Kundalini Splendor

I have not read the above book, but it caught my eye as I was browsing the Amazon site. I was especially interested because I have long been fascinated by discussions of the evolution of human consciousness, and this one seemed to be especially pertinent.  You can look it up and if you are interested you can purchase a kindle version for a modest price.  And, of course, I feel that Kundalini is a major force for the evolution of human consciousness, for it leads us into new awareness and new capacities.  Many of the abilities described in this book are those which arrive with Kundalini awakening.

Book Description
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Quantum-Touch 2.0—The New Human endeavors to significantly enlarge the possibilities of what humans can be and do. In clear, step-by-step instructions, the reader will learn to easily demonstrate that human limits are as yet unknown.

Readers can learn to do healing on multiple people at once to reduce their pain in minutes, work on multiple conditions at once, help people shift their own beliefs with the use of energy, and work across time and space. Readers will even learn to safely and visibly adjust the posture of multiple people simultaneously without touching.

Science assumes that we are separate, and that our thoughts don't affect the outer reality. This notion is something that each of us can now clearly demonstrate to be untrue.

The originator of the Quantum-Touch energy healing method and a popular workshop leader and speaker at conferences and holistic health institutes, Richard Gordon has been developing and refining Quantum-Touch since the publication of his best-selling Quantum-Touch: The Power to Heal. Gordon shares his discoveries in this new book, which takes Quantum-Touch to a far more powerful level.

To enrich the book with scientific insights and commentary, Gordon sought out coauthors Vickie Wickhorst, PhD, and Chris Duffield, PhD. As academics investigating the convergence of science, technology, and the power of the human energy field, Wickhorst and Duffield serve as perfect guides to help readers, even skeptical ones, uncover their own process of discovery.

This book is a must for all world travelers!

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April 29, 2013

Enlightenment at Home
Right Where We Are

by Madisyn Taylor

Not everyone will feel the need to travel afar to become enlightened as that can happen right where you are.

Many spiritual seekers feel called to far-flung places across the globe in the interest of pursuing the path of their enlightenment. This may indeed be the right course of action for certain people, but it is by no means necessary to attaining an enlightened consciousness. Enlightenment can take root anywhere on earth, as long as the seeker is an open and ready vessel for higher consciousness. All we need is a powerful intention, and a willingness to do the work necessary to moving forward on our path.

In terms of spiritual practice, at this moment, there are more tools available to more people than at any other time in history. We have access to so much wisdom through the vehicles of books, magazines, the Internet, television, and film. In addition, the time-honored practice of meditation is free, and sitting quietly everyday, listening to the universe, is a great way to start the journey within. There is further inspiration in the fact that the greatest teachers we have are our own life experiences, and they come to us every day with new lessons and new opportunities to learn. If we look at the people around us, we may realize that we have a spiritual community already intact, and if we don‚t, we can find one, if not in our own neighborhood, then on-line.

Meanwhile, if we feel called to travel in search of teachers and experiences, then by all means, we should. But if we can‚t go to India, or Burma, or Indonesia, or if we don‚t have the desire, this is not an obstacle in terms of our spiritual development. In fact, we may simply be aware that our time and energy is best spent in our own homes, with our meditation practice and all the complications and joys of our own lives. We can confidently stay in one place, knowing that everything that we need to attain enlightenment is always available right where we are.

The pot is a God

By Basava
(1134 - 1196)

English version by A. K. Ramanujan



The pot is a God. The winnowing
fan is a God. The stone in the
street is a God. The comb is a
God. The bowstring is also a
God. The bushel is a God and the
spouted cup is a God.

Gods, gods, there are so many
there's no place left
for a foot.
          There is only
one God. He is our Lord
of the Meeting Rivers.




-- from Speaking of Siva, by A K Ramanujan

Sonnets to Orpheus, Part One, XII

Bless the spirit that makes connections,
for truly we live in what we imagine.
Clocks move along side our real life
with steps that are ever the same.

Though we do not know our exact location,
we are held in place by what links us.
Across trackless distances
antennas sense each other.

Pure attention, the essence of the powers!
Distracted by each day's doing,
how can we hear the signals?

Even as the farmer labors
there where the seed turns into summer,
it is not his work.  It is Earth who gives.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~


(In Praise of Mortality, translated and edited by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy)

(Image from internet, hellogiggles.com)

You are...
(by Birrell Walsh)

Ungraspable wind,
my hand comes back empty,
my eyes fill.

You are space,
a hint of musk,
cooling grace
in the warm dusk.

You are a wind
though these woods
making the leaves move
shaking the space...

Translation by Christiane Bozza:

Vent insaisissable
mes mains reviennent vides
mes yeux se remplissent

Tu es l'espace
une touche de musc
rafraîchissante grace
dans le chaud crépuscule

Tu es le vent
à travers ces bois
qui fait bouger les feuilles
agitant l'espace

(Photo by Margherita)

(The above picture is one I took this morning as I watched this squirrel munch on the new buds of a slender tree outside my balcony window.  This clever creature had a very filling breakfast before departing for other venues.)

The following is from the website of Gary Zukov.  Here, Gary is speaking of the nature of the soul, something which goes beyond sensory perception.  His ideas are arresting, but I   would have to add that this presentation, as effective as it is, ignores the role of Kundalini, which is, I think, the engine by which soul expresses itself in spirit, our nature as embodied intelligence while on earth.   Gary equates multisensory perception with intuition, and, though there is great merit in this idea, I believe that multisensory perception also involves a total overhaul of the nervous and sensory system, so that we literally feel with new sensitivity, hear with new ears, and know with new awareness.  (The ability not only to see auras but to feel them is one example of this new consciousness.)
As we mull over these arresting notions, we also are struggling to determine how such perspectives fit in with the disturbing happenings in our world today.  
On Wednesday evening, Gary and two other spiritual leaders will discuss this conundrum--that though we are moving toward a world of ever expanding love, the world at present is also marked by acts of extreme violence and aggression.  Gary has pointed out that the same day that the tragedy occurred in Boston, there were bombings in Iraq that killed 55 and injured 300.  Innocent civilians continue to be killed by American drones seeking "possible terrorists" in other countries.  I cannot figure out how to direct others to the sign up site for this talk, but you can begin by going to the website for the Shift Network at http://theshiftnetwork.com/main   You can join this network there and perhaps discover how to register for this significant talk.
  
Explore Multisensory Perception and Spiritual Partnership
With Gary Zukav

Gary Zukav is the author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics and The Seat of the Soul. He has been on The Oprah Winfrey Show numerous times, and as you will see, there is good reason so many people are grateful for his work.

GZ: We are experiencing the birth of a new species. From an evolutionary point of view, it’s happening very fast. It will be complete within only several human generations. Now is the beginning. The only other event in the history of humanity that matches this one in its magnitude is the first genesis – the creation of humanity. We are now experiencing the creation of a new humanity. This new species is being born inside you, inside me and inside the readers of this interview. It is emerging inside each of us, one by one.

There have always been authentically empowered multisensory humans. Every religion is named after one. And there have always been cultures based on multisensory perception. Native cultures, for example, recognize the relationship between the seen and the unseen worlds. But never before has our entire species shifted from one that is limited to the perceptions of the five senses to one that is not. Multisensory perception (the ability to see more than the five senses can detect) is emerging spontaneously in every culture, age-grouping, both sexes, and at every economic level.

“It is the birth of a species that is no longer limited to the perception of the five senses and that understands through the heart, rather than the intellect.”

G: What is a multisensory human?

GZ: A multisensory human is a human that is not limited to the five senses. The five senses together form a single sensory system. The object of detection of that system is physical reality. That was sufficient and appropriate for our evolution until this point. Now we are developing a second sensory system. That second system is intuition. Intuition and multisensory perception are the same. Multisensory perception is a more accurate term because the word intuition for many people only means having hunches.

Multisensory perception is the voice of the nonphysical world.
- Gary Zukav
Multisensory perception is more than that. It is also resonating with the idea that you are more than a mind and a body, that you are a soul, and that there is a difference between your personality and your soul. Your personality is your mind, your body and your intuitional structure. Your soul is that part of you that existed before you were born and that will exist after you die. It is that part of you that longs for harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for life. As you create your life with those intentions, you align yourself with your soul. Your experience becomes one of continual gratitude and joy, even when things are difficult. Multisensory perception is awareness from a soul level.

From the perspective of a multisensory personality, you can see your life in the context of a larger, unfolding picture that includes experiences that occurred before you were born. You can see, from this larger perspective, that your life is attempting to lead you in the direction your soul wants you to move – toward greater awareness and freedom.

Multisensory perception is realizing that the experiences in your life are not random. They are purposeful and meaningful. Each one holds an enormous potential for the expansion of your consciousness. Each one is tailored exquisitely for you. Every circumstance that you encounter is the best circumstance possible for your spiritual growth, given the wisdom of the choices that you have made. And, every circumstance serves equally all involved. You will never find, for example, people acting as stage props solely to assist you in your spiritual growth. All are served equally.

Every time you make a decision, you create consequences, whether you are aware of them or not.

Children, everybody, here's what to do during war:

In a time of destruction, create something.
A poem.
A parade.
A community.
A school.
A vow.
A moral principle.
One peaceful moment.

from "The Fifth Book of Peace "- Maxine Hong Kingston - 2003

(Picture found on google)

What Happened, or the Difficulties of Communication

First it happened,
but of course
you couldn’t talk
about it.

It was as if a plant or a sapling tree
suddenly sprang
out of your forehead,
invisible to everyone
but you.

You knew it was there,
sending its green root
down into your dark places,
demanding that you water it
in spring,
trim it back
in fall.
And you did,
for by now
you and it were one
entity,
indivisible
and growing closer
every day.

And then there were the
musical interludes:
flutes and mandolins
vying for attention,
each wanting to be
solo, but reduced again
and again
to sheer accompaniment.

The melody was, of course,
beautiful,
like a chorus
of angels
or the choir in Grace Cathedral,
at midnight on xmas eve,
only you were the only one
who heard it,
and as much as you loved it,
you knew better than
to mention it
to outsiders.

There was in fact
the inner mantra:
Don’t tell, don’t tell,
going round and round
in your head
like a spinning flywheel,
the hub of a chariot
sparking gold
as it ascended
into the clouds.

Dorothy Walters
April 14, 2013

(above is scene from my window during the current snow storm)

Transfiguration

(with apologies to Denise Levertov)

Evening.  Quiet.  When the music began
I took it for the subdued cries of sea birds,
the waves placating the shores.

Yet the music grew louder—
and the sound seemed to come
not from an external source
but from within.

Something began to stir,
as if a turning of a shaman
casting a spell,
a slowly spiraling dervish
practicing transformation
of elements.

Then I realized
that I was the one
who was moving,
it was I who was humming
this unidentifiable tune.

I knew not either
song nor dance,
only that something
seemed to awaken inside,
like a captured spirit
crying to come forth,
something that wanted
to carry me
to a place where I
had never been,
make of me
a reality
I could not name.

Dorothy Walters
April 14, 2013

The following is the third and final (for this site) section of Gerda's story of awakening.  We should all be grateful to Gerda for her willingness to share such an intimate account, for it is by sharing that we each learn from one another about the workings of the great mystery known as Kundalini. 

According to the Indian texts, two nerve currents, the Ida (the left) and the Pingala (the right) entwine a hair-like duct, the Sushumna, which runs up the spinal cord. Through this central channel rises the life force energy, chakra by chakra, until it arrives at the pineal gland. At the moment of contact between pineal and medulla, there is a fusion, and like lightning, it soars and enters the cortex, every neuron sparking and reacting, thus activating 90% of the unused cortex. In Hindu esoteric writings this is called the opening of the thousand-petal lotus.

*In my case, if the pituitary was involved I was not aware of it - unless it was an automatic symbiotic fusion.

** Drunvalo says there are five currents rising through the spinal cord.

The following quotations are taken from Gopi Krishna’s, Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man.

“Briefly stated, the moon and the sun as used here are meant to designate the two nerve currents flowing on the left and right sides of the spinal cord through the two nadis*, or nerves, named Ida and Pingala. The former, being cool, is said to resemble the pale luster of the moon; the latter, being hot, is likened to the radiance of the sun.”

*Nadis are channels for the flow of consciousness.

“They (the ancient spiritual practitioners) found that on acquiring a certain degree of proficiency in mind control and concentration, they could, in favorable cases, draw up through the hollow backbone, a vividly bright, fast moving powerful radiance, into the brain for short periods of time in the beginning, extending with practice, which had a most amazing effect of the mind, enabling it to soar to regions of surpassing glory, beyond, anything experienced, in the crude material world.”

“The real object of this system of (kundalini) yoga is to develop a type of consciousness which crosses over the boundaries confining the sense bound mind, carrying the embodied consciousness to supersensory regions.”

The following is taken from the Wikipedia entry about Gopi Krishna (1903 - 1984).

“Gopi Krishna is widely recognized as having done more to advance our understanding of Kundalini than anyone else in modern times. He has put this amazing aspect of our nature in a logical, consistent and scientific light, and presented us with a new understanding of the goal of evolution, both as individuals and as a species……Kundalini awakened in him quite forcefully in 1937 after 17 years of intense meditative practice. From that moment onwards, his consciousness was radically altered and over the next 12 years or so, it underwent an even more dramatic transformation to a perennial state. …the experience radically altered the path of his life. He came to believe that our brains were evolving and that an individual's profound mystical experience was a foretaste of what would eventually become an all-pervasive transformation in human consciousness.”

What the above doesn’t mention is that Gopi Krishna, in raising kundalini, opened the door to a maelstrom, driving him to the edge of insanity. Eventually he managed to bring the kundalini energy under control and assimilate it. He had aroused the Pingala without the counterbalancing of the Ida, the feminine principle. His intuition led him to perceive what was happening and by concentrating on and invoking the Ida, he was able to restore his equilibrium.

Because I was acquainted with the organs and could feel them being activated, I had an idea of what was happening inside my body over a period of years, culminating in one momentous day. Mine was a gradual process. It didn’t strike out of the blue and I had an inkling of what was going on before and while it was happening. I was lucky !

My endless sexual desire activated the energy. For four years there was extreme pressure between coccyx and genitals and I felt extremely horny but had no sex.

After my tantric experience, I believe that the kundalini energy started its rise, gradually, imperceptibly, subliminally, up my spine towards my heart chakra. This process is difficult to pin-point as I was living with it from day to day, on the borderline between enlightenment and losing consciousness, on the edge of another dimension of time and space. Though aware that something was happening in my body and consciousness, I was not aware of it being the kundalini.

In June, after reading the Dalai Lamas book, the energy was activated in a way that was dramatic and tangible. It rose from the sacral chakra into the solar plexus. I was aware of what was afoot. What the Dalai Lama was referring to, though veiled, was happening to me.

But on that June Sunday morning I was still not yet ready to give into to whatever was in store. I was neither ready nor ready to run with it. At that point I don’t think I could have coped. There was a fear of the unknown.  

My system was going through a preparation for the experience and from June to September I was walking on egg shells. My psyche was already undergoing a huge change in anticipation of what was to come, though I did not know what and I tried to explain it away. I was experiencing premonitions and synchronicities almost constantly. I tried to rationalize the changes as if my system was undergoing some kind of revision, like going for a vehicle check up !  I wasn’t normal but I wasn’t sure why and I was on the edge.

By the beginning of September, the energy, though still hardly perceptible, had reached my throat. The throat chakra is to do with will power. I was swinging between having a will and having no will and just letting things happen. I could have let it happen, but I chose not to.

When it did happen, involuntarily, in an instant, a stream of liquid lightening somehow fused the pineal with the medulla*. The moment the medulla ignited was like a massive amalgamation, almost a mini explosion, which sparked every neuron in the cortex. When the energy reached the medulla and released thousands of hormones, there was some kind of electric fusion activating every neuron in the cortex, which reacted in an extraordinary way to this invasion. There was an incredible sensation of expansion.

*The medulla sits on top of the brain stem and has the shape of an umbrella or mushroom.            .

I have no awareness of the pituitary being involved in the activation of the medulla but it is probably an automatic connection. I can’t pin this.

 **************

We are all familiar with the reproductive ways of humans, making love and seeking the bliss of sexual embrace. The sexual urge that mother nature intends for procreation is also the way to enlightenment and higher consciousness. The Kundalini energy, also known as the life force, is embedded in the coccyx of every human being; the esotericists call it the dormant serpent. Raised by friction during sexual embrace, it leads to the orgasm and serves procreation, inducing a sense of well being and relaxation in the human body. It does not lead to higher consciousness.

Kundalini is raised without sexual friction, by being in a state of selflessness and harmony within yourself.

Every monastic tradition promoted celibacy because the ideal was to raise kundalini and achieve cosmic consciousness and come closer to God. The lives of the saints demonstrates this fact. That was the purpose then but now celibacy is frowned upon.

Raising kundalini didn’t turn me into a saint, neither did I become a seer or a prophet, nor did it make life any easier. But my understanding increased by leaps and bounds and I become super-sensitive and aware. I was a changed person and as a result had more to cope with. Perhaps I was better at circumnavigating problems because I could see them coming.

Diana Adkins of the Orb Foundation made the remark that the negative flying saucers were attacking the medulla. I realized that this, the medulla, was the vital crossroad to ignite cosmic consciousness in mankind. By controlling and interfering with it, the archons, as I call them, were aborting cosmic consciousness on a mass scale for mankind.

As Gopi Krishna says, when the gift of kundalini is bestowed, there is no name for what is received. It is the key to mankind’s future spiritual evolution as a species.  

Contact Gerda Visconti Kuhl:

Email to: gerda@myfarmemory.com

This is a chapter from Gerda's upcoming book, "My Far Memory", due to be published later this year.
Her website is http://www.myfarmemory.com/
(picture found on her website)

What follows is the second part of Gerda Visconti's account of her Kundalini awakening.  The first installment appears on last Friday's post (April 12).
                                                                                      **************

In the meanwhile I became busy with ideas to do with pyramid energy and a growing fascination with the structure in Egypt. I had applied for a patent and went to Holborn one morning in September to get more information.

As I left the Patent Office in Holborn, I realized that the current of energy, dormant for a time, had come alive and was rising through my heart. I was beginning to feel tranquil and slightly dizzy yet without the feeling that I might be fainting or passing out. I knew I had to find somewhere to sit in order to go with the energies overtaking my body. So I jumped on the first bus that came along, which luckily was going in the direction of Hyde Park where there would be greenery and a chance to abandon myself to whatever was happening in my body, surrounded by mother nature.

After ten minutes, the bus, instead of continuing along the edge of Hyde Park, turned up Edgeware Road. Perhaps I should have remained on that bus and just allowed myself to be overtaken by what was about to explode into my consciousness. After all, it was to be the most momentous occurrence of my life but I panicked and got off at Marble Arch.

The energy surged up into my throat as I rushed into the C&A store hoping to find a corner. There was nowhere to sit except for a lot of people so I hurried across the road into the Cumberland Hotel. Again masses of people and nowhere to sit.

By now I seemed to be functioning on semi-automatic, not really taking in what was happening around me as what was happening inside my head was so overwhelming, so colossal, that I had to cling on to a wall and just let it happen.

There was a sensation of gentle, vaulting expansion as I allowed myself to fall into the incredible slow-motion explosion that was beginning to overtake my consciousness. I was aware of a moving situation in the brain as I believe the energy reached the pineal gland. A sudden induction and surge set in motion the medulla, firing every neuron in my brain; my cortex  was being ignited and blitzed by thousands of miniature lightening flashes and sparks were being set ablaze all at once.

A neuro-chemical reaction was taking place in my head.

Trying to describe it I simply lack words because what happened to me was incommunicable.

The nearest I can get is to say that it was akin to a multiple orgasm, only the comparison is utterly inadequate as this experience which was so complete and a hundred times more powerful than a sexual orgasm.

I allowed myself to surrender to the indescribable, exquisite, bliss, that was beginning to overtake me. I was in an utterly different realm, a world where everything and anything was possible, a pinpoint of awareness within an illimitable sea of consciousness, An unutterable peace flooded my being and I felt profoundly at home and at one with my being and the cosmos, embraced by the omnipresence of a Loving Being, a togetherness with absolutely no fear of anything. Doubt and fear didn’t exist.

I lost all sense of time and reckoned in retrospect that this experience lasted approximately 8 to 15 minutes. I was standing in a corner holding on to the wall and I wanted to hold my head but had to hold on to the wall fearing I might collapse. It was my good fortune that I knew what was happening and didn’t panic. Gradually the sensation began to subside and I was more in control of my body. I managed to get home and collapsed on the sofa letting the effects pass over me. Momentarily, I had let everything go and had an incredibly deep rest. With my head still tingling, I sank into recollection of what had just happened. I was completely exhilarated and at peace.

I reckon my awareness had increased by about 200 to 500 per cent.

From an astrological view, Uranus had already been passing and retrograding over my moon for a month, and on that special day the sun was conjunct my Neptune.

This all took place in the middle of lunch-hour, full of passers-by. No one asked if I needed help. Had my energy field changed so much that I’d become invisible ?

****************

I have to say that after this I was never the same person. My life changed and my interests changed almost completely. I left my old life behind. I no longer had time for mundane small talk and became extremely serious. My expanded perception made it difficult for me to be with people whose life revolved around social chit-chat like films, theatre and who they were going out with. Those friends faded out of my life. I met very different people with similar interests to mine and other problems.

I embarked on a study of astrology but as I felt this wasn’t enough, signed up for a psychology course though I soon realized that the kind of psychology being taught was actually a limitation so gave it up. After giving up my career in fashion I didn’t know how to earn money, but astrology offered me the odd five pounds here and there for a reading.

I took a course in astronomy at London University which proved valuable. Along with this, I devoured spiritual literature. I was definitely not the same person. My awareness seemed to have increased by leaps and bounds. I seemed to read people’s minds. I knew what they were going to say before they spoke. I knew when someone in the distance was thinking about me and was coming my way. I seemed to know if people were telling the truth or lying. I just had to focus on something or someone or a situation and I would get some kind of an answer or response. I was super-open and receptive.

I also lost my motivation and worldly ambition and my interests became of a non-material nature. I was overwhelmed by a sense of altruism and became interested in pyramid energy. I met with Jeffrey Blundell and got a mind mirror from him to investigate the pyramid. Along with this, I went to see Maxwell Cade who was training people in biofeedback. I so wanted people to wake up from their sleep of generations of lost potential. My experience with kundalini had shown me that our mental potential was unlimited and we were just like 6 year olds in elementary class learning the alphabet.

I became obsessed with how I could enthuse my friends and the people I came into contact with, and whenever I had an opportunity, I would start on these subjects but people were turned off. I was disappointed that mankind seemed to be so enslaved to materialism. It was so hard to come to terms with how asleep mankind actually was. Disheartened and incapacitated, I almost wished my life to end.

****************
Gerda's website is http://www.myfarmemory.com
Her e-mail address is gerda@myfarmemory.com
The above is an excerpt from her forthcoming book titled "My Far Memory," due to be published later this year.
(picture found on her website)

From Dorothy's Secret Diary--Saturday, April 13, 2013

Note: Gerda's story will continue on Monday.  I wanted to write this personal account up while it was still fresh, and, though I usually don't post this blog on the weekends, I decided to make an exception today.

(It is called "secret" because not many will read it, and fewer understand it.  I want to keep a private record of certain inner experiences to demonstrate how the K. process continues indefinitely, always producing new ways of feeling, new levels of consciousness.  I have described several of these in earlier posts.  Here is the latest, from this morning's practice session.

I have decided to go ahead and post these entries because others may be interested in what can develop after many years of K. practice, and also because I myself want to keep such a record.

If anyone has heard of something similar to this, I would appreciate hearing about it.  As always, I seem to be a "solitary practitioner" experiencing responses others are not aware of.)

I am now in the thirty-second year of my process.  I have explored such modalities as yoga, breathing, intense listening to music, slow movement, and aromatherapy (among others.)  But today I had yet another new experience, one I had not anticipated nor planned.

Of late I have experienced significant pain in my neck and upper back.  My beloved physical therapist has given me some very simple exercises to alleviate the problem--very slow, very gentle movements of the neck and arms to stretch the muscles and release the tension. I have tried this exercise a few mornings and it seemed to help.

Then a few mornings ago, after I had experienced my rapturous "aromatherapy" process (described elsewhere) I performed these gentle exercises and noted as I did so that exquisite sensations were flowing up my spine and into my neck and upper back.  I was delighted with such sensuous pleasure (though very soft) but had no expectation that it would ever repeat.  And indeed, my back felt better that day.

But today's experience was different yet.  As I did each "stretch" I felt the sweet energies flow upward and into my body, certainly opening the first and second chakras, then streaming elsewhere with the various moves.  My teacher had said that the purpose was to contact the energies rather than simply stretch the muscles during this exercise and so I did.

For me, each posture was like a body mudra, each position producing exquisite pleasure, so much so I hated to quit.  But quit I did after some 15-20 minutes, perhaps the limit of rapture for me.

Soon I walked several blocks to do errands, then carried a small load home.  My back hurt all the way.  I can't seem to coordinate the spiritual and the physical sensations, but am grateful for what comes, and wonder if anyone else has such experiences.

P. S.  I looked up "body mudras" on google and discovered that, for the most part, the pictures they printed were of athletically inclined young people doing what I would describe as acrobatics.  That may be all to the good for them, but I am trying to describe something almost directly the opposite--that is, very gentle, very easy poses that anyone who can stand or sit on a chair can do.  Again, it is not the movements, but the energetic flow that is important.  Maybe these movements should be called "Subtle subtle yoga."  The picture below is not part of my series, but the ease and simplicity of the posture suggest a bit of the idea.

P. S.  I should add that when I performed the same exercises on the following two days, nothing like the above took place.  Apparently the energetic response depends on something we ourselves do not control--perhaps the company we have been keeping the day before.  Do we unconsciously pick up energies from others, which then manifest as bliss next day?

What follows is the first installment of Gerda Visconti Kuhl's Kundalini awakening experience.  As we know, Kundalini involves all of the life system--the physical, the mental, the spiritual, and the sexual.  It is (from one perspective) the culmination of all the separate experiences and even the separate moments of our previous life.  We should be grateful to Gerda for speaking so frankly about her experience.  She tells her story in a particularly effective way.

KUNDALINI

How I Raised It

GERDA VISCONTI KUHL

I would like to believe that I had rather high consciousness when I got married at 22. When I was 39 years old, I raised kundalini. For the first four years of my marriage I had a husband who just had to look at me to get turned on. This left me completely tuned in to sexual life. I had so much sex it was coming out of my ears !

But I have to say a few years into the marriage, I decided to go on strike. I was exhausted from the constant sexual desires of my husband. Things normalized a little but by the last two years of my marriage I ended up with nothing in that department as by this time he was having other women. It was a difficult time, having been turned on to sex and sleeping next to a husband when there was absolutely nothing forthcoming !

As I had a business, most of my energy went into it and by the time I filed for divorce, I was so busy that I didn’t have time to even look for my own apartment. Eventually I found a way out by moving into a girlfriend’s flat.

By this time, I had had no sex for two and a half years, but despite being highly attuned sexually, I had no desire to do anything about it or go out and look for it.

While I was waiting for my divorce to come through, I gradually began to pick up a social life again.

I met a very interesting person who was congenial and dynamic and we became lovers. He was from the Far East and had made a study of tantra having sought out this information as a young man. I met him in this way. I was in a supermarket in the Edgeware Rd. and was reaching for something - a box of matches I remember - when a pair of hands reached for the same box. I moved on to the bread shelf, and again, as I reached for a loaf of bread, the same pair of hands met mine.

There was a tangible magnetic attraction going on. I had a good look at this man and we started talking. He was tall and attractive and he obviously had a quick mind. We went for a coffee and talked non-stop for two and a half hours. We met the next day and went to a film, then on to a Chinese restaurant, finally back to his house and fell into bed.

This turned out to be a marathon of tantric sex as I came nine times in endless orgasms while he was able to hold back. Not having had any sex for two years to now suddenly encounter this form of sex with an expert practitioner was like encountering a banquet in the desert.

And at the end of it, after six hours, I said, please, let’s stop, because I am going to die. But we repeated the performance a few days later. This happened on three occasions. I think he was trying to hook me as we were obviously simpatico and he said that he had never had such a complete sexual experience.

Because of circumstances, he was called back to the Far East and asked me to follow him, but with my business and being in the throes of my divorce I did not think I could and decided to leave this relationship, I was also reluctant to make another mistake.

Being a very sexy, turned-on lady and having been deprived of sex for two and half years, this affair really put me back on keel. But although alone, I did not have the desire to share my body with anyone. I was like a volcano ready to explode and constantly keeping the lid on.

I had became interested in spiritual matters and had surrounded myself with books about Indian philosophy and yoga. I had access to the library of the Tibet Society where I was going daily; a treasure trove of rare and out-of-print books. In some of these, the facts of kundalini were mentioned. I recall one book by the Dalai Lama and the title contained the phrase “the Middle Way.”

It was a Sunday, a beautiful June day. Perusing the words of the Dalai Lama and reading between the lines, I realized that the author was using veiled language which was referring to the raising of the kundalini energy. As I read, I was aware that within my own body, the constant sexy, horny feeling locked between coccyx and genitals where the desire for sex resides, was coming alive. A tingling, vibrant, pulse of energy was rising from the base of my spine into the sacral (or second) chakra. As it entered, I felt a hot flush and a spasm in the womb and realized that I had squirted out about an eggcup full of pure pink blood.*

* I have not seen this particular fact recorded when people describe these things.

The energy continued to rise further up into my solar plexus. This lasted a few minutes. Then I was interrupted by a phone call and stopped observing the goings-on in my body. I felt hungry and withdrew from the awareness of what was happening and decided to ignore it because it was overpowering and I tuned it out.

I surmised that the rising energies (or life force) in my system had been awakened through the early sex with my husband and the later marathon of orgasms with my tantric partner caused an endless sexual desire and pressure, and this started the energies to move up.

Although not having a regular sex life, the upward process continued and I could feel the energies surging again, now into my heart chakra. I became very sensitive and had to avoid negative people and situations. I was overwhelmed. almost incapacitated. when a negative situation arose, I needed to be in an absolutely peaceful state and I couldn’t handle arguments or stress. I was loving even towards people I didn’t like and would be tolerant and understanding of their shortcomings.

All worldly ambitions ceased to be of importance, I could no longer think in terms of an ambitious career because I no longer had the motivation. The idea of taking revenge was abhorrent. Any kind of negativity or bad words would impact my heart chakra like a heavy stone. I retired and withdrew from seeing people. By this time, of course, I had given up my business and could spend more time in pursuit of spiritual knowledge.

The radiant kundalini force lingered for a long while in the heart chakra and gently moved up to the throat chakra. I knew that I was in a vulnerable situation as the energies gradually began to move higher towards my neck. I could feel a pounding sensation in my throat which I only have had otherwise when I was in great fear.* But I ignored this as I realized that it was probably connected to the rising energy and didn’t want to give it too much thought.

*Much later when visiting Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools, I was overcome by sudden fear, my pounding throat reminded me somewhat of the energies rising years before. I refused to leave the jeep when the group I was with went on a walk-about. We later discovered there were a couple of lions lying lazily in the bushes near the jeep ! They may have had no intentions of making a meal of me but I believe if I had ignored my inner warnings and left that jeep, I would have been at a cross roads - and probably dead !    

I continued to go about my daily schedule as I was busy at that time and put urgent things like paying bills in the back of my mind. I also tried to tune out what was going on in my body. I hardly listened to my body and the energies subsided for a time.

With each stage, reaching up into each ensuing chakra, there was a corresponding development of consciousness. I seemed to be surveying life from a more elevated vantage point and had greater understanding and insight. This was a subtle process and my ESP increased greatly. My consciousness and intelligence were obviously being fed by the radiant force. I had opened a Pandora’s box.

This process, the rising of the kundalini energy from the sacral chakra through the solar plexus into my heart chakra and throat, took about three months, from June to September.  (to be continued)

                                                                                      **************
(Photo from Gerda's website at: www.myfarmemory.com)

As many of you know, Patricia Lay-Dorsey is one of my most treasured friends.  She is the one who set up this blog many years ago when most people had not yet heard of blogs.  She continues to offer support and to amaze with all of her varied activities.  When her MS progressed to the point that painting (a longtime love) was no longer a favorite occupation, she switched to photography, and is now emerging as a primary talent on the photography scene.  Rather than succumbing to being "handicapped)," Patricia is in fact one of the most active and energetic people I know.  Here is a recent e-mail I received describing her current activities (sorry the pictures included in her message did not come through--go to her website--listed at the bottom--to see her most recent work.)  To say that Patricia is an inspiration and a wonder is the understatement of the year.

This is what Patricia wrote:

My dear colleagues and friends,

Spring has officially arrived since I last sent you news of my photography projects, although chilly days and nights here in Detroit make us wonder when winter will loose its grip. But fat buds on the maple tree outside the window here at my computer give me hope that it won't be long before we can replace mittens and wool hats with short sleeves and sandals. Until then I am warmed by memories of recent joys and anticipation of what is to come.

"Falling Into Place" solo exhibit, Fovea Exhibitions, Beacon, NY, opens Saturday, April 13 and runs until July 7, 2013
~See evite posted below~

The opening of my solo exhibit of Falling Into Place: self portraits at Fovea Exhibitions in Beacon, NY is from 5-9 pm on Saturday, April 13th, with my gallery talk scheduled for 6:30 pm. You can find more specific information on the evite posted below. I am very much looking forward to being in beautiful Beacon (an easy drive or train ride from NYC) where I will also be talking about self portraits and sharing my work with a photography class at Beacon High School. I have created a slideshow of images from Falling Into Place that uses electronic music mixed by my gifted friend, DJ illich Mujica. Even if my images bore them, the music will grab the students for sure!

Redesigned website
After four years of using the same layout on my website, www.patricialaydorsey.com, I decided it was time for a change. The new design allows for larger print sizes and slideshow viewing of the portfolios. It also gives me the capacity to embed video links to sites like Vimeo and YouTube. Under INFORMATION on my website you will find a page called "Videos and Slideshows" with links to my slideshow and the "Falling Into Place" video created by David Snider of TimeFrame / The Photography Channel-TV. I have also tightened the edits of my existing portfolios and replaced a couple of older portfolios with more recent ones, including one called "Exhibits and Installations." It feels like I have just completed a good thorough spring cleaning! If you notice any problems, please let me know.

Follow up on my "Falling Into Place" solo exhibit at Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA, January 17-March 3, 2013

2013 began with a marvelous trip to the Boston area for the opening of my exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. I was honored to be in the company of two exceptional photographers, David Pace and Mary Beth Meehan, both of whom also had shows opening at the museum that night (January 17th). Paula Tognarelli, the Executive Director/Curator, and Frances Jakubek, Associate Director, had mounted beautiful installations of our work in the three museum galleries, and we were delighted to see that Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe understood why Paula had chosen to show our projects at the same time. This is how Mark introduced our review in the January 24th edition of the paper:

Three shows: fascinating differences, similar spirit

Life in Burkina Faso, the changing face of Brockton, and coping with multiple sclerosis would seem to have little in common. One of the rewards of the three shows currently at the Griffin Museum of Photography is that despite being so different in subject they share a common spirit. In a way that’s never sentimental or manipulative, David Pace’s “Burkina Faso: Night and Day,” Mary Beth Meehan’s “City of Champions,” and Patricia Lay-Dorsey’s “Falling Into Place” are matter-of-factly life-affirming — and casualness makes the affirmation all the more affecting.

Here are two photographs of the installation of Falling Into Place in the Griffin Gallery:
(check her website for these)

"Falling Into Place" book release postponed until autumn 2013

My publisher, David Drake, and I continue our long-distance work on my book, "Falling Into Place: self portraits." Our journey has been slower than anticipated due to funding delays, but we recently got the good news that David's grant proposals were approved so we can move forward with confidence. Although we had originally intended to launch my book at Diffusion, Ffotogallery's photo festival in May, we are now looking at an autumn 2013 book release date. David and Ffotogallery have recently hired a highly respected book designer, Victoria Forrest, to work with us on the book. Victoria and David are meeting in the UK in person, and she and I have already started meeting via Skype.

 For those of you who do not want to wait until autumn to buy "Falling Into Place," there is an alternative ;=) The Griffin Museum of Photography published a beautiful catalog to accompany my exhibit. It contains 23 images, David Alan Harvey's book foreword, my artist statement and bio/resume, and an introductory essay by Paula Tognarelli, the Griffin Museum Director/Curator. This catalog can be ordered through the Griffin Museum online shop. While there, be sure to check out all of their catalogs; the work of marvelous photographers is represented.

Any suggestions for future exhibition venues?

Now that I have a slideshow and a significant number of framed and matted prints ready to show, I am looking for new exhibition opportunities to share "Falling Into Place: self portraits." Of course, galleries, museums and photo festivals are always welcome venues, but so are educational institutions, community and medical centers, conferences and conventions. This body of work is about photography, yes, but the insights it offers into both disability and aging give it a unique voice that speaks to a broad audience of individuals and groups. Any suggestions would be most welcome. By the way, I have years of experience speaking to large and small groups, teaching adults and young people, and facilitating workshops. I would love to use this experience in sharing "Falling Into Place: self portraits" with as many people as possible. I see it as both an artistic and a teaching tool.

May spring bring fresh and tender shoots of creativity into your life. And please share your news with me. I love hearing from you.

With warm wishes,
Patricia

Patricia Lay-Dorsey
Website: http://www.patricialaydorsey.com
Email: playdorsey@comcast.net
Skype: patricialaydorsey
Mobile: 313-410-0454
Detroit, Michigan USA

(Scene from my window this morning)

I received the following message today.  Barbara Whitfield is well known in the NDE community as well as the Kundalini community.  She often speaks at the Kundalini conferences.

Barbara Whitfield
bhw11@me.com
www.barbarawhitfield.com

Begin forwarded message:

From: Barbara Whitfield
Subject: To celebrate my 70th Birthday I am giving away the Kindle for Carole's Story: VICTIM TO SURVIVOR AND THRIVER
Date: April 10, 2013 10:06:40 AM EDT
To: Barbara Whitfield

HI Everyone,

Starting at midnight 4-11 (Thursday) and for 24 hours my book Victim to Survivor and Thriver: Carole's Story  will be offered by Kindle at no cost.

It is our story with a young friend who was a near-death experiencer and survivor (then thriver) of childhood incest.
It's is a spiritually inspiring and informative book on her story of breaking away from the chains of abuse and becoming
all that the Universe intended. Included as a summary chapter in the appendix is a description of the ACE Study (Adverse Childhood Experiences) from the Centers
for Disease Control that my husband Charlie is a co-author of. Carole's story is the illustration for this CDC Study or as she used to say,
"I'm the poster child for ACE's".
This story is a perfect blending of applying the spirituality of the NDE with recovery from childhood trauma.

PLEASES FORWARD TO ALL ON YOUR LIST WHO ARE INTERESTED IN NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES, CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND SPIRITUALLY TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES.

http://www.andrewharvey.net/stream.php

Of all the spiritual teachers among us today, I find Andrew Harvey the most compelling. I have just listened to a web talk he gave recently on Rumi, the great poet/prophet of Sufism.  This talk is riveting.  In it Andrew once again reminds us forcefully of the great crisis now facing us on all fronts, of Rumi's own majestic voice in showing us how to proceed during this dark night, and how the present challenge can in fact become a means for the transfiguration of humanity onto a new level of the embodied divine.

One of the comparisons that I especially liked was his equating Shams (the wild desert prophet who transformed Rumi's life) with the fierce side of the deity, while Rumi embodies the tender loving side of god.  Andrew points out that we need to incorporate both attributes into our nature if we are to survive the great struggle for survival in which we are now involved.

Andrew feels it is not an accident that awareness of Rumi is now emerging into universal consciousness at this time.  He feels that Rumi's presence among us is an important feature of the process of the "divinization of matter" through collective spiritual transformation.

Take time to listen to this talk!  It contains wisdom beyond what you will discover in many sources today.  We need such strong voices from those who understand at a deep level what it means to "become one with the beloved" and in addition commit to a life of actively working to preserve the race.

Somehow, Andrew's fervor and zeal always remind me of the character in Flannery O'Connor--the country evangelist rushing forward "to wake the sleeping city."  Andrew is such a one--a prophet committing his life and energy fully
trying to arouse the populace  out of our collective trance to face the danger now upon us.

http://www.andrewharvey.net/stream.php

(pictures from internet source)

Yes, the times are challenging.  Yet in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, there are ways of keeping sanity, and knowing the abiding love of eternal creation.  Friends, nature, art (of all kinds), acts of loving kindness--these keep us balanced and prevent us from falling totally into the darkness of the shadow that seems to be hanging over the world.  Kundalini is perhaps the most important element of all, for it does not depend on the vacillations of the world scene, but keeps us connected to that which is an unending source of divine love.
Maintain your practice!  Acknowledge the shadow, but stand in the light!

Resolution

There is no getting around it.
The sky is, finally, falling in.
The air is, at last, too full of poison
to breathe.
Water swirls toxic in our blood.

The prophets
have told us so,
that we would come to a time
when earth no longer sustains,
sky no longer comforts.
That we would be pressed
to find ways to celebrate
or even survive.

Yet celebrate we must
with rituals over
the dying friend,
with music for the dance
which will continue,
no matter what.

Even in the midst of horror
there is an opening to love.
Even as the missile
fixes on its distant target
we are held.

Today in the garden
the roses are blooming again,
suns unfolding,
lanterns blazing,
steadfast against the storm.

Dorothy Walters
April 3, 2013

Passover

Then you shall take some of the blood, and put it on the door posts and the lintels of the houses . . .
and when I see the blood, I shall pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 12: 7 & 13

They thought they were safe
that spring night; when they daubed
the doorways with sacrificial blood.
To be sure, the angel of death
passed them over, but for what?
Forty years in the desert
without a home, without a bed,
following new laws to an unknown land.
Easier to have died in Egypt
or stayed there a slave, pretending
there was safety in the old familiar.

But the promise, from those first
naked days outside the garden,
is that there is no safety,
only the terrible blessing
of the journey. You were born
through a doorway marked in blood.
We are, all of us, passed over,
brushed in the night by terrible wings.

Ask that fierce presence,
whose imagination you hold.
God did not promise that we shall live,
but that we might, at last, glimpse the stars,
brilliant in the desert sky.

- Lynn Ungar


I received the following message a few hours ago  However, it is not clear whether this presentation is available today (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday).  Perhaps both?

Hi Dorothy,

TODAY ON THE SPRING OF SUSTAINABILITY


Love in Action!

Andrew Harvey - Renowned mystical scholar, poet, spiritual writer, and Founder/Director of the Institute of Sacred Activism. He has published over 20 books and teaches in-depth trainings on activism as a sacred practice as well as personal actualizing of the union of the divine masculine and feminine. Andrew's fierce passion is radical and inspiring--he's truly a teacher and presenter like no other.

Join us today at 4:00 pm Pacific time.

Here is your dial in information for today's live session with Andrew Harvey:

Phone #: 206-402-0100 or click here to find your local number
PIN #: 862166#

And if you prefer to listen to these sessions via the webcast, click on the link below:

==> Webcast for Andrew Harvey at 4:00pm Pacific TIme

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

If you have questions during the Spring of Sustainability sessions or if you want to share a comment or insight, go ahead and post them on the program page.

I'll check that page before the session and be watching it during the call. So that's the place to share your insights and questions during the series.

You'll always find the comment form by scrolling down to the bottom of the program page. You may need to click on the blue link that says "Add a comment" on the right side.

Don't be shy! Your insight, question or "aha" moment may be just what someone else needs to hear!

==> Submit Your Comments & Questions Here

REPLAY AVAILABLE

Spring of Sustainability launched yesterday with a powerful and sobering session with Bill McKibben, global climate change activist and founder of 350.org.

Bill pointed out that 2 degrees centigrade of warming is the maximum that the Earth can tolerate without going over the edge into climate chaos, causing unimaginable disaster and suffering. We're already at about 1 degree of warming.

He further made clear that the fossil fuel industry collectively has in its known reserves over 5 times the amount of carbon that it would take to hit that 2 degree limit, so the gun to our head is already loaded.

This is why 350.org is now focused on forcing the fossil fuel industry--oil and coal, most importantly--to shift to renewable energy development through a global campaign of divestment, starting with colleges across the US. And they're getting traction: hundreds of colleges and universities are joining in.

Tuning into 350.org, as well as other sites to track the progress of climate change, such as dailyclimate.org and climateprogress.org, is a great way to stay educated and engaged in this epic issue.

==> Listen to the replay from Bill McKibben's Session HERE

SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT TO A THRIVING EARTH

There will be a LOT of amazing information available during the Spring of Sustainability, information, practical tools and inspiration that will help you create a more sustainable life (while enhancing your lifestyle).

But with the amount of potent content available one of the best ways to get the most benefit from this program is to purchase one of our lifetime access packages. You want have to rush to listen during the 48-hour replay window. You'll be able to listen whenever and wherever you want, as many times as you like.

You can listen to and share the these powerfully informative and transformative sessions again and again.

And it's one of the most powerful ways to show your commitment to making this a thriving world for ALL!

There are three upgrade options available so find the one that is the right fit for your needs and budget.

Get all the details on the upgrade packages - including the incredible bonus content - here:

==> http://springofsustainability.com/upgrade

I look forward to connecting with you for our session with one of my personal heroes, Andrew Harvey, on Spring of Sustainability today.

Thanks again for joining us and for saying YES to a thriving, just and sustainable world!

  Warm regards,
Vinit Allen
Executive Director
The Sustainable World Coalition

P.S. If you haven't let your friends and colleagues know about Spring of Sustainability now's the time! Remember, this is a program where it really is true that the more people who participate the more we all benefit.  

So go ahead and tell your friends about the Spring of Sustainability. We've made it super easy to share.

First, if you haven't already "liked" our Spring of Sustainability Facebook Page go ahead and do that and share it with your Facebook friends. That's one of the easiest ways to start spreading the word!  

==> Spring of Sustainability Facebook Page

After that you can head on over to our invitation page where we've got an email template, facebook and twitter buttons all ready for you.

==> http://springofsustainability.com/invitation

And, of course, you can always send your people a link to the registration page:

==> http://springofsustainability.com/

Andrew Harvey - Renowned Mystical Scholar, Poet, Spiritual Writer, Architect of Sacred Activism
Click HERE to listen to the Webcast for this session
Thursday, April 4th, 4:00pm PT
Red and Blue Together? How We Can Work At The Intersection of Progressive and Conservative Values for a Healthy Planet


(Image from internet source)



(image found on Lynn Ungar's website)

Shaktipat or Śaktipāta (Sanskrit, from sakti - "(psychic) energy" - and pāta, "to fall")[1] refers in Hinduism to the conferring of spiritual "energy" upon one person by another. Shaktipat can be transmitted with a sacred word or mantra, or by a look, thought or touch - the last usually to the ajna chakra or third eye of the recipient.

Saktipat is considered an act of grace (anugraha) on the part of the guru or the divine. Its reception cannot be forced though the recipient must be open to such an influx since it also cannot be imposed by force.[2] The very consciousness of the god or guru is held to enter into the Self of the disciple, constituting an initiation into the school or the spiritual family (kula) of the guru.[3] It is held that Shaktipat can be transmitted in person or at a distance, through an object such as a flower or fruit or else by telephone or letter.[4]
(from Wikipedia)


Recently I noticed that a well known guru was coming to Boulder and would be giving shaktipat one night.  A friend had gone through this initiatory experience with her and reported that it had been extremely helpful in clearing her negative Kundalini symptoms.  I thought it might be interesting to go through this experience also, mainly for the purpose of discovering whether or not this person might be a helpful resource for others having trouble with their rising Kundalini.  Then I discovered that she charged a fairly hefty fee for her shaktipat.

And so I wondered why this was.  Did she have to pay a large sum of money to activate her own Kundalini?  Ultimately, divine energy comes from divine source, and, as far as I know, that Source (the guru within) does not charge for its services.  Our blessings come from the heavenly realms, and thus are free.  Our obligation is to "show up" and to be ready for sacred union when that occurs.

Again, I am confirmed in my view that the best guru is the guru within, and the services of this one are available at no charge at all, other than that you are prepared spiritually and in other ways to receive such blessings.

Here is an interesting classification of shaktipat, from Kashmiri Shaivism (found under "shaktipat" on wikipedia):


Levels of intensity of Śaktipāt

In Kashmir Shaivism, depending on its intensity, Śaktipāt can be classified as:

tīvra-tīvra-śaktipāta - the so-called "Super Supreme Grace" - produces immediate identity with Śiva and liberation; due to the extreme intensity of this grace the physical body dies; such a being goes on to become a siddha master and bestows grace from his abode (Siddhaloka), directly into the heart of deserving aspirants

tīvra-madhya-śaktipāta - "Supreme Medium Grace" - such a being becomes spiritually illuminated and liberated on his own, relying directly on Śiva, not needing initiation or instruction from other exterior guru. This is facilitated by an intense awakening of his spiritual intuition (pratibhā) which immediately eliminates ignorance

tīvra-manda-śaktipāta - "Supreme Inferior Grace" - the person who received this grace strongly desires to find an appropriate guru, but he does not need instruction, but a simple touch, a look, simply being in the presence of his master is enough to trigger in him to the state of illumination

madhya-tīvra-śaktipāta - "Medium Supreme Grace" - a disciple who receives this grace desires to have the instruction and initiation of a perfect guru; in time he becomes enlightened however he is not totally absorbed into this state during his lifetime and receives a permanent state of fusion with Śiva after the end of his life

madhya-madhya-śaktipāta - "Medium Middle Grace" - such a disciple will receive initiation from his guru and have an intense desire to attain liberation, but at the same time he still has desire for various enjoyments and pleasure; after the end of his life, he continues to a paradise where he fulfills all his desires and after that he receives again initiation from his master and realizes permanent union with Śiva

madhya-manda-śaktipāta - "Medium Inferior Grace" - is similar to "Medium Middle Grace" except that in this case the aspirant desires worldly pleasures more than union with Śiva; he needs to be reincarnated again as a spiritual seeker to attain liberation

manda - "Inferior Grace" - for those who receive this level of grace, the aspiration to be united with Śiva is present only in times of distress and suffering; the grace of Śiva needs to work in them for many lifetimes before spiritual liberation occurs

Note: the above classification is derived from the literature of Kashmiri Shaivism, and thus Shiva is referred to throughout.  You can substitute other names for Shiva, such as god/goddess or divine reality, and get the same effect.

(image of Shiva found at http://samayatantra.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/inicijacija/)

Yesterday I attended a women's circle which focused on movement, music and a sense of the sacred to arouse and circulate pleasurable energies through the body.  I was especially interested in the leader's opening remarks, when she pointed out that our work (arousing the sweet energies within) was a positive force for the planet, and that what we did each day in similar practice was for the benefit of all sentient beings.  I have long felt this, but have never heard anyone verbalize it.

The actual activities of the day were simple.  First, relaxation, then movement (one by one) before the group who then became "witnesses" to our "performance."  (This exercise is similar to "Authentic Movement," an established modality which employs the same approach.)  Then a shared repast, with a final segment devoted to individual movement but this time done together on the dance floor.

Some of the students were themselves trained dancers, and their moves before us were truly graceful and indeed exciting.  Watching someone do "free dance moves" when you know that each turning or twirl is echoed by a specific bodily response within is a much more interesting experience than watching some forms of "interpretive" dance which have no inner analogue.

I myself felt that what we are doing (arousing and experiencing the inner energies) was a form of Kundalini practice.  When I asked the leader if she also viewed them as the same, she said she would not say that they were, nor would she say they were not.  Instead of using the term "Kundalini" she simply described the inner sweetness as "pleasure."  Here again, I am brought back to the question: If the energies are felt as a diffused bliss throughout the body, is this true Kundalini?  I do not know the final answer, but I vote yes on this question.

As I had expected, I felt little energetic response during the workshop.  My own energies are very "shy" and "seek cover" in a public setting.  Yet, this morning, in the safety of home, they responded in a delightful way, and I was grateful.

We constantly learn more and experience more as we follow our own energetic practice. On workshop assistant, who is herself a teacher in this same tradition, said that at times she had even felt the bliss in her teeth.  This was the first time I had heard of such a reaction, and once again it proves that once the energies awaken, they do not slumber until each and every part of the body has been stimulated and renewed.

(The picture above is of Paravati, one of the wives of Shiva.   "Parvati (Devanagri: पार्वती, IAST: Pārvatī) also known as Gauri, is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess."  (from Google)
In some depictions she is trampling the body of Shiva.  It is said by some that Shiva himself can only manifest his power through Paravati (when she is active).