Kundalini Splendor

(image from source)

This morning, I unexpectedly discovered two interesting sites on the Internet. One was dedicated to spiritual wisdom and included many good references, particularly for Sufism and the interrelationship between Buddhism and Christianity . Then I ran across a passage which spoke out against the recent ascent of "soft spirituality" and
further insisted that only within the confines of established faiths could one hope to connect with god.

This assertion gave me pause. It called to mind the age old conflict between priests and mystics, conservers of tradition and iconoclasts (Blake? Yeats?) who went their own way and discovered their own inner path to salvation. I marveled that there were still those among us who--it would seem--believe that it is possible to capture divinity and enclose it in a building, where properly sanctioned priests can dole out fragments of source to the devout who swear allegiance to this particular establishment. And I thought of the many today who are indeed finding their own paths, who are functioning as a "light unto themselves." (I am not rejecting all traditions and churches here, merely those who insist that theirs is the "only way.")

I think these writers (like the many threatened priesthoods of history) are afraid of losing the power and the positions they have spend their lives acquiring.

And then I came across another interesting site at www.gratefulness.org This group has no specific creed or practice, it merely encourages us to reflect on and feel grateful for the blessings which come our way. And, I found these lovely poetic reflections on "angels" which appear below.

How many people have you met who have been disillusioned with their earlier "churchly" experience and are now filled with gratitude to find that they too can connect with spirit and enjoy a rich inner life of sacred experience, though they no longer go to church? As Emily Dickinson observed, "Some keep the Sabbath going to church/ Some keep it staying at home."

I feel that those of us who have been touched by Kundalini are especially blessed, no matter how high the price of the gift, for we sometimes feel as though we have indeed been "touched by angels." Certainly, we should feel gratitude for our experience, and do all we can to help others reaching for the same light, whatever their own path may be.

ABOUT ANGELS

Outside the open window
The morning air is all awash with angels.
(Richard Wilbur, "Love Calls Us to the Things of this World")

The angels keep their ancient places -
Turn but a stone and start a wing!
'Tis ye, 'tis ye, your estranged faces
That miss the many-splendored thing.
(Francis Thompson, "The Kingdom of God")

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty:
Believe me, that Angel's hand is there.
(Fra Giovanni)

Coincidence is God's way of performing
a miracle anonymously.
(source unknown)