amma, the "hugging guru," who is now visiting this area. Great crowds of people stood in line, some as long as ten hours, to receive an embrace from this motherly woman. She is a unique phenomenon, an untutored Indian born in a remote village, who attracts large numbers of followers here and across the world.

I once received a hug from this loving being when I saw her in a church auditorium in Berkeley many years ago. She was accompanied by a musical ensemble who played and drummed while she shouted aloud in ecstasy. Her cry of "Ma, ma, ma," sent the crowd into high rapture. Indeed, the shakti (divine energy) was palpable in the room: I also felt waves of extreme bliss sweep through my body as she raised her hands and cried aloud in joy. (Here again, was the phenomenon of "synchronized group energies," creating a "bliss field" in which all who were receptive resonated in harmony.) (Somehow, the experience also reminded me of the old time camp meetings, or even some of the evangelical services today, when emotion overtakes the crowd.)

Other gurus also have this capacity. Ram Dass at his peak could bestow bliss upon his listeners, as can Baba Hari Das, the silent guru, whose presence is itself a kind of shaktipat.

Her special favor is that she hugs each person in the audience one by one as they approach after the ceremony. My friend and I waited for some hour or two until our turn. Now, in order to speed things up, we were asked to approach the seated Amma on our knees for the last 20 feet or so. I found this posture and movement rather difficult, and was actually in a little pain when I finally arrived before her chair. Indeed, by now, all the shakti of the earlier devotions had (for me) evaporated, and I was just eager for the experience to be finished. At last, the "avatar" grabbed me in a great bear hug and smashed me to her bosom. Then she gave me a candy kiss, and my moment was over.

I have often thought about this experience. Is she indeed an avatar, or a saint, as many believe? She is certainly a most kind woman, and herself denies that she is some sort of special enlightened being. She says,"Everyone is an avatar. Everyone is self-realized. Everyone is enlightened. My god is people. My god is creation." On the importance of the female gurus who have emerged in recent years, she observers, "People are looking for love. Only feminine energy alone can create that love and compassion and create a balance between action and love."

And she is, undeniably, a woman of great love and compassion. In India, she oversees a network of schools, hospitals, soup kitchens, orphanages, and shrines. She has defied some of the established traditions of Indian religious practice by conducting rites traditionally reserved for males. Indeed, she, as someone born into one of the lower castes, challenges custom each time she gives her hugs. But so far she has hugged between 25 and 30 million people, sometimes continuing to offer herself in this way all night long to the hungry seekers. She does not stop until each pilgrim is so blessed.

What is Amma indeed? Certainly her energies, both spiritual and physical, are amazing. Her message is a simple one--be of service to the world. She thus teaches by example, and so reaches many.

Kurt Godel was a renowned mathematician best known for his "theory of incompleteness." According to a recent writer, "In any formal system adequate for number theory there exists an undecidable formula--that is, a formula that is not provable and whose negation is not provable." Or, as the reviewer states, "...some things you just can't prove, even if they're true."

Somehow, these reflections reminded me of the case with kundalini: if you have had the experience, you need no further proof. If you are a skeptic who has not had the experience, then no proof will convince.

Kundalini is much like aesthetic response. There is no way to convey to others the essential quality of one's felt reaction. Yet, these are among the most treasured of life's experiences. Our "peak moments," our transcendent break throughs--they are what gives our lives richness and meaning. Our current emphasis on scientific objectivity seems to rule out the subjective entirely, as realms lacking significance or purpose. Only the literal, the provable, the useful are esteemed.

Kundalini is the quintessential subjective experience. It is the ultimate "self-validating experience," unprovable, ineffable, yet totally convincing. This, I think, is why we long to find others who have shared similar experience. They too know the truth of the indescribable, that which cannot be demonstrated by logic, only encountered through experience.

(Note: A famous earlier book by Douglas Hofstater was called "Godel, Esher, Bach." The heading of the present entry is a play on that earlier work's title.)

At last I have a new computer up and running. I am quite impressed with it, and realize how out of date the old one was, with its labored breathing and difficulty staying connected.

Finally I am able to see the beautiful photographs and art work on Patricia's site in their full beauty. (Go to www.windchimewalker.com, and check Patricia's journal, with its many accompanying photos.) She takes lovely shots of flowers, trees, water--nature at its best. And now I can enjoy them in the fullness of their rich colors and striking radiance. And brillliance has also entered my dreams.

Usually, I do not remember my dreams, but occasionally one flashes through--usually as a single image or incident. Today, while I was out walking near the ocean, admiring the ice plants (luminous green spears lit by the sun filtering through), I suddenly remembered a portion of my dream from last night. It consisted of a single flower--something like a sunflower, only more burnt orange and golden. It had no brown center, but unfolded as a beautiful petaled mass, quite broad across. And as I watched, it suddenly was lit from within, becoming a radiant emblem of total luminescence.

I was quite awed by what I was witnessing. And somehow, in the dream, I was convinced that what I was seeing was not a dream at all, but rather a simple phenomenon of nature.

And on reflection it now occurs to me that what I perceived was the beauty inherent in all things and beings, the reality so often hidden by surface appearance or incorrect interpretation. If we could only see all things in their true light, how glorious the world would be.

Dreams of this sort seem to be more than just "dreams." They are more like brief visions, moments of seeing into the authentic realms of being. And the colors--how stunning they are. It is as if, for an instant, we are in fact "transported," given a differnt pair of eyes in order to receive some hidden but essential teaching.

Masaru Emoto's experiments with water crystals are now world famous. Ice, as it melts, forms crystals for a few seconds before it transforms to water. Emoto has photographed thousands of these crystals in process of emerging, and has concluded that their overall shape (whether symmetrical or ragged) is determined by various unexpected factors. The source of the water itself is important: for example, the water of Tokyo is so contaminated that no crystals are formed at all. Best results are obtained from pure sources, such as clear streams, lakes, unpolluted rivers, and the like.

Emoto also has found that certain words or phrases appear to help shape the emerging design. A perfect crystal was produced when he wrapped a piece of paper with the words "love and gratitude" typed on it around the container. "Thank you" in various languages created crystals which were beautiful and complete.

Conversely, negative words or phrases ("You fool...you make me sick...I am going to kill you") produced no crystals, or else crystals with unattractive features (such as dark lumps in the center.)

Of course, there is much more to his theory than this. He has published many books describing in detail this interesting approach to a little known subject.

I have no idea whether the words associated with the crystals actually influenced the emerging shape. If some outside factor is indeed impacting the results, then I wonder if it could not as well be the actual thought patterns or feelings or emotions of the experimenter himself, rather than the words on the paper. Perhaps the vibrations aroused within the experimenter by the simple phrases of love or its opposite somehow resonate with the seemingly inert matter to produce some pattern of harmony or disharmony within. Is this another example of the influence of mind over matter?

Often when I enter a harmonious resonance field (such as that produced when members of an ashram chant or worship together), I pick up on their vibrations, and often feel deep bliss as a result. These patterns of resonance stir the deepest levels, including the blood (which Emoto correctly identifies as primarily water) which of course circulates throughout the body. These synchronized pulsations of the subtle field also awaken the self's own electromagnetic system, that is, the chi or kundalini energies. Is the phenomenon of guru shaktipat the result of the devotee entering the intense and extremely harmonious vibratory field of the teacher? Does like then resonate with like in rapture and bliss?

What would happen if such an advanced kundalini master were present when the shift from ice to water occurred? Would the crystals then reflect the absolute harmony of his/her resonance field in its emerging shape? Would the presence of the "sinner" rather than the "saint" produce opposite results?

It would be interesting if someone would play with such experiments. There is much to be discovered about vibration, resonance, kundalini, inner feelings, personal and world harmony, planetary survival, and cosmic reality. Can we learn to vibrate together in appropriate measure? Will we thus reach a critical mass, bring about a true "harmonic convergence", and together transition to a new level of being?

Because kundalini so sensitizes the system, energetic healing (herbs, aroma therapy, crystals and the like)is especially effective for persons who have been "opened" by the Mother. For some two years, I have been visiting an herbalist (Joshua Muscat) here in San Francisco, and have had great success using his prescriptions. Joshua gathers and prepares his own herbs, traveling across the country to obtain his ingredients. His products are thus especially pure, and much more potent than those sold in commercial outlets.

Herbs do not heal instantaneously. Instead, they work through a slow buildup of the system, gradually strengthening and improving all the body's functions. Joshua prepares a special formula for each client, based on individual need and history. He is very skillful, able to select and mix the correct components for each person's needs.

When I first took his preparation, I had a very intense reaction. I experienced severe pain in several parts of my body, and was fearful that I would not be able to continue on this path. But there was no more pain after the initial experience--everything subsided into the "normal" range of response. But from then on, I proceeded with great caution, taking very small doses and gradually building up to normal.

In ancient times in India (and elsewhere), the healer/priest occupied a special role in society. His work was viewed as an aspect of the sacred. Healing itself was closely identified as the work of the gods. The healer thus invoked the sacred presence as part of the ritual of restoring health to the ailing body. (Contemporary mainstream medicine has long since rejected this aspect of the healing process, except for those like Larry Dossey, who has explored the healing aspects of prayer.)

Here are some excerpts from the Rig Veda which reveal the sacred nature of the healer's actions and of the plants he utilizes in his work:

"The tawny plants were born in ancient times, three ages before the gods; now I will meditate upon their hundred and seven forms...

"Be joyful, you plants that bear flowers and those that bear fruit. Like mares that win the race together, the growing plants will carry us across...

"He in whom the plants gather like kings in the assembly, that priest is called a healer, a slayer of demons, an expeller of disease...

"Your mother's name is Reviver, and so you are the Restorers. You are streams that fly on wings. Restore whatever has been injured...

"Let one of you help the other; let one stand by the other. All of you working together , help this speech of mine to succeed...

"Those that bear fruit and those without fruit, those without flower and those that bear flowers..., let them free us from anguish...

"Flying down from the sky, the plants spoke: that man shall not be harmed whose life we join..."

(from the Rig Veda, 10.97, Penguin Books)

David Baum, whose work I have posted on this site previously, has created a new blog:

http://davidbaum.blogspot.com

He heads the site with a catchy quote from Dr. Seuss: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

David is clearly one who lives up to this admonition. In his younger years, he yearned for excitement, and, among other things, swallowed fire, jumped from moving planes, walked on fire, drove race cars, and jumped off cliffs. As he grew older, he realized that he was seeking the thrill of excitement, the adrenaline rush. The came to see that there was a vast difference between "intensity" and "depth." The former comes from speed itself, the latter from a less frantic approach to reality. He has often found this depth of discovery in the world of nature and feels this is the place where authentic experience is truly possible.

David has a lot say about meaningful topics. At times he quotes Rumi. At times he describes his recent trip to Bosnia, where he went in the service of a non-profit agency which helps the women of various countries. I happen to know that not too long ago he was invited to speak at Cambridge University on one of his favorite topics, "Creative Tension."

He is a successful business consultant, a witty companion, and a gifted writer. He is filled with a loving spirit, and now dedicates his talents to making this a better place for us all.

I strongly recommend that you look up his site.

Congratulations, David. The world needs your wisdom and warmth!

Those of us who love language will also be moved by the hymn included in the Rig Veda which is dedicated to the "Lord of Sacred Speech."

Here are a few excerpts:

"When they set in motion the first beginning of speech, giving names, their most pure and perfectly guarded secret was revealed through love...

"Through the sacrifice they traced the path of speech and found it inside the sages. They held it and portioned it out to many; together the seven singers praised it...

"One who looked did not see speech, and another who listens does not hear it. It reveals itself to someone as a loving wife, beautifully dressed, reveals her body to her husband...

"One person, they said, has grown awkward and heavy in this friendship; they no longer urge him forward in the contests. He lives with falsehood like a milkless cow, for the speech he has heard has no fruit, no flower...

"One sits bringing the flower, the blossom of the verses. Another sings a song in the Sakvari metre. One, the Brahman, proclaims the knowledge of the ancient ways. Another lays out the measure of the sacrifice."

These brief quotations reveal the awe and sanctity with which the followers approached the sacred verses. The hymns were integral to the holy ritual. The fires were carefully laid for the sacrifice. The singers invoked the gods, who then made their presence known by inspiring the speakers to utter their divinely given verses.

Surely our current fascination with sacred poetry comes from a similar desire to be united with the transcendent through speech (language), to reconnect with the ancient source. Contemporary poetry often seems to have strayed far from its beginnings. Indeed, the transpersonal realm seems to be off limits for many writers of the modern era. They seem dead to the divine, like those who looked and did not see, listened and did not hear. Often our world seems to be divided into just such camps, those who see that which is imperceptible to others, or hear what many do not detect.

One wonders what energies would have been awakened in these early ceremonies. No doubt, Mother Kundalini was present in all her glory, part and parcel of the total experience.

G. and I went camping over the Memorial Day weekend. On a state highway leading into the campground, a large tree had fallen completely blocking the way, and several cars were turning around just ahead of us. One emergency vehicle was visible ahead at the scene.

We also turned around to take the alternate route in. A few minutes later, G. said, "I dreamed about this last night. I dreamed I was in a line of cars and couldn't go any faster. At that moment I watched helplessly as a large tree fell onto my car." Then she added, "I had completely forgotten the dream until just now. I wouldn't have remembered it at all if I hadn't seen the tree."

When we arrived at the headquarters of the state park, we found out that the tree had fallen only about 15-20 minutes before we would have passed that way. If we hadn't stopped to buy some food at a grocery earlier, we might have been there at just the crucial moment. We had been a bit worried about arriving so late (we feared that all the good spots would be taken), but obviously our dawdling was a very good thing.

Was this a premonition? If not, why did G. have such an unusual dream? It was, we agreed, a most bizarre experience, and made us wonder about the nature of time itself. If the dream was a predictor of the future, then who was the knower of that still-to-come event? Is all time really one time, as many posit?

Obviously, we know little or nothing about how "real time" works. We can only witness these curious events and puzzle as to what they may mean.

P. S. The tree did not hit any cars in its fall, and no one was hurt. When we passed that way again on our return, we saw no sign of damage, not even a bare spot where the tree had stood.