Sunday, September 17, 2006
The Metaphors of Love
Here, in this poem by the great seventeenth-century mystic St. John of the Cross, we encounter many of the central images and symbols used by mystics of all times to describe their experiences. Note the references to flame, wounding, sweet burn, delectable wound, soft hand, death and rebirth, and the strange brightness which gives both heat and light.
The "bosom" John speaks of is, of course, the heart center itself, which can truly overflow with a love so palpably real that it can barely be tolerated in its sensuous intensity.
Many of these images could be describing deep kundalini awakening and the life which ensues thereafter. Heat is one of the commonest reported symptoms. Likewise the sense of light filling the mind, sometimes like a lamp which never goes out. (This light is often cited as a certain sign that kundalini is at work.) And many feel that in undergoing kundalini awakening, they literally die to their old life, with its restrictions and dull confinements, and are reborn into a more vibrant, more sensuous world where everything speaks of divine love and the stunning beauty of creation.
The sweet ecstasy of the flowing energies can at times be so intense that they are almost painful. Something happens that is almost like a wounding, as if one were being "pierced by light."
The "sweet breathing" he speaks of is sometimes called simply "breathing God." It may be felt as a delicate rapture, a literal sense of oneness with source.
St. John of the Cross
Living Flame Of Love
Oh, living flame of love
that tenderly woundest my soul
in its deepest centre,
Since thou are no longer oppressive,
perfect me now if it be thy will,
Break the web of this sweet encounter.
Oh, sweet burn!
Oh, delectable wound!
Oh, soft hand!
Oh, delicate touch
that savours of eternal life
and pays every debt!
In slaying, thou hast changed
death into life.
Oh, lamps of fire,
in whose splendours
the deep caverns of sense
which were dark and blind
With strange brightness
give heat and light together
to their Beloved!
How gently and lovingly
thou awakenest in my bosom,
Where thou dwellest secretly
and alone!
And in thy sweet breathing,
full of blessings and glory,
How delicately thou inspirest my love!
St. John of the Cross, 17 Century
(E. Allison Peers, trans.)
Here is Lawrence Edwards' account of his recent retreat on kundalini and the divine feminine. Note the similarities with St. John's description.
The Mysteries of the Divine Feminine and Kundalini Empowerment retreat was specially created to powerfully invoke the power of Divine revelation, Kundalini, to ignite that Fire and remain immersed in the sacred chamber, the crucible of the heart, while that power of Grace does Her work of setting one free. For thousands of years the yogic sages spoke of the living Flame of the Divine present in everyone's heart. By the power and grace of Kundalini the meditative states that allow you to directly experience this become accessible.
(Note: the rest of this announcement got a bit tangled in copying, but for fuller details, go to www.thesoulsjourney.com
Upcoming events pertaining to kundalini and spiritual awakening:
September 23rd Rhode Island, WARL 1320am Live radio interview of Lawrence; Saturday 1-2pm, Steve Donofrio Show; streaming live www.1320thedrive.com
Oct. 12-Nov. 9th Cultivating Wellbeing Course - 5 Thursday evenings with Drs. Michael Finkelstein, Susan Rubin and Lawrence Edwards. SunRaven, Bedford, NY www.sunraven.org Course info. at: www.thesoulsjourney.com/events.html
October 22 The Science and Art of Meditation Northeast Regional Biofeedback Society Meeting presentation, Sunday afternoon, Rutgers Univ. For more info: www.nrbs.org
October 24 Tues. 6:30-8:45pm Anam Cara's 5th Birthday Celebration - including dinner 6:30-7:30! Please call ahead if you would like to join us for dinner.
November 10-12 Mysteries of the Divine Feminine and Kundalini Empowerment Retreat Friday eve through Sun. afternoon, Anam Cara, Bedford, NY. Includes lectures, guided meditations, chanting and most importantly, the sacred and ancient Kundalini empowerment diksha. In this retreat we will also explore the mysteries of Kali and the wisdom She imparts for living in this age. Pre-registration is necessary for courses and retreats.
Each of these offerings gives us a chance to enter into deeper communion with the sacred, and to taste the "nectar of the divine," as the ancients called it.
The "bosom" John speaks of is, of course, the heart center itself, which can truly overflow with a love so palpably real that it can barely be tolerated in its sensuous intensity.
Many of these images could be describing deep kundalini awakening and the life which ensues thereafter. Heat is one of the commonest reported symptoms. Likewise the sense of light filling the mind, sometimes like a lamp which never goes out. (This light is often cited as a certain sign that kundalini is at work.) And many feel that in undergoing kundalini awakening, they literally die to their old life, with its restrictions and dull confinements, and are reborn into a more vibrant, more sensuous world where everything speaks of divine love and the stunning beauty of creation.
The sweet ecstasy of the flowing energies can at times be so intense that they are almost painful. Something happens that is almost like a wounding, as if one were being "pierced by light."
The "sweet breathing" he speaks of is sometimes called simply "breathing God." It may be felt as a delicate rapture, a literal sense of oneness with source.
St. John of the Cross
Living Flame Of Love
Oh, living flame of love
that tenderly woundest my soul
in its deepest centre,
Since thou are no longer oppressive,
perfect me now if it be thy will,
Break the web of this sweet encounter.
Oh, sweet burn!
Oh, delectable wound!
Oh, soft hand!
Oh, delicate touch
that savours of eternal life
and pays every debt!
In slaying, thou hast changed
death into life.
Oh, lamps of fire,
in whose splendours
the deep caverns of sense
which were dark and blind
With strange brightness
give heat and light together
to their Beloved!
How gently and lovingly
thou awakenest in my bosom,
Where thou dwellest secretly
and alone!
And in thy sweet breathing,
full of blessings and glory,
How delicately thou inspirest my love!
St. John of the Cross, 17 Century
(E. Allison Peers, trans.)
Here is Lawrence Edwards' account of his recent retreat on kundalini and the divine feminine. Note the similarities with St. John's description.
The Mysteries of the Divine Feminine and Kundalini Empowerment retreat was specially created to powerfully invoke the power of Divine revelation, Kundalini, to ignite that Fire and remain immersed in the sacred chamber, the crucible of the heart, while that power of Grace does Her work of setting one free. For thousands of years the yogic sages spoke of the living Flame of the Divine present in everyone's heart. By the power and grace of Kundalini the meditative states that allow you to directly experience this become accessible.
(Note: the rest of this announcement got a bit tangled in copying, but for fuller details, go to www.thesoulsjourney.com
Upcoming events pertaining to kundalini and spiritual awakening:
September 23rd Rhode Island, WARL 1320am Live radio interview of Lawrence; Saturday 1-2pm, Steve Donofrio Show; streaming live www.1320thedrive.com
Oct. 12-Nov. 9th Cultivating Wellbeing Course - 5 Thursday evenings with Drs. Michael Finkelstein, Susan Rubin and Lawrence Edwards. SunRaven, Bedford, NY www.sunraven.org Course info. at: www.thesoulsjourney.com/events.html
October 22 The Science and Art of Meditation Northeast Regional Biofeedback Society Meeting presentation, Sunday afternoon, Rutgers Univ. For more info: www.nrbs.org
October 24 Tues. 6:30-8:45pm Anam Cara's 5th Birthday Celebration - including dinner 6:30-7:30! Please call ahead if you would like to join us for dinner.
November 10-12 Mysteries of the Divine Feminine and Kundalini Empowerment Retreat Friday eve through Sun. afternoon, Anam Cara, Bedford, NY. Includes lectures, guided meditations, chanting and most importantly, the sacred and ancient Kundalini empowerment diksha. In this retreat we will also explore the mysteries of Kali and the wisdom She imparts for living in this age. Pre-registration is necessary for courses and retreats.
Each of these offerings gives us a chance to enter into deeper communion with the sacred, and to taste the "nectar of the divine," as the ancients called it.
