Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Lawrence Edwards Shares His Wisdom
Lawrence Edwards is one of the key figures in the world of spiritual transformation. A Jungian psychologist, he is also a major authority on Kundalini itself. He has counseled vast numbers of people undergoing Kundalini transformation and is thus one of the best possible helpers for this experience.
In the following article, he shares some of his wisdom to help clarify some of the confusion surrounding the Kundalini experience.
One important dimension that comes up in doing research on Kundalini, as well as in working with people going through some kind of transformative process, is how to define and ascertain whether or not the phenomenon you or the person is observing are actually Kundalini. This is more important in terms of research and clinical applications, but has bearing on your question about whether or not more people are experiencing Kundalini awakening. The term is more widely known now and often misapplied. Not all awakenings are the Maha Awakening of Kundalini. There are degrees of awakening and expanding consciousness. There are movements of prana that create shifts in the mind and consciousness that are similar to Kundalini’s spontaneous and ongoing processes, but aren’t Kundalini awakening. There awakenings of the mind as it steps out of the confines of roles and identities it has been conditioned to inhabit that lead to expansion of heart and mind, but aren’t Kundalini awakening. It is very difficult to discern the multidimensional, self-sustaining process of true Kundalini awakening and in some ways it’s academic. On a practical, sadhana level, we treat the underlying power that creates and sustains awakening and transformation with great respect, love and reverence.
There’s confusion arising from the conflation of Kundalini awaking and mental illness. There are many people experiencing one or the other or both simultaneously and there’s complete confusion about this. This has huge implications for how the person needs to be supported, guided, directed, in doing sadhana practices. The wider familiarity with the term Kundalini and Kundalini awakening has led to its misapplication and obscuring its meaning and depth. This too often leads to inflation, a defensive attachment and identification with being awakened and having everything attributed to Kundalini, as if the individual has no responsibility for what is occurring, etc. I’ve gotten emails and calls from people who are in a psychotic process, sometimes from people in psychiatric hospitals, who ask me to tell their psychiatrist that they are really going through Kundalini awakening and should be taken off medications and released. They might be going through Kundalini processes and when I ask them how they function without medications and the structured container of a treatment center they almost always tell me they completely fall apart, have to be rescued by family or friends, etc. They need an integrated approach like I describe in the book Kundalini Awakening, that incorporates a variety of treatment modalities and supports them developing the strength of the container, the mind/body, to deal with the energies of transformation and not disintegrate.
Then there are the cross religious uses of the term Kundalini. I occasionally hear from people from some Muslim countries who seem to be experiencing Kundalini awaking and have found absolutely no support or understanding in their culture. The same is true for some Christians who have contacted me, though if one speaks of Kundalini in terms of Holy Spirit there’s some acceptance, but there’s often so much fear of the devil and fear-based distortions that these folks are looking for something outside of a fundamentalist paradigm to help them. Then they contact us! I’m sure you hear from all kinds of people awakening to the transpersonal, the transcendent, and wondering how to get oriented.
I don’t think it is every soul’s purpose in this lifetime to experience awakening. We incarnate across countless lifetimes, evolving, learning from our actions and their consequences, preparing for the time in the cycle of evolution for that quantum leap into the Infinite. Maybe it will happen before mahapralaya – the great dissolution ending kali yuga and starting the next round of ages, maybe not. Most souls are fulfilling their soul’s needs right where they are – whether as a bug or a Buddha! We keep the lights on for those seeking the light and hoping it will illumine the journey for those exploring the dark as well.
Many, many people have been doing yogic, meditative, spiritual, shamanic practices for lifetimes and are incarnating now, bringing with them the levels of awakening and preparation for awakening that they’ve completed in past lives. With enhanced communications now and those rising numbers of awakening souls, there’s hope that we can have more of an impact on collective consciousness. Whether one is aware of it or not, Kundalini awakening only occurs through lifetimes of preparation and ripening. Then it can take more lifetimes for Her transformative work to unfold. And then, and then, the real fun begins!
May all beings know complete freedom from suffering!
Emaho!
All love,
Lawrence
Lawrence Edwards, PhD, BCN, LMHC
Founder & Director, OPTIMAL MIND®
2 Byram Brook Place, Ste 2
Armonk, New York 10504
914-219-8600
www.optimalmind.net
“Transform your mind….
transform your life.”®
HIPAA Notification: This electronic message contains information that may be privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. The information contained herein is intended to be for the addressee only. If you are not the intended addressee, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message (including attachments) is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy the original message and all copies.
In the following article, he shares some of his wisdom to help clarify some of the confusion surrounding the Kundalini experience.
One important dimension that comes up in doing research on Kundalini, as well as in working with people going through some kind of transformative process, is how to define and ascertain whether or not the phenomenon you or the person is observing are actually Kundalini. This is more important in terms of research and clinical applications, but has bearing on your question about whether or not more people are experiencing Kundalini awakening. The term is more widely known now and often misapplied. Not all awakenings are the Maha Awakening of Kundalini. There are degrees of awakening and expanding consciousness. There are movements of prana that create shifts in the mind and consciousness that are similar to Kundalini’s spontaneous and ongoing processes, but aren’t Kundalini awakening. There awakenings of the mind as it steps out of the confines of roles and identities it has been conditioned to inhabit that lead to expansion of heart and mind, but aren’t Kundalini awakening. It is very difficult to discern the multidimensional, self-sustaining process of true Kundalini awakening and in some ways it’s academic. On a practical, sadhana level, we treat the underlying power that creates and sustains awakening and transformation with great respect, love and reverence.
There’s confusion arising from the conflation of Kundalini awaking and mental illness. There are many people experiencing one or the other or both simultaneously and there’s complete confusion about this. This has huge implications for how the person needs to be supported, guided, directed, in doing sadhana practices. The wider familiarity with the term Kundalini and Kundalini awakening has led to its misapplication and obscuring its meaning and depth. This too often leads to inflation, a defensive attachment and identification with being awakened and having everything attributed to Kundalini, as if the individual has no responsibility for what is occurring, etc. I’ve gotten emails and calls from people who are in a psychotic process, sometimes from people in psychiatric hospitals, who ask me to tell their psychiatrist that they are really going through Kundalini awakening and should be taken off medications and released. They might be going through Kundalini processes and when I ask them how they function without medications and the structured container of a treatment center they almost always tell me they completely fall apart, have to be rescued by family or friends, etc. They need an integrated approach like I describe in the book Kundalini Awakening, that incorporates a variety of treatment modalities and supports them developing the strength of the container, the mind/body, to deal with the energies of transformation and not disintegrate.
Then there are the cross religious uses of the term Kundalini. I occasionally hear from people from some Muslim countries who seem to be experiencing Kundalini awaking and have found absolutely no support or understanding in their culture. The same is true for some Christians who have contacted me, though if one speaks of Kundalini in terms of Holy Spirit there’s some acceptance, but there’s often so much fear of the devil and fear-based distortions that these folks are looking for something outside of a fundamentalist paradigm to help them. Then they contact us! I’m sure you hear from all kinds of people awakening to the transpersonal, the transcendent, and wondering how to get oriented.
I don’t think it is every soul’s purpose in this lifetime to experience awakening. We incarnate across countless lifetimes, evolving, learning from our actions and their consequences, preparing for the time in the cycle of evolution for that quantum leap into the Infinite. Maybe it will happen before mahapralaya – the great dissolution ending kali yuga and starting the next round of ages, maybe not. Most souls are fulfilling their soul’s needs right where they are – whether as a bug or a Buddha! We keep the lights on for those seeking the light and hoping it will illumine the journey for those exploring the dark as well.
Many, many people have been doing yogic, meditative, spiritual, shamanic practices for lifetimes and are incarnating now, bringing with them the levels of awakening and preparation for awakening that they’ve completed in past lives. With enhanced communications now and those rising numbers of awakening souls, there’s hope that we can have more of an impact on collective consciousness. Whether one is aware of it or not, Kundalini awakening only occurs through lifetimes of preparation and ripening. Then it can take more lifetimes for Her transformative work to unfold. And then, and then, the real fun begins!
May all beings know complete freedom from suffering!
Emaho!
All love,
Lawrence
Lawrence Edwards, PhD, BCN, LMHC
Founder & Director, OPTIMAL MIND®
2 Byram Brook Place, Ste 2
Armonk, New York 10504
914-219-8600
www.optimalmind.net
“Transform your mind….
transform your life.”®
HIPAA Notification: This electronic message contains information that may be privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. The information contained herein is intended to be for the addressee only. If you are not the intended addressee, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message (including attachments) is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy the original message and all copies.
